Four weeks in middle earth

It's been more than a week since our last posting, and there's so much to tell that I don't really know where to start. Hard to believe, but we've already spent 4 weeks here in this wonderful country. Talking about time, it is a totally different thing here. Some days seem to go by so fast, swift like the quick New Zealand wind. Others are just so long and lazy. We've now been travelling for 4 weeks, and to us it sounds both such a long time (almost a month!) and yet so short, it doesn't seem like we've been doing this for so very long.

And then there are the "snip and save" moments. For example - a few days ago we hiked a short walk to view a seal colony on the West coast. The seals were quite disappointing actually - they did their natural job of camoflouging themselves too well, and we could hardly see them against the rocks. But on the way down we just sat, the four of us, on a bench and ate our sandwiches. And people were passing by, and each and every one of them was greeted by an over-enthusiastic "Hello!" shout from Hadas, closely followed by Noga's greeting. And we could see them turn their head, and most of the time a smile spread on their faces as they replied to our girls. And we felt happiness, and pride and (yes, yes, we must admit it) at the very end, when Hadas was well and smeared with Philly cream cheese (our local stand-in for gvina levana) just a tad embarrassed...

So you see, our days are filled with these small moments, as well as much larger things. Like the stupendous day we had in the Abel Tasman national park. It just can't be fully described - beautifull sand beaches, little bays of blue-green water, and great weather. It just seemed like one of those times when everything aligns perfectly to create a memory we know we'll cherish for a very very long time. Or like the lovely hike (fairly long, about 4km) we took today to see the Franz-Josef glacier, in the south west part of the southernis land. The glacier itself wasn't so exciting itself, but we just enjoyed the hike there so much. Hadas was cheerful on Giora's back, especially when he plays horsie and gallops with her from stone to stone. Noga was such a good hiker, insisting on crossing the little streams herself, and beaming with pride when we congratulate her that she's already learned how to choose her stepping stones herself.

There are so many things we're doing and seeing here, that it'd be pointless to try and describe each and everyone of them here. We frequently find ourselves talking (Anat & Giora) about how such a significant part of this trip of ours is simply spending the family-time, all the time. We both have our "bad parenting" moments, though admittedly we find ourselves having not as many of those as we feared. And really, the fact that we are together all the time is somehow getting the better sides out of us, rather than the lesser.

With Noga, it is almost like interacting with a peer on many levels. She understands so much, and even in the relationship between us it is felt. She is also growing less fearfull than she used to be, so much that when a while ago we crossed the longest swingbridge in NZ ("gesher taluy", 110m long, 17m high) in the Buller gorge, she insisted on crossing it on her own, and then returning using the fly-fox ("omega"). And so she did, with her Mom - see photos.

An extraordinary event is worth some lines by itself. We're now staying in a relatively large youth hostel. Among the guests yesterday evening, there was a group of 10 Malaysian women (who turned out to be young teachers). It should be noted that, well, how should we put it, they were fairly noisy, which was even amplified by their instant affection towards the girls. Noga immediately became best friends with them and communicated with them magnificently They were all literally fascinated by her, giggling and laughing. It's impossible to describe the event, but imagine our small 4-year-old teaching 10 Malaysian women how to count in Hebrew, while bragging a bit when she knows the relevant digit in English...The whole dining room couldn't ignore the situation, and the fantastic picture a moment later, when both Hadas and Noga had their hair done by two members of the group. Shame it wasn't feasible totake a picture...

Hadas - oh, what a wonderful baby !!!!!! Or a child, we should say. She's sooooooooo cute ! And so very undisciplied... And energetic - so much that a common nickname of hers is "Energetica" ;-) Her endless "Lama" dialogs were already reported by us, however the most special ones are those that follow the event when she behaves badly (not a rare occasion), and is being rebuked. An instant later, she ususally opens her big brown eyes, and with genuine "tmiha"asks "Lama ?". This is usually the point where we stop trying to seriously answer and resort to the simpler option of saying "Kacha"... The main problem is, that even on those occassions when we're supposed to be mad at her as parents, it's fairly difficult to do so.

Probably the most wonderful thing about the girls in this trip is the true friendship between them. They really are good friends, and quite often one can find them hugging and kissing. Watching them sleeping, legs-to-legs on the same single mattress covered by our emotionally-important sleeping bags, is literally beautiful. Naturally (or possibly luckily), being together 24-7 (as they say here) makes them even better friends.

We'll conclude by saying the obvious due to the above - we're having the greatest time in the world here in New Zealand. Couldn't ask for more !

Love and miss ya all,
Hadas, Noga, Anat & Giora