Auckland #2: Onehunga!

Today I ventured to my local shops/town centre: Onehunga, or 'The Hunga" as Mick Duncan, my amazing lecturer, calls it. I really like Onehunga. That's pronounced Oh-knee-hung-ah for my non-New Zealand readers. I don't think it's a Maori word so I think that pronunciation is right. It has the biggest outlet shopping mall in New Zealand, Dressmart, which is about 100 stores of awesome stuff at mega cheap prices. And it feels like a normal mall too, not shabby at all. I got Grab jeans the other day from 190 dollars down to 20 dollars! But apart from good shopping, Onehunga has heart. Isn't that beautiful? Just on the main street. I went into an antiques/second hand furniture store as I have very little furniture (cardboard box as bedside table etc) and the man there was so helpful! Told me a lot about Onehunga, and pointed out the best second hand book store, the library, and lessons on not walking at night :) I joined the library and the video store. The nice man at Westpac refunded all the fees they had charged me. My heart broke when I walked past the council apartments and the toothless lady on her porch smiled at me when I smiled at her. She was lonely. Edit: Onehunga is a Maori word indeed! Well according to wikipedia. Hmmm. Then the pronunciation should be Aw-neh-hoo-ngah or something.. I feel bad now. Maori words should be pronounced correctly. "The name Onehunga is Māori and probably means 'burial place', referring to the Māori burial caves in the area, probably among the lava flows issuing from One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie). However, an alternative possibly meaning is 'one' meaning 'beach' or 'sand' and 'hunga' meaning 'people', the word being pronounced 'Onehoonga' with soft 'g'.[citation needed] Onehunga was close to one of the richest areas of the Auckland Isthmus, and saw many battles in pre-European times." (Wikipedia)

Auckland #1

I wasn't really keen about coming to live in Auckland. I was sure and excited for Carey, for InterMission, it was just the actual city that had a bit of reluctance in me. So I proposed I would blog one thing a day that I loved or liked about Auckland. I have had no internet for the last week. The People Auckland gets a lot of flak for its people. Common jibes are that Aucklanders "don't know life exists beyond the Bombay hills" and that they are always in a hurry. Auckland is the "rat race" and the more conservative, even racist types complain it is "full of Asians" etc. Apart from a few country hick jokes thrown my way, the people of Auckland have been truly amazing. Friendly, helpful, and of many cultures and ages. Sometimes when some tried to explain things to me, and the English barrier was a bit of a problem, we just smiled at each other and they patiently explained again. The culture thing was a bit of a shock. No, shock is the wrong word. Just different. Like at home, there are predominantly NZ European, Maori and Pacific Islanders and a few Brits as the main cultures. Here, it is so different! I was genuinely excited when I was at Carey on Sunday night for a dinnerchurch (Tableside, they're called) service and I walked down the hall to the bathrooms and there was a Tamil/Indian church service on in the chapel! Just a few rooms away. Someone told me yesterday there is two Indian language church services at Carey on Sundays, plus Chinese worship during the week, as Carey has a Chinese Language degree programme in Applied Theology. And in town, I heard very little English. It was amazing. Like these girls on the train in the most BEAUTIFUL saris. There is so much can be learned. And I was standing on the corner of Queen and Wellesley Streets waiting for Sue Mun, and just for interest sakes, I counted the cultures (well, what I could visibly see) and I really was a minority. But it was good! People complain too much. It was wondrous. Like I was part of a global world with so many beautiful, different people. There is no place for racism in Auckland. Once Wilbur and I hitch hiked in Hawke's Bay and this guy spewed forth hatred against all immigrants, and it was sickening, and sad. But Auckland seems to embrace it.

A quote from a cool friend of mine

"Some days you just need to remember that New Zealand is one big family, Especially when you're about to leave your entire life in one city and start fresh in another." - Naomi Smith, via her blog, Underdead.

