3 Weeks Later...

Tena koutou katoa!

Wow... Have I really been in Auckland for 3 weeks now?!  It's amazing (and a bit frustrating at times) how quickly time moves.  I simply just have too much to say in one blog posting, so I think I'll just try to sum up the past three weeks in a word:

AMAZING!!!

If you ever get the chance to visit New Zealand, don't think twice, don't hesitate, just say YES!  I have had the most incredible experience so far, feeling completely accepted into my family, the Sellar's, the community, Hebron Christian College, and the country as a whole.

And if what they say about pictures is true, then I think a few of them should sum up the past few weeks just fine.  I have been keeping an e-journal each evening, just jotting down a few memorable moments from each day, but I hope to be able to write more about them later on...  Here's a few of my favorite moments from the past few weeks...

I want to live here.

Tomorrow is a big day.  The Cathay Pacific 11k race/run.  The SkyTower with Lyndsey.  Shopping at Dress Smart.  A trip up the lovely One Tree Hill.  Fiddlelore concert with fish and chips, the Sellar's and Lyndsey.

Love to all, I miss you all, espcially you Mik! :)

-New ZeaLane

Less than a day, more than okay...

It's 12:13 am.  I leave for my voyage in about 10 hours.  Is it seriously time already?!

Isn't it always the way it happens that almost anything that can go wrong before a big trip can and does.  The weather in Ohio has been treacherous as of late, to ay the least.  Will the flight out of Columbus be delayed?!  What about after Columbus, as we leave from Detroit?!  Will our plane be captivated by ice?!

As I type, my nose is running like a faucet.  I'm sick.  The day I have to travel for 33 hours?!  Yeah, I'm sick, and unable to sleep.  But for every 1 thing that is going "wrong," there are 10 that are falling into place.

And I feel only excitement for what's to come.  I'm not nervous or scared.  It's great.

All this to say that no matter what stands in the way, there is an adventure to be had here.  And I'm ready!

One Week to Rule Them All...

      One Week to Find Them,
One Week to Bring Them All,
       And in New Zealand, Bind Them...


9 years...


For almost a decade I have dreamed of going to New Zealand, and now the dream will be a reality in one week.  Nine years to one week...  it's almost unbelievable (and yes, I did just rip off one of the great Tolkien's most famous proses of verse with a cheesy twist to make it personal... but I couldn't help it.  Tolkien was all about applicability anyway.)!


New Zealand is the first country to greet the day, it's over 8,000 miles away and is a land well renowned for adventure, hospitality and mystery.  I have been given the chance to travel to Auckland, New Zealand's largest city (around 1.5 million), located on the country's North Island.  From what I have read and heard, it is a vibrant, diverse (largest population of Polynesian people for any city in the world, 7 major cultures represented), and welcoming city.  I will be teaching first grade at Hebron Christian College, along with my fellow-traveller and schoolmate, Lyndsey Oldham.  

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT:  Check out her blog--http://lyndseymanawaora.blogspot.com/.  Enough spastic monologue... time to get down to brass buttons.


*   *   *
Going there...


I am beginning to feel how I imagine old Bilbo felt as he set out on his journey with the dwarves-- excited, but nervous and, if I can be completely honest, not sure I am quite cut out to do exactly what I will be doing.  Teaching, like robbery, is a daunting enough task here at home--but a world away?  And then there's the inherent expectations of adventure and new lands to discover; expectations I can't suppress no matter how I try; expectations that can only come from longing for such an adventure for so long.


But then I catch a glimpse of The Wizard.  He doesn't look like much--dressed in drab gray, an old gnarled staff, a great blue brimmed hat.  He blends right in.  But just a glimpse of his eyes and make no mistake--He's a wizard, alright.  And what's more, he knows what he is doing...


*    *    *
"New Zealand is holding it's breath..."


My Cooperating Teacher (CT) and Kiwi Mum, Mrs. Margaret Sellar sent me this message a couple of days ago:

"Okay Lane. I now know what you look like! New Zealand is holding it's breath. When are you arriving?"

If New Zealand is holding it's breath, then I am hyperventilating :D Though not with anxiety so much anymore as exuberance.

I can't wait for my journey to begin, and knowing that there are people waiting to greet and take me in... There's something magical about that. Something only a Wizard could arrange...