School, Museums, and RUGBY!

Okay, so I have been absolutely TERRIBLE at writing on my blog. Things have gotten super busy since we got back from the South Island. 

I started teaching at Henderson South Primary on February 13. I had no idea what to expect but I guess that is what makes it fun. I am in a year 1 and 2 class (that translate to a kindergarten and 1st grade class in the states). When I started we had 21 5 and 6 year olds in my class. We are now up to 24. My kids are the cutest kids you have ever seen. I love them to pieces. They are just so funny and have so much spunk. 

My First Day at Henderson South School! 

Here are some funny quotes from my kids. 

One of my little boys asked me if I was from Australia. I told him no, I’m from America. He then said, “Oh, so you speak American there.” 

Yesterday I was sick and losing my voice. I told my reading group that they needed to pay extra close attention to what I was saying because I couldn’t talk very loud. I then asked the kids if I sounded funny. One of my boys (actually the same one as above) said, “Miss you always sound funny, you speak American and don’t sound like us.” 

I can’t get over these kids. They are so much fun and they love to learn. Yes we have our moments where they drive me nuts and I don’t want to be a teacher anymore, but somehow they always do something that makes me change my mind. 

On February 14, we had a Powhiri. This is a traditional New Zealand welcoming ceremony. It was so cool. I loved it. My favorite part was probably when they sang the national anthem. It is the greatest thing to hear. They are so proud of it and they sing it so loud and they know all the words in both English and Maori. That is impressive considering that most Americans don’t know the words at all. I seriously have to fight back tears every time I hear it. 

Our Group after the Powhiri 

The Principals of our Primary Schools

I love teaching it is great! The best part is teaching for only 4 days a week. That should happen always. 

On February 24 we went as a group to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. We were told that we needed to get their on our own. Steph and I decided ahead of time that we wanted to go walk around and do some shopping. We caught the train into Auckland. This was my first time ever being on a train (Besides the Heber Creeper and that doesn’t count). It was a lot of fun. We went all the way to Brittomart (downtown Auckland) and walked down Queenstreet. It had all sorts of shops and there were tons of people everywhere. Did you know that you can cross the street diagonally here? They stop traffic in all directions so everyone crosses at once. Brilliant?! I think Yes! 

Pics from Downtown Auckland 

the train station 

Pics from the War Memorial Museum 

We then walked across town to the War Memorial Museum. We got lost a few times, but we made it in the end! 

The museum was amazing! The first thing we did was go to a Maori cultural performance. It was a lot of fun to watch. Then we spent the next couple of hours walking around the museum. It was HUGE! I didn’t get to see everything but that’s okay. I enjoyed what I did see. 

After the museum we went to a Rugby game! Rugby is AWESOME! I wish that it was popular in the states. There is a big tournament going on, it is called the Super 15. The game we went too was the first game of the Tournament. The Christchurch Crusaders and the Auckland Blues were playing. We had amazing seats. We were about 14 rows from the field! It rained off on and on during the game (that made it way more fun). The game was super intense. In the end the Crusaders won by one point. It was such a close game. At the game they gave some Auckland Blues flags away for free. I tried really hard to get one, but I was unsuccessful. When we were walking to the cabs after the game and I walked past this rubbish bin (trash can) there was a stick coming out of it and I had a brilliant idea to look in it and see if there was still a flag on top. There was! I was so excited (and there was no rubbish on it at all). 

All in all the last two and half weeks have been great! I love teaching and I love going out and exploring Auckland! It is a lot of fun! 

The best part of my last few weeks was discovering that I can call my mom on her cell phone using Google voice. It was so great to hear her voice. Also, on Sunday (Saturday in the US), my sister and her family were visiting my mom so I was able to skype with them. It was a lot of fun! I loved it!