Samstag, 30. Oktober 2010
In Search of a Spiritual Home
We just come back from another church, called Elim, which reminded us quite a lot of a congregation of coloured people where we went in Cape Town ("Open Doors"). Indeed we got to know a very nice young woman from South Africa there. She's been here for only one week more than we are - she's a psychologist working at Manaaki Health, and she came here "just for a change". Her ancestors are from Botswana. She's the 6th person from South Africa we met here.
In the churches we also meet people from everyday life or make usefull new acquaintances: the woman from the bank, one of the children's teachers, a GP from the other health centre, a German couple, and more... and it is amazing that, despite the cultural differences, that are much bigger than we expected, the God we are worshipping is the same God in every country we got to know - we really found that it is true what Lutz, our German pastor likes to say: "God has no culture", which means that Christian faith can be lived in any cultural background, and Christanity is not (or shouldn't be) a culture (or "religion"), but a believe.
In the churches we also meet people from everyday life or make usefull new acquaintances: the woman from the bank, one of the children's teachers, a GP from the other health centre, a German couple, and more... and it is amazing that, despite the cultural differences, that are much bigger than we expected, the God we are worshipping is the same God in every country we got to know - we really found that it is true what Lutz, our German pastor likes to say: "God has no culture", which means that Christian faith can be lived in any cultural background, and Christanity is not (or shouldn't be) a culture (or "religion"), but a believe.
Going on...
I feel that now the very first step of our immigration, the rough orientation, has been completed. The next step, the integration, won't be a matter of weeks like this one, but of months (and years).
Accordingly I will write more occasionally, with longer intervals, and inbetween only if something special happens. This evening I will put a few more photos, though.
Accordingly I will write more occasionally, with longer intervals, and inbetween only if something special happens. This evening I will put a few more photos, though.
Our Seventh Week
Slowly I'm becoming a bit more confident in regard to my relationship to the people at work. Same applies to that to my patients. I notice that the problems I am facing at work are not so different from those I generally have. And that means that I start to get used to how things are here in NZ. The patients I (we at Te Korowai) deal with are generally of the poorer sort. As I see, they can be very demanding and impatient, which was confirmed by a member of the staff who had worked with wealthier patient for most of her professional life. It may be due to the fact that these people (mostly Maori) have a general feeling of being disadvantaged, or living on the darker side of life.
A remarkable difference of the Maori population is that they put big emphasis on the family and their tribes. They are increasingly rediscovering their values. Traditional ceremonies are held high, and yesterday Luis went to a performance of traditional Maori dances performed by schoolmates.
Unfortunately, particularly the two older kids continue telling us stories of low discipline and poor respect to the authorities at school, an atmosphere of laid back attitude and little fear of any consequences of misbehaviour or weak performance. Tatiana, a new friend of Elena from Peru (!), complained about the same and is now about to send her daughter to another school known for a high ambition in providing an excellent education for their pupils.
The last two weekends we seized again the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the stunning beauty of the Coromandel countryside. We had guests from Germany, a nephew of my father's and his wife, and we were proud to show them where we happen to live now. Some of the photos or videos have been taken at the Waterworks theme park close to Coromandel town (the wife of the owner is actually Elena's new friend I mentioned above).
But you haven't even to drive so far for a nature experience: one evening Elena and I climbed one of the rocks at Thames coast and just sat there for quite a while, just enjoying the view and the warm summer breeze coming from the sea.
A remarkable difference of the Maori population is that they put big emphasis on the family and their tribes. They are increasingly rediscovering their values. Traditional ceremonies are held high, and yesterday Luis went to a performance of traditional Maori dances performed by schoolmates.
Unfortunately, particularly the two older kids continue telling us stories of low discipline and poor respect to the authorities at school, an atmosphere of laid back attitude and little fear of any consequences of misbehaviour or weak performance. Tatiana, a new friend of Elena from Peru (!), complained about the same and is now about to send her daughter to another school known for a high ambition in providing an excellent education for their pupils.
The last two weekends we seized again the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the stunning beauty of the Coromandel countryside. We had guests from Germany, a nephew of my father's and his wife, and we were proud to show them where we happen to live now. Some of the photos or videos have been taken at the Waterworks theme park close to Coromandel town (the wife of the owner is actually Elena's new friend I mentioned above).
But you haven't even to drive so far for a nature experience: one evening Elena and I climbed one of the rocks at Thames coast and just sat there for quite a while, just enjoying the view and the warm summer breeze coming from the sea.
Samstag, 23. Oktober 2010
Settling in...
20.10.
