Posts by Jackie Clark
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Speaking of diversity, I wonder if any PASers would be up for dindins one night (here in Auckland, obviously - sorry rest of NZ - that's not my dept). I find everyone here so interesting and it would lovely to have a bit of a get together. Just a thought.
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Oh, Sacha. Thanks for the link to Tze Ming. Brought me to tears - especially the bits about being outside the Chinese Embassy in Welly, and using
qi gong on
him, to open him up and transmute his angry
energy, and mine, into benevolence......, and then
they fell silent as I pushed qi into his chest.
The kid was afraid. He didn’t know that I was
opened up too, trying to establish a channel,
trying to help him.Talk about the unity of love. Hear, hear, Tze Ming.
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The truth is that non-white and non-English speaking immigrants to this country feel no particular sentimental loyalty to NZ. Most of them I speak to, and I speak to many, want to move to Aussie/Canada/USA.
then I would suggest the feeling is mutual amongst a large body of New Zealanders who would be happy to see the back of them.
Really? I don't think the truth is that nonEnglish speaking migrants feel no loyalty to NZ. Most of you know that I am a kindergarten teacher, some of you may even know that I now teach in Mangere, but I have been teaching for 13 years or so, and always in kindergartens that served communities of migrants and refugees, and in fact, were, as we like to say in the biz, mulitculturally diverse. I have taught children of migrants/refugees from India, China, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Sudan, Kenya, Eritrea, the Pacific Islands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (both Tamil and otherwise) Iran.....and the list goes on. Most of the kindergartens I have taught in were comprised solely of refugee/migrant families. Now, these families - and there have been hundreds over the years, all felt loyalty to NZ. The only families I ever encountered who migrated to Australia after living here for a couple of years or so, were Sri Lankan families, most of whom were doctors and who could gain entry and better paid employment in Australia after being made citizens of NZ. I give you an anecdote told me by one of our father's - a lovely man from Ethiopia who was a doctor, and then trained as a nurse when he got to NZ. He spoke of what it was like in the refugee camps, and why he picked NZ to come to. He was offered a place for his family in the States - he was considered very valuable, being a doctor and all - but, despite having never heard of us, he chose to come here because we didn't have guns, we were a peaceable sounding place, and he knew he wanted his young family to grow up with all of that. He took a trip to the States just before Sept 11 - being a kindergaten of mostly Muslim families, you can imagine the conversations that were had every day - and said it was the scariest place he had ever been. So he was eternally grateful to be here. I heard different versions of that from many other parents. (BTW, if you live in or near Mt Albert, and you have little kids, look seriously at Owairaka Kindergarten. Fantastic community). People give up a lot to migrate - or to flee from their wartorn countries. But they know what they have found here. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the police helicopter overhead, and rushed outside to reassure our mums, only to find them ducking or quietly crying as they realise they will never have to fear for their lives again. But it takes a minute each time to readjust themselves.
I can't talk about facts and figures - it does my head in - but I can talk about multiculturalism with some degree of knowledge, and expertise, from a personal standpoint. I like that we have migrants from many countries here. I think it makes us, in the longterm, a better place to be. I'm not talking about different foods and languages necessarily, although they add value. I'm talking instead about what it means to us as a nation of people to be living together with some degree of tolerance and understanding of each other. I'm talking about being able to greet and interact with people from different cultures in a way that makes them feel respected, and valuable as citizens of a place where they have chosen - yes, even in the case of refugees, chosen to be.
Most people that run this country (wealthy baby boomers) grew up not knowing anyone from different cultures and didn't travel much when they were young. There is still a serious fear of the unknown. Let's be honest, we NZers didn't travel at all until very recently. There were really no coffee shops or restaurants in this country until the 90s for chrissake.
I would accept, Brickley, that a lot of people who have run this country in the past would not have grown up knowing of many other cultures. I would dispute, however, that NZers didn't travel until recently. There is a well documented trend of young Kiwis setting off to the other side of the world from at least 50 years ago. Whilst I wouldn't say that we are quite there yet, in terms of being as welcoming to all comers, I would say we are getting there. It takes time to adjust from homogenity (is that a word?) to multicultural plurality. I don't despair at all - in fact, being at the front line as it were, I embrace that this dialogue represents our growing as a nation, and as people. Vive la revolution!
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I would never cast aspersions, me darling. Not after such a convivial evening and certainly not after tonight, when I ate my cheese on crackers and Bribiesca chutney. Num, num!
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Well, anyway, Sofie has two interesting parents. And an interesting partner. And a very interesting dog. And now I come to think of it, a very interesting way of driving ;)
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I think we should just change the name of this thread to People with interesting parents and be done with it.
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Or even better, ca suffit. C'est trop.
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We knew what you meant. And I have to say I feel immensely let down. But you are right of course. I think we have had that conversation too many times. J'ai ennui.
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What I inherited Kerry was an intense love of Crown Lynn and 60's/70's pottery. I was sent to pottery classes for a long time as a child - latterly with Mrs Becroft down the road -and I loved it but wasn't inherently talented at it. As for the "safe adults" thing, it riles me a bit because for years, even as qualified registered teachers, we weren't allowed to so much as change a child's clothing without witnesses. (Thanks to all the hysteria generated by the Civic Creche case). Thankfully, that's all changed - you have no idea how many modest 3 year olds there are out there, and they really don't want you there, let alone another adult. So I thought that times were changing, for the better, and more common sense. Seems as if that may not be so.
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How interesting, Kerry. Obviously as a teacher, you are subject to police vetting when you get into any training provider. Our visitors at kindergarten are supposed to sign a book, as are visitors to schools. But to be on a database? A little unusual.