Spontaneous Weekend

After a random text message conversation about how spontaneity can lead to some of life’s greatest adventures, Rob pleasantly surprised me by showing up in Blenheim on Friday night. I was at a party with a bunch of co-workers that evolved into a full-on Sing Star competition by the time he arrived. I’m certain that we must have frightened him when he walked in the door! But after a few minutes of processing the situation, he bravely joined into the competition and showed us his stuff!




On Saturday I was treated to lunch at the Allan Scott winery by Chris and Rochelle, the parents of Matt (the student I tutored). It was a lovely afternoon for a lunch on the patio and it was great to catch up with them again. They are some really awesome parents who care about their son. They appreciated the effects that I had on Matt’s overall work ethic and success in school this year, so they wanted to show me their thanks. They are convinced that his overall improvement in all subjects, was a result of the work I had done with him!

After lunch, Rob and I headed up to the Wither Hills for a walk and found some trees to chill out beneath. Along the way we stopped for some random photos. It was during this time that I discovered that I have a very elevated danger sensor. Rob got me to take a “jumping shot” of him while he leaped off the top of a water tank. Afterwards he persuaded me to give it a go. By the time I got up top and looked down, I immediately started to freak out.

That’s a long way down! The ground is uneven! What if I break my ankle? Think about how much that would suck! Summer’s coming and I’m training for a race! I can’t afford to break my ankle!

After sharing my alarm-bell thoughts aloud, we decided that I should try a few mini “practice jumps” in which I essentially stepped off the tank to get a feel for how far down it really was. After 3 or 4 of these, I was finally ready to go. What a rush! And what a super cool picture!








This morning we decided to check out another church in town. Since neither of us was really excited about going back to St. Christophers (the church we visited the first weekend Rob stayed in Blenheim), we decided to change it up. After a quick scan of the local paper, we decided upon on the Elim Center. What a drastic change from our previous experience. Upon walking through the door we received an extremely warm welcome. After glancing around the jam-packed lobby that was buzzing with energy and excitement, I saw several familiar faces - both parents and students alike. The service had a distinctly evangelical/pentecostal feel to it which I'm still forming my opinion on. Normally something that makes me feel very uncomfortable, didn't, for some reason today.

After church we went for a walk downtown. Along the way I ran into a student from my school who was practicing some skateboard tricks with some of her mates. It was fun to stop and say hi, get her to show us what she could do, and have a chance to give her board a try. What made this experience particularly awesome was the fact that I was able to connect with her on a new level today. This girl is a rather "challenging” student that I’ve personally experienced problems with while covering for her class a few times - one of which led me to remove her with a purple sheet. I’ve shared conversations with this girl about where she wants her life to head and why she behaves the way she does. When I pass by her in the office (a place she seems to end up on a regular basis) I usually sit and chat with her each time for a few minutes. And as of recently I’ve started to joke with her about “crossing over”. “Girl…” I say, “just wait and see what it’s like on the other side… you should really try it sometime. Cross Over! I promise, you’ll like what you see!”

I have no idea what will end up happening with her, but hanging out with her today was a pretty neat experience. Enough to make me think that it would be really cool if she ended up in my math class next year. Who knows... maybe I could be the one to make a difference with her! Afterall, isn't that why I'm in teaching? To try and make a difference...

Muscle Update

My muscles are STILL sore. Although I found walking around the golf course on Sunday slightly challenging, walking around school the next day was an even bigger challenge. It is now Tuesday and my walk still resembles that which utilizes a wooden leg.

I've been biking to work the past 2 days due to a persuasive influence that challenges me to make better choices! I feel good. I feel far less lazy. And I'm saving $$ on petrol! ("gas" for my Canadian readers at home)

I am currently in full-fledged baby-sitting mode now at school. Since exams finished over a week ago, we have been having to entertain our students in some very creative ways. Last week my "hook" was "Getting Smarter!". Basically telling the girls that "yes, exams are done, but here's an opportunity to get even SMARTER than you already are!" And then I forced them to relearn Solving Equations, Trigonometry, and a few other things that they sucked at big-time on their exams. This week I've had it. There is zero intrinsic motivation left in these girls. The end is too much in sight. My chosen "pacifier" is girlie movies. Today we watched "Steel Magnolias." Yesterday I tried "A Beautiful Mind" but it was just a bit too much for them to grasp. If we have time, we'll finish by watching "A Leagure of Their Own."

