April Newsletter

Welcome to the newsletter from Distance Families

DISTANCE FAMILIES NEWS

Greetings.  Here are a couple of articles that really impressed me this month.

Photo credit: "Starbucks (closed until evening due to Ramadan)" by Studio Sarah Lou is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

For about 2 billion Muslims around the world – almost a quarter of humanity – it's Ramadan, the holiest period in the Islamic calendar. This year, the first day of Ramadan's sunrise-to-sunset fasting began at sunrise on Thursday, March 23, and lasts until the evening of Thursday, April 20 [..] if you're not Muslim, you might still not know exactly what to say (and not say) to Muslim friends                [,family], co-workers and colleagues during the month, whether they're fasting or not." 
​Eda Uzunlar

​Eda's NPR article, titled Not even water? And other things not to say to your Muslim friends during Ramadan is an excellent read.

​Another impactful article is written by Ashally De La Cruz on the subject of retaining and losing languages I was moved by the line, "[...] sometimes, I need to use Google Translate just to have a conversation with my mom." As Ashally says, “Learning a new language is hard. So is keeping an old one.”

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BOOK SERIES NEWS

​Copyright Licensing New Zealand’s Partnership Fund aims to partner with sector groups and individuals that are connecting to, or working with, diverse voices and communities on projects which align with their CLNZ Cultural Fund objectives.
I am delighted to announce that my forthcoming book, Being a Distance Grandchild, has been awarded a grant.
​Thank you CLNZ for supporting the voices of New Zealand and global Distance Families.

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ON THE HOME FRONT

​March has been the month of the Three F’s

• Feijoas
• Fixing the house
• Friends of our children

​The feijoa fruit tree is native to Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. According to Google they were brought to New Zealand in the 1920s where new varieties were developed. We have one very generous tree that’s exceedingly kind to us in March.
​Feijoas are one of the most vitamin C-rich foods you can eat. This is helpful with winter around the corner. You cut them in half and scoop out the flesh. Their taste is unique. In New Zealand people either loathe them or love them. We’re the latter – especially because they’re fresh and free. Each day hubby and I strengthen a few muscles crawling under the low hanging tree collecting yet another bowl full. 

​Last year I froze some flesh for our visiting children to enjoy at Christmas.  I even admit to once taking some frozen/thawing pulp on a plane when visiting a child overseas… a taste of home. Mad I know!

​This month our house has been wrapped in scaffolding. Lots of clanging and banging. Painters have spruced up the outside and we’ve taken the opportunity to fix a few other bits n pieces while the scaffolding was still in place. 

​A bonus extra of being a Distance Parent/Grandparent is the visiting friends our overseas children ask us to temporarily befriend, in some way or other. Years ago they were backpackers on a budget with vague and mysterious plans. These days our kids are older and their friends stay in hotels and have itineraries.
In March we got to know an American colleague of our U.S. based daughter, and his lovely wife. We took them out for the day, gave them a bunch of travel planning advice which they said was invaluable and shared a meal together on their final night. When we gave them a very kiwi (chocolate) parting gift they immediately recognised the towns noted on the packaging where ingredients are sourced and chocolates named after. Our lives are richer for these encounters and next time our daughter and her colleague meet up they’ll have lots to talk about.

​Take care until next time
Helen Ellis
 
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