on homesickness and new zealand

so we had this huge assignment due today in art 233 (bookmaking and printmaking) to create a book that documented something.  the criteria were totally wide-open in terms of shape and form and function of the book and in terms of what exactly we documented.  i chose this beach south of wellington called red rocks that my roommates and i frequented often while i was on exchange there at massey university in wellington.  (i just found this tonight -- if you go to the site and check out the accommodation options under student services and look up the te awhina apartments, you'll see one of the publicity photos the uni took of my roommates and i! heh).  anyways, as i'm going upstairs in the art building to turn in my project, i hear all these students from another class whispering something about a group of aboriginal artists that are on campus and giving a talk in the basement during the 1-3 class block.  apparently i wasn't the only person eaves dropping in the stairwell, as several other classmates of mine whined at professor bailey until he caved and let us all troop downstairs to listen in.

we get to the base of the stairs and i hear this strangely familiar, beautifully musical language and want to cry.  it's not a bloody aboriginal artists' group, it's a maori artists' group!  and right as we're wandering in to listen, they break into the chanted, rhythm rendition of the maori creation story.  *sobs*  i miss new zealand!  and how serendipitous that i've been mopey and nostalgic all weekend, going through old pictures of red rocks and my flatmates ... and then there's a group of maori artists on campus.  damn i miss that accent, that ringing cadence in their speech.  wai, sky, if you're reading this, i'm really really homesick right now.  :(

Comments

[wai]

hey!!!!
well i was fliking through my emails, and saw an old message from none other than..well you! and remembered the link you sent me to this fantastic site youve created for yourself!
man, i read your little passage on homesickness;nz, and its so cool to see the photo of sky immersed in that seaweed. ick! brings bak so many memories :)
anyway, just wanted to see how your doin and by the looks of it life is good eh?!
as for me, im great, have changed from bachelor design to fine arts, thank god, specialising in sculpture, eeeee !
wud be great to hear bak from ya.
miss ya heaps
wai xx