Pasifika patterns on pavement...

 

In trying to walk a 5km route around my neighbour last week, I spied some Pasifika patterns that had been painted on the pavement outside a local high school with accompanying bus stop.

What I thought very interesting about this is that I incorporate some of these patterns into my books and to see it on the pavement was quite a surprise.

To me it shows that there is now an appreciation of Pasifika art publicly that wasn't understood some 20 years ago if not 10.

It also goes to show that within this multicultural society of South Auckland that there now a better appreciation of Pasifika culture allbeit still on the surface for many who are still learning about the various ethnic diversities i.e. Samoan, Cook Islands, Niuean, Tongan, Tuvaluan etc. but we have come a long way from where we used to be.

Valentines day at Denny's...

 

Earlier this week my beloved and I went to Denny's for our Valentines day lunch and saw our elder two children then decided to have pick up our youngest to join in too.

With the whole change in having to wear masks, social distancing and showing our COVID vaccine passes at restaurants, it does make one want to sit well away from others - just in case.

However, it was a pleasant day and we enjoyed the meals and time together whilst reminiscing on past events and how fast time flies past.

A big thank to my beloved for the neat time we had together and it was a timely reminder that we need to make time to enjoy these special occasions and take a moment to be grateful and thankful for our health and what we have at this time and moment...

Studying Indigenous Research (level 4) a game changer...

It's another new year with new learning opportunities for prospective students with the Indigenous courses that are offered at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. There is still availability for those who are interested in an introduction to indigenous research with my online fees free 'Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga' level 4 course that I am currently teaching.

It's a course that I've been teaching for the past few years and it is a game changer. Not only has it been useful and helpful for many professionals and community learners who have taken this course and engaged better with students as a whole but it's also informed and solidified my understandings and practices as being brought up by my Samoan indigenous parents who passed on a lot of important teachings that I carry with me today and informing many others as a PhD candidate and tertiary educator in Aotearoa, NZ today.

In teaching and learning from this introductory course on tikanga (Maori protocols and practices) it has allowed the space for indigenous research to grow with many of my Maori and non-Maori tauira or students to also reflect on their own cultural protocols and practices as well as their personal and nuclear family's practices.

I would definitely encourage teacher practioners to take this course as I wished that I had done so when I was teaching in high school as when you have a better grasp of te Ao Maori (Maori worldviews) and have had the time and space to consider your own cultural principles as well as others in the class then you are in a better position to work with students from multi-faceted cultures and engage with mutual respect.

If you are interested to know more information about this course and how to enrol for the class of 2022 then you can email me on: helen.filisi@twoa.ac.nz or if you are interested in having a similar course in your country then you can contact me on my personal email at: helentauaufilisi@gmail.com

 

Pacer App & healing...

 

It's been over a month since my dear father passed away and one of the greatest supports that I've had in helping me, during this time, has been the Pacer App and Virtual challenges with locations around the world.

My own personal target is for at least 10,000 steps per day and this is completed through dancing to my own beat i.e. YouTube playlists or my own or daughter/sister's playlists, TV Zumba sessions or walking around local streets as well as local parks and walkways.

This has also assisted me in being more fit and healthy with my family's 8 week challenge of losing weight and eating more healthy.

As a family we've talked about it and reflected that somehow my father's passing brought us together by sharing daily evening devotions through Messenger and including my brother's family in Melbourne, Australia. We were also able to support family members who caught COVID-19 whilst they were isolating at home which was a real bonus.

Now each family (there's five family groups) takes a day to lead our evening devotionals with Catholic, Presbyterian, Samoan, English, Maori etc. prayers, songs, scriptures, discussions, with lots of laughs along the way.

It's been a real blessing and although I miss my dear dad very much, his passing brought about the opportunity for us to come together, unite and be closer in the knowledge that the passing of a loved one within our family is a natural part of life as taught through our faith.

There's been so much that's happened that I'll get back to blogging more, in having had some time off to reflect on life and to take the time to mourn the loss of my father who had such a great impact on my life. I miss him much and believe that he's legacy will live on through what he taught us...

A tribute to my father and friend...

 

This new year of 2022, I would like to pay tribute to my father, my dad and faith-filled friend who passed away at the blessed age of 84 on 19th of December of last year to spend his first Christmas in Paradise. 

I know that many daughters don't have the relationship that I grew to love having with my Papa that started instructionally and then ended in having his full trust in me and I in him.

I write this with tears as I have lost a man who was my rock and in whom I esteemed and loved greatly.  He is deeply missed as a father and grandfather. I certainly miss his presence but am reminded of him in other ways.

