Place, Space in the making of Creation

Clinton and I jumped, skipped, cart-wheeled (well,he did...I wore a dress with no shorts)and laughed our way up and down the grassy knoll you see behind us. I am sure on-lookers thought we were a little coo-coo, probably thought we were drunk.

It was Easter weekend and we had recently learned that we were having a baby. That weekend of 2010, we were 8 weeks pregnant and we were elated...we were on the other side of the world, our families had no idea that we literally started a new life in New Zealand!

So with our lil' bean growing inside of me, we kicked off our shoes, felt the grass and earth under our feet, the warmth of a cloudy end-of-summer sun on our skin and danced to celebrate our love and the exciting new adventure a head of us. This place we danced, laughed and made ours for the day is an important place/space for Kiwi's, both Maori and Pakeha. We were at Waitangi, where Maori chiefs & elders along with Pakeha leaders signed a treaty that created modern day New Zealand in 1840.

One hundred and seventy years later, a Puerto Rican-American and an African American from the Boogie-down Bronx visit the same place to celebrate a creation that emerged from the union of two people/families/ancestors.

Charlie, may not be a kiwi-citizen, but her roots and linkages to Aotearoa (NZ) are strong and well-seeded. I pledge to keep those roots well-tended and watered. I want her to know that ancestrally she comes from passionate communities in North America that fought for social change BUT ALSO that her spirit developed and was nourished in a land of spiritual warriors in the South Pacific.

Yadi & Clinton's Dictionary

Clinton and I thought it would be fun to track all the different lingo we hear here in NZ. When possible, we will also provide explanation or sentences of how its used.

New Zealand Word**US or East Coast Equivalent

Fanny**Vagina
Explanation: Fanny is the derogatory word for Vagina. So it's not cool to ask someone if they have a fanny-pack to lend you...LOL. Instead you should ask for a bum-bag.

Mate**Friend

Keen**Cool,I'm down,
Example: "Are you keen to go for sushi?" "yeah, I'm keen."

Take away**Take Out
Explanation: when you order food and you want to take it out of the restaurant for consumption elsewhere :-)

Squizzy**Quick look
Example: "Let's go into the shop and take a squizzy at the new bikes."

Having Charlie in NZ

Lately, I have been in conversation with fellow Moms and Momma-to-Be in NYC about my NZ birthing experience. Charlize is now 16 months...actually she will be 17 months on Wednesday...and I have lots of time to process my maternity experience in NZ. In previous post, I've talked about NZ medical care and my perspective on it. In the next few posts about NZ maternity, I will share specific examples with as much detail as I can spare and allow you the reader to make your own conclusions, or do what you'd like with it (except publish without my consent :-).

Decision to Induce I met with my midwife, Noreen, on Wednesday November 17th, an hour after picking up my mother from Auckland Airport. My official due date was November 12 and there was still no sign of Charlize coming (i.e. I wasn't having an contractions, dilatation, show, or water break. I was officially five days late.

When we went to visit Noreen (in her Manuaku Road office), I asked her to finally check for dilation. I have to emphasize the "finally" because up until this point (I was nearly 41 weeks pregnant), Noreen (who became my Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) in March 2010) had never conducted a vaginal check on me.

Our meeting usually consisted of: * Me peeing on a stick to test for proteins and I think sugar * checking the baby's heart beat with a audio machine * lots of conversations about my well-being, my husband's job (she loved my hubby and often joked with him)and concerns * run down of what NOT to eat (unpasteurized dairy, hummus, cut meats (like deli meats), raw fish and some high mercury fish even if cooked and non-fresh rice) * and a run down of appointments to make (for sonograms) and paperwork to fill out (such as registering with Auckland hospital and BirthCare).

Our meeting should of lasted 15 to 30 minutes but most times they went over because she was so warm and chatty.

So on November 17th, when I was officially 5 days "late" and with my mom )who had traveled over 25 hours to meet her new granddaughter who had not yet arrived, I asked Noreen to check what was going on under there.

During our previous checks, we had discussed the "what ifs" I don't go into natural labor and we briefly talked about the induction process. But, I was really really hoping to not have to go that route.

Noreen agreed saying she could check if I wanted. She apologized if I felt exposed and promised that I would regain my sense of decency shortly after the birth. I assured her that I was fine and confident of her care and professionalism.

She apologetically asked me to undress behind the curtains and lay down on the observation table. After the check she confirmed that my cervix was still not soft or ripe and that I had not dilated.

Charlize still had no intention of coming out...at least not that day.

