Since Brendan and my hike, we traveled to Christchurch for
me to continue my research at Hagley College and affiliated ngos. Mom and
Brendan came too, and in between my research we traveled to Lake Tekapo and
Mount John (designated one of the major black spots in the world for
astronomy), and then Kaikoura (for Bren to swim with the dolphins; I stayed on
top to take photos and videos).
First off, the research: Christchurch is unique because of
the issues caused by the earthquake, including re-traumatizing refugees from the
movement, the blast noises, and waiting in lines for food and water. CC has not
received new refugees (except through family reunification) since the 2010
earthquake, though they may begin receiving new refugees at the end of this
year. Still, there is a sizable refugee population, and there are remarkable
supports at Hagley College and amongst the ngos in the district.
On Tuesday evening, we drove to Lake Tekapo and went on Mt.
John to observe through telescopes one of the world's designated dark spots. Unfortunately, it was a night of a full
moon, so rather than a black sky, it looked like twilight. We were able to see
great images of the moon as well as Jupiter and Saturn but not the Milky Way or
nebulaes. Still, the landscapes were beautiful.
We returned to Christchurch in the morning through heavy
fog, and I had another great day giving a presentation and doing some
interviews. On Thursday, we drove to Kaikoura. It started as a lovely day, and
Bren had two good snorkel swims with the dolphins. Then, suddenly, a southerly came up and the sea
turned to wild and wavy waters. Bren and a number of others became seasick, and
it grew cold and very windy. The dolphins were moving so fast!
Mom and Bren spent a quiet weekend, and Dick and I drove to
Hastings and Napier for the Horse of the Year competition, the largest in the
Southern hemisphere. Saturday included the cross country phase of the event,
and famous Kiwi Mark Todd was among the riders. On Sunday we enjoyed Grand Prix
Kur (musical freestyle) and show jumping. It brought back such memories, as I
watched all the skinny young girls in their jods and rubber tall boots. That
was my Kate from the time she was four or five. Wonderful, warm memories, along
with also a sense of loss. I longed to return to those fun days.
This week, back to the MBIE and work on transcriptions and
remaining field work. I was asked to do a keynote speech at the NZ National
Refugee Forum, so I am working on meshing it with the InSEA (arts in education)
conference in Melbourne, Australia so I can do both, as they overlap. I also
received the disappointing news that I did not receive the Fulbright Award to
complete the year in Australia, so I am working with Aussie colleagues to get
together when I am in Australia in July, as well as working on what I will teach at USF in the fall. I will need the time to reconcile myself to returning earlier than I had hoped. The good: getting to reunite with good friends and family. The bad: the challenge of returning to a very conservative country after having the privilege of living in one that is more about social and environmental concerns, and not about military might and superiority. As an Axford Fellow, it is my job to be an ambassador for the US. I can easily do that as I think of the many wonderful people I know and work with, and the beautiful countryside. However, when it comes to politics and bureaucracy and prejudice, I have a far more difficult time. My experience thus far in NZ is that it is a country working hard to appreciate diversity, improve social services, and become ever more environmentally friendly. In addition, the work/life balance here is far more reasonable, though I have every intention of maintaining what I am doing here - 5 day, 40 hours/week of work.
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