I am convinced that the way we do things in Canada is far better than the system here. Teaching right up til the last day of school, knowing that they have an exam to work towards, is intrinsically motivating enough for the students. Take one week at the end to run exams, mark papers, and write report cards without the interruptions of having to teach unmotivated students in the afternoon is definitely the way to go. I think I'm going to have to make this proposal to my Principal. Not sure what her reaction will be...

Now... back to my report-card "process". <deep breath>

Lazy Day in Blenheim

What a gloriously lazy day today!

After sleeping in, I woke up to some extremely tired and well-used muscles which was very satisfying! I was worried that I wasn't sore enough the day before which made me think that I should have pushed a whole lot harder! I hobbled awkwardly out of bed and found Nic, Merrill, and Mark hanging out in the living room. We decided to visit the Farmer's Market which is short walk from our house. The weather was fantastic and we sat under an umbrella enjoying coffee and breakfast while listening to some elderly man play his heart out on the saxophone. Man did he ever look like he was loving it!






By the time we got home I felt ready for a nap, but couldn't since we had some serious work to do in preparation for yet another Open House (I selfishly feel as if our Real Estate agents owe us big time given how much cleaning/vacating our house we have done for them!). So I set to work on the lawn while Nic tidied up inside. I swear I got a work-out almost as good as yesterday - I certainly sweat as much! The lawn is getting tougher and tougher to cut because it's drying out and its straw-like texture is almost too much for the dull blades to handle.

I was interrupted from my lawn care by Merrill who came out to tell me some shocking news - someone had died on the race-course yesterday. My body was instantly overcome by a chill that went right through me, followed by a pang of nausea that went straight to my stomach. We were aware that a racer was missing yesterday - unaccounted for - but assumed that this person had decided to quit early and just head home before crossing the finish line. Turns out the story was quite different and has left me reflecting on how delicate life really is.

Later that afternoon I biked over to Claire's house to unexpectedly drop in just in time to join her for lunch. While we hung out waiting for the Open House to finish, we received a text from Emily inviting us to join her for a round of golf. Emily lives in a beautiful part of Blenheim near the hills, steps away from a golf-course. In fact, her house backs onto the 4th hole! It was a comical game with Claire and I swinging on average 3 times more than we actually hit the ball. Emily - who seems to excel in EVERY SINGLE sport that she does - showed us how it should be done!








And now I am realizing there is only a week-and-a-half left to go before my summer holidays begin! No plans yet for tomorrow, but I think I'll just wing it.

Moa Hunt

I competed in an event today called the Moa Hunt. This was the second year of this race and the first year that they opened it up to runners. Last year it was simply a 40km mountain bike ride, but this year it offered a 20km mountain bike ride and a 20km run category as well.

The day was fantastic!

It began when I was picked up by Peter Yarrell at 7:30am. Pete was competing in the 40km bike race and offered to drive me there. Conversation, as always, was deep and inspiring. Never a dull moment with Peter!

We arrived to a spectacularly beautiful setting in a tiny village called Kekerengu. It is about an hour South of Blenheim - right on the ocean and with everything you need for a race venue.

The race appeared to have been fairly well organized. It started right on time. And the scenery was spectacular!

The run itself was really tough:
- 5km along a river bed (with several river crossings along the way)
- 5km uphill (straight uphill - no flat spots or downhills the ENTIRE way up!)
- 2km undulating (but it felt like it was mostly uphill still!)
- 4km straight downhill (some sections so steep I could barely stay in control!)
- 2km along a flat road and back onto the river bed with some more river crossings to the end

In total, 18km, and it took me 2h 25mins. Not a stellar time, but not bad either. Especially considering it was a blistering 25 degrees with blazing sun and VERY LITTLE shade the entire way! My friend, Emily, who also competed in the run today placed really well and finished with a time of 1hr 54 mins. Way to go Em!!