Still, I thank God for choosing him to be my father, my role model and supporter, like my mum, as they both encouraged me to keep the faith and to work well to do good in our community and within our church and family.

He probably has had the most profound affect in my life, in his guidance and words of wisdom in ensuring that I keep strong in my faith and fight the good fight as he did so greatly. He's also probably the greatest male influencer, for good, in my life and reminded me of the importance of humility, respect and honouring God.

I miss him so much but know that he is in a better place and resting in peace. I so want to thank all the people who contributed in many ways to his life and also the outpouring of many love gifts in his passing with tributes from Samoa, Australia, NZ etc.

Before his passing, my father and I had started a book of his memoirs. He lovingly shared with me insights of his growing up in Samoa, leaving Samoa to find a 'better' future in NZ and then meeting my mum and starting his family. I hope to finish the book for him and launch it at the end of this year at his memorial stone unveiling.

I echo the words and sentiments of our elder daughter in wishing that the world would pause for a moment to commemorate the passing of one who loved so dearly and who was committed to his family, his church, his faith and God. Thank you God giving me such a blessed opportunity to have a hero like my father in my life. He is gone but will never be forgotten...

'Mr Church' a recommended movie to watch...

This movie has been around since 2016 but I only got to watch it on Netflix this week. I would recommend this movie having watched many of Eddie Murphy's movies mostly in the humour genre but this movie takes a more serious look at what life can offer and also very different from the roles that I'm used to watching him in.

I'd say that the movie takes you on a journey through life and how sometimes people start relationships through circumstances that you would often not think to happen. I liked how, as a personal of colour, Murphy's character played a pivotal role in the lives of several people.

The ending might not be to everyone's liking but is more a testament to how often life does not always serve you what you are wanting or deserving and this movie ending is no different. A movie that gets you thinking about your important relationships in life...

'Inspiring the future Aotearoa' role models and speakers in schools...

 

Earlier this year, I joined an organisation called 'Inspiring the future Aotearoa' as 1 of 407 role models who make ourselves available for sharing our stories with school students.

If you are interested in joining or asking role models to attend to your school's event you just need to contact the organisation's website on: www.inspiringthefuture.org.nz

There's a lot of information on either logging in as a teacher or as a role model. Having been a High school English teacher in the past, I know that I would have utilised this resource as there were no resources like this around when I was teaching those many years ago.

What's also neat is that there is a huge range of speakers to chose from and it's an exciting opportunity for both students and teachers as well as the speakers to share their stories and to learn about different careers, businesses etc.

Looking forward to sharing my knowledge and some life experiences in the not too distant future for inspiring more youth into writing, composing, creating, researching, informing, painting, planning and generally making things happen...

Take me to Samoa 2022...

 

Here's a Christmas wish for 2022, I can't wait until the borders open and the pandemic is under control and then those of us who are busting to travel to Samoa will be able to.

There's talk of next year being that year, as I have already missed two years of being there since September of 2019 with my family.

Our new aiga (family) home is still waiting for us to arrive as there's still a little more work to complete it and a whole lot of planned gardening that I had wanted to start but that's okay as we try and ride through the wave of this global pandemic and come out the other side with gratefulness, positive attitudes and big thanks to God for surviving.

I miss the fresh morning sweet air right next to the ocean and the noises of cocks crowing in the early morning. The smell of umu (earth oven) and the taste of so many Samoan delicacies that you can only get on the islands like sēa (sea cucumber), beautifully sweet organic mangoes and pineapples, pawpaw and vī (Samoan apples) etc.

2021 now going... going... gone...

Happy 20th Wedding Anniversary to my beloved...

 

This year marks our 20th Wedding Anniversary, with my beloved, where we went to an island just off the coast of Fiji (short 10 minute boat ride) called Sonaisali and had our sunset wedding there.

We returned on our 10th Wedding Anniversary with our then two children who had a swim in the pool (just as I had had with my dad on the wedding morning) and they loved it too.

We also returned on our 15th Wedding Anniversary with our children to Fiji and stayed at another hotel with lots of fun but had planned and booked to go back to Fiji for our 20th Anniversary but alas it was not to be.

Instead, we've spent it today with my family eating cake and having lunch together and later we're going to have a movie night and a dessert too.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has certainly changed many things for many people including the ways that we celebrate special dates and also makes me realise how we took for granted how easy it was to make plans and see it through but with COVID it's a whole new ball game and the rules are so different.

