One of the hardest things I've had to do here at the end of our time in New Zealand, was
to say goodbye to the school the boys have attended the past year. I spent a fair chunk
of my days making lunches, taking the kids to school, checking up on Steven at lunch and
shuttling the kids around to school activities. I found myself choked up several times
during the day watching the kids kick around on the playground for the last time.
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| Dressed and ready for the last day |
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| Jack's classroom |
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| My friend Raewyn, the school secretary |
I wouldn't call the New Zealand elementary school system particularly rigorous,
academically speaking. But the thing that the Kiwi education system does right, is to
let kids be kids. They have loads of unsupervised play. The kids climb trees, play chase,
fall down and skin their knees (or worse) and, in general, just play rough. And the kids
love it. I will certainly miss that aspect of Kiwi culture.
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| A pickup game of rugby |
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| Unsupervised play, at its finest |
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| Getting some pals together for a last photo |
The boys have made some great friends along the way. We threw a simple party at our
house for their friends on Sunday. I went around during the party and took movies of
each kid and asked for a parting statement from each to Steven and Jack. The kindest
words came from Steven's friend, Oliver. "Steven should stay! New Zealand is way
better, eh Steven". Such good kids.
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| Going away party |
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| Mobile device lan party |
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| Olly and Michael |
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| Rough housing in the back yard |
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| L to R, back to front: Issac Woodhead, Jack, Luke, Ethan Woodhead, Jacob White, Oliver Arnold, (kneeling) Seamus Walsh, Rain Hortillosa, Bradon Walsh, Steven, Conner Cook, Michael Hipp (reclining) |
Before we came over, I was worried about the kids making friends. Now I worry about
them getting reacquainted and reintegrated with their friends back home.