Tall Nic competed in the 20km bike ride and I passed her along the way around the 8km mark. I think I caught up with her at the absolutely steepest section of the course. I was still feeling good and helped to push her bike up the hill for a bit. Later on, we crossed paths again around the 13km mark while she whizzed past me on the down-hill section.

There was a very cool vibe at the race today. The weather helped to keep our spirits up, and the heat probably helped to keep us good and mellow. I was pleased to get to see Peter cross the finish line and 20 minutes later see his friend finish too.

The rest of the afternoon was spent literally lazing around on the grass, listening to the music in the background and the announcer call out people's names and numbers as they crossed. As one racer crossed the line it was announced that he was celebrating his 50th birthday. What a fantastic way to celebrate a birthday! Note to self: Remember to compete in a hard-core race when I turn 50!!

I am not sure why, but I felt sick after this race - very similar to what happened to me after the multisport race. (I need to do some research to find out why this keeps happening to me!) That being said, I still managed to toally enjoy the chilled-out atmosphere of the afternoon and the beautiful scenery that surrounded me. I feel good now and am enjoying the fact that I crawled into bed tonight at 7:45pm!

Deodarant

In light of my decision to stay in NZ a bit longer, I'm now facing the reality that a number of things that I was putting on hold til I got home will have to change.

One of which is my use of deodarant. No... I am not saying I don't use it at all. But I have not actually purchased any here since I got here in January. What I'm used to, and over the years have come to love (and this year, appreciate) is "stick" deodarant. "Soft solid" you might call it. The kind that goes on dry and distributes exactly as you want it to, and doesn't leave white marks on your clothes.

Believe it or not, this type of deodarant doesn't exist in NZ. Well... it might, but it certainly doesn't exist in Blenheim. I have searched all over and can not seem to find "stick deodarant" anywhere!

My favourite brand at home was Secret - their Soft Solid Sheer version. I can't remember what scent it was, but it had a pink label and was NOT the baby powder scent. I brought two of these with me when I moved here. When I ran out, I got mom to send me another in the mail. And when that ran out, I was able to replace it with a Lady Speed Stick that I picked up in Australia.

However, once it started to run low, I decided I better start hunting. Since my two options here are either...
a) roll-on, or
b) spray
...I had some decision making to do.

After considering all of the options at Countdown (our local grocery store - supermarkets are definitely the best price on all personal care items like this) I decided to try one of each.

The question I have now is how on earth do you use these things?

The roll-on feels all gross and icky because it goes on wet. After applying it, I feel like I need to walk around with my arms up in the air for a good 5 minutes in order for my armpits to fully dry.

The spray has its own set of challenges - mainly the distribution problem. How do you aim it so that it actually HITS the intended target (my armpit!)? How close/far away do you need to hold the can? Oh yeah... and should I be concerned about the chemicals I breathe in after spraying it - are they bad for me to inhale?

Who would have figured something as simple as deodarant could have so many complications! We'll see how it all progreses! Stay tuned for my next update...

Mouse in the House!

Wow! It's 8am and I've already had my adrenaline rush for the day. Actually, it started at 7:15!

While getting my lunch ready to take to school I heard a slight "ting" from the bottom cupboard. It sounded like one of our steel mixing bowls shifted slightly and rubbed against the one it was sitting inside. Thinking that it might be a result of cockroach roaming around inside the cupboard, I decided to investigate.

MAN was I not prepared for what came out!

After opening the cupboard, I let out one of the girliest screams I have made in a while. I thought I was witnessing the largest cockroach known to man escape from my cupboard and run along my kitchen floor to find safety beneath the fridge. After only a few seconds of processing, and after making sure that my heart was in fact still inside my chest and my breakfast was still inside my belly, I realized that this monster was a mouse.

