Home and Away

When I was at Ohio State Uni for the SAI symposium, one of my students from Pacific Lit at home who I taught earlier this year came to see me... I had told him I'd be coming for the conference, and he turned up on Saturday morning and sat in on a session (his first conference session! he could still be sleeping... no, not from boredom... from working so hard and taking in so much detail!) beside me... we had a coffee and he told me that before he moved to NZ it didn't exist for him, but now he's back in Ohio he knows about 2 places which are 'real:' where is is, and the other place. He realised it's hard to know two places at once, or at least to be emotionally invested in two places at once: home and away.

In a couple of weeks I will be presenting a talk at the Museum at McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) with my friend Rick, who is Mohawk. We're both going to be talking about 'our people' in the museum: for me, the 'unidentifed' Maori woman who was sketched in May 1773; for Rick, the portraits of the 'Four Kings,' diplomats who went to London earlier in the same century. Our talk is called: 

Home and Away: 21st Century Indigenous Perspectives on 18th Century Indigenous Portraits

Lots of home and away for me today... I've skyped with Mum about things here and there... I've emailed with a student back at my home university... I found a cafe on Bloor St called 'Snakes and Lattes, a board game cafe' which I am dying to go to with Megan and Matiu when they come here in Dec/Jan... I've heard more ghastly news about the oil spill near Tauranga... I've been homesick, I've been angry about home, I've wished I was there, I've been glad I'm here.

All in a day's work when I'm 'home and away.' Indeed.