Almost Wordless Wednesday

Or Thursday, if you live on this side of the date line.

Saw giraffes up close for the first time at Hamilton Zoo. Wow. Pictures and video don't do them justice. And zebras are smaller than I thought, too.

Waitangi Day – not a day of celebration

Image via Wikipedia

I’d like to tell you a story about Waitangi Day, when we first arrived in New Zealand.

We expected a big party, just like Canada Day.  After all, it was the day set aside to honour New Zealand’s birth as a nation.  In our experience, that’s what happened on national birthdays.

We found a single reference to a Waitangi Day party at a Marae nearby, and decided to go.  Bundled up The Boy (The Girl wasn’t born yet), and headed out early, thinking that parking would probably be horrible.

There was lots of parking when we got there, and we walked straight in. No one stopped us, but they did look at us very curiously. Our very white skin made us stand out in the crowd.

We were the only people of European descent there.  We were politely ignored unless we spoke to someone.  When we asked questions, they were answered quickly and incompletely. We managed to figure out that we were supposed to pay a donation at the door.  That we were supposed to bring our own chairs and food, although there was food to buy there.  That there would be entertainment on the stage, if we’d care to wait.

There were a few food stalls, a sunscreen stall (top up with sunscreen here!) a couple of stalls where you could buy pounamu (greenstone/jade), and another stall where some women were making harakeke (woven baskets and other items).  And one big stage.  Many people were sitting in family groups on the grass near the stage.

So we staked out a piece of grass and sat, and waited.

When the entertainment started, it wasn’t celebratory.  Or happy. It was full of anger, injustice, rage, unhappiness, sadness.

We didn’t stay long. We got home and explained our experience to Hubby’s parents, who then filled us in on the actual situation. And then, when I joined Playcentre, I learned more.

Waitangi Day is held in honour of the Treaty of Waitangi, or, Te Tiriti o Waitangi (in proper Te Reo Maori).

Notice I didn’t say “in celebration of.”

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a controversial document. First off, there are two versions of the Treaty. One is in English, and the other is in Te Reo Maori.  The translations do not match, in a serious way.  And the Tangata Whenua (People of the Land, or the Maori people) did not sign the English translation.

The English translation assumes that the Tangata Whenua, on signing the treaty, become English subjects, and are bound to give the Crown first right to buy their land.  The Te Reo Maori version grants the Tangata Whenua sovereignty, says they get to keep all their taonga (treasure), and that the English will protect them and their rights.

To the Tangata Whenua, the land is one of their treasures.  The English didn’t see it that way.

Since the Treaty was signed, the English did their best not to honour the treaty. They forced Tangata Whenua to sell land to them, or took it in land wars, and in general dishonoured the Treaty every way they could. The Treaty was even forgotten and was shoved in a corner somewhere, to be eaten by rodents.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the Treaty was again given an honourable place, and European New Zealanders recognised that reparation must be made.

It is a long, hard fight.  Even understanding that the English side had not honoured the Treaty, the European New Zealanders have not always been properly understanding of what reparation means, and why it is important.

And that is why Waitangi Day is considered a day of protest, rather than celebration. Why the Hikoi (walk/hike) to the Waitangi treaty grounds on Waitangi day is sombre.

Why a couple of white kids who have no idea what’s going on are not completely welcome on a Marae on Waitangi Day.

And why we stayed home today, knowing it isn’t a day of celebration to most of the population of New Zealand.

Even still, Hubby & I sometimes feel that it’s a pity that the successes of New Zealand as a bicultural nation do not have a day when they can be celebrated. Preferably with fireworks, BBQ, parties, and fun. That would be a really happy thing.

 

What I’ve learned this week

Image via Wikipedia

A quick list of things I’ve learned this week:

5. Sometimes adult teeth don’t push a baby tooth out properly. If that happens, your child may end up with “shark teeth,” or, two rows of teeth. Sometimes the dentist has to pull out the baby teeth. Hopefully, though, the baby teeth will wiggle out on their own, anyways. Depends on how much of the tooth root the adult tooth managed to dissolve before it took an easier route out.

4. Sometimes, no matter what you do, or what you try, you just can’t fix computer hardware. Like, for instance, the headphone jack on a laptop.  Half a day’s work for nothing. Oh well.

3. It is definitely cheaper to buy the school’s stationery packs than waste time and money running all over the place trying to make up the pack yourself. Next year, I’m saving myself the trouble and buying the school pack.

