Aotearoa~ New Zealand: Part 1- North Island

For the first time in my life, I did not spend Christmas with family. Instead, I packed up a bag full of adventure and headed south to the land of Kiwi birds, All Black Rugby Players, and Remarkable scenery.

Becky, Caroline and I started our trip in Auckland which is the most northern city on the North Island. We rented a car while we explored the island that first week. It was odd driving on the left side of the road, but fun to have achieved! The scenery was beautiful with bright green rolling hills, and white sheep speckled here and there. We didn’t stay long in Auckland, but we did explore the museum and watched a cultural show that included the traditional Maori Haka dance.

After Auckland we drove to Rotorua where we stayed for two days. While there, we explored a Red Wood forest, hiked a small mountain, saw boiling mud pools, a geyser and soaked in hot streams. We also got to see a Kiwi bird in a special cultural center. Before leaving the area we visited Hobbiton (The Shire) and got to see the beautiful set up that was used for The Lord of the Rings. It was a very fun and informative tour!

Our next stop was Turangi which is further south and below the beautiful Lake Taupo. From Turangi we visited the Waitomo Caves. There we took part in the legendary black water rafting. We got into wet suits and explored the underwater streams through a vast cave system. This experience was like none other! It started with an abseil down into a cave, followed by a flying fox (zip line) in the dark with glowing worms overhead. After that we grabbed tubes and jumped (literally) into the stream. We floated on down the stream, went down a slide and enjoyed the glow-worms. It looked like the stary sky, except that these glow-worms are actually maggots with glowing poop.  We also got to explore caves on foot and climb up a few waterfalls. We covered more than 2km of cave on tube alone and enjoyed a hot drink and chocolate while we floated. The 3 hour underground adventure ended with hot showers and hot soup. This was definitely one of my favourite parts of New Zealand.

From Turangi we drove south to Tongariro National Park where Mt. Ruapehu and other nearby volcanoes that were the site of Mordor from the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) are located. We hiked around the beautiful rocks and enjoyed the changing landscape. As we continued to drive the road became very curvy and hilly (which I later realized is true of most NZ roads) and we nearly ran out of gas. Thankfully there was a tiny town with a gas pump. Close call!

We spent our Christmas Eve near the town Waikane at a Contemporary Monastery in the hills. It is at an old camp and it is a community of believers whose mission is to serve and welcome people who have no place to go, for what ever reason. We knew about the community through our friend Rocio who knows the Jones’, a missionary family living at the Monastery. They provided food and a tent for us to stay in. We felt like part of the community right away. That evening we spent the night at an artsy Potery shop, enjoying goodies and conversation, before walking by torchlight to the Anglican Church up the road. The church was completely packed (people sitting in the aisles and at the front) but there was a spirit of peace and joy that filled the cracks that people did not fill. After the service we walked home and enjoyed the clear night sky. The stars shone like I have never seen them before. The sky was full, and they were so bright. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning we awoke to “Hey Indonesians (what they liked to call us), look outside your tent.” We were excited to find a newspaper stocking filled with an apple and some treats. It was a thoughtful surprise. Breakfast was heaps of fun too. We all wore festive or crazy hats while we ate our food which consisted of pancakes, ham, fruit, and the best part: ice cream! After most people were finished eating Boney M Christmas music came on and people started dancing. So we all (about 35 of us) joined a train that circled around the room. Then we sat down to a crazy present stealing/ guessing game. The rest of the day was filled will ginger-bread making, snack eating and socializing. When it came time to leave, we were sad to leave our new friends, but we had a plane we needed to catch in Wellington. We got to the airport with time to spare and headed off to Christchurch ready to explore the South Island over the next two weeks.

To be continued….

“Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!” was the opening line of the drama I directed for the 5th and 6th grade chapel two weeks ago. Since then it has been grading, reporting, and Christmas celebrating craziness! But, it is now Friday night and the holidays have officially begun!

It is amazing to look back and realize that I have already finished half a year in grade 6 at SPH. Does time fly or what? I have really enjoyed my kids, and there are aspects of grade 6/Jr. School that I enjoy, but I am also excited about next year. This week I signed a contract to stay at SPH for another year. I will be returning to the senior school, specifically the middle school (grade 7 & 8). It is very likely that I will be teaching a combination of Science and Humanities. This is a dream come true for me, to teach in two areas I am passionate about. It is not normal to have this combination, but because there will be vacancies in both of these areas next year, it is an opportunity for me! I am still trying not to get my hopes up too high, in case things change, but it is exciting to see the possibilities.

