We are making our rental house feel like home. The location, one block from the beach, is awesome. We've taken the opportunity to walk on the beach almost every day. People are so friendly and have offered us "bits and bobs" to make the house more comfortable.
Lea registered for school, her classes are Math, English, Chemistry, Photography and Outdoor Education. First term of Outdoor Ed is kayaking and second term is outdoor survival skills. Wish I could take this class. At registration, I metioned we needed dresser drawers and the dean of year 13, who was helping Lea choose classes, mentioned that he had a few dressers stored in the corner of his garage that were not being used. After showing us around the school he hopped in our car and we drove to his house to pick up two bed tables and two sets of dresser drawers! Lea had a hard time imagining this scenario play out with any of the admin staff at Lakewood High School! This is typical of what we have been experiencing from the locals so far. School had some leadership activities the two days before school officially started, which gave Lea the opportunity to get to know her classmates. Twenty four students in year 13, including an exchange student from Genoa, Italy and two New Zealanders who have moved here from South Africa and Missouri. In other grades there are also students from Japan, Germany and some students coming later from Thailand. It's amazing how strong the international presence is.
Anyway, for the first day of school there was a welcoming ceremony for the youngest grade students, new students and parents. I was untypically early and didn't know exactly where to go and sit. I looked in the hall and saw adults and students sitting in rows and joined them there. After the ceremony started the parents and new students came in from another door and I realized I was sitting with the teachers and upper grade students! OOOPS. Greg was in the right place and wondering where I had gone since he drove there and I rode "my" bike so that I could head off to work after the ceremony. The ceremony included several Maori songs, a Maori speaker as well as english speaking school staff. It was somewhat of a handoff of the care taking, well being and education of the kids from the primary school to the high school. The principal of the school wore a coat of feathers, which I assume was representative of a Maori leader.
Westland High School Principal Welcoming New Students and Their Parents On the First Day of School
Then I was off to my first day at work. It involved meeting lots of people, learning the organizational structure and meeting with the people I will be most involved with and discussing project work and goals for both the DOC and me. All was terrific.....until I got home and Greg pointed out that my white tee shirt I'd wore all day was on BACKWARDS!!!! Geez.... I need my peeps! Girlfriends, I'll never be able to replace you but I better find some 6-month fill ins! :)
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