Kaitiakitanga

So, here we are in New Zealand after all these roads well traveled..
And you know what? The weirdest thing is, that the first time my feet touched this ground in early 2008, it felt like coming home..
New Zealand made such a big impression on me and it felt so good to be here..

I remember traveling here for 2 months by myself, and getting for the first time so emotional from just the surrounding. I've never experienced this before and I felt so much closer to my innerself and the people around me, even when they weren't there with me..
I don't think I would ever felt or experienced this if I've never decided to jump on a plain by myself. So even being so far away from the people I love, I feel at the same time so much closer..

Time and distance is something we made up ourselves..Being and living together when you do love someone too..Believe me, you can feel so much closer and connected, when you make that connection from your innerself. You don't need to be close in a physical way to feel that..
And watching the stars here at night, the rays of sun falling through the leaves of a tree touching my face, seeing that mountain in the morning appear in the daylight, always gives me that warm feeling and happiness of appreciating to be here, to have 2 healthy kids and to have people I care about at the other side of the globe.

That thought and feeling I had when I first entered NZ (and still experience) always have chased me, and looking back I seriously think that it was meant to be to be here now ;

The fact that my kids will get to breath everyday this fresh air, experience the beauty of NZ nature, being respectfull and learn Te Reo (Maori), enjoying the basics and most of all learn all about being 'Kaitiakitanga' to the planet, does makes me think I can't give them a better start in life then what I'm doing here.

But hey I still feel so dutch.. Whenever I meet a dutch person here, I speak over the phone to my people in the Netherlands, it warms my heart.. I can still express myself and my feelings the best in dutch, and I'll always feel the most bonded to these people.
I will always be proud to be dutch, support the national team, celebrate sinterklaas and other national festives and tell my kids they're dutch too, even when Miles already starts to tell people he is a kiwi