On Tuesday March 12 2024 my class went to  Akarana Yacht Club to go sailing in Okahu Bay. It was part of the New Navigators programme and our instructors’ names were Hattie, Lola, Jake, Nico, and Kim. All of them were really fun to be with. They gave us special gear for when we were to get into the water so we wouldn’t get cold or drown! It was a helmet, rash shirt, waterproof jacket, and a life vest. 

 

The first boat I got to be in was a speed boat. It was really fun. I had an instructor and my teacher with me. They also gave me a water gun which I used to squirt all my classmates as they sailed around. My second boat was called an Optimist boat. I got to sail in the boat by myself. It was scary at first but I got used to it and had fun. The last boat I had been on was called a Quest. It was like the Optimist boat but a bigger version of it. It was exciting when I was on the Quest boat especially while using the water guns.

 

It was perfect weather that day. It wasn’t too sunny or too rainy. The current wasn’t too strong, just calm and that helped me a lot when I was sailing by myself. 

 

The last activity we did was swimming in the sea. All of us had to jump in the water off the pontoon. Some people didn’t know how to swim or were scared but it wasn’t a problem since we had life vests on. We finished all the activities and that’s all we did. It was such a nice experience. I’m very thankful that my class got to go sailing. Thank you to St John’s Rotary for sponsoring our class giving us the opportunity to experience sailing. 

 

I chose this photo for lent because it makes me remember that you can fast and give up some of the bad things in your life even when the 40 days of Lent are done. It makes me feel like I can still do good things in my everyday life to continue changing and becoming better.

Pope Francis was born on 17 December 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. We call him Pope Francis but his full name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Why doesn’t his name have Francis? He chose his name in of Saint Francis Of Assisi who lived a humble life and dedicated it to the poor.

 

 Pope Francis is 87 years old and is famous for his humility and concern for the poor.  Pope Francis also loves to communicate with younger children and one funny thing he does is that he likes to take selfies of himself. Before he became a Priest and then a Pope he was a seminary teacher and bouncer. He graduated studying German Technology. Pope Francis was also a janitor when he was a teenager.

 

Did you know that the leader of the Church may live in the magnificent Vatican City but he chooses not to. He has no possessions. His declaration of poverty deprives him of all material possessions.

 

      Pope Francis encourages young and old people to restore hope and to be open to the future, to spread love just like how Jesus loves us. He spreads the word of God to both young and old.

 

What would I take on my Lenten Journey. I decided to bring clothes for people who may be cold. I also packed a Bible so I can read and always communicate with God. Money, so I can give it to the poor. Sanitiser, so I can always be safe from the Bactria that surrounds me. Healthy food and water for those who are hungry and thirsty…including me.

My first blog in Room 8, 2024 is about Euphrasie Barbier and how she used her qualities and attitude to change other people’s lives. As a child she was known for being a stubborn girl and not agreeing with the men of the Church. When she grew up she decided to travel the world and to be a Nun so that she could speak for people who are unheard  or in need. She is the founder of a group called  The Mission Sisters.

My Manaiakalani Film Recount

 

In the Morning we had some time to play for a while because the bell still hadn’t ring. We had an early Morning tea so we could be in the theatre in time. When morning tea was finished the teachers made sure that we did everything before we left. They made us line up in the top court then got paired up to some kids to look after.

 

There were two buses for the whole school to use. It was mixed up but there were three teachers each to look after us. When we arrived in the theatre we saw a lot of other schools. Some of them were even smiling at us and some just ignored us.

 

We got seated in our seats and got to see our other Schools’ presentations. Some of them were really funny and some were also good ones. It was really fun watching other School’s presentations and my School’s one too. The videos ended and we got lined up then went back to the bus.

 

I was just talking with the kid that I was looking after and with my other friends also. We arrived back to School and just had lunch. When we got back to class we watched some more movies. We even commented on some of the movies. We cleaned up and that’s how my day ended.

 

My Passion Project

 

This is my first passion project this year that I’m working on by myself. It’s about superstitions in my country. I’m still working on it but I’m enjoying it. Because I get to share the beliefs of my country to others that might really like it.

 

I started the  passion project because a lot of people would always ask me about Filipino superstitions. So to make it easier for them I just made a slide of it. Because sometimes it’s a bit tiring to keep explaining and explaining to people.

 

This Is One Of My Slide:

Why The Stone Cottage Is Important To Our Community?

 

The Stone Cottage is important to the community of Panmure because of its history. People would learn the history of New Zealand in the Stone Cottage which is important to the society. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Panmure and the history of New Zealand. It’s the only Stone Cottage that’s in Panmure.

 

 It’s also filled with the memories of people who used to live in Panmure back in the early-late 1800s.  It will always carry the memory of Panmure and how it was.

 

The Stone Cottage helps us find out and remember how it’s like living in the 1800s in New Zealand. It’s important because it holds  the oldest things in Panmure like old clothes that women use to wear and how long dolls age. It helps people understand the history of Panmure and makes people become invested in our Stone Cottage. 

 

It shows how different it was back then and how life worked which is unusual for us even though it was normal. It’s important because we need to appreciate that people invented things for us so we could prevent having more dangerous things. So that would be the only way to survive. But now we don’t have to worry about that since people invented radios, upgrades on houses, stoves etc.

 

The first member of my family to live in NZ is my dad. He first  found out about NZ because of his friends. Also because of a scaffolding that’s in another country. He was sad to leave us and his home country but he just couldn’t miss a big opportunity for our future. 

 

The first City he lived in was Auckland. My second family member who arrived was my mum. My mum got accepted because of my dad. It was hard for my mum at first to be away from us so she would always spoil us.

 

My oldest sister got here before me and my other two sisters because it was her birthday present. Her first job was a cashier at some store but she quitted for personal reasons. Now she has a husband and lives close to us and is living her best life. 

 

Year 2022 was the year that I had to move to NZ and just lived there. My first week of school wasn’t great because of some people making fun of my English accent. But I don’t really bother now because I now know how to handle it.

 

My sister’s life here is good but they don’t really want to socialise for personal reasons. My other sister is still studying and having a chill life. While my other sister is now working while studying.

 

The Magical Book

 

There’s me again, a silent awkward girl,ohh if only there was a way to change everything. Hi I’m Laura and this is my story on how my wish came true. I was casually  walking in the school hallway alone as always. Tomorrow will be my birthday. Soon I’m turning  16 uhh what’s the point of celebrating my wish will never come true anyways.

 

The sun always hurts my eyes in the morning. I hate it. I should change the position of my bedroom. Damn I’m 16 now I grow up fast, real fast. Ohhh well it’s just going to be a normal day anyways. What’s this a stupid book ohh well your mine now I can use you for my drawing. Hmmm let’s see what I can draw about head phones. They all done ouch what’s this headphones.

 

Is this true or is this my imagination? OMG! It’s real umm how about another drawing uhh a-h-h hair clip no way this is real. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! I think I’m going to keep it a secret for now.  This is so cool it actually gave me a new phone. This is live.  How about real gold? I’m rich.

 

Three days later and it’s a bit boring now sure I can have everything I want but I still have no friends. Maybe it can’t actually buy happiness. I will leave you here for now, maybe I can just use you for emergencies.  You know what, I am now going to make things happen by myself. I’m going to make friends by myself and earn things that I want by myself