Short Nic came out to see what happened and we ended up harmoniously repeating the girlie scream described above when we lifted up the beanbag chair and watched the mouse dash off towards the fireplace.

Thinking I was not going to let this thing beat me, I spent a few minutes building up some defense - a great wall! This mouse was not going to get past me!

Once completed, I had to go searching for the mouse again. Finding it hiding underneath the curtain I yelped again, this time calling the attention of both roommates. With the fireplace shovel in hand and the two Nics standing guard, I was ready for my attack. A few screams later and one Nic running for safety in her room, we had lost it. The mouse did not run out the door like I was expecting. Instead it broke past my barrier and under the couch and we don't know where it went from there. The trail went dead. I had to leave for work.

Looks like we've got a project to take care of!

Some Random Updates

Yesterday I went for a run in the Withers with Claire and Emily. It was probably the hottest weather I have run in this season. Although dehydrated and completely exhausted, I still managed to enjoy this run. A combination of great company and great scenery is a guaranteed recipe for success! I LOVE the Wither Hills. Magic, I tell you... pure magic!

This morning I drove past Chateau Marlborough on my way to work (as I always do) and couldn't help but notice the AAT Kings coach bus with bright yellow mirrors parked out front. This was significant because it meant that Gavin, the tour guide that mom and dad spent 10 days travelling the South Island with, was there. Since mom and dad went on, and on, (and on!) about how amazing this guy was, and had specifically mentioned that his bus had bright yellow mirrors, I felt that I had to stop and say hello. From the 10 minute conversation that we shared I was able to establish that this was a genuinely nice guy, hard-working, and with high standards. I made sure to emphasize to him how much of an impact he had in influencing my parents enjoyment of their travels and their love for New Zealand.

Tonight I have begun the process of capitalizing on the fact that I am going to be in NZ for a bit longer. When I arrived last January, I was so focussed on settling in and getting my head wrapped around my career, that I missed out on so many of the fantastic race options that are available during the summer/fall season in NZ. One such race was the Motatapu Icebreaker event. This landmark event takes place on property in the South Island that is owned by Shania Twain and gives access on one day each year to a route that is otherwise not open to the public.

So I am now registered for 2009! The only problem - it's a 50km race!! Looks like I better get training!!

Yet Another Sheep Story

I went to a picture sharing "party" on Sunday afternoon at Gemma's place. It was a small and informal gathering of coworkers wanting to swap and share photos that we have acquired throughout the year. (A fantastic idea indeed! This is definitely something I would like to encourage with my girl friends when I come home!)

One set of pictures I stumbled across were on Short Nic's computer. Apparently she had taken these with me in mind while she was out with her friend Kate last weekend. It appears from these pictures that this family has some pet sheep that they decided to take for a walk with them (complete with leashes) while they visited the shores of the Marlborough Sounds outside of Picton.





To help keep this "sheep thing" in perspective for my readers at home, according to Nic (a kiwi through-and-through), this is NOT normal.

More on Sheep

I love sheep. I think they are the cutest things ever! I get excited every time I see them! I love the fact that I get to see them every time I'm out for a run on the Withers (almost always stopping to have a few "baas" with them along the way)!

A previous post about my co-worker looking for a pet sheep reminded my father of a picture from years back. I think this was taken by my long-time friend, Laura P (aka: Pricey), at a plowing match that we went to while in middle-school. Dad scanned the picture and sent it along to me.

A few months ago, I watched an episode of Country Calendar that featured a story on a famous sheep named "Shrek". You can read more about this here:
http://www.kiwiherald.com/ShrektheSheep.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek_(sheep)

Apparently this merino sheep had gotten lose in the owners extensive highland property in the South Island and managed to evade its seasonal sheering for several years in a row. Once found, Shrek became an icon of NZ.



He has spent the last few years raising money for charity.

Apparently his fame and papparazzi days are over - Shrek has now gone into retirement.

