No more sleeps Mum...!!!
Matilda is off to Noumea this afternoon with her school French class...!!! How exciting are school excursions these days.. ?? I remember flying to Tasmania from Melbourne in Year 10 and that was a really big deal. They will be staying at the Hotel Le Pacifique and will need to use their French language skills at every opportunity. Matilda will spend one night with Ondine, (the New Caledonian exchange student we had stay with us for a week in August), and her family. The highlight of the trip is a visit to Amedee Island where they will get a chance to snorkel gorgeous coral reefs and view the fish, rays and sharks, eat an amazing feast and get a chance to watch/participate in local dancing. The kids have a reasonable amount of free time for beaching, lounging by the pool and shopping (doing a mild panic here hoping she has enough cash). One of Matilda's life dreams has been to swim in crystal clear blue, travel brochure style water...I think she is going to be able to realise this dream while away, how special.
It's been a long countdown for her and her friends Maddy & Anwen...they began the countdown at 303 days to go...reaching 100 was a big deal then quite suddenly we were in single figures.
I have to admit to feeling a little wistful and envious. You see, I was to go too as one of the parent escorts. By about September though it became apparent that my back would not allow me to travel, either if I had had the surgery or not...it would have been a very difficult trip for me to make given their itinerary. Very reluctantly I had to cancel.
The bags are almost packed...
Passport in hand...
South Pacific Francs purchased...
Host family gifts purchased...
Now all we have to do is wait...and wait...until 4.30pm. It could be a long afternoon.
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