She set up the date for the induction after calling Auckland Hospital to see what was available (she allowed me to pick between the datesavailable). She explained that my body could get itself ready for labor at an instant...BUT that it seemed unlikely since there were NO signs of it yet.

I was "gutted" (kiwi slang for disappointed) when I left her office, but optimistic that in the few days before my appointment I would be in labor.

Unfortunately that was not the case... but I will leave that for another post.

Noreen Matthews is also a midwife at Remuera Village Medical Center www.rvmc.co.nz .

The midwifery pictures featured in this blog are cover photo's from Birthspirit Journal a midwifery journal in NZ: http://www.birthspirit.co.nz/index.php

Wine and Beer

One of my favorite things to do in New Zealand was to drink wine! The wines in this country are delicious and plentiful. It helped that I lived walking distance to New World, Victoria Park. On the weekends, they had this older Kiwi employee, a local wine connoisseur, divvy out free samples of wine and cheese to customers. There was a 60/40 chance I would end up buying his selection. The times I didn't, I would buy one of our favorites (Man of War Pinot Gris or Amisfield Pinot Noir).

We also made a point to visit as many wineries as we could...Villa Maria (a secret jewel near the Auckland Airport), Amisfield (Amazing chef's choice dinner menu, Mudbrick (for the gorgeous view)...just to name a few.

The beers in New Zealand weren't to shabby, though the wine surpasses it for sure! I would stay clear of buying cocktails in New Zealand because they cost lots and are relatively weak.

When in kiwi-land, do as kiwis would do....eat well and drink even better! These are absolute must try: Whites Villa Maria: Savinough Blanc Reserve Man of War: Pinot Gris Reds Amisfield: Pinot Noir Seresin: Pinot Noir [ http://www.seresin.co.nz/ ] Cable Bay: Five Hills Blend 2008 (Merlot, Malbec, Cab Sav)[ http://www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz/ ] By the way: I found an amazing WOMEN run wine company [ http://www.solawines.com/CTGY/auwinery.html ] that SELLS Southern Hemisphere wines (including NZ and Aussie). They will Ship for as little as $1 !!!

Amber Teething Beads

Charlize was a few months old when Clinton ordered her a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace. I had heard a few people in Auckland mention the natural benefits of the teething beads, primarily helping little ones get through teething. Some of the kids in Charlize's daycare, boys and girls, wore it religiously.

Charlize was a very big slobber-er, which I believed meant she was an early-teether. So from 4 weeks old, we thought out little one was teething. Little did we know that our slobber monster produced super amounts of saliva to keep her tongue lubricated (which hung out more then in) not to assist teething. Her first tooth broke through at 11 months old.

Anyway, Clinton spent a whopping 50 NZ dollars on the beads. I wasn't too happy about the expense but I was down to try anything. She was still feeding three times at night and I was hoping the beads would knock one of the feeds out.

She wore the beads for about two months, but more off then on. I never got into a routine of putting it back on her in the mornings. Clinton and I decided we would take it off her neck at night and wrap it around her ankle. However, she always figured out how to kick it off. She did drop one of the feeds by five and half months BUT we still had the 10/11pm feed and 4/5am feed for a very long time after.

I can't really speak to whether they worked or not. If I had the opportunity, I would probably buy them again. Primarily because I love the look of the amber; it reminded me of the Amber jewelry I bought in the Dominican Republic. I would probably buy them used though, so that I can cut the cost and harness the energy of the previous lil soul that wore them :-)

Out of NZ

Kia Ora,

It's about six months since we left Auckland; six months since the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup. Thankfully, we were in Auckland to experience it!

I have been thinking about my time in New Zealand as I reread this blog. I've realized that there is so much I still want to say about living in Auckland, becoming a mommy there, teaching at two of the eight universities, making friendships that are now more like family, "fighting" the bureaucratic medical system, etc, etc, etc.

I made a choice while I was there to "live" and not force myself to "analyze" and write. I understand my motives and state of mind then, but I wish I didn't stop blogging all together because there is so much I want to share.

However, all is not LOST!

I will continue to blog about my New Zealand life from here in New York City.

Hope you enjoy my memories, insights and reminiscence.

