Christchurch 2 - Reviving Friendships

On Saturday I finally got to spend some time with Theo for he had been working the whole week just as Bella had been very busy studying for her upcoming exams. After a nice long sleep-in Theo and I took the car to Sumner Beach and walked across the hills to Boulder Bay. It was a nice and sheltered spot surrounded by a few private baches and a fun swing. Nearby we clambered down the cliffs to a few holes in the limestone formation and had our lunch there before returning to the city. After those quiet days it was so nice to have some exercise again.

The city from afar

Our hike had taken more time than expected and after a quick but delicious dinner at Burgerfuel - I'd definitely recommend it! - we went to see Beth playing harp in her school orchestra. The Christchurch Youth Orchestra was playing as well but by now Helen Renaud, who also leads the Burnside orchestra, was conducting. It was nice to see her again even if I couldn't join them for my violin had stayed in Germany. I also met Rebecca (flute) and Claire (horn) again but unfortunately neither of them had much time to catch up.

On Sunday the Mitchells came for Lunch and Liz and I spent the morning preparing food and drinks. It was a fun, loud and a little exhausting afternoon and we all ended up as sausage rolls... not quite sure how that happened.

Theo, me, Katy

Julia

Afterwards I walked the dog with Theo and then I went to have dinner with my first host family, Jenny and Emma Ferner. They had moved in the meantime and had a beautiful grey cat I would have loved to take home with me...

On Monday Liz took Theo and me (Bella had returned to her university in Dunedin) for Brunch to a cool alternative cafe in Lyttelton. Just to show you their humour; A little sign by a woodshed said " Remember the time we got ripped off and Steve installed a camera".
Afterwards I returned to Burnside for my first singing lesson with Ravil. He taught me how to sing Musicals classically and although I still felt insecure the low notes got much better. After school Theo and I sat in on a Senior Chorale rehearsal and because they were rehearsing for Beethoven's 9th symphony we spent quite some time practicing the correct German diction. This time I wasn't the most popular one though because all the girls just seemed to adore Theo!
That night the two of us went into town for a drink and walking through the empty city I felt closer to him than ever. It's amazing how a friendship can preserve over such a long time, even if you don't really Skype regularly, and it still feels the same.

The next day I moved to stay with the Mitchells so I spent the same amount of time with both families. Lisa and I picked the girls up from school and all together we played "Zicke Zacke Hühnerkacke", which I had given to them in 2012 and Qwixx, a new game I now introduced.

Their new kitten Nandi

There is no calm in this family - not even for a photo!

Rachel Doig, my former singing teacher, invited me for a coffee on the 6th of September. She is now working at a High School and thus we could only catch up in her Lunch break. Afterwards I went to listen to the other students sing in SMP, but all Musical Theater.

I remember this - Pride and Prejudice was absolutely fantastic!

After dinner I had another lesson with Mr. Atlas and in the evening I went to the Moolenaars again. Theo ordered some horrible pizza and we watched the Phantom of the Opera movie and sang along. You might remember that the two of us sang "All I ask of you" before (I put the video on this Blog as well) and it was cool to see how both our voices have developed since then.