The Aidan-And-Luke-A-Thon PART ONE

...you can contact me through my blog, my personal email, via facebook, or at mobilemarypoppins@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support so far!!

WEEK 3

Dear Lincoln, Lilliana, Leni, Juliana, Evyn, Jack, Faye, Chloe, Emerson, Lake, Rita, Violet, and Ella,

Well, kids, I am completely exhausted because this week I stayed with the most active, energetic kids I have ever met. Aidan and Luke do more sports than you could even think of! Aidan is 10 and his brother, Luke, is 8. I came to stay with them the weekend before Christmas. They live in the most beautiful house. Their mom and dad had this house built, and they designed it all themselves, so it is like the perfect house. If I could pick everything out for my own house, I’d probably copy everything they have, because it’s awesome! Before this house, they lived in an old house but on the same piece of land. Someone bought that house and came and carried it away on a truck in the middle of the night, like in the pictures I showed you the first week I was here. Then the builders started building this house and it got finished a few months ago and now they have moved in and they love it. They have their own bedrooms and a big playroom with some very cool computer games. Aidan’s favorite game is Singstar on Wii. He has a great singing voice and can beat me at singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions! Luke’s favorite game is Aragorn’s Quest because his favorite film is Lord of the Rings.

However, Aidan and Luke don’t get a lot of time to play on their computer games because most of the time they are outside doing sports. They do everything. They do Surf Lifesaving, Beach Series, Flippaball, Soccer, Touch Rugby and if they could fit in Trampolining they would, but it’s okay because they have a big trampoline in their back yard so they get to bounce on that whenever they want!

Surf Lifesaving is so cool. All the kids have their own clubs depending on which beach they live near. Then they have big Surf Lifesaving Carnivals so they can compete against each other. New Zealand is therefore never short of good lifesavers!

I got to go with Aidan and Luke to their Lifesaving Carnival and saw all the teams compete. They have running races along the beach. Luke is so fast I could hardly see him go by! For their warm up they have to do push ups, which are very hard when you are sinking into soft sand!

They also have a race called “Flags” where you start by lying down in the sand, then when the buzzer goes, you have to jump up and turn around and race to touch a flag.

Aidan is very fast at swimming. They go out and swim their race in the ocean. They have to wear bright colored swim hats so that they can always be seen by lifeguards, and if they get into trouble they know they have to raise their hand and they will be rescued in the speed boat. They swim 250 meters, which is almost a quarter of a mile, and most of it is over waves, and against the tide, and they can’t touch the bottom because they are in the middle of the sea!

These surf lifesaving kids are some of the bravest kids I’ve ever met; they swim out further than I ever would!

The next sport I saw Aidan and Luke compete in was Flippaball. If you’ve ever seen water polo, it’s like that but the younger kids do it in a shallower, smaller pool. It’s like playing soccer with your hands. They have to wear special swim caps with protection over their ears because it’s easy to crash into each other in the pool.

Aidan and Luke have finished school for the summer (remember December and January are summer here... I still can’t get used to it!), so we had lots of fun this week. Because they live only five minutes walk from the beach, we have been going down to the beach every day to swim and play games. One day after our morning on the beach, Aidan said to me,

“This is the most fun we’ve had in ages and it’s mostly because of you!” And I told him it was the most fun I’d had in ages and that was mostly because of him and Luke! We built some sandcastles and dug holes and made tunnels between the holes, and we played catch with a tennis ball in the sea, and we did some swimming races. Luckily Aidan and Luke’s mom always has lots of good healthy snacks for us, as we are always hungry after playing so much on the beach!

Last Tuesday we walked down to the beach in the dark to see the lunar eclipse. Did you see it in California? It was awesome. The earth cast a shadow over the moon and the whole sky went red.

Aidan and Luke’s house is very close to their school. They can walk home from school themselves (like Isabella and Sam do) but before they turned 8, they used to walk to school on the “Walking School Bus.”

This is not a bus that walks! But the picture on the street looks like a walking bus. What it actually is, is a group of kids who are between 5 and 8, and instead of all their moms and dads driving them to school, to save money and help the environment, they all meet near their houses and walk to school in a big group, with one mom or dad in the front and one in the back (the moms and dads takes turns when they are not working). The best thing about the walking school bus is that they get to go through the wild woods behind the street where they all live. Aidan and Luke and their mom took me on a long walk through these woods.

First we walked across the golf course (not the way the walking school bus goes, but they wanted to show me how cool the golf course is, and I’m glad they did because we saw a whole family of rabbits hanging out there!)

