Weekend, At last!

This weekend’s highlights:

-I taught my first lesson on Friday and gave the students some chocolate buckeyes that I brought with me.

-Sleeping in until 9 am on Saturday (Can you believe that Vince actually called me an “early riser” the other day? There’s a first for everything.)

-Getting a driving tour of west Auckland and even being treated to an Oreo ice cream drumstick

-A family/friends cookout, and I even made my first Pavlova-The Kiwi’s favorite dessert. (pictured below)

-Sunday at the beach! We visited Sarah’s parents’ home in Red Beach-a thirty minute drive north, across the Harbor bridge. Her dad, Nigel (from the homeland of England), gave me the house tour and in perfect, grandfather fashion, pulled out the world Atlas and chatted with me about WWII airplanes. Such a sweet man! He also insisted on getting a picture of me with Sarah in her convertible. Oh, the paparazzi. I got my first taste of New Zealand coastal water and got a beautiful tour down the beach. And even got the beginnings of a tan! We ate dinner with Sarah’s sister’s family and I got to ride home in the convertible with the top down. The boys rode in the back and we listened to some sweet mellow sounds of a Caribbean-style local band. I couldn’t help but thinking about how lucky I was to be there, top down, wind in my hair, with the lights of Auckland brightening the late evening sky. What a day. I’m getting better at walking into a room of complete strangers, but the Heeringa’s extended family really make it easy! 

The Rahiri house. My classroom is on the 2nd floor, on the right (bay window).

Pavlova!

Theo and his best friend ever!

Red Beach

Driving home. Levi (left) and Toby (right). It was more fun than they make it look.