Today we had to meet someone from the moving company in the South of Auckland. To make more out of it, I took a day off and after the appointment we explored some of the Eastern quarters of Auckland by car and had lunch in St. Heliers Bay, later a coffee at the waterfront (at Santos, a marvellous café at the quai road), before we walked to the beautiful Albert Park. At the end we went to pick up the results of my very last IELTS exam and we were lucky to say hello to Wayne Lloyd, the examiner trainer who had helped me a lot to pass it this (NZ) summer. Eight hours alone with my wife in Auckland! Priceless!
24.10.
Another week lies behind us. After my own experiences and from what the children told me: we got the notion that it will be possible to integrate, but it will take it's time. The systems are more different than we thought. Fortunately, thanks to the welcoming and helpful attitude of the people here the children start to make friends; although they don't understand too much. As for Elena, she has been mostly busy with running the household and organising the life of the children. First contacts to the New Zealanders were in the schools and on the street. On regard to myself, I am grateful that the staff responded to my request and didn't book all the normally available appointments for me. I particularly had to struggle with the different names and availability of drugs and equipment and with the socio-economic aspects in the health system. But I am not totally desperate, as I start to make out a horizon of things to learn.
Yesterday we crossed again the Coromandel mountains and spent several hours on one more of the exceedingly beautiful beaches of the East coast: Whangamata. Just have a look at the pictures. The weather was summer-like. As this is additionally a “long weekend” (“Labour Weekend”) with Monday being a public holiday, the beach was rather crowded – compared to what we had seen until now. Oystercatchers (waders, Wattvögel) and seagulls, accompanied the peaceful scenery with boats, surfers, playing children, strollers, sunbathers and fishers.
Then we visited an art exhibition of Val Tubman, a NZ artist and bought our first NZ painting. I had seen this painting when I entered a practice in Waihi this summer and when I came back it turned out that a friend of mine new the artist and was able to reserve this painting for me – it was still there.
Today we went to the local Baptist church again. A guest preacher from St. Luke Healing Organisation was invited and did a Healing Ministry. It was beneficial, for Elena and for me. After that we lunch there and got to know a German family of our age-group who emigrated to here 10 years ago. How much a had hoped to find this... Together with others, we spent the afternoon at the coast swapping ideas on how to spend Christmas in the family as the feast it was usually meant to be. Strange, to imagine Christmas in the middle of summer....
Today we had to meet someone from the moving company in the South of Auckland. To make more out of it, I took a day off and after the appointment we explored some of the Eastern quarters of Auckland by car and had lunch in St. Heliers Bay, later a coffee at the waterfront (at Santos, a marvellous café at the quai road), before we walked to the beautiful Albert Park. At the end we went to pick up the results of my very last IELTS exam and we were lucky to say hello to Wayne Lloyd, the examiner trainer who had helped me a lot to pass it this (NZ) summer. Eight hours alone with my wife in Auckland! Priceless!
24.10.
Another week lies behind us. After my own experiences and from what the children told me: we got the notion that it will be possible to integrate, but it will take it's time. The systems are more different than we thought. Fortunately, thanks to the welcoming and helpful attitude of the people here the children start to make friends; although they don't understand too much. As for Elena, she has been mostly busy with running the household and organising the life of the children. First contacts to the New Zealanders were in the schools and on the street. On regard to myself, I am grateful that the staff responded to my request and didn't book all the normally available appointments for me. I particularly had to struggle with the different names and availability of drugs and equipment and with the socio-economic aspects in the health system. But I am not totally desperate, as I start to make out a horizon of things to learn.
Yesterday we crossed again the Coromandel mountains and spent several hours on one more of the exceedingly beautiful beaches of the East coast: Whangamata. Just have a look at the pictures. The weather was summer-like. As this is additionally a “long weekend” (“Labour Weekend”) with Monday being a public holiday, the beach was rather crowded – compared to what we had seen until now. Oystercatchers (waders, Wattvögel) and seagulls, accompanied the peaceful scenery with boats, surfers, playing children, strollers, sunbathers and fishers.
Then we visited an art exhibition of Val Tubman, a NZ artist and bought our first NZ painting. I had seen this painting when I entered a practice in Waihi this summer and when I came back it turned out that a friend of mine new the artist and was able to reserve this painting for me – it was still there.
Today we went to the local Baptist church again. A guest preacher from St. Luke Healing Organisation was invited and did a Healing Ministry. It was beneficial, for Elena and for me. After that we lunch there and got to know a German family of our age-group who emigrated to here 10 years ago. How much a had hoped to find this... Together with others, we spent the afternoon at the coast swapping ideas on how to spend Christmas in the family as the feast it was usually meant to be. Strange, to imagine Christmas in the middle of summer....
Freitag, 15. Oktober 2010
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