After the golf course we went further and further into the woods and I thought it was a little dark and spooky until I saw there were signs pointing you in the right direction everywhere!

It had rained the day before our walk so there were lots of rivers in the woods, with little wooden bridges over them. They were the perfect rivers for playing Pooh Sticks.

Aidan and Luke hadn’t heard of Pooh Sticks so I got to teach them something for once! It’s a game that Winnie The Pooh made up. Everyone gets a stick and throws it over one side of the bridge, into the flowing river. Then you go to the other side of the bridge and wait to see whose stick comes through first, to see who’s the winner. They love this game and I think we’ve played it every day since I’ve been here.

Next week I’ll tell you all about Christmas with Aidan and Luke, and “Beach Series” where they do amazing races on the beach with moms and dads and kids all racing together, and I’ll tell you about their cats, and skinks and Kiwi Christmas trees (that are not really Christmas trees!) They’ve gone to stay with their grandparents for a few days but when they get back, we’re having a New Year’s Eve party AND it’s Aidan’s birthday, so I’ll have lots to tell you then!

Hope you’re having a great Christmas... see you in 2011!

Love you and miss you all,

Susie xxxx

Hokey Pokey Anyone?!

...you can contact me through my blog, my personal email, via facebook, or at mobilemarypoppins@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support so far!!

WEEK 2

Dear Lincoln, Lilliana, Leni, Juliana, Evyn, Jack, Faye, Chloe, Emerson, Lake, Rita, Violet, and Ella,

I have had such a busy week. I have so much to tell you! Remember I was staying with Sam and Isabella last week? Well, I stayed with them again this week and there was a lot going on. It was the last week of their school year. Because the summer in New Zealand is December and January, their school year finishes in December instead of June when our school year finishes. So this was Isabella’s last year at her primary (elementary/grade) school. She was in Year 6, which I think is the same as 5^th Grade. In January she starts Intermediate school, which is like Middle School. It’s the school that her brother, Matt, just graduated and he’ll go to High School in January. So there was lots of graduating this week!

In New Zealand, kids start school on their 5^th birthday. Until they turn 5, they stay in Kindergarten (which is not part of their regular school) and then on their 5^th birthday they go into Year 1, whichever day that is (of course if it’s in the school holidays, they start as soon as school starts up again!) And that’s why it always sounds like they are one year behind the American system, because Year 1 is like Kindergarten and they go up to Year 13, which is like their Senior Year at High School.

Isabella and I had a very strong bond from the first time we met. Although she had to forgive me for thinking she was 8. I got her age muddled up with her brother Sam. She is 10 of course! The day after I arrived she said, “I feel like I’ve always known you,” and even though we’d only really known each other for two days, I felt the same way. So I felt really lucky to be here for her graduation.

I went to the graduation assembly at school and I heard them sing the New Zealand National Anthem. This is a really cool song. They sing it first in Maori (this is the native language of New Zealand) and then in English. At the graduation there were some dance competitions. One of the dance groups was Isabella’s friend, Aidan’s, who I am staying with next week. Their routine was so cool and I hope he’ll teach me some of those moves! (By the way I have video of both. I couldn't upload them here as the files were too big so I'll try to put them on my Mobile Mary Poppins facebook page.)

That night, Isabella’s awesome mom gave her a fantastic graduation party.

It started raining outside so all the games were inside and they had apple bobbing, and a disco, and a blindfold game, and a game where you make one of your team members into a snowman (the only type you’ll see in Auckland!) using toilet paper!

They had pizzas, and Isabella’s sister, Laura, made her a super cool cake in her school colors, red and blue.

Yesterday, Isabella’s mom showed me some of their camping photos from earlier this year. New Zealand is the most amazing place for camping. There are so many great beaches with woods and adventure trails and big surf. They usually go with lots of different families so there might be 30 or 40 people all going to a big camping spot. They will be going again in January with some friends, so if I can I might join them for a day or two. They do some pretty crazy things, like ride their bikes on the beach! They also love climbing and swinging from trees. Here’s a picture of Sam riding his bike on the beach and Isabella swinging from a tree like a monkey!

The other important thing you have to remember in New Zealand is to wear sun block every single day, even when it’s cloudy. New Zealand is right under the hole in the ozone layer so the sun’s rays are extremely strong and can get through really thick clouds. If you don’t wear sun block, you can get burnt very quickly. I learnt about this the hard way on my first day at the beach!

Isabella plays the piano really well, and is a very talented artist. I have some of her pictures here to show you.

