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.