Tears

StudyLink and parents not understanding what is required of them and I move in three days = SOME TEARS It frustrates me my mum is computer and practically communication illiterate and that my father can not write a letter. He wrote one to Studylink. It was a page long and all one sentence with random capitalisation and spelling errors and random grammar every few words. It wouldn't pass Year 9 formal writing. It makes me sad. It makes me sad because when I try HELP him by OFFERING to edit his letters for job applications and stuff he YELLS AT ME and tells me I am being CRITICAL. No Dad, but written English and communication skills are ESSENTIAL for work. I want to HELP YOU GET WORK. When I tell him ALL DOCUMENTS sent to the government have to be VERIFIED by WORK and INCOME he yells at me again, and says it is fine. No Dad it's not. I won't be eating in Auckland. I will get ANOTHER letter saying MORE documents are required. I will be in my room in Auckland with tears in my eyes wondering how to make rent for the following week and getting really angry. So here I am. Writing a riveting letter to the governmental agency of StudyLink on my fathers behalf, detailing my parents taxable income and explaining that my mothers tiny income isn't really income because it is a "reimbursement for wear and tear." Most kids don't even know what their parents earn. I know every freaking cent, and its not much. I once wrote a formal, angry, assertive email to the photographer for the school ball, explaining what he had given us was not adequate. I felt a bit mean, but was surprised at his response. He turned up to the school office, in front of the principal, THANKED ME for for my straight up formal assertiveness, and asked me (half jokingly) if I could write all his formal correspondence in future, because he doesn't have the guts to write like that when something is wrong. He also bought me chocolates for organising the collaboration between students and photographer. Some things make me sad. Man I am watching every cent. Speaking of which, I have work in an hour, packing fruit in boxes to ensure I NEVER end up living on a benefit or doing menial work for minimum wage for the rest of my life. Thank God for education. Literally. Seriously. I am so happy my brother got Level One Literacy. I took a few frustrating hours to teach him how to write an essay, and making him remember quotes. BUT HE PASSED 2/5 papers. Just. But he got literacy. 14 credits even. I was a bit tearful then too. Because it was a few days before my English exam and I was stressing about my own. But Michael passing his Level One Exam was more important than me getting Excellence on my Level Three Exam. I'm happy I figured that priority out. Communication is so important. Oral, written, whatever. I can't imagine much worse than being illiterate. Education and English have given me a way out. My tears have kind of gone. Dad is listening a bit more, he went to Work and Income. PLEASE JESUS. PLEASE. I can live for a maximum of three weeks on my savings, but I NEED THIS ALLOWANCE. Mum and Dad haven't paid for pretty much anything since I finished high school, and that's fine. They can't afford to. I don't expect it. Sometimes its hard. But that's okay. "I cast all of my cares upon You. I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. And anytime I don't know what to do, I cast all of my cares upon You."

I am feeling strange this evening.

I am feeling strange. I did not go to the 19th birthday party of a friend I have known since I was six. We were best friends 'til high school. She is wonderful. But I was just feeling.. odd. Like I couldn't find clothes or something. Which is not me. I'm not that shallow, nor self conscious. I wear any clothes, normally. But it was like I couldn't find the energy. So weird. I don't like that. Tonight I made the most delicious vegetarian lasagne in the whole wide world.

A Koru Means New Life

Shani just came 'round to pick up her cardy and say goodbye. I've had some good times with old Shani over the last five years, and on Wednesday she drives her little car all the way down to Christchurch to set up camp for the next three ish years. She's not planning on tripping up for holidays, so it really was goodbye! And I'm not planning on tripping back to Hawke's Bay much either. But I'm sure on my hitching adventures I'll come to Christchurch, and will have crazy dancing times with Shani once again. The point is, that even though it was sad, and I had little tears glisten as she drove away, it was also GOOD. Hence the title: A Koru means new life. Like I know Shani will work hard, she will go far, and because her life has been marked with a bit of adversity, she will overcome whatever comes her way because thats how she does it. And I'm so proud of her! Moving to Auckland also brings the weirdest feelings. Like its awesome, and exciting, but at the same time its the slight fear of the unknown. Even though I'm generally known as social, confident etc bla bla, theres still a "What am I in for?" thread of thought sometimes. I know I'm doing the right thing. I have no idea what I'm doing 2011 though! But that's okay. Because I know God does. And he's pretty awesome at guiding me through life. And I know there will be adventures! And I'll make adventures happen. This is my goal, and what 2010 is going to be about: "Others." - William Booth. God, teach me how to be selfless. To live simple. To be who Sonya Jasmine was made to be.