Today at school we celebrated Christmas by having an all-school Christmas celebration in the gym. All students, teachers, and some parents were in the gym. There had to be close to 1500 people there, all praising God for the blessing of Christmas. The kindy kids sang a beautiful song, there was a nice message, an orchestra, and also a student/staff choir which I participated in. After that, we had rotation activities planned for the 6th graders with stations such as cookie decorating, card making, and scrapbooking. I enjoyed monitoring the cookie decorating station and also sampling some yummy cookies! After the stations we had lunch together, and then we had a gift-stealing game that the kids got really into. We ended the day with a movie: Home Alone.

It was interesting saying goodbye to the students realizing that I won’t see them for 3 weeks. This morning we talked about where we will all be going over the break. Just in my class there will be people going to: Korea, America, Europe, Australia, Israel, New Zealand (me), South-East Asia and other Islands in Indonesia. What an international community I live in!

That being said, I am very excited about my trip to New Zealand! I will be leaving on Sunday night, so I still have a few days to pack and get myself ready for the adventure. The jagged mountains and open space will be a sight for my sore eyes. It will be my first Christmas away from home; so that will be strange and I will definitely miss home and family. At least I am not the first one to be in New Zealand for Christmas. Darren broke the ice for that a few years ago.  Thanks brother!

And so, goodbye work and Indonesia!

New Zealand, here I come!!

Fresh Air Get-Away

This past weekend I spent a few nights in Sentual City, which is south of Jakarta. There is an SPH school there and I know some of the teachers. I was able to spend some time with my friends Leanne, Brittany, and Brenna.

It was my first time visiting Sentual and I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Tons of green tress, hills, and ravines appeared as were drove nearer to the mountains that I normally (on a clear day) will see out of my 37th floor window. The cleaner and fresher air was also delightful to breathe in.

On Saturday we enjoyed even more of nature by visiting Taman Safari. It is a zoo/ amusement-type park that allows you to get up close and personal with the animals. We could feed zebras, elephants, hippos, and deer as we drove through the park. In addition, baby lions and tigers were available to take photos with. One of my favourite parts of Taman Safari is the Cowboy Show which is a typical western show (although in Bahasa) including animals, stunts (that wouldn’t be legal in NA) and lots of laughs. Needless to say, it was an enjoyable weekend away.

Mayhem in Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia is a mixing bowl of cultures. Throughout Georgetown, the big city on the island, you will find influences of India, China, and Britain in addition to the native Malaysian culture. This means you will see the evidence of a variety of religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Catholicism/Christianity. My favourite aspect of Penang’s cultural mix was the cuisine!

Some of my favourite experiences in Penang these past 5 days were the food experiences. We ate some very yummy food. The most surprising food that I enjoyed was a Penang-style burger that we got at a food shack on the side of the road. It was delicious. The meat had egg and hot sauce cooked around it. I also loved the Indian roti’s (breads), curries, and meat dishes.

In addition to the food, we spent our time exploring historical sites, perusing the market, relaxing on the beach, motor biking around the island, and doing a little nature walk. Although it was splendid to explore a new place and become more confident in my motor biking skills, it was also very nice to come home to my own apartment this afternoon. I had a cold the entire trip, got some road rash, and stayed up way to late every night. Thankfully, I have the rest of today to unwind and accomplish a few things before the craziness of work restarts tomorrow. Gotta love vacation!

Toothpaste Ponderings

The other day I looked at my nearly-empty tube of toothpaste and started to have toothpaste ponderings. I thought to myself, “There is nothing like using a new tube of toothpaste.” Slowly, you pull the tube out of the box. It is heavy, firm and full, so full no more can be forced in. As you take off the cap, you see how the opening of the tube is perfectly clean; the lid will go back on effortlessly, no need to wipe off the ‘extra’ that always manages to clump up on an old tube. Preparing your toothbrush is pure bliss because no matter where you squeeze the tube, the toothpaste will come out and no one can get upset if you don’t squeeze from the end of the tube. It is that feeling of a fresh start, and maybe even an opportunity to test out a new brand and flavour. With a new tube of toothpaste you don’t have to worry about when your almost-empty tube will finally run out, you just happily brush your teeth day and night.

