Thursday, September 9, 2010

Day 66: Sunday, 5/9/10

Tomorrow it is back to school. So I did some homework and slept.

Day 65: Frankton Market

Saturday, 4/9/10

Off to Frankton Marktet with Aunty Noenoe and Uncle Woody. Frankton Market is like swamp meet, located somewhere in Hamilton. The close off a part of the street for the vendors to sell their stuff and people coming to buy. There's choke stuff! I saw that couple of the vendors were selling Māori design blankets! Really nice and huge. We walked down the strip and Aunty bought couple Lamb kebabs. It is like BBQ sticks. Pretty good with the sauce they put on, ʻono nō. There were so many things being sold from plants, to clothes and jewelry. Had some nice Māori design shirts and jewelry. Jade and pounamu stone necklaces. We met Aunty Minoʻaka there, she lives here in Aotearoa but is from Maui. In the end, I bought myself a Māori blanket. It was really hard to choose which color. All the designs and colors were real nice, had red, blue, green and purple. So, I chose the green one! I definitely will go back before I come home.

Day 64: Friday, 3/9/10

Friday the last week of our 2 week Spring break. Tomorrow, heading to Frankton Market with Aunty Noenoe and Uncle Woody.

Day 63: Thursday, 2/9/10

It's a Thursday, didn't do much.

Day 62: Te Toi o Matariki

Wednesday, 1/9/10

It's already September! 2 Months gone already, that fast! Can't believe it, already half way of living here in Aotearoa. Anyways, I've titled this blog "Te Toi o Matariki". Te Toi o Matariki is an annual Graduate Conference. This year marks the 4th year hosted by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori Office. This conference targets Māori Postgraduate students and prospective students of the University of Waikato. This conference includes keynote presenters who are well known in academia and research and also, presentations from emerging researchers throughout each faculty or school of Waikato. It was really awesome to attend one of these conferences, I was a "late register". Anyways, met up with couple other people from Waiora, the group I went down to Wellington with. Besides the keynote speaker today, couple students from Te Raupapa, Management School and Te Pua Wānanga ki te Ao, School of Māori and Pacific Development also presented their research. All Māori's presenting their research in their respective Schools, but when it came to Māori and Pacific Development. I couldn't really understand! Haha they spoke fluently in Māori! I only understood bits and pieces, didn't even understand their general topic of their research.

Got to see who Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith is. She is a well known and respected person here at Waikato. Her book and work are really interesting. Then all of a sudden, I see this person. It's Aunty Noenoe! Finally!!! She arrived mid August and just now I finally gotten to see her! She's from Hilo and has been working at Hawaiʻi Community College. I also met her through a Pūkoʻa Council meeting and found out she was finishing up her PhD here at Waikato. I got to know Uncle Hotu and Aunty Kim them through Aunty Noenoe.

Later on, got tired after lunch and so I headed back to my room. Then found out what Aunty Noenoe was doing. Work! So I went to go visit her at her office and we just talk story and catch up. Then, Aunty invited me to dinner! Yes! Haha called up Leo to have her meet Aunty Noenoe. Left College Hall about 5pm and met Uncle Woody. Went to Pack n Save to buy some food for dinner. Whats for dinner?! Stir fry and SPAM musubi!!! CHEEE HEE!!! Spam here is pretty expensive plus people don't really eat spam here. So Aunty them are living with Aunty Rangiiria, she's a teacher at Māori and Pacifc Development. So, me, Leo and Uncle Woody just talked story and watch tv, while Aunty when cook. Ahh was so ʻono!!! Awesome cooking, awesome home cooked meal I should say. None of that cafeteria food!

Day 61:Post-Huinga 2

Tuesday, 31/8/10

AHAHA....another day of rest. The weekend took a toll on my sleeping.

Day 60: Post-Huinga

Monday 30/8/10

The day of rest after a weekend of heading to Te Whangānui-a-Tara aka Wellington and having a full schedule set. I pretty much rested the entire day. Not much to do, since we are on break and everyone pretty much went back home. So it was good that the floor and the halls were quiet.