Today, there was an announcement that I heard through the media that the NZ government is planning to open up the borders to Australian vaccinated travellers with a 7 day isolation that doesn't need to be spent in an MIQ Managed Isolation Quarantine facility and could be at home. This is expected to start in January.

We were also given the information that overseas travellers could be welcomed in as soon as February next year and that's when I would love to travel to Samoa with my family to finally visit back home. Wow! what a long time to wait now but will be well worth the wait to be able to celebrate overseas again with family...

Bubble Tea/drink...

 

A new drink has made it's way onto NZ shores (well some time ago) but I only started tasting it this year. Known as bubble tea or Boba with many different varieties, colours and tastes.

It was my children who introduced it to me and we have a new local cafe and bakery that now offer the drinks with a variety of flavours to choose from.

The main ingredients seem to be ice, water, your choice of flavour and then little balls, pearls, tapioca or bubbles of flavour such as taro, blueberry, strawberry, honey, apple, brown sugar etc.

I'd definitely put it in the occasion range of drink as it can be quite sweet although flavoursome or like me you can always drink half and then wait until the ice has all melted before drinking the rest of it more diluted.

I was told by our youngest that the discovery of these types of drinks were quite by mistake as the ingredients were accidentally added (I think maybe the tapioca-like balls) but what started as an accident is now a lucrative business with many people buying these new types of drinks with many places offering them.

So if haven't already, why not give it a go? and see which taste you enjoy the most. Mine still is a variety of chocolate flavours with lots of ice that quenches a big thirst on a hot summer's day. It definitely beats fizzy drinks but that's my humble opinion...

Resource packs for children/families at our Samoan bilingual Early childhood centre...

It's day 79 of our National lockdown and this week I've also been busy with some of the teachers from our Samoan bilingual Early childhood centre to set up packs for children at our centre with some of the resources received from the Ministry of Education.

These will be distributed to families in order to support the learnings and home. So far they include bilingual books for children and also resource support for teachers and parents. 

We're still awaiting a box of hard pack resources, from the Ministry, for our children and hopefully they're not too far away.

With our little ones, it is totally understandable that many parents have chosen not to allow their children to attend the centre because of the uncertainty of having their unvaccinated children in any public place that could bring about an infection. I am also of the same mind but equally there are parents who need to work or study and are unable to look after their children so that they trust the centre to do their best in caring for their children.

Therefore, the packs are for the children who are mostly unable to attend the centre and it gives them added resources to support them at home through reading books together, activity resources in spending time together during these unprecedented times...

Art external portfolio exams in a pandemic...

 

Today has been a very busy with sorting things out at our Samoan bilingual Early childhood centre which has recently re-opened to support parents needing support in their childcare.

As well as also supporting our middle child in her NCEA National Certificate in Educational Achievement external art exams (level 2) Year 12 where she must provide a folio of her art work (Painting) that must be sent to examiners in Wellington.

The difficulty was that the Courier company that was selected to send folios were inundated with so many inquiries that when we went to book for a Courier drive to pick up the folio we were in a wait list of 137 callers and had to wait until it got down to our turn.

So I decided to go through a takeaways drive-thru 3 times whilst awaiting for the call. It was quite funny but we finally got it sorted and by the time we got home it was very quickly picked up and away it's gone to be tracked all the way to Wellington.

What's interesting about our middle child's folio is that I remember in my Level 1 art exams (those many years ago) that I had to provide a portfolio and I chose the subject of hands as my topic of interest. It's interesting to see that echoed in both my two eldests' Year 12 folios too i.e. great artistic minds think alike? (ha ha - no just interesting DNA).

Now there are external exams to contend with starting from 24th November and wishing for our middle child all the best in preparations and getting everything sorted in order to perform to the best of their abilities despite the pandemic and the Alert level 3 lockdown orders. Life seems to still go on...

Moana Pasifika Rugby on the horizon...

 

If you haven't already been told, there's a new International Rugby team that's on the horizon called Moana Pasifika Rugby and it's currently looking for committed fans to join the movement.

My dad and my beloved are ardent Rugby fans with my both always watching and backing All Blacks games and Manu Samoa with great interest in International Rugby tournaments.

With this new Rugby team now given the go ahead to select players from all over the globe, it's going to make for a very interest future for Pasifika Rugby as many players have had to live and play in many other countries overseas in order to make financial gains for their families in not having such opportunities in NZ.

If you want to know more information and are an ardent Pasifika rugby fan then you should check their website: https://moanapasifika.co.nz . I'm considering to back them on behalf of my father and I'm sure many others will be interested in seeing how far this will go. It would even be more interesting if it changes the tide of Rugby in NZ as this has been a long time coming...