2. How to uninstall a computer driver.  (See #4).

1. Rebrick.com is a really cool Lego site.  My Boy & I are spellbound!!

Discouragement

Image by cucchiaio via Flickr

There’s a lot of information out there about how words can hurt, and how people can shoot down ideas with non-verbal communication like a shrug or a disapproving frown.

It happened to me, yesterday.

I was excitedly telling a group of my Playcentre peers all about my readings over the holidays, my enthusiasm for some of the concepts, and the ideas I wanted to try.

Two of my peers were encouraging – they know that new ideas are worth trying, and they felt my plan was worth a shot.

The other two weren’t so sure.  They were concerned about the people involved in my plan. And they used both their words and their non-verbals to tell me so. Shot down all of my explanations. My peers did not tell me to stop my plan,  but they did not offer a better solution, either.

Even though it was split evenly – half encouraging, half not – the funny thing is that I let the discouragement fill my mood.

Bubble popped, I wasn’t as happy to join in the rest of the discussion, and I was grumpy until after dinner.

I stewed over what they said while I told Hubby all about it.

And then he said “What did the other two say?”

As I re-told the opposite side of the story, my optimism came back.

I’m ready to go again. I will start my plan, keeping in mind the objections, but positive about what I am about to do.

It will work. I know it will. And if I start it right, it will snowball positively, so that it doesn’t even require me to keep going.

One small step at a time. 

Three books that have me impatient to get back to Playcentre

Cover via Amazon

We’re nearing the end of our summer school holidays in New Zealand.  My Girl is thrilled to go back (“I’m taller! And I have a wiggly tooth!!”).  The Boy, not so much. (“I can’t play Lego at school.”)

I’m absolutely impatient to go back to work. I have Big Ideas I want NEED! to try.

It’s all because of two brothers. Dan and Chip Heath, authors of three books:

Made to Stick

Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard

and

The Myth of the Garage (You can download this one for free at this link)

I originally got onto these books through Jessica at Team Rasler, who blogged about what happened when she applied the ideas from “Switch” to some issues she had with her husband. I was so intrigued I ran out and got the book. Then had to get the others (AND the free resources at the HeathBrothers website.

These three books have given me ideas on how to increase our training levels at Playcentre and start a mentoring program. I’m so excited! Hopefully as I go (this will be a major work in progress) I’ll be able to blog what happens.

As Flint Lockwood says in Cloudy with a chance of meatballs: We’ve got a diem to carpe!

 

**And nope, I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mozart, and Lollies

Image via Wikipedia

This morning, on a whimsical (word choice intentional), I put on a “Children’s Classic Favourites” CD while the children were playing a tangible version of Angry Birds (wooden blocks, and mighty bean-like toys that looks like pigs and birds).

The Boy was disgusted.  “I don’t want to listen to *your* music,” he complained.

I just shrugged. He’s been so grouchy lately (roll on School Year Start!!) that I took that with a grain of salt.

He grumbled under his breath right through Fur Elise.  The next song, however, caught his attention.

“Awww Mum, that’s just ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

“It isn’t,” I countered.  “It’s called ‘variations on Ah, dirai-je, Maman.’ By a famous composer named Mozart.”

Suddenly I had his full attention.  “That’s French,” he observed. “What does it mean?”

So I told him. (For the translation, see the link above for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”)

“It’s about eating lollies? That’s mean!” **

“Quite.” I agreed.

“And you know what else, Mum?  It’s the same song as ABCD and Baa Baa Black Sheep, too.”

“You’re absolutely correct.”

Then the music switched to the Alla Turca Rondo by Mozart.

“Mum?  This is my favourite song.”

And bliss. No more complaining. Just some lovely music.

 

** “Mean” in NZ primary school vernacular, means the same as “cool” “sweet” “awesome” etc.

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Yes, it is Wednesday in New Zealand.  Sorry if you are from the other side of the dateline and got confused.

This is my happy picture at the moment. It’s just a little plastic elf, but it belonged to my Nan. Now it belongs to me.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday/Monday: Sunday morning cartoons

How did you spend your Sunday mornings growing up?What are some of your favorite memories?

