6 May 2007
Our time in Sanremo has been absolutely remarkable. We received two awards, one this morning was the Audience Choice award. It is a big trophy with the pink, dolphin drawn on and contained in a padded velvet box. So amazing to see our boys perform Tupato again in costume and receive this special award in the Teatro Ariston Theatre. The winners of Dance, Drama and Music sections performed again, and were just so amazing. Their singing, musicianship and costuming was so wonderful.. We will never forget all we have seen. Our boys were so popular with the audience and with the girls. We are all so proud of them and have been phoning and TXT home to let our families know of our success. We say Hi to all the lovely friends we have in Borgo San Lorenzo and nearby villages. We wish you could have been with us to watch our performance. I think many people have never witnessed a Haka ever, and it was something of a culture shock for them. We fly home tomorrow. It will be amazing to see our families at the Airport and to show them our awards. We thank God for all his Blessings to us. With special love to you all from Rosalyn, Sherra Lee, Ian, Peter and the boys.


3 May 2007
We will perform on Saturday. There are 35 musical performances. We are positioned at Number 19 and then again at Numer 25. Many songs are to be sung in English. Off to lunch now. Rosalyn.
 Unfortunately today is overcast and drizzling so the Parade was cancelled. We were chosen to be Number 1 after the Band in the parade. Imagine that. so it was disappointing that the rain came down. We will use the banner as a back drop for the performance of Tupato. Boys were looking so good in their blue shirts, long pants. Te Pau was holding the official Banner saying HATO PAORA COLLEGE, NEW ZEALAND. My word we felt proud of ourselves!! Lots of photographers and TV cameras were capturing their good looks on film. Boys love to pose for the photographers too! and for girls. Makes the adults smile and run for their cameras as well. Our hotel is fabulous. The boys have even done their own washing and hung it under cover to dry. Yesterday the adults enjoyed a quick trip to Monte Carlo and climbed to the Pink Palace of Grace Kelly fame. Was such a beautiful day and the view from the top of the millionaire yachts floating in the harbour was awe inspiring. Just magical. A beautiful Tunisian girl appeared and when we asked the way to the Palace she came with us to show us. We gave her some money but she didn´t really want to take it! What a lovely girl when was and only young but off to university to study Political science| Miracles appear for us all the time.
Everyone is so kind and welcoming to us. The boys have free T shirts, caps and key rings. They have official free passes to the drama. They all enjoy emailing home and think of you all often. It seems unbelievable that we will soon be catching the train to Nice and winging our way home via Dubai. It will be very difficult to adjust to school on Thursday morning!!
Love to you all.
Rosalyn, Stats, Sherra Lee,Peter and the boys.


2 May 2007

Hello to you all from the ITALIAN RIVIERA!!! San Remo is a fantastic place, bull of millionaires, fabulous hotels and restaurants and expensive yachts in the harbour. The boys have enjoyed swimming in the sheltered bay and lying sun bathing on the white sand. There are palm trees and spring flowers in the parks. We were met today by Paolo and Sonia, the organizers of the Festival. It was so amazing that they recognized me by my little passport photo and made us so very welcome. They hoped we liked our accommodation! It is a 3 star luxury hotel with fabulous 4 course Dinner each night, and a full Italian Breakfast each morning. We had paid this cost back in NZ received it all at Student Rates, how lucky can we be to be leading such a wonderful life. The boys have been given free entry into all the performances, and GEF T Shirts. Tanu's Banner is now attached to poles and reedy for us to parade through the streets of Sanremo at 4p.m. Thursday here, That will be your 2 a.m. Friday morning if you happen to be dreaming of us in our glory!! We travelled down from Florence on the fast Eurostar train yesterday, to Milan, the 2nd largest city in Italy. We transferred to the coastal train and arrived in Sanremo about 5p.m. We were able to walk to the hotel which is right on the beach front. People know we are coming and have been selected to make us welcome, speaking in English to us. It is so wonderful that all the emails to this place have been read and understood and that everyone wants to make sure all is going to be fabulous for us. Just amazing to be so greeted by people who are really strangers. We are so close to the French border and to MONTE CARLO. The boys want to swim this afternoon but the adults may take the train to MONACO and visit Grace KELLY'S pink palace, and the other sights in that area. Will be lovely to see such famous places. Tomorrow we meet with the organizers. We have free passes to watch musical, dramatic, and artistic performances. We are not short of money because so many people, including the parents back in Borgo San LORENZO, at PAOLO'S school have been so generous to us. OUR boys are so attached to their Italian families and want to return to them. The farewell on the station at Borgo San LORENZO was really sad. Tears, and waving as the train
departed. The three boys exchanging to NZ ON 22ND JUNE, will arrive in PALMERSTON NORTH AT 2.15P.M. the BOYS ARE ANTONIO, SAMUELE and STEFANO. We have got to know them well and they are all lovely, intelligent musical boys. We are working out a programme for them in NZ which will include some time at School and two weeks holiday visiting north Auckland, Wellington and maybe Hawkes Bay if exchange families are happy to take the 3 boys for some time. Perhaps some HPC STAFF MIGHT LIKE to have the boys for a night or too. I KNOW you will just love them all. OUR time at the school with them was so successful. OUR boys taught them Rugby Skills, to speak MAORI, TO do the HAKA, and our boys performed to a large audience who flocked to hear them in the school hall. Every day has been remarkable. We have visited places of enormous historical and religious importance in Rome and in Florence. Sanremo is a glamorous beach place, quite different so it is great to have some time to relax and meet new people here.
Everyone is well, happy, excited and forever remembering what they did in all the interesting places. They think of home and of you all often. They are not the same boys that said goodbye to you in P.NTH.!! MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE NOW!!!
Thank you to all those teaching our boys back home. Thank you to those who are emailing us. Thanks for all the TXT and phone calls. We are always recharging our cell phones and cameras ready to received more news from home! Everyone works in well with each other. Wish you could be here to see the sights and particularly to clap when our boys perform. We have not been given the time of the actual performance yet, it will be Saturday. Boys will practise. They are always singing, particularly on the train trips.
Bye for now from the ITALIAN RIVIERA!!!
Rosalyn, Sherra Lee, Ian , Peter, Matuku, Leroy, Caleb, Chase, Manaia, and Te Pau.

