Mairangi Notes #13 — 2026.07.03

MHJ

my mairangi

Issue

#13

2026.07.03

Yussi's Note

This Stubborn Cold

The cold that arrived the weekend before last just won't leave. It started with Min's cough, passed through me, and made its way to Jin. The weather feels merely "crisp," and I keep forgetting it's the middle of winter — but a cold going around in winter is hardly a surprise.
Winter in New Zealand makes us tender with one another. It gathers us in the warm lounge, doing whatever it is together. Even in winter the midday sun still falls warm across the carpet, and we spend our drowsy hours like cats chasing the light.

Main Story

Home Learning · 2026.07.03.

Holiday Home Learning: The Reading Bingo

Four free printable Reading Bingo cards to get kids reading over the school holidays — by place, around town, by genre and setting. Download at mhj.nz.

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Lunch Box

MON

Egg Sandwich & Bacon Riceball

Hyun is the only one of the three who loves eggs, so today's lunchbox was an egg sandwich just for her. I mash boiled eggs with ham and mayonnaise, then season with a little salt, sugar and pepper. The egg salad goes generously into a dinner roll, sliced in half.For Min and Jin, who don't like eggs, it's bacon riceballs instead — with a sweet pretzel for morning tea.

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Campus Notes

TUE

One Email After Another

With placement, my thesis, and Semester 2 papers all ahead, the emails never seem to stop. With my supervisor, with my course coordinator, with the placement visitor, with various agencies, and with the friends who help me and whom I help in return. Sometimes an email from the university telling me to check the portal inbox gives me a small fright; other times I grow anxious waiting on a reply that doesn't come as an assignment deadline looms. Still, I set the worry down as best I can, reminding myself I'm moving forward step by step. Many ask whether postgraduate study in a second language is hard. But perhaps harder than the study itself is managing my own time and daily life.

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English with Jin

This Week's Expression

“He gets upset.”

There's a boy in Jin's class who's well known for being a handful. Now and then Jin gets caught up in his mischief, and a drawing or a craft ends up ruined, leaving Jin a little downcast. When that happens I tell Jin to let the teacher know, and I asked, "Shall Mum say something, if it's hard for you?" But Jin didn't want that. "He gets upset."In Korea we often read "upset" as meaning much the same as "angry," so for a moment I was thrown. But what Jin meant was that the friend would feel hurt. Being so young, Jin takes English in as it is — without the fixed meanings or assumptions the rest of us carry.

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Local Guide

✨

Matariki

Rose Centre Matariki Market Day

Sunday 5 July · 10:00 am-2:00 pm
The Matariki Market Day is back this year, in the spirit of whanaungatanga — coming together, sharing kai, and supporting local.
Wander the local stalls for jewellery, paintings, carvings and weaving, then follow the smell of good kai to the food trucks and sausage sizzle. It's a relaxed morning out for the whole whānau, all in the warmth of Matariki.
📍 4 School Road, Belmont, Auckland 0622

🪐

Holiday Event

MOTAT July Holiday Experience

Saturday 4 - Sunday 19 July · 10:00 am-4:00 pm
These July school holidays, MOTAT invites families to explore how lenses and optics shape the way we see everything around us. Make your own 3D glasses, draw an anaglyph image, and see MOTAT in 3D. Experiment with mirrors, black panels and reflective surfaces on a large-scale light installation that tells the story of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Then get up close with flora and fauna through a range of lenses and microscopes — you might be surprised what you find.
A holiday of discovery and hands-on fun, included in general admission.
Admission: Adults $19 · Children & Students $10 · Family Pass $45 · SuperGold Card holders free.

📍 805 Great North Road & Meola Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022

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From the Archive

Home Learning

Why We Learn At Home

The shipping container arrives, my parents leave for Korea, and the house slowly becomes a home—an emotional week of unpacking, goodbyes, and piano melodies.

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www.mhj.nz · Mairangi Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

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