Letter to Students 19th October 2007

Dear Reader

Isn’t this Friday morning just one out of the box?  I love such crisp, clear mornings where the frost lies sparkling on the grass, and the harbour is as still as a millpond.  The sun is shining, and the sun’s rays lift your spirits to the point where you think that anything is possible!  May your dreams come true, especially if you are sitting IELTS this weekend, or in the near future.  Remember that life is10% what happens to you, but 90% how you react to what happens to you.  When I was in Singapore, I bought some excellent books at the airport bookshop and one of them was Richard Carlson’s book called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff about Money.  Although the focus was money, the book pertained to general aspects of life.  One of the chapter titles was “Let go of the fear that if you are relaxed or happy, you are going to fail.” Some people think that if you are not uptight, you will lose your drive.  However, Carlson uses the analogy of Thanksgiving dinner, and the feeling of lethargy and lack of motivation you feel after feasting.  He says you can extend this metaphor to the tendency to be overly serious and immobilized over parts of your life.  Only by lightening up can you open the doors of creativity and be truly successful.  I truly believe that this is true.  Have you ever noticed that when you are happy and smile at people, they smile back and the world seems happier?  It is your positive energy that attracts the positive energy of others, and everyone wins. 

This weekend, we are heading off to Glenorchy, as we did two years ago.  Last year, some of the teachers went to Tarras where we rented a gorgeous house and celebrated Meg’s 60^th birthday.  It was a very special weekend, and the weather was fabulous.  Let’s hope this weekend will be equally as kind to us all!  I found a letter I wrote two years ago, and I would like to share it with you.  Some things will be the same this time round, but my father died in August last year, and reading about him brings a tear to my eye.  We went out for dinner last night, and I toasted Dad as it was his birthday.  I really miss him, but know he isn’t suffering now.  He was such a dignified man, and his painful cancer wore away at this body mercilessly.  On the first anniversary of his passing, two ducks were sitting on the pond which Han had made beside the tree we had planted in Dad’s memory. The ducks hadn’t been seen since the time Dad had died, and I am sure that they were a sign from Dad.  It is important for me to believe that he is still with me in spirit.  Do you believe in spirits?  Where do you think we go when we die? I am not being maudlin in asking this as I feel very positive today, and want you to feel the same way!  Have a great weekend, positively focused!

24^th October, 2005

It is late on Monday night, and I have really made the most of this Labour weekend.  I wonder what you have done this past weekend.  It is only one extra day, but it has meant that we left on Friday afternoon for Glenorchy, and gradually felt the holiday mood take over as we headed in to Central Otago.  We stopped in Alexandra to buy some delicacies to take to our friend with whom we stayed in the school house in Glenorchy.  Our friend always goes to such a fuss for us, and I could never arrive empty handed.  When you go to stay with friends do you take something as a sign of appreciation?  I like to take food, and buy a special gift to show our appreciation for being able to stay.  The four and a half hour trip through to Glenorchy was spectacular, and I felt so lucky to be able to be a part of this landscape.  We arrived about eight o’clock, and our friend had the glasses ready for a gin and tonic, our favourite drink.  The evening was spent catching up on our news, and laughing, or crying, at all that had happened. 

We got up early on Saturday to make the most of the glorious weather, and we headed in to Queenstown after breakfast and a walk around the boardwalk, a breathtaking walk around a wetland area with spectacular views of the mountains.  Queenstown was as busy as ever, but we enjoy the buzz, and wandered around the Saturday market before listening to some jazz which was being played in the open.  We had found the Salvation Army second hand shop and Shahan bought a couple of bargains.  Do you ever buy second hand clothes?  With a big family, the children have always worn hand-me-downs, and have no problem in buying second hand clothes.  In fact, the clothes Shahan bought were new clothes, and she was chuffed with her purchases. Shahan is my youngest daughter, and she is going to be the tallest girl in the family.  Han laughed as we stood beside each other, and he noted her accelerating height!  With both Han and I being tall, it is natural that she is also going to be tall.  Han’s first wife was short and my four stepchildren have not inherited their father’s genes.  They are therefore all of average height.  My Japanese partner was my height, so Suny is also the same height as I am.  However, Shahan seems to have inherited both Han’s and my genes and is shooting up daily!  Do you take after your mother or father in looks and personality?  I take after my father in both looks and personality, although funnily enough, people say I also look like my mother.  My mother does not like socializing, so I certainly don’t take after my mother in personality! 

