Special Selwyn

I have had another serendipitous placement - Selwyn College is truly special in many ways. First of all, it is an amazingly diverse campus: There are students of 153 different ethnicities from 88 different countries (the total school population is about 1100, years 9 through 13, similar to our grades 8 through 12). The school has a mix of SES as well.

Selwyn has amazing programs for both students and faculty. There are specialists, such as physical therapists, available full-time on campus for special needs students. Teachers are provided with 1 hour of professional development each week (students arrive at school one hour later on Wednesdays). Selwyn is different from most NZ schools, too, not just U.S. ones. It's one of the best schools I've ever heard about, much less experienced.

I walk to and from school every day. It's about 30 minutes each way. Looking out in one direction I can see the cityscape of downtown Auckland, I will have to post a picture - the Sky Tower graces the city similar to the way the Space Needle defines Seattle, WA. In the other direction is the sea. I have to be careful not to walk off the sidewalk sometimes!

Speaking of sidewalks, since cars drive on the opposite side of the road relative to the U.S., I find myself having to think about which way to look for oncoming traffic!

I have some wonderful opportunities that have come up through my association with Selwyn College: Last night I attended the English department's faculty BBQ - it was great fun! The food was superb (grilled lamb, beef sausage, Thai chicken, courgettes (zuchinni), capsicum (bell peppers), and portabello mushrooms) and everyone has been extremely welcoming! I can already tell I will miss this funny, charming, charismatic bunch of professionals who are becoming my friends.

On Monday, I will be joining a field trip to a marae (pronounced "ma-rye," accent on 2nd syllable) - a Maori (pronounced "Mao-ree," accent on 1st syllable) meeting house of great significance. I feel beyond lucky to be included in this trip, as I will learn far more than I would visiting simply as a tourist.

For those of you who haven't heard, yet another dream of mine is coming true: My sister Melanie is flying down to meet me in April! As you may imagine, I'm extremely excited for the chance to travel together with her!

Miss you all heaps (they say "heaps" down here, instead of "loads" or "tons")!!!