I love the one she did of all Santa’s reindeer, and also all her pictures of fruit. She loves to draw aliens, too, but she couldn’t find any of her alien pictures to show me. Sam is good at art and especially good at writing. He has written and illustrated a whole book called The Splats.

It’s a great story and I took some pictures of a few pages to show you.

I especially love the menu for the feast, which includes Unicorn Intestines and Sparkling Silver Moonshine, and Dragon Poo Stew, which I think I’d pass on!

New Zealand has some food I’ve never heard of before, not quite as strange as Phoenix Blood Bolognaise but close enough!

Sam and Isabella love Hokey Pokey ice cream, and their mom showed me the menu from her work Christmas party.

I can explain a few of the snacks on the menu. Fairy bread is when they butter bread and lay it face down in sprinkles so that they stick to the bread. Pineapple lumps are pieces of candied pineapple covered in chocolate. This is a real Kiwi favorite.

L&P is a kind of lemonade. They say it is “World Famous in New Zealand,” which is kind of a joke because if it really was world famous everyone would have heard of it, that’s why they say “...in New Zealand!”

So that was the end of my time with Isabella and Sam and their big, busy family. I will be sorry to say goodbye, but I know I will see them lots as I’ve made some new friends for life. In fact, although I am moving to Aidan and Luke’s house, we are going to a Christmas party at Isabella and Sam’s house next week. I’ll be sure to take loads of photos at that!

Sending you big hugs and all my love,

Susie

xxxx

Kia Ora!

...you can contact me through my blog, my personal email, via facebook, or at mobilemarypoppins@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support so far!!

WEEK 1

Dear Lincoln, Lilliana, Leni, Juliana, Evyn, Jack, Faye, Chloe, Emerson, Lake, Rita, Violet, and Ella,

I'm here in New Zealand! I arrived last Saturday so I’ve been here for just over a week now. When I first arrived everyone said, “Kia Ora!” which means welcome in Maori, one of the languages spoken in New Zealand. Maoris are the native New Zealanders, and like Native Americans, they have a lot of different customs and a long history in the region. They also have their own language, which school children learn alongside English.

The first house I stayed in was in Mount Eden, an area in Auckland, which is the biggest city in New Zealand. This is where Flynn lives. He’s 11 and he lives with his mom, Alison, her boyfriend, Paul, and Paul's grown-up son, Calum. Flynn is really cool. He has special glasses, which look like sunglasses, because he has Irlen Syndrome. Before his mom knew this she thought he just didn’t like reading and writing, but then she found out that because of Irlen Syndrome, Flynn’s eyes see things a little muddled up, so the glasses help him see things in the right order. I wonder if there are other kids who have this and their parents don’t know what it is, because it’s pretty rare.

On Monday I came to stay with Sam, who is 8, and Isabella, who is 10. They live with their older brother, Matt, who is 12, and sister, Laura, who is 15, and their mom and dad, Helen and Richard. Luckily they have a really big house because there are so many people who live in it! Their mom and dad also have to work super hard because they have to buy so much food to feed four hungry children! They are actually from England but they all moved to New Zealand 6 years ago.

Sam loves living in New Zealand because of all the sports. He is fantastic at soccer (they call it football here, like in England) and I think he might grow up to be a real soccer player. He is a great goalkeeper because his brother, Matt is a great striker and gives him lots of practice! Maybe he could play goalkeeper for England in the 2022 World Cup. He also plays Rippa Rugby. I haven’t seen this yet, but I’m going to watch him play it next week.

The funniest thing about New Zealand is that the seasons are back to front. It is summer here, and so Christmas is in the summer instead of the winter. Because of this New Zealanders have two Christmases. In July, when it’s all cold outside, they have “midwinter Christmas,” just so they can get all snuggled up and warm inside. I’m not sure if Santa comes to this one. He should be having his rest at this time of the year!

I keep calling the people in New Zealand, “New Zealanders,” but they actually have a pretty funny name. They’re called “Kiwis” for short. The Kiwi is an actual bird that has a very long beak and can’t fly. From now on I’ll call the New Zealanders, Kiwis, but remember I’m not talking about the bird unless I say, the Kiwi bird!

All the kids I've met so far love living so close to the beach. The beaches are all very clean and great to run along. From the beach where Sam and Isabella live you can see the real volcano on Rangitoto Island that erupted out of the sea 600 years ago. Luckily the scientists don’t think the volcano will erupt again any time soon! I might take a trip to go and see it next week.

As cool as the volcano is, I have to tell you about the strangest sight I have seen so far. In New Zealand, when someone wants a new house, they sometimes want to build it on the land where their old house stood. Well, instead of just knocking it down, they often sell it to someone, who comes along, picks up the whole house, puts it on the back of a truck, and takes it to a new location! I wouldn't like to be driving that truck!

