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greetings from italy
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Monday, March 01, 2004
put aside all dose things in your mind n read dis story 4 awhile plz! :) dis story written by a fren.can ya giv me ur comments?@ de tagboard,k?nite2 ppl~~
A life changing experience as exchange students.
Four students from Singapore are given the opportunity of a lifetime experience being exchange students in New Zealand. They are writing to Teens Column this week to share their out-of-the-world experience with teenagers out there. Their main aim is to inspire the rest and show how beautiful New Zealand is. They will be focusing on the marriage of the Maori tribe that touched their heart.
It was 27 May 2003, 5.45 a.m. Our flight is scheduled at 7.00 a.m. Therene, Chin Cheng, Farhan and me were so excited being exchange students for 1 month. We not only get to represent our school, but our country too. We are exchanging with Kane, Salima, Jim and Goki from Cashmere High School, a co-educational state secondary school in beautiful Christchurch, the heart of New Zealand's South Island. Our purpose is to learn more about New Zealand’s Culture. We set off according to schedule and arrived on expected time.
The Principal of Cashmere High School, Mr. Dickinson, greeted us as we reached the arrival hall. We were brought back to Cashmere High School where we were put inside year 10 classes. We did not take too long to be comfortable with the study environment and soon we are talking to the students there. We took down notes as we progressed on. We learn so much about their language, culture and religion. We were given a buddy system where Farhan and I got to sleep at Ozuma’s house while the girls would be sleeping at Mariah’s house. Basically, days, weeks past. We learn about their study methods, ways of teaching and of course recreation and shopping. We tried from bunge jumping to Hot air ballooning although the fun did not stop there.
Shopping was enjoyable especially for the girls. We bought antics and of course gifts to friends and families back at home but the best part would be when Kai invited us to his sister’s, Mariam, wedding day. We rejected at first, but accepted later as our purpose to coming to New Zealand is to study about their cultures. Like most of the students in Cashmere High School, they are from the indigenous Maori tribe. Farhan and I borrowed Ozuma’s father and Brother tuxedo respectively and Chin Cheng and Therene borrowed from Kai’s mother. From what I heard, Therene was having a hard time fitting into the gown or dress. The wedding took place in a church on Mokoia Island, an offshore island of New Zealand. We felt awkward as all of Kai’s descendence wore their traditional warrior-like clothing. This really amazed us as their culture is not affected by the ever-changing outside world.
As the bride and groom are entering the Maori village, the Te Karanga ( welcome call) echoes the courtyard inviting them onto the sacred land. Having entered, traditional song and dance were performed by local tribe for the bridal party. This is called the Te Pohwhiri followed by The Hongi or touching of nose which is a tribal gesture that seals the friendship and goodwill between the couple. Te Mannakitanga or priest’s blessing upon couple took place to complete the ceremony before pronouncing a blessing upon the couple in a form of prayer following the presentation of Taonga as a symbol of new beginnings and happiness and completing it with the Hongi again. We witness the Bridal party depart or Te Haere Atu as the Tribe dances and sings. There was the wedding feast till night. We enjoyed every single second of it. Farhan ran away to witness and learn the Haka which he admired before even coming to New Zealand. Chin Cheng and Therene were on the dining table helping themselves to the food served while I was sitting all alone beside Hayley, a close relative of Kai, on the beach, sharing our difference in culture and languages.
We even manage to capture snapshots of ourselves with the tribal people. We learn a lot for them. We learn the Haka, the culture and many other things. We were sad as our time had come. We packed up, voicing our last goodbye to the students of Cashmere High School for their hospitality. We personally thanked Kai, Ozuma, Mariam, Mariah and Hayley for their time and effort spend on us. We did the hongi for the first time.
We left with neither broken heart nor spirit. Till now, we still keep in touch. Sending e-mails and pictures over. We will always treasure the moment and I know someday we can go there again. This was our life changing experience as a exchange student. Everytime we look at the pictures taken, we remembered the times we spend together back in New Zealand. We shared our experiences with our classmates and even put up a booth to display their traditional wedding costumes.
l'amore, il Dee 3/01/2004 11:16:00 PM
owner
Diyana aka Dee.
sixteen.
single.
school leaver.
email.
missy_frenzy@hotmail.com
adore.
food(yes,that general.all halal.understood ah.),photography,DIY stuffs,music(any genre thats please my ears),boys(how obvious?),socialize with people of other countries,dA(woohoo!).
abhor.
being totally money-less,being unintendedly rude to my OldLady,Mtv(sometimes.)
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