Saturday afternoon was spent soaking up the sun in Glenorchy, enjoying a leisurely lunch accompanied by a delicious glass of wine.  The heat and the wine made me sleepy, and although I drifted off for a few minutes, the day was too beautiful to spend it sleeping.  I accompanied Han on another stunning walk around the Glenorchy, soaking up not only the sunshine, but the fabulous scenery.  Both Han and I were silently grieving the loss of our precious dog Omar who was put down on Friday morning.  He had attacked a lamb on Tuesday, and the owners of the sheep were uncompromising in their desire to have Omar put down.  They considered him a danger to their sheep, and we had no choice but to acquiesce and have him put down.  Omar was such a special dog, but he refused to come when called after his brother came to stay.  That dog had been badly brought up as a puppy, and Omar learnt bad habits.  However, at the end of the day, we have to take responsibility for Omar, and he shouldn’t have gone in to the paddock.  Han was devastated, and tears still well in his eyes when he talks of Omar.  Pets are very important in New Zealand families.  What are your views on pets?

On Saturday evening, we went across to the Glenorchy pub after the huge meal we prepared in honour of the Canadian thanksgiving meal.  The Americans have a Thanksgiving dinner where the tables are laden with food, and we had such a dinner.  It was a great evening, and it was just a pity that Otago lost to Auckland.  You know how parochial I am, so I was gutted to watch Otago lose to Auckland!  Did you watch the game?  What celebrations do you have in your culture?

On Sunday, we all nursed slight hangovers, but these were soon gone after we sat down to a hearty cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes.  This is a typical Kiwi breakfast, and it was a wonderful treat which our friend made for us.  We then headed off to a special place, aptly called Paradise, which was the setting for the film called the Lord of the Rings.  Have you seen it?  We wandered through ancient beech forests, and stood in awe of the majestic mountains.  The Routeburn is the track which goes through the world famous national park called MountAspiring, and we drove to the beginning of this track and walked in to get a sense of the place.  It is very special and we would love to return to make the trek to the other end. 

On our way back to Dunedin, we made a detour to Bannockburn where our daughter is working at the Bannockburn hotel.  It used to be such a rough place, but it is now very trendy.  The weather was fabulous, and we sat out in the sun and baked!  After a cool drink, we went in to Cromwell where we met Suny’s partner’s mother and step father.  Nathan’s mother had celebrated her 50^th birthday the day before, and was still in celebration mood when we arrived late afternoon of the next day.  It was great to meet the couple we had heard so much about, and we immediately clicked.  They are the salt of the earth, and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.  Although we are very different, in many ways, there was an immediate affinity between us.  We stayed for a celebratory drink before heading back to Dunedin.  We stopped in Lawrence for dinner, and had a delicious meal at a former bank which is now a café called Jafa.  This stands for Just another f…….. Aucklander, and although it sounds a rather negative anagram, it is universally accepted by Aucklanders as a description of themselves.  I wouldn’t like to live in Auckland, but each to their own!   We loved getting home and appreciating our home.  However, we really found the house quiet without Omar being there to greet us. 

Today, I picked up Dad and took him the new Dunedin airport as he was keen to see the new look airport.  I went to the old airport so often that it is hard to walk in to the new airport and not be surprised.  Dad was delighted, but disappointed there were so few flights and so few people around.  I bought him lunch and I loved seeing that he still had a good appetite.  He is still so smart looking, and I love the fact that he still wants to get out and live life to the full.  We popped in to see a friend’s sculpture as she is soon to have an exhibition, and Dad enjoyed seeing her work.  I took him home before going shopping as Andy, Jo and the children were coming out for dinner along with close friends of ours.  I prepared a lot of food for a big barbecue, and it was wonderful to sit outside till late under our umbrella until we sat up at the big dining table inside. Shahan was wonderful and got stuck in to all the dishes, and Jan dried all the dishes with not quite the same enthusiasm!  However, he did do them, and I don’t take what the kids do for granted.  I love such evenings, and there is nothing better than sitting around the table with family and friends.

The city is celebrating the flowering of rhododendrons at the moment, and you are able to visit certain gardens around the city.  Are you interested in gardens?  It is very much a part of Kiwi culture.  “Putting down roots” is an idiom for settling into a culture, and it is such an important feeling when wanting to feel you belong in a culture.  Feeling “uprooted” is that feeling of being taken from your culture and “planted” into foreign “soil,” and adjustment is not easy.  Culture shock can set in and it isn’t pleasant. Have you experienced it?  I never did, but then I am very odd!

I hope you are feeling happy and enjoying each day.

Love

Sharron