One of the best things about New Zealand that I have found so far is that it is a very safe country. Sam and Isabella can both walk home from school by themselves, even though it is a 20 minute walk. I have also found that people are so friendly. They are always wanting to stop and say hello and find out where you are from. They also love talking about their country because New Zealand is so beautiful and there are so many great things to do here.

Well, that's just a few things I've learnt about in my first week. I'm going to have lots more to tell you next week, about some of the things the Kiwis (people not birds!) eat, and some of their favorite places. My adventures are really only just beginning.

I hope you enjoyed reading this first letter and seeing the photos. I miss you all so much and am sending you big hugs.

All my love,

Susie

Mobile Mary Poppins Takes Flight!

...you can contact me through my blog, my personal email, via facebook, or at mobilemarypoppins@gmail.com. Thank you all for your support so far!!

WEEK 0

Dear Lincoln, Lilliana, Leni, Juliana, Evyn, Jack, Faye, Chloe, Emerson, Lake, Rita, Violet, and Ella,

Tomorrow I am going to get on a plane and fly to New Zealand to start the first Mobile Mary Poppins tour. I say first because I have heard from so many kids in other countries (okay, their parents) who want me to come and stay with them, I might have to do this all again next year... and the year after... and the year after that. In fact, possibly every year until I am 61. (This is Lincoln’s favorite number for describing anyone who is incredibly old – apologies to anyone reading this who really is 61 or over!) So, anyway, tomorrow I’m getting on Leni’s favorite airline, Air New Zealand, and traveling over the International Date Line. I’m so glad Leni has given Air New Zealand the big thumbs up because it’s been years since I traveled on any airline other than Virgin and Southwest so I am a little nervous.

I know I’m going to be a little lonely at times, on my big trip, but many of you have drawn me pictures to take with me and I will keep those pictures close to me and when I’m feeling like I need a hug or a friendly face, or a bit of fun, I’ll get your pictures out, think of you, and I know I’ll feel so much better.

So a couple of you asked me recently about the International Date Line and I told you about how the day changes from one to the next as you cross over an imaginary line in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So I’ll get on the plane on Thursday evening, and after a few hours of flying (when I’ll probably be fast asleep because I’ve missed lots of sleep in the big week running up to me leaving) it will suddenly stop being Thursday and instead of becoming Friday, which is the day that usually follows Thursday, it will suddenly become SATURDAY!! So I will never have a Friday. Imagine that!

So on Saturday morning in New Zealand (which will actually still be Friday morning in Los Angeles... I said this time difference was going to get pretty confusing!) I will land in Auckland, which is the biggest city in New Zealand. Some of you will remember that we looked at the map and saw that New Zealand is actually two islands that make up one country. There’s the North Island and the South Island. Auckland is at the top of the North Island. Now... if you’re really good at your geography you’ll be thinking, “Oh, north means cold, and it’s December so it’s winter,” and you would be wrong on both counts! Because New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere, the further north you go, the warmer it is because you get closer to the equator. The further south you go, the colder it gets because you get closer to the South Pole. And just in case you thought that wasn’t confusing enough, December in the Southern Hemisphere is actually the middle of summer; that’s right, Christmas is in the SUMMER! It’s still in December, but December is summer! It’s still on the same day but because of the time difference I mentioned earlier, it kind of feels like the day before. Actually this is the big secret that Santa keeps to help him make all his deliveries. Because the world is turning and Christmas Day starts at different times all over the world, he’s able to make all his deliveries.

So I think New Zealand is going to be a really interesting place to visit. I’ll write again in about a week; I’m always going to try and write to you on a Sunday and tell you about my week. Sometimes I might post you a video and some photos.

For now, wish me Bon Voyage and say your prayers to the Gods of Upgrades that they might be shining kindly on me tomorrow and they bump me up to First Class. I need a bed!

I love you and miss you all so much already.

All my love,

Susie

The Adventure Begins...

...on December 1st 2010. Check back here to read my first letter to my friends when I start my travels in New Zealand.

...with just TWO WEEKS to go before I set off, I'm lining up my Kiwi crew:

Dan, Emily, Josh, Aidan, Luke, Laura, Matt, Isabella and Sam...

I hope you’re ready to show me how Kiwi kids have fun!

UPDATE: as well as going through Facebook and the website you can now contact me directly at mobilemarypoppins@gmail.com

Thanks to all those who have contacted me so far, I am getting back to everyone in rotation and look forward to meeting you all soon... fun times!