Snowy Canada!

I can't get over how much snow they are getting at home in Ontario. Apparently it has fallen in large quantities and has not yet melted away. If my memory serves me correctly, this is one of the earliest snow-falls we have had in a long time - especially the earliest that it has actually stayed on the ground for longer than a day!

Mom and dad drove back from their trip to Florida and actually had to stop early on the first night in Alabama due to blowing snow and poor visibility. And they just missed a 120cm dumping in Sarnia after stopping in Windsor the second night.

Dad took some pictures of my car (which has been sitting in mom and dad's driveway since last winter).

This isn't really a crazy amount of snow-fall by Owen Sound standards. However, given that this took place before December and doesn't show any signs of disappearing, it makes me wonder what sort of winter they are in store for this year!

I think I may have convinced dad to put my car back onto the road this winter season. The battery is dead and will need replacing, but dad thinks he will put his Ford Probe into storage and use mine to get around instead. Thank goodness! I'm a bit worried about the state my car will be in whenever I get home -- apparently cars actually need to be driven from time to time. Go figure?!

Decision Made

Ok... I'm following fate and have made the decision to stay a bit longer here in NZ. After talking to my principal about what sort of math positions might still be available for next year, I have somehow managed to acquire a 1-term, no commitment, full-load of math classes. I'm not really sure how this position came about, but I'm not going to question it.

I've spoken to mom and dad about this. Apparently grandma had already called them to announce "Heather is not coming home". Dad thinks this is a "neat" development in my life and mom thinks I'm never gonna come home. Ah... gotta love family!

As of now, I do not plan to stay the full year. I think I will see how one more term goes and then re-evaluate from there. Oddly enough, this decision has brought a lot of comfort to the turmoil I have been experiencing since submitting my resignation.

Mom - for what it's worth - I PROMISE!! I will NOT stay here forever!! :)

And Then I Met This Boy...

Sometimes I wonder who I am writing my blog for... Am I writing it for my friends so that they can see what sort of adventures I am up to while over here in NZ? Or maybe I'm writing it for my family so they can keep tabs on me and make sure I'm ok. But then again, maybe I'm just writing it for myself, so I can keep a log of my experiences teaching overseas, living in a different country thousands of miles from home, so that I can look back and reflect on my adventures for years to come. Or maybe I'm thinking it would be cool for my grandchildren to be able to read my stories and see my pictures and get an idea of just who their grandmother really was in her "prime"...

Who knows... but anyways... here's a random story for whoever is reading.

Several months ago I was introduced to the blog of a kiwi boy who was skateboarding around the world. If you didn't catch that post, you can find it here. What I failed to write about was the story that ensued from there:

Upon reading this blog, I was immediately captivated by this guy's story. Not only was this guy embarking on one of the coolest missions EVER, but I could immediately tell that he was pretty amazing himself. His blog convinced me of this fact. I was so enthrallwed with his pictures and stories that I had to email him to tell him this fact. 10 mins later, I had another question, so I emailed that. Another 5 mins later, I discovered that we share the EXACT same birthday (right down to the year!) and of course, I HAD to email him about that! Meanwhile, I'm talking to my flatmates about this guy and coming to a typical "Heather conclusion" that this guy was what I considered "prime marriage material".

Much to my delight, I woke up the next morning to three responses in my inbox to each of my three different emails. Completely stoked!, I emailed him back, this time, for whatever reason, deciding that it would be fun to jokingly let this guy know about his newly appointed title of "my future husband". Fairly certain that I would never even meet this guy, I was just thinking it would be fun to capture his attention!

So no response for weeks until I get an email from him asking me where I lived again (I had mentioned I lived in Blenheim) and requesting to crash at my place sometime in November since he was planning to finish up his journey and cycle the rest of the way home from Auckland to Christchurch. Totally psyched!... I email him back stating a great big sigh of relief that he didn't think I was too psycho to associate with after my "future husband" comment, and also mentioning that I would be more than willing to take him in.

