New Year, New Job

Exciting news for me! A new job at Burnside High School is starting for me tomorrow teaching Year 11 Science and Year 9 Maths.

This comes as a big changing time for my family, because this week is Zack's 5th birthday and Ben's 8th birthday. That means that Zack starts Year 1 at Waimairi School in Christchurch. Ben began last week with his Year 3 studies. In New Zealand, they have a rolling enrolment for new entrants to elementary school. Whenever they turn 5, they go to school then.

So, Zack had a pirate party at his Montessori last Wednesday and he has his last day of school on his 5th bday this Wednesday. Burnside High School seems cool, and I get to meet my students this week. I wonder how the school will compare to the US schools. Anyhow, off on a new adventure- working mum.

Cicadas at Hagley Park

In the US, there is a species of cicada that lives for 17 years underground, and then mates for two weeks and goes back underground. NZ does have cicadas, and the ones that are singing in the trees tonight were all living underground lives in the 2011 earthquake. How time flies when you live in the dirt! The most common lifespan of Species in NZ is 3-5 years. Still, it is always awesome to collect their exoskeletons off trees. Zack discovered some exoskeletons on the tree trunks of several trees in the botanical garden. With joy, Ben and Zack collected some for preschool. Then Ben discovered an adult cicada emerging from its exoskeleton on the tree as we watched. Very beautiful. Amazing to imagine these creatures living their whole lives underground except for a brief mating season as a winged cicada. A wonderful memory made at the Christchurch botanical garden. Just think- where will you be in 3-5 years when the offspring of these cicadas emerge once again from the dirt?

The Winding Road to Akaroa

We were invited to an event for the American Club of Christchurch. A picnic in Akaroa. Sounds like fun! I look at the map, and it seems close enough to Christchurch. I guess it will be a 45 minute drive. We pile into the car and head out for the event at 11:15 am. Once we start off, Google Maps insists that it will be 1 hr 37 minutes to Akaroa. What?!? Pretty much true to form, the Kiwi road got narrow and bendy over the mountain pass. We tried not to fall off the road to our doom, as it is a road known for car fatalities. Safely, we make it into the valley and the beautiful scene of Akaroa is revealed to us. Wonderful view! We made it to the beach house of a member of the American Club and have a fun time chatting about weather, fantasy football, and glider planes as well as other various topics. The kids play on the manicured lawns with nerd guns and squirt guns. A relaxed affair! On the way back into town, Mike drives home behind a slow Juicy campervan through the mountains and remarks on how hard it is to concentrate on the road with all the changing horizons and hairpin turns. So happy to be back on the flat land of downtown Christchurch! We all have a bit of road head from our adventure.