Sunday mornings were always the day of bad cartoons.  I remember getting up as early as possible on Saturday to get all the good cartoons, but Sunday mornings were horrible.  I think I avoided them when I was at home but I remember having sleepovers at my Nan’s house where both Nan & Poppa wouldn’t get up until after 8am and I’d be wide awake at 6:30am.  Since my bed was the couch in the living room, I could turn on the TV really quietly and watch all the horrible cartoons.  And shows. “Size Small” and “Hercules” were two of the ones that were on.  I remember wishing Nan would wake up sooner!!

But Sundays at my house were filled with the smell of cherry pipe tobacco,  the sound of CKNW radio (with hits from yesterday… and today!) and in general needing to occupy myself.  When I was younger my mom tried to get me to go to Sunday School… but she literally had to drag me so she gave up.

Sometimes Dad would take a load of stuff to the dump – that was always exciting.  But most of the time, my brothers and I were playing outside. And not always with the neighbourhood kids. Our backyard had a swingset and lots of good places to play with my smurfs.  Plus we had a tree house! It was unfinished and the paper wasps would often come in to get the wood to make their nests but it was a great place to hang out and watch the rain.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. Wanna join in? Click the button above.

The Muppets movie – a review

WARNING:  Contains spoilers!!

 

Hubby and I took the children to see The Muppets on the January 7th weekend. I am a huge Muppet fan of the kind that watched Sesame Street longer than I should have just to see the Muppets.  Of the kind that can recite many Muppet Show skits.  Of the kind that knows both the original song, and the Muppet version. Seen all the movies. You get my drift.

I had hopes for his movie. Not high hopes, since it is a Disney movie, and since Frank Oz wanted nothing to do with it. But I did hope that it would be decent enough.  I suppose it was. But I was still both disappointed and elated by the movie.

My disappointments:

1.  Human “stars.”  The Muppets should have been the stars – humans are only supposed to have cameos. A lot of Muppet time was lost in the human storyline.  And seriously, what is with a human musical number at the beginning?

2. Same old same old storyline.  “We need to get the Muppets back together to save the [fillintheblank]!!”  And don’t tell me the writer’s weren’t aware of that – they made jokes about it right there in the script!!  Surely they could have come up with something better than rounding everybody up again. This, again, took up valuable screen time that could have been better used.

3.  So you get a excellent musician like Jack Black to cameo in the movie, a star who would have definitely been on the original Muppet Show as a Guest Star, and you don’t even give him a musical skit? Seriously?   You keep him tied up the whole time? Opportunity lost, folks. Big time.

4. The whole “Animal can’t play the drums” storyline was dumb. Opportunities lost here, too.

5. The Kermit/Piggy thing was confusing.  It took me most of the movie for me to figure out what the hell was going on there. I kept saying to Hubby “But they were already married in a past movie!!” It’s not until the end that it’s explained.

6. Fozzie Bear’s fart shoes.  People may disagree, but I felt these were not in-line with Fozzie’s usual schtick.

7. A lot of the YouTube Muppet videos feature Beaker, Animal and the Swedish Chef together.  I was hoping for some kind of storyline that referenced those videos.  Nope. Nada.

8. The ending. Talk about “Oh yikes, we ran out of time better finish this movie!” I kept thinking it would have been really interesting if they had lost the Theatre and they had to move on to something new. That would have been unexpected and a great way to “reinvent” the Muppets.

But it wasn’t all a disappointment.  Here’s what I liked:

1.  Bret McKenzie‘s music.  This was fantastic, and absolutely appropriate for the Muppets.  I liked the songs so much I’ve been singing them at home. The kids, too.

2. Walter.  When Walter’s talent was revealed I was impressed and quite happy about it.

3. Jim Parsons as Walter’s human counterpart. A pleasant surprise!

4. The telethon skits. There were not enough of these.  What was there, I liked.

5. Kermit’s Office. Why did we not go back there?

6. The Rainbow Connection.  Hubby & I both got a bit misty-eyed over that one.

7. Uncle Deadly.  I was thrilled to see him AND thrilled at his role.  At one point, I leaned over to my daughter and said “Don’t worry! He’s really a Muppet – you watch what happens!!” and I was not disappointed.

8. Muppets in 2D, not 3D.  Thank goodness they didn’t do this movie in 3D.

All in all, I’m not surprised Frank Oz wasn’t happy. I think he was right.  I did, however, enjoy watching the movie.  It just could have been so much more.

**All opinions are my own – nobody paid me or gave me anything complimentary to do this post.  (Can you tell?)

I wrote a Haiku for my friend Jenn.  Won’t you?