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Recently by Chandan Boodhoo

TULIP FESTIVAL AT HAMILTON GARDENS

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Last Sunday, we spent half a day amidst flowers at the Hamilton Gardens (at last we made it!) and made the most of the Tulip Festival which was organised there during the weekend. We went along with Jana (our blogger-friend), Cynthia, Kaya, Michael and Shoko, for our first visit to the Hamilton Gardens which covers an area of 58 hectares and which is owned and managed by the Hamilton City Council.  
DSC05013.JPGOur guide for that day was the ever good-humoured Jana herself. She led the way pinpointing to us the Rhododendrons, Camellias, Lavenders, etc until we reached the spot where the Tulip show was held. The