I got a job! I am now the newest member of the Community Transport Schools team at Auckland Transport. Business cards and company phone yet to arrive, but everything else is pretty well settled. So far, I'm really happy with the mix this job gives me between schools and office life. I get to visit lots of schools and work with the kids, but still do a lot in the office and work closely with the transport engineers too. It's a good mix.
A few things I've noticed since starting:
KARAKIA
I went to a meeting with one of my schools and the engineer to discuss some possible projects to be done around the school, and the principal started the meeting with a karakia- a traditional Maori prayer/chant. It was unexpected for me, especially since he was the only person in the meeting who could understand it! It sets a nice tone for the meeting though and is very interesting to see how the Maori culture mixes with the NZ culture.
This was also done before meals at the early childhood centers I subbed at.
National Anthem
This seems to be sung often at school gatherings. We presented one of the schools with a certificate and sign to welcome them to our programme (yes, I'm trying to adapt NZ spelling, bit by bit) at an all school assembly. It started with the national anthem sung in Maori and English, accompanied by one of the teachers playing his guitar. It was a really nice environment, and I was extremely impressed with the behavior of the kids- almost no talking!
Every day I learn something new and this job gets me out to see a lot of Auckland and the people and the schools. It's a great fit for me! :)
A few things I've noticed since starting:
KARAKIA
I went to a meeting with one of my schools and the engineer to discuss some possible projects to be done around the school, and the principal started the meeting with a karakia- a traditional Maori prayer/chant. It was unexpected for me, especially since he was the only person in the meeting who could understand it! It sets a nice tone for the meeting though and is very interesting to see how the Maori culture mixes with the NZ culture.
This was also done before meals at the early childhood centers I subbed at.
National Anthem
This seems to be sung often at school gatherings. We presented one of the schools with a certificate and sign to welcome them to our programme (yes, I'm trying to adapt NZ spelling, bit by bit) at an all school assembly. It started with the national anthem sung in Maori and English, accompanied by one of the teachers playing his guitar. It was a really nice environment, and I was extremely impressed with the behavior of the kids- almost no talking!
Every day I learn something new and this job gets me out to see a lot of Auckland and the people and the schools. It's a great fit for me! :)
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