But, as the months go by, the inevitable happens. Your tube begins to slim down. You may even put your handy little slidey thing on that forces the toothpaste towards the opening. You curl up the end, and squeeze the tube in all ways, shapes, and forms. Each day you wonder, “Is this the day my toothpaste will run out?” Part of you wants to prolong the challenge of using as much of the toothpaste as possible, while the other part just wants it to end so that the satisfaction of finishing a tube can arrive, followed by the excitement of experiencing ‘new tube bliss.’ However, like all things, you will have to bid farewell to that old tube and toss it in the trash. You may take notes on how you liked the flavour, the freshness, and how well it lathered in your mouth so that next time you can bring your tooth brushing experiences to the max. Or, like me, you may just go to the store and buy the tube that is on sale. After all, brushing your teeth, although intriguing at times, is just another one of those things we do every day and rarely take the time to think about. How many people actually think about brushing their teeth when they are brushing their teeth? I, for one, usually think about my tasks for the day or say a prayer, until the other day I looked at my nearly-empty tube of toothpaste and started to have toothpaste ponderings…

Snap Shots

Hanging out with criters at the 'pet stores' in block M




S'mores over gas flame




My orchid in full bloom




Canadian Thanksgiving




The trans-Jakarta busway

October Days

Reports have come, and they have gone. Retreat has come, and it has gone. And soon October will be gone too, which is why I am adding a blog post! Life in Indonesia is great, as always. The other day I got really excited because I could see a volcano/mountian from my apartment for the first time. The smog usually blocks out any interesting scenery. Hopefully the coming rainy season will clear the skies and provid more opportunities for me to remember that I am not just in some city somewhere. I honestly sometimes forget that I am in Indonesia. Going back and forth to school and to church on the weekends has become such a normal thing, and all the culture is normal too. A few weekends ago, when I was on a spiritual retreat in the mountains with my students, I was reminded of the different aspects of Indonesia and that there are places here that are not always hot and stinky. It was a refreshing break.

Recently, I have been studying poetry with my students. I gave them an assingment to write a poem about themselves: things they are good at or things that they enjoy. They asked me to write a poem to give them inspiration and a better idea of what to do. So I did. It took me an hour, but this past week, when I should have been sleeping, I wrote the poem below. I actually enjoyed writing for myself again and I must say, I could even write another one sometime soon. And here I thought that only music and painting could give me an artistic outlet.


Poem about Me

Twenty sit before me, yearning to discover;
Within each are unique talents—perhaps concealed gifts—
Growing, waiting, and anticipating their chance
To be revealed to the world and revolutionize it.

Here I stand, faced with the same challenge.
Some days are tedious and taxing,
Others are humorous and joyful.
But who I am on this stage is only half the story.

On another stage, I escape reality.
I am old, poor, menacing, or goofy.
Memorizing, practicing, speaking,
And creating the existence of someone else.

Not only this, but the lyrics and tunes of songs,
Both unknown and universal, dance across my soul
and out of my mouth—the instrument of choice—for
the choir, wedding, or bubbles on my shower wall.

For just a moment, I am the greatest musician.
Static and heat course through my fingers;
Though, justice is not served in my attempts
At the scales, notes, and melodies of Mozart or Bach.

With inspiration comes craving to create.
My competitor: Da Vinci, my subject: nature.
The water, flowers, and leaves held captive in oil
Are my greatest joy and simultaneously my greatest discontent

Achievement is instantaneous with the feeling of victory:
a 3-point swish, an un-diggable spike, a skilful goal.
When sweat, cheers, and teammates take their leave,
All that is left are memories and fatigued muscles.


But, the wild scent of raw earth and the sensation of open air
On a mountain summit or ocean shoreline, will never disappoint.
It stirs a feeling of awe deep within,
For none of this was unintended.

Life is more than a game, drama or a song,
And I am more than an artist, explorer, and teacher.
I am the child of an incredible designer,
Whose gifts and talents, none can contend with.

Flawlessness will never be achieved,
But perfection is not what he desires;
Rather, worship and thankfulness.
For he has made me:

Michaela