Arrival
Well, we had a really quiet night in Auckland. The kids were fantastic! I had comments from two different staff about their awesome behaviour! Always cool to hear those sorts of comments. I woke them up at about 5 this morning although there were a few eager beavers who were already dressed and organising themselves! We went down for brekky and then shuttled to the airport. It's amazing how time gets chewed up when you are shepherding 20 kids through checkin and security! The airport was like Grand Central Station at 6 this morning so there were long queues everywhere. Excitement was definitely peaking as we walked to our gate though and it is always funny listening to the comments/queries etc as they talk amongst themselves.
The flight was one of the best I've had going over. It was smooth all the way and the kids were quite happy watching movies of course. Hannah told me she'd never been in such a flash plane before!
Noumea has had a 'cold' winter this year apparently and it was only 22deg when we landed, but it was still a welcome warmth when we got off the plane. Jackets were stowed in backpacks pretty much straight away as we headed to customs etc. No-one was pulled aside for intense searches or questioning so some were relieved about that as I know a few were harbouring fears of it happening! I was asked to come over and watch as Bayley had the full pad down and body scan at Auckland though. Even though it's a bit disconcerting to see for those who haven't flown before, I always think that the more they see and experience the better. A few of us, including me, had to go through the body scan machine with a crowd of intrigued TIS observers in the background!
Will those bags ever appear? Baggage claim at Tontouta.
It takes about 45mins to get from the airport at Tontouta in to Noumea. The first massive difference the kids notice, of course is driving on the other side of the road.
Most of the host brothers and sisters were able to come out of class and meet us when we arrived at Jean Mariotti. Many of the kids recognised their billet which was great. We were welcomed by both the Principal and Deputy Principal and also by members of the NZ Consulate who were there.
After some food the kids were given a tour of the school and then we met in one of the English classrooms to chat and share first impressions.
Altogether it's been a long but really good day. They will be really tired tonight, but I'm looking forward to hearing all about their first night when we see them in the morning.
Until tomorrow........
Such a great report of the day's events Colleen, thank you. It is wonderful to see all the photos too - the adventure is underway!
ReplyDeleteYou'll all sleep well tonight :-)
Angus got up in the classroom, as did a couple of other TIS students, and introduced himself and spoke of his family and interests etc. He was so confident and spoke clearly. I nearly asked him to do it in french as well, because I know he can do that, but didn't want to push him on his first day!
DeleteOh it was awesome to see the kids happy, thanks soooo much Colleen. Well deserved sleep.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, the closer we got to Jean Mariotti, the questions came flying in! They think of everything little thing concerning them and want it cleared up before we arrive. I had a few 'what ifs' from Jasmine, but she was quite happy by the time they left at 4 yesterday. She was trying really hard to ask Fanny questions in french too which was awesome! I met Fanny's Mum, Carole as well and she is a lovely person.
DeleteThanks for all the photo's! ( great to see Pieter's smiling face!) Thanks for all your trouble to share the day with us Colleen, can't wait for the next one!! 🤗
ReplyDeleteHe's been great, Francis!
DeleteLovely to see everyone arrived safely and look happy. Now the real adventures begin. Thank you for the update Colleen and may everyone enjoy a well deserved sleep.
ReplyDeleteA warm day today and very little wind so it's looking good for our tour of the city in the Tchou Tchou train this afternoon.
DeleteFabulous report on the day's events! Thanks so much for this Colleen. After such an early start, and a long day, our tamariki should get a great night's sleep to prepare them well for the next exciting instalment. Thanks again :-)
ReplyDeleteBoth Soph and Baz were blowing their nose a lot - Baz has it now too! I said to Soph to try and with hold the sniffs and nose blows till we were through security and customs at Tontouta because we had all put on the arrival card that we had no running noses or coughs! I told the kids that they are making sure we haven't got some awful disease and that they don't mean the common cold! She obliged fantastically! If you've ticked yes, you are taken aside to another room and have your temp taken, a nurse consult then have to wait until verification comes from a doctor to allow you to continue through to the other side. That all took an hour and a half the one time it happened to us. An asthmatic with me had ticked those boxes so we try to avoid it happening again! Soph very happy and coping well as you would expect!
DeleteThank you for the report and photos Colleen they are really appreciated. Have a great day x
ReplyDeleteFabulous to see all those smiling happy faces - thank you so much for the photos and updates :) Bring on today's adventure
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the updates! Great to see the photos too :) Hope you all slept well and had a fun day today. Karryn :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome to see them embracing the culture. Can't wait for tomorrow's update.love the photos
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