Kia Ora

It has been a fun first couple of weeks teaching at Ranui Primary School. Everyday is a new adventure full of things such as. . .

little girls calling me pretty
boys asking if I can speak American
students giving me appalled looks when I try to copy their NZ accents (telling me to please not try that again)
Mrs. Tararo being VERY strict with the kids but then one of the sweetest people to me
students asking me if I've ever met someone famous or if I have been to New York
girls trying to take my camera to take pictures of themselves and their friends (I have come to find out that NZ kids LOVE having their picture taken and LOVE taking pictures...I've also learned to hide my camera from now on)
students spelling the word pizza out loud as, P-I-Zed-Zed-A because the letter "Z" here is pronounced as Zed (so yes, I am in the land of N-Zed)
boys saying they are "tired as", "hot as", or that was "cool as"
a full day of swim sports where all the year 5/6's competed in a swim competition against their school mates
wearing Mrs. Tararo's Rugby hat everyday I am outside because it is a school rule to wear hats outside as the sun is so HARSH here in NZ
getting called out by one of the teachers at swim sports day that, "even THE American has to wear a hat"
singing Maori songs everyday in class
learning 26 Polynesian kids names in my class and pronouncing them correctly
playing the game knuckle bones with the kids before school starts (I stink at it and all the kids laugh at me because I can't do it and they are all pros)
getting asked if I am going to swim with all the kids because I am the only teacher wearing togs (a swimsuit) on swim sports day
Mrs. Tararo reading the roll in Maori, Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands everyday
walking around during breaks and having kids I have never seen before come up to me smiling saying "Kia Ora Mandy"

coming to school each morning and having the kids yell in their cute accents, "Kia Ora Miss Welch" and then leaving school everyday having the kids yell, "Good Afternoon Miss Welch"

Here is the Maori song that we practiced in my class everyday last week. We performed it for the school assembly and all the kids got way shy, but they did it really well in my video here.
I love how musical Mrs. Tararo is, we are constantly singing songs and dancing :)!

I LOVE TEACHING THESE NZ KIDS!! :)

My year 5/6 class

Mrs. Tararo and my class

During lunch students are able to learn the Haka. When we first walked in
to watch, this Maori instructor came over and had us great him with the
Hongi. I was so confused at first what he was wanting me to do when
he kept pointing to his head and nose, but then I figured it out...and
hit my head sort of hard on his!

In the Maori culture many of the men have these tattoos (painting) that
cover their entire body.

A little P.E. time

One of my favorite things about teaching school here is what is called: Morning Tea.

Morning tea means like break time or recess. At 10:30 every day, for a half hour, the school has morning tea where students go and eat a treat in silence outside for 10 mins. After the 10 mins are up, and their morning tea snack is finished, they get to go play until 11. During their play time, the teachers get to go into the faculty lounge and drink tea, coffee, water, milk, or milo. It's nice for us teachers to get a little break in the morning to drink something, snack on a quick treat, rest and talk for a bit, and then get ready to teach again until lunch. I LOVE MORNING TEA. It is such a nice break.
America should definitely have it!

Morning tea

Ranui

Playing t-ball as a class. They are pretty good athletes.

Performing Haere Hika for the school assembly

Swim Sport Day (swimming competition)

All the years 5/6 students cheering their mates on

This was a funny race where they had to RUN in the water

Some of the cute boys from my class. (PJ, Kenny, Terry, Aku, Ryan,
and Amon--all the names I CAN pronounce haha).

Dancing around and having some fun after the swimming competition
was over.

I love NZ kids!

Quvana always wanting to take pictures on my
camera.

Aroha (in the back) always follows me around, she is such a sweety.

'Ilasaane

They LOVE getting their picture taken....they also love jumping in front
of each other to be in the front.

Kia Ora from NZed

By far one of my most favorite beach days (and days in general) here in New Zealand.

On Friday we were lucky enough to have a beautiful day at the beach. We all loaded in the vans and drove for an hour to Tawharanui beach. Man was it one of the prettiest places I have seen. It was also the first beach that we have been to that had REALLY nice W.A.V.E.S!! I was so excited!

I finally got to play in the waves, boogie board, and surfboard.

Yes people. One of the things on my bucket list has been accomplished, I have surfboarded.

Ramona's husband is a big time surfer so he was able to teach any of us that wanted to. I got up on like the 3rd try and never wanted to stop. It was hard for me to give up the board at the end of my turn, but we will have another beach day where we can try surfing again. It was kind like snowboarding and wake boarding, just on big waves. The hardest part for me is feeling when to start paddling. You have to get it just right to hit the wave right.

Boogie boarding was another thing that I absolutely loved. I cannot believe how FUN it is. When you hit the wave just right and come cruising in...ah I LOVED it!!! I was doing it like the whole day.

After the beach we all went to dinner and then went and saw the movie "The Vow". I thought the movie ending was a little weird, but it was fun seeing a movie all together in the theatre. It's been a while. What a fun weekend activity. Then Saturday was spent ALL day long doing our technology class assignments and skyping with our teacher. That wasn't so fun, but at least we are almost done with that class!

It was so beautiful

Sequence of events goes as follows: get close to the waves for the first time

here it comes

uh oh

salt!

Yay! Kirsten come play with me like a little kid in the waves

YAY

We love playing in the waves

Me, Mikaela, and Kirsten

Boogie boarding with Kirsten

Look at that beach!!!

SO MUCH FUN. I'm addicted now.

I'm in heaven

Here we go Brooke

Wahooooo

Surf time! I had never really realized how BIG and
tall surfboards are.

can't wait

I'm so glad Chris was able to teach me, it is hard to figure out the
wave timing (I liked having him tell me when to paddle)

The first time I tried it I got the timing perfectly with the wave......I just
didn't realize you were supposed to actually stand up haha!!! So
I just cruised in the whole way to the sand.

Here's me realizing what I had done. DUH Mandy! My face is funny though,
I was literally like AH haha I was supposed to stand up, not lay on my
stomach!