A couple of weeks later, his blog posts imply that he is seriously struggling. The mental and physical struggles he was facing at the time were, to say the least, difficult. Convinced that he needed some help cheering up, I decided to start sending him some random positive stories through email. I figured this would accomplish one of two tasks:
1) Fully and officially grant me the title of "that really scary e-stalker"
2) Bring a smile to his face and give him something to mull over while rolling out the next few more kms, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next internet cafe where he could get the latest dose of "Heather's Deep Thoughts"

After over 20 Random Stories, he finally arrived last Friday. Thinking he would only stay one night, I was surprised to discover he planned to stay for the weekend! And what a fantastic weekend it was!

It's really hard to describe how the weekend evolved, but the words "powerful" and "inspiring" and "exciting" are just a few that come to mind. Since Rob's exhaustion level was at an all-time high, we spent the majority of the weekend pretty chilled out. This was a good reminder to me that I DO NOT chill out enough while I'm on my own. Had it been a normal weekend, I would have been out for a 20km run, cleaned the house, did some marking and other school work, and probably a bunch of other busying tasks to keep me occupied. Instead, I had a night out at the pub with my roomies on Friday, a relaxing day under the trees at White's Bay on Saturday, and another relaxing day of very little on Sunday apart from going to church in the morning and having an afternoon trip to Picton. This was all VERY good for me because I was pretty much running on no sleep having had much difficulty controlling my racing thoughts each night!








The highlight of the weekend was on Sunday when I drove Rob out to Picton to meet Peter Yarrell. I was convinced that the two should meet since I believed they would both mutually benefit from chatting with one another. It was an afternoon of "synergy" bouncing off the walls of one room, overlooking the beauty of the Marlborough sounds. The story telling was fantastic and the energy was high! We all left feeling on top of the world!


On the way home, I was caught up in the moment and decided to tell Rob my theory on why I had lost so much sleep that weekend: "It's because of you, Rob - I have not been able to sleep because you have been on my mind." His response completely caught me by surprise: "If it's any consolation, Heather, you are not the only one that has lost sleep over this". I grinned in excitement and total disbelief. Did he really just say that???!!! I went on to tell him that the "special ones" are far and few between, but that I know one when I meet one. And he fits the criteria. He responded by saying that he came to the same conclusion about me after checking out my blog for the first time a week ago. Doing my best to contain myself (and not drive off the road!), my smile widened even further and we continued home to Blenheim making casual conversation about our afternoon with Peter and Rob's new inspiration for the book that he plans to write.

On Monday Rob headed off to Nelson to speak at an elementary school. Much to my surprise, he was back by Tuesday night and announcing that he wanted to take me on a "date" the next day. On Wednesday afternoon he spoke at my school to some of my students. It was a great talk and the girls loved him! Afterwards we debriefed on his speech and came up with some great ideas on what more he can do with it.



From there, we headed off to the Wither Hills for a walk, and to Black Creek for a yummy pizza dinner complete with Marlborough wine and live music.


By this point conversation had covered a whole assortment of topics. Yes, we agreed that this mutual feeling is overwhelming, yet pretty amazing. Oh... and yes, we are both aware of the fact that I have just put in my resignation and have (had?) plans to go home in January. And yes... we are also aware of the fact that Rob is about to experience some major changes in his life as he transitions back into Western society after years of travelling on his own. But that's ok...

We have made a connection and we are going to see one another again. For now, Rob has a job to finish. He is 3 days away from completing a two-and-a-half year epic journey!

Funny how things work out...

My Lovely, Classy Flat

Back-posted

Much to my dismay, the cockroaches continue to thrive in our flat.

On the weekend we were graced with the prescence of another one of these ugly things hanging out on our stove. Ah, the joys of flatting in sketchy old houses...

Really Really Really ‹insert hard-to-find the right word› Weekend

This weekend was quite possibly one of the most bizarre weekends of my life. It was so good that it has left me speachless. I will have to post about this one after I have had some time to process it all...

TBC