Another step closer...

It’s been almost 2 months since leaving my family at Christmas and here I am sitting in camp thinking about how I ended up here... I thought about how long we’ve been working towards this, little by little... It started with our “5 year” plan which, funnily enough, is approaching the end of its 10^th year... 

Planting lots of fruit trees but no fruit yet, know what I mean?

This month though, looks like we have the first fruit on our fruit tree...

 When we started this blog, we mentioned things like “fulfilling a childhood dream“and Temaeu took a big step towards that this month.  Here’s what she has to say...

Temaeu:

When I graduated from Cowichan Senior Secondary School in 1987, my write up made mention of the fact that I would love to be a beach bum in the Cook Islands.   Back in 1988, after meeting Ina and finding out that he was a Cook Islander, it seemed like I was a little bit closer to realizing that dream.

When we moved here in September, 2011, I was 98% of the way there but there was still the issue of my residency.  On Friday, 17 February, I went into the Immigration office and after meeting with the director, who had a couple of questions to ask me, my patience was rewarded.  My N.Z. passport was returned with a residence permit stamped inside.

This allows me to live and work here for a year.  It needs to be renewed annually but that is relatively simple compared to the application process. To be eligible for a residence permit, I needed to have a full medical examination done; including blood work and chest x-rays and reports on the results, (which I had done at the Rarotongan Hospital). I also needed Ina's birth certificate, his parents' birth certificates, our wedding certificate, a letter of support from Ina and a police check from Edmonton. The police check took 2 months to get as first the application form had to be mailed to me. Then I completed it and got it signed by a notary public and sent it back. Of course, this was happening around Christmas so there were holidays to take into consideration. I got my report in January and a month later finally got my passport stamped. In spite of my frustration at times, it was well worth it and I am so happy to be a "local" now!!!

 Next step, build a house on Atiu. How hard can that be? ha ha ha

When she first told me about her yearbook entry, I found that hard to believe, until she showed me... funny how life works out sometimes.  After a few years she’ll be able to apply for Permanent Residency, I had no idea what it took to be a beach bum!

Anyway, here are a few words from the other beach bums...

Alina
This year all my classes are at the bottom of the hill which means less walking around. In the art room, there's a painting of one of my favourite bands on the wall. There's an Aleena in my form class. Looks like a good year.... (would that there was no maths class).

Tere

This is my first year at Tereora and my classes are all over the place so it's annoying when I have a class at the top, then a class at the bottom of the hill. But, my classmates are good, probably the best I've ever had. The only problem is I can't find 'em at interval and lunch. That aside, seems like a good year awaits.

Morganne

My first year at school and I love it. I'm with my two out of four best friends, (Kolina and Minona) and the teacher is on the ball, (very on the ball). The homework assignments she gives are a little hard, but I'll manage. If only I understood Maori better. I'm looking forward to the year already.

Morganne is finding some school subjects are pretty challenging, like learning how to make a broom from a coconut tree frond...

The Sunday before school was to start, (29th Jan), the kids and I had planned to do the over the island trek with a good friend, Karlene Taokia, and her daughter, Astarlii. Unfortunately the rain set in and we ended up going to a couple of beaches instead with the rest of the Taokias joining us, Mii, (Ina's mate from OMAC days and Karlene's hubby) and their two boys, Oxyon and Rocklyn. At the first beach, which is in Tikioki, Titikaveka. I swam out to the raft. When I dove back in to swim to shore, I tried to avoid this big black thing in the water, (I wasn't wearing my contacts). Just thought it was another brain coral or something. Wasn't until we went to the next beach, which was by the Queen's Representative House, that I realized it was a boil of little black fish. We watched quite a few swim by and even managed to get in the middle of a couple of them. It was kinda freaky.

Connor used his beach time to create things in the sand and Tere did the same.

The photos of Tere's didn't turn out but he made a Golum and then a sandman, (both rather creepy). Alina made a family of turtles but that photo didn't turn out too well either. Mii made a shark, which was mistaken for a plane, and his island, Aitutaki. Karlene made a spider. So, in spite of the miserable weather, we had a good Sunday afternoon. We are still planning on doing the trek but are waiting for school holidays and drier weather.

The four kids are currently learning jiujitsu from Mii. Tere and Morganne have class on Saturday afternoons and Connor and Alina have classes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. All of them love it! Alina was saying yesterday that she wished she had learnt jiujitsu when she was ten as she reckons it would have been very handy at school.

While back here in Canada things are, well... about what you would expect for this time of year

Anyways, it’s my last night in camp and the good news is a week from now, I’ll be with my family in New Zealand for my nephews wedding and my Dads unveiling... can’t come soon enough for me...

Nuff said...