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I did it ! 

I was so excited to recieve my official CITIZENSHIP certificate yesterday! 

I moved to this beautiful country from the UK in November 2005 and I have never looked (or been) back ! When we arrived I had 3 boys aged 11, 9 and almost 1, all 3 boys have their birthdays within 3 weeks of eachother and my youngest celebrated his first birthday 2 days after landing, the other 2 turned 10 and 12 the following week and the week after.  It was surreal to celebrate their birthdays in the summer instead of the good ole UK winter, and we even saw our first Christmas parade in Auckland wearing shorts ! I didnt think i would ever get my head around shorts at Christmas.  Our first Christmas we decided to full out Kiwi and embrace the BBQ... Its was the best Christmas i think i have ever had ... there were no bored children itching to get away from the traditional sit down turkey dinner, everyone was outside plates on laps and grass helping themselves to what ever they wanted and playing in between.  

As the years went by I became more and more in love with the country, its people and its culture.  After 5 years I was eligible for citizen ship and promised myself there and then that I would do it ....... I said this every year for the next 10 yrs, until this year I decided that I really would - and I did :-) ... I couldnt be prouder to hold this in my hands and officially say this is my home, so many things have happened over the last 15 years - I added a daughter to the mix and boy has she mixed it up hehe, I have also been blessed with a grandaughter, who has completely stolen the show and my heart ! and a few weeks ago I started Te Reo lessons...... I am totally out of my comfort zone where languages are concerned, but the girls are amazing and so patient with this old forgetful language phobe hehe and I can't wait to start again after the holidays.

My life here has its ups and downs as does everyones, but I am so blessed and so grateful and could not imagine living life anywhere else ! so heres to the next 15yrs and more in beautiful Aotearoa land of the long white cloud and now oficially home.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized by Beverley Ashburner | Leave a Comment