The Myanmar Community in Porirua
Club members were the visitors this week. We were royally welcomed and entertained by the Myanmar Community in Porirua, set up by the New Zealand Myanmar Ethnics Council. The leaders of the local group, Christalin, told us a little about Burma / Myanmar, the numbers of different ethnic groups and languages that make up the rich tapestry of the country, and the difficulties that face immigrants when they find themselves in a totally new environment with little or no knowledge of the language or customs.
President Bill also spoke and asked all of us to use the Burmese word for 'hello' - mingalaba. Christalin congratulated Bill on his pronunciation!
Members of the community had prepared plates of meat, fish, shellfish, quail's eggs, vegetables, tofu, and even some things that some of us didn't recognise. We were instructed to choose from the very many choices and then to put what we'd chosen into one or other of the soups on offer, one sweet and one spicey. It was a delightful experience and the food was delicious. Dessert followed but we didn't need to cook this time.
With the meal over, we were treated to a couple of musical numbers from some of the young members of the community who had been coached by Christalin's brother, Kim. The women then encouraged us to join them in a traditional Burmese dance and, to be fair, most members joined in with enthusiasm. It was then out turn to teach them a childhood rendition of the Hokey Pokey dance - no touching of course!
All in all, this was a lovely evening and each of us would have returned home well-entertained and perhaps a little wiser.
Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
Neighbourhood Challenge: Who Can Crack This One? ⛓️💥❔
What has a head but no brain?
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Poll: Would you participate in local initiatives aimed at stopping plastic from reaching our oceans?
Volunteers will be scouring the foreshore, riverbanks, and islands for rubbish on Saturday the 13th as part of the Clean Up the Hutt event.
This initiative helps stop plastic from reaching our oceans and makes our waterways cleaner and safer for everyone.
We want to know: Should this be rolled out across all coastal cities in Aotearoa? And more importantly… would you get involved? 💚
Want the details? The Post has you covered.
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69.2% Yes!
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17.5% Maybe ...
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13.3% No.
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