Universal Education..."We are the University" Today was the second day of spring (or at least the 2nd day in which we lost an hour) and Charlize & I still did not have a handle on the new time schedule. It's amazing how the "loss" of 60 minutes can cause hours of delay. Luckily, I was able to catch the Link bus (the new local transportation system introduced just in time for the rugby worldcup...when its on time it cuts my commute by 15 minutes...but that's "when" its on time.) and dropped Charlize off at creche (daycare). On my way up to my office, I came across several posters announcing the student protest occurring on campus @1. The posters requested students to stand against the new university policy that would require all students to pay student fees while cutting student organizational funding. It also argued that the university should give students a universal education and pardon student loans. I was intrigued with the demands (which to me seemed unimaginable) and made sure I attended the protest. As I walked towards the student quad, I could hear the roar of students. I walked through the open market and found dozens, possibly two hundred students standing, sitting...listening to several speakers share there view on the issues and solutions. Some of the issues raised: University (not only Auckland University, but all national universities) have been turned into a factory Students are thought to be apathetic, and thus are not expected to act against policies, laws and actions Neoliberalism Increased student fees that increase the class disparities at the university Solutions: Stop identifying as distinct groups...muslim, Pacific Islander, Korean...etc. The divisions are being exploited. The strongest politics force is that of "students"...unite under your student identity...Unite The university is a place to contest knowledge, it should be a place to contest policies...its a battle ground Let's get on with it, let's keep fighting University is a place to learn, but also its a place to make a change Register to vote The energy at the rally was empowering. The idea of universal education makes "logical" sense, especially in NZ's current job market where there are fewer jobs overall yet a "need" for high skilled labor. Students graduate with an average of $28,000 in loans in a country with very little good paying jobs...so many jump the Tasman to make a good living wage and gain a oversees experience. Coming back to NZ...which could use their educated young adults...means taking lower paying jobs, paying back a debt and rising living expenses. New Zealand government markets itself as a lifestyle country...but that lifestyle comes at a cost and it seems the NZ youth will not be able to buy into the coveted NZ lifestyle of little work, ownership of a plot of land, bach and boat...a just enough for a holiday. Investment in education should be at the center of New Zealand's future national projects but cuts continue to happen.

Tired Az (Kiwi English for Really Really Tired)

Today was one of those days...rainy rainy day and I had three blocks of 4 hours sleep (which sounds like it should be enough but for some reason it wasn't) and little energy to leave the house. And though I finished lecturing for Questions of Race and Racism, I still have to go into the office and hold office hours before the final exam tomorrow.

I figured out away to get out of the housen with Charlize, grabbed the Link bus to Auckland University, dropped munchkin off at Kindie (daycare right behind my office) and made my way to HSB 8th floor.

I made myself a cuppa (english breakfast with trim milk...hey, when in rome...) and settled in my office to grade 4 very late student essays. Because, I had little motivation, it took me twice as long to get through the first 3 essays. I was about to leave the last one for tomorrow and pushed myself to read on.

I found the last essay quite fustrating to read. It was well written and full of details about Ethnic Conflict, specifically Rwanda and Burundi (which reminded me of a course I took at Cornell my sophomore year) but I kept trying to figure out when the student was going to tie the topic in with the stuff on race and racism that they learned in class. Up and down the margins, I made notes on how they could have linked the examples to colonialsm, scientific racism, whiteness, genocide...etc. At the end of the essay, I wrote a paragraph long rant telling the student that they needed to "answer" the question and not just pick an interesting topic.

I didn't give the student a grade because I couldn't figure out if I should fail them because they didn't answer the essay questions or if I should pass them (barely) because they wrote a mildly interesting paper with some good arguments.

Arghh, I put the paper a side and went to the bathroom. On my return, I decided I was going to email the student and see if they could explain to me why they choice the topic since they didn't even utter the word race in the whole essay.

I searched for the student's email and couldn't find it. I spent 15 minutes searching and even considered emailing the Department Chair regarding the matter. I could'nt understand why I couldn't find the student in my roster...It must be a glich in the system, I thought.

Finally, I took a look at the cover page and saw "ANTH 100" typed in small black font. The course I taught was "ANTH 105." The student wasn't in my class at all.

I felt bad that I murdered thier essay with all my comments and notes but I was so tired by the whole ordeal that I just wrote "sorry, thought this was one of my student's essays" and slipped it into the correct box. I probably should have used white-out but I didn't have any in my office (other then admin, who uses white-out anymore...lol) and I was sure kiwis called it something different which would require me to explain to the admin what I was looking for (like the time I asked if the cafe did take-out and they stared at me blankly for a few minutes till I realized that I should have said "take away." The words are soo similar but they acted like I spoke a different language)...too much energy.

Wonder what they student is going to think of my comments...lol.

Stars to the past

Last week, Clinton and I landed in Queenstown and drove 3 hours to Te Anau. At about 6pm, the sun had completely set and the road was completely dark, save our car lights. As we drove, Clinton and I kept trying to peer through our windows to catch a glimpse of the stars that seemed to be glittering above us...quite a difficult task when you don't have a sunroof and the car is still moving. The crescent moon hung in the sky tempting my imagination with images of jersey cows jumping it.