 

30 April 2007
Tomorrow we take the train to Milan and then change trains and travel down to Sanremo, on the sea coast. We have had such a wonderful time in Florence. We were taken free through the PLAZZA VECCHIO, the old palace and were guided through the secret tunnels and even up under the roof of the huge palace to see how the weight of the tiled roof was supported, all an amazing feat accomplished centuries ago. We walked over the PONTE VECCHIO bridge with its shops , a bridge so famous that now even Hitler could bring himself to have it bombed during the last world war. The boys enjoyed the shops, especially looking at the wondrous fashions which sell at high prices. We put the boys on the train back to their villages and then caught the last bus back to Corzano. We have run to catch trains and buses. The heat has been up to 35 degrees. Yesterday the adults went exploring churches, a monastery, and a visit to Fiesole from which we had a panoramic view over Florence. All just magical. It will be hard to leave this beautiful area of the Mugello Valley. All the boys are very happy with their exchange families. Last night we were treated to a wonderful banquet at the home of Guglielmos Grandmother whom I had met last year. Our two Italian exchange students were there at the party and it was wonderful to be with them. Both remember all the details of their trip to NZ IN 2005. Both boys are off to University next year and have done so well at Giotto Ulivi School. PAOLO has been an outstanding host. We have had a BBQ at his home with his 6 children and lovely wife. Every day is magical, far more than we ever planned to do. We are up before dawn and late home most nights. Today we will walk down through the woods to Barberino then meet the boys at the Lake for the afternoon. We will say our farewells and be off to the Festival in Sanremo this time tomorrow. We think of you every day and again say how happy the Italian families are with their Hato Paora sons. We will be home again in no time!!Arohanui to you all from Tuscany, ITALY. Rosalyn, Ian, SherraLee and Peter.

 

