Letter to Students 02 March 2008

Dear Reader

How can we be basking in thirty degrees one Sunday, and curled up in front of the fire the next?  The answer is easy.  We live in Dunedin!  Living in Dunedin means you have to be adaptable, and yesterday was no exception.  Are you used to living with Dunedin’s weather?  As President of the Dunedin Otaru Sister City Society, I had invited the members to a garden party at our home as we wanted to farewell one of our committed committee members.  However, waking to the rain ensured that there would be no lazing in the sun, but I had remembered the saying that “life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it.”  With positive energy, I put my bread in the oven early on Saturday morning, having made the dough on Friday night, and then popped in to town with Shahan to do some shopping. Using the “pop in” is an interesting choice of words, as the return trip is forty kilometres, so it is quite a hike really!.

I returned to light the fires to make the house warm for our guests, and do some cleaning.  With the inclement weather, and two phone calls to say that members couldn’t make it due to illness, I assumed that many people would stay at home rather than brave the wet weather and the windy road. However, one should never make assumptions! (Did you know that “assume” comes from “making an ass out of you and me”? I am half joking!) As it turned out, our first guest arrived right on the dot of 2:30 as expected, and within the hour, carloads arrived till there were fifty people busy chatting in our home!  There was the biggest mix of Japanese and Pakeha ever, and I was over the moon as that was my aim when I became president.  The Society had become predominantly European, with lovely people who had strong interest in Japan.  I thought it was important that we became a meeting point for the Japanese people in Dunedin as well, and I now feel that we are achieving that goal. A group of Japanese students, whom my daughter Shahan had invited from Logan Park High, rang me to say that they had got off the bus and were lost.  I asked them what they could see, and they said that they could see the sea!  Mauro, our wonderful Brazilian friend, offered to go and find them, and as he was leaving, we found out that they were only at the causeway, and were walking down the middle of Portobello Road.  They said that someone had pulled the cord on the bus, so they all got off, unaware of where they were. Where they were was twenty kilometres from our home!  It was bucketing down with rain, but they were unphased by their small adventure, and just appreciative that they were picked up.  Shahan felt awful as she had given them instructions as to what to tell the bus driver, but they obviously hadn’t listened! 

We had made the time of the party to accommodate members who had morning, as well as evening commitments elsewhere, and I had made it clear that Han and I had to go to a friend’s birthday party, to which we had been invited many weeks ago.  However, everyone was having such a good time that we still had a house full at 6:30, and although the majority of people had left by 6:45, there was still a core of good friends enjoying the warmth of the fire and catching up on what had been happening in the community.  We realized that we couldn’t abandon them, and I made an impromptu dinner, having decided that our guests were our first priority.  One of our friends had bought a new electric guitar, and we had a wonderful night singing. 

Once all our guests had left, I ended up watching a late night documentary on Jonestown, the site in Guyana to which the cult figure Jones took over one thousand people to begin a “model society” which had neither racism nor a strict hierarchy.  Unfortunately, Jones was insane, and his insanity led to the mass suicide of 990 wonderfully committed adults and their beautiful children.  I couldn’t stop watching the footage of this amazing community, and I was exhausted when I finally crawled into bed at 1:30. 

It is now ten o’clock, and I am so disappointed that I suggested we go to the Portobello hotel for dinner. I actually had a stew simmering on the fire, and had bought fresh tofu for our vegetarian friends. However, I thought our Brazilian guests should taste a bit of Kiwi culture, and the pub is a good place to find it. Unfortunately, the food was awful, not to mention expensive, and we felt ripped off.  Han had worked with students all day, so was tired and in need of good food, so the substandard food did nothing to lift his mood.  To the contrary, he begrudgingly paid for the meal, and we swore never to return.  I had complained about the food many months ago, but Han was so upset at my open criticism, that I vowed I would never openly criticize a meal at a restaurant again.  Do you ever complain about poor food or service in a restaurant?  In Japan, we bit our tongue, and never went back to that restaurant, but spread word of the poor service or food.  We will do the same in this case, and I know they will find it hard to attract customers in winter, if tonight’s meal is anything to go by.  Shahan works there, but also knows the quality of the food, but she had hoped that the standard would have passed our critical eye tonight.  I appreciate going out and having a good meal, but I seldom have a meal that I am really pleased with. I don’t think I am fussy, but I do believe that it isn’t that difficult to put a decent meal on the table.  The vegetables tonight were soggy, having been overcooked, the chicken was burnt to a crisp on the bottom, and the fish was out of a packet.  It was overpriced, and I work so hard for my pennies that I hate forking out money for something that isn’t worth my hard earned cash! 
Having ranted to you, I will now let it go, and remember that we mustn’t sweat the small stuff!  The rain has stopped for the first time today, and I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I went into town to pick up Shahan from school who was acting in a play, and she was in such a positive frame of mind. It is a pity she and Han clashed tonight as I hate it when the family has disagreements. It really affects me.  Shahan is one of three chosen to stand for Head girl, and I so hope she gives it her best shot when she gives her speech tomorrow.  I am so proud of her, but I know she will be disappointed if she doesn’t become elected as she has set her heart on it.

It is getting late, and my eyelids are feeling very heavy. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow and hearing your news.  When I think over this past weekend, the highlight was the big gathering we had yesterday, and making the most of the shocking weather conditions.  Today, like yesterday, I lit the fires but unlike yesterday, I took it much more easily today, and even allowed myself to sit in front of the fire and read.  My hair was dripping wet as I got the firewood in the rain, but it is doing these tasks that makes the end result all the more rewarding!  Work hard, and appreciate the fruits of your labour!

Love

Sharron