Manihiki Magic - I like école, by Yann

Rachel and I walking home from school. This was when she still lived in Tukao. Now she is back in Tauhunu with her mum and dad and brothers.
 
In Rarotonga I spent a lot of time at Island Bubz daycare. I liked it a lot. There were the aunties Lerma, Leba and Nancy. And there were my friends. Keanui, Kiva & Noah, but also Maine (all the boys always wanted to give her a cuddle), Elliott, Paea, Annie-Jade, Narita and all the others. I was one of the big ones, not like baby Evie. She was so small that she couldn't walk yet.
This was my first day at school. All my friends came with me: Isaac, Rachel, Helina and Frederick.

Now I am in Manihiki and my friends all go to school. They are all big. And I am small like baby Evie now! In the morning they wear their uniforms and they have their hair neat. They walk to my house and tell me they go to school. I ask: "Maman, I go école with Helina"!  And Maman says to wait until I have my uniform on too. I want to go to school with my friends so I let her dress me and make my hair with coconut oil.

At first I wanted Maman and Charlie to come to school with me. But now I only go with Helina and sometimes Frederick if he's not on his bicycle. It is nice to walk by the beach. Everyone is wearing a white blouse and brown shorts. That is the uniform. It is very nice. But I liked to wear my Kiva T-shirt before I had the uniform. It is a blue pareu T-shirt that says Rarotonga. It was a present from Kiva. I like it a lot. 

This is my classroom! I like the wall with all the numbers and colours
Clap clap with Rachel! I like to be noisy!

 
When I arrive at school there are my friends from pre-school. Their names are Atha, Darling, Liam, Utua, Keziah and Krystiana. Rachel is not in Tukao school anymore. I miss her.

All my friends at pre-school!


But there are also the big kids and the teachers. Aunty Winnie is my teacher and I like her. When the bell rings, I need to go sit down on the bench with my friends from preschool. Then the principal Miss Napa speaks in Maori. I don't really understand so I look around and follow what Atha does. We usually sing a song for Jesus called Manea Jesu. It means Beautiful Jesus. After the song we sit again until Miss Napa tells us to go to class. So I follow aunty Winnie to our classroom. 


This was the week that Aunty Winnie taught us all about coconut! Nice glasses for my "mata", my eyes. Papa says that I look like a professor.

And a nice watch so I always know when it is Island Time!

Aunty Winnie always organizes nice activities for us. I like "color-color" but I also like when we learn the "numero". I can count to ten in Maori! Better than Maman and Papa, see? 

Tahi 1
Rua 2
Teru 3
Fa 4
Rima 5

My favorite number is Fa
Ono 6
Hitu 7
Varu 8
Iva 9
Taingauru 10

My favorite number is Taingauru


I can also count in English and in Maman's language and in Papa's language.
Maman counts like that: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix.
Pap counts like that: eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn.

I don't know why I need to learn in 4 different languages but when I count, Maman and Papa always smile and take videos. It must be cool!

Now I wonder if I should also learn to count in Fijian like aunty Leba or in Filipino like aunty Lerma and my girl friend Maine from Rarotonga!

Going home! I like going to school in Manihiki!!!
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