24 April 2007
Today we travelled to Pisa by train. The boys were amazed to see the Duomo Cathedral as we approached but more amazed as we rounded the corned to see the Leaning Tower of Piza. It is magnificent now it is cleaned and in its former shining white glory. Ian Smith climbed to the top and i was able to Zoom in on his performance at the top. He was trying to be Galileo and pretending to drop weights of two different sizes. I managed to record all his frantic hand signals from the top without putting my neck out of joint. We have laughed so much, but the heat makes us weak. The temp. is 35 degrees. The boys have seen so much in such a short time. They all have wonderful homes and parents to look after them. We are now back in Florence and all are typing away on their computers so I hope all the parents are receiving great letters from their sons. Manaia was singing Opera to us on the return journey!!!
The adults are in heaven at Corzano, the Agricultural Tourist Resort in the mountains called Corzano. We have a brand new apartment with bedrooms looking over the panorama of Tuscany. We have oour own kitchen, bathroom, sitting room and use of all the outdoor facilities. It is just like the pictures you have in your mind of Tuscany. Olive Trees, Tiled roofs, mountains in the distance, grape vines, blue haze in the sky which artists love to capture. It is so close to Heaven!! Stats, Peter and Sherra Lee are enthralled. I still am "over the moon" despite being here twice before. Paolo brought his beautiful Italian daughter up lat night to cook tea for us, Italian style. Oh My!! Was wonderful. Wednesday we train up to Scott Palmer at Venice. It is a long way for a day trip but it will be more than memorable for Life!
We can scarcely believe we are so far from home. We have seen all the main sights of Rome and been out twice with Fr Pat Breeze who was so pleased to see us, and likewise we to see him. He is such a lovely young priest. Paolo has arranged every detail of our stay while at the School and while in Florence. It was so good to see him on the platform when our train arrived in Florence yesterday. He ran down the platform, arms open to grab me and so I ran to be grabbed!! The boys were much amused by that and trying to get out cameras. They think he is Numeber 1, despite being married with 6 children!! He came to collect us from Corzano this morning an d took us to Borgo where we met up with the boys. We all travelled to Piza together. Now we are waiting for the train back to Borgo to the Exchange families home.
Tomorrow the boys go to the ancient city of Siena which will amaze them with its brown colourings and famous horse racing circular city race track. The town was never touched by Hitlers bombs so it is like taking a trip back in time to walk in the maze of cobbled stone streets. So amazing, and so easy to get lost too.
We will have trips to the great art Galleries here in Florence, and also to famous Churches and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge which I adore. We travelled up north on 1st May to San Remo to the Festival. So much to see and do before then. We have evenings to attend, School to perform at and lessons t o take in classes. Everyone is enjoying every moment and astounded that they can be living in a different culture admidst so much history.
We think of you all every day and wish you could all be with us. We hope our reliever teachers are managing our classes well. If you are a parent reading this letter, do not have any worries about your sons. They are well fed and laughing most of the time! No problems what so ever!
We all send our love to everyone, and thank the crowd who saw us off at the P.Nth Airport. That seems So long ago.....
Special thanks to Tanu for the wonderful Banner. Marvellous!!!
Arohanui
from Rosalyn, Sherra Lee, Ian and Peter.


22 April 2007

hi paolo, much confusion over paid for tickets. however by paying more we are now travelling on the Eurostar and will arrive at your Station at 11.24a.m. approx, monday morning as arranged before, and will wait for you as arranged.
Wonderful time in Rome. So hot. Boys all good and all of us looking forward to seeing you and buying other tickets with you. Ros.

18 April 2007
Dear Paolo,
Thank you so much. Lovely photos of Balloni family. Gives me thrills to see
the Italian homes, terracotta pots, flowers etc. Great. Lovely boys. We have
just had breakfast. Cases are at the door. Ian will be here in 1 hour, then
we will be gone. You timed your email just so well!! It is 40 hours before
we land in Rome. Imagine all that time without being able to lie down flat,
... in a bed that is! What a long journey. Think of us, Auckland to
Melbourne, 2 hours on ground, then 12 hours to Dubai. Change planes. In Rome
Airport 11.35 on Friday morning. Have transfer to Trevi countain for the 10
of us. Fr Pat replied. So good. We will stand in St Peters Square at noon
on Sunday for the blessing of the Pope. See you in Florence in the 1st Class
Waiting Room. We will just stay there until you find us. Don;t actually
remember seeing it, but we will find it. Must be near the postcard stall.
Hope all your darlings are well. Have to ring mine now to say goodbye. Can't
believe we are coming to Italy for the 3rd time. thank you so much for all
the wonderful plans you have made. Boys are all excited. Art Teacher has
made us a big banner to fly at the Opening Ceremony in Sanremo. So many
emails and messages from everyone. People are so kind to us. Everyone is so
astounded that we are making such a trip and seeing so much!!!
See you Monday. We will have breakfast each day at Corzano and buy food for
other meals.
/Arrivederci
Rosalyn,Jim, Ian and Peter.

16 April 2007
Ian ( Stats) has bought you 3 NZ beautiful posters.
The DVD is very good. If you have a DVD player at school we could show the
parents some scenic parts of NZ. ( The second DVD about Maori History would
be suitable for classes some time later).
Can parents understand English? can they speak English?
Your latest programme for the 8 days seems really great.
Sorry re trouble with Leroy's exchange boy but never mind.
Thanks for help over booking train seats.
I think everything is right now. This time in 3 days we will be winging our
way to Dubai.
Goodness!! we just had a quick earthquake!
Thanks for all the time you have given to making our trip wonderful.
Shall certain do the same for you and yours anytime.
Rosalyn, Ian, Sherra-Lee and Peter and the boys!