Today I have been working on chapter 4 of our little Pyrenean adventure and writing about our first few days. I remember vividly the crying, the homesickness, the cold and Bic Runga on the CD player. She brought us a feeling of familiarity and comfort those first few days.
I heard my son Sam chatting to someone awhile back about starting new things. He has been to seven primary schools and now at 21 has held down several part time jobs while studying. He was telling them it is always hard at first but it gets easier as you get to know people.
It is such an important life lesson I think to know that it is sometimes unfamiliar and tricky but if you persevere things get better. It never occurred to me that Sam would be upset about going to a French school when he didn’t speak French or that he had a right to complain about being dragged away form his friends. Looking back, school was a very long day and must have been terribly boring at times. People said I was brave to go but I think Sam was much more so. I think experiences like these make children very resilient and tolerant of others.
If you are interested in the story of our travels please see the tab above. Some pictures to whet your appetite:
Bic whose songs made us feel closer to NZ. Coincidentally she was taught by my late husband at Cashmere High School. We still have a self-portrait he bought from her when she was in Year 11. She is so talented and could have been a poet and an artist as well as a musician.
Fluffy George 