Goodbye New Zealand

Okay, so it has been a long time since I have updated, but I don't know how much I am going to update anymore. I am home now (as of 23 December). So, now I will post from the last time I posted till the 23rd, but I will combine everything instead of doing day by day.

Work was getting harder and harder. The kids were getting really noisy and rowdy as it was getting to the end of the year. Most of the primary schools got out early, and I worked straight through the 23, so right before Christmas. I was desperately trying to get stuff taken care of for some of the kids (profile books), since I won't be there next year. We had a couple work meetings, that actually didn't apply to me, but I still went.

On the second to last day of work, there was a party for all the kids. Several kids were recognised since they won't be returning when the preschool opens. Then I was recognised. I received a gift from the staff, which was really special. On the last day, I got so many hugs from the kids. A mum told me that when her son woke up, he was sad and said that it was my last day. Kids are so stinkin cute! It was really hard saying goodbye to so many people.

My allergies were HORRIBLE! It would be bad for so many days, and then the rain would relieve it for a bit. Ah!

So, one of the issues I have not really discussed, but hinted to was the discussion I had with my boss a while back. So, (if you happen to remember) I mentioned in my blog that there were days I didn't want to talk about. So this is the reason: I wanted to come back to New Zealand to teach preschool. I decided to talk to my boss about staying an extra 6 months with them. She was really excited and was working on how to extend my visa. I won't go into detail about what happened, but basically (due to NZ laws), they are not allowed to hire me back, and they actually cannot get a visa for me. They were very willing, but the way the laws are, they would get in trouble. So then I was trying to figure out what to do. I started looking around at different preschools and applied to several. There were two that had me look at the preschool, but I didn't have an interview as they were not working on interviews at that time. Looking at the schools happened the very last week of being in NZ. In other words, I don't think my chances are very good at being hired, since I don't have a visa and I will be in the States when they are going to be doing the interviewing.

So then I had to make a decision. Should I stay in the States and look for a job like I originally planned, or should I apply for another visa and see if I could get work. I didn't end up making any decisions, but decided to wait it out until after the holidays to decide what to do.

As for Alison, she randomly got a good job offer and will be going home and returning to NZ in January. A guy from Church asked Anne if we would be interested in the job. I thought my job would work out at that time. Alison applied, got an interview, and received the job all in just over a week.

Another thing I want to talk about is Church. Things had been really crazy in these couple weeks. There were lots of different services and activities we were involved in. One thing we did was what they call 7-up. It is a Friday night program they do for kids. I guess we were more there for control and interaction. Alison and I participated in carolling. Some of the members of the band (about 4 or 5) would play in a mall and they needed "receivers" to collect money. I was a "receiver". We had a guy ask us if he could sing with us. He sounded good, but he was extremely LOUD! The songsters went to a retirement home to sing some songs. One of the biggest things I worked on was the Christmas Musical. It was so much fun! Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and everyone sounded great. We were all a little nervous when the practise was...less than wonderful.

Anyway, the hardest thing was leaving that Church. We had so many people go up to us. We received several cards and people came up to us to say how well we fit and have added to the Church. They were so supportive and so many people asked me questions about what was happening with me and telling me how much they hoped I would be able to come back. A couple people would say I should just come back in faith that I would get a job. Some people said confidently, "We WILL see you again." It was so difficult to say goodbye. I love them all and they have added so much joy to my life. It is hard to find that relationship with a Church...

Alison left a day before me. It was a quiet ride to the airport, and a quiet ride back. There were sighs from Anne saying we were missing a person after Alison left. The day before, we played games, ate our favourite meal Anne makes and one of our favourite desserts. There was lots of laughter. Chocolate was in the mix, and we even had a late night outing which involved looking at Christmas lights at registered homes.

On the day I left, it made me feel sick. I saw Anne's red eyes and Alister hugged me so tight. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I sat for a long time and finally left. I went to Auckland first. I had less than 1 1/2 to get to the international airport in Auckland. There was a free shuttle, but it took 30 minutes (they claimed it would only take 10). I had to go through customs. It was frustrating to see a NZ girl go right through without any trouble. As soon as I got through customs, I ran through security. After security, I looked up what gate I was to go to. It said, Final Boarding Call. So I ran to the gate. I made it in time, but I was really nervous. Then I had an incredibly long flight home.

So ends my New Zealand journey of 2010. It has been rough, but it has been an incredible experience. I miss it already, and all the people I have come to know!