We finally decided to pull over somewhere after Kingston and before Garston ( a town with less then 110 people, shut off the car lights and jumped out to stare at the sky.

Imagine the pictures of the milky way in our third grade textbooks and that's what we saw. Magical. There were big ones, small ones, dull ones, bright ones, twinkly ones and fiery ones...a dark blue blanket with gorgeous swarovski crystals.

Clinton and I have only seen stars like this one other time in NZ. It was in Waiheke on New Years Day while camping with our friends on Shephard's Point. We love growing up in NYC and really wouldn't trade it in for anything else, but being able to see stars like this on the other side of the world really gives us a sense of connectedness with the earth, the sky and the history of people who looked up at them in the past.

It's not a coincidence that we were so mesmerized by the sky last week. It was Matariki, Maori New Year which is marked by the visibility of a particular set of stars (constellation Taurus) in the end of May till July.

Though we didn't know much about the meaning of Matariki, the energy of the sky seemed to compel us to acknowledge our blessings.

On our return home, I did a little research on Matariki (which is still occuring) and found this:

Heralded by the rising of the star constellation known as Matariki, the Māori New Year signalled a time for connecting with, and giving thanks to the land, sea and sky. It was a time for the community to come together to farewell those departed and acknowledge the year gone by. It was also a time to turn to the future, welcoming the new generation to the world and planning for the year ahead.

In addition Matariki was a time when people would gather to share kai, rituals, entertainment, hospitality and learnings.

While the pre-dawn rising of the star cluster Matariki is referred to as 'Te Tau Hou', the New Year, for many Māori the first new moon after the rise of Matariki signalled the start of the New Year celebrations, with the moon (Marama) being central to activities of harvesting kai and the start for all things new.

Historically, the star cluster was a navigational aid for Māori and an indicator of the upcoming seasons. If the stars were clear, it was a sign that the year ahead would be warm and therefore productive. If they were hazy and closely bunched together, then a cold year would be in store.

Matariki celeberations were popular before the arrival of the Europeans in New Zealand and they continued into the 1900s. Gradually they dwindled, with one of the last traditional festivals recorded in the 1940s.

At the beginning of the 21st century Matariki celebrations were revived and have become a special time of the year to respect the land we live on, celebrate the unique place we live in and continue to share and grow with each other.

I love the idea of respect, celebration, life, communion and growth...may you find all these aspects in your life, abundantly.

32 years of living

It's been quite some time since I blogged. I've thought about it and even mentally archived some blog topics but have pushed other things up on the priority list.

So since, I last blogged there's been quite of few things going on in my life (all of which I will mention in my upcoming blogs):

*Best Friend's Wedding in Puerto Rico (while I was 7 and half months prego)
*Finished teaching fellowship at Waikato University
*Waited 2 weeks for the delivery of my first child on November 26th, 2010 4:11am
*My mother, who is scared of heights and is claustrophobic, traveled 22 hours to visit us and her new granddaughter.
*Camped for the first time, New Year's Day with Boopsie & her Family
*Marcy, close university friend and sorority sister, came to the South Pacific (my first girl's trip as a mom)
*Started Teaching Fellowship at Auckland University
*Charlize has turned 6 months (she communicated through coos and interesting sounds, she sits & rolls and loves hearing people sing)
*Visited South Island (Nelson, Blenheim, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Queenstown)
*Skydived 12,000 feet

It's been a really busy few months. But it's great ones.

So today, I turn 32 years old (NYC time) and I thought I would begin to blog again...not only to share my experiences but also as a way to process the world around me and establish myself as a writer (someone who writes everyday).

I'm not going to say too much today in this entry...but just want to take the time to snapshot my life at this moment:

I'm sitting in a beautiful hotel room overlooking the Remarkable Mountain Ranges and lake on a brisk blue-sky day in Queenstown, with my beautiful daughter (still wearing the poka dot onesie and pink dress from last night's birthday dinner @ Amisfield...hey she fell asleep and I wasn't going to wake her to put PJs...)fussing as Clinton rolls her around the bed.

I feel grateful and blessed to have so much love in my life. Even from a far I feel the warmth from all the relationships in my life (birthday "petal" cupcakes, cards, facebook posts, emails, phone calls, texts and even a skype session with my mom who had a cake with a candle for me).

Thirty-one was "epic" (as labeled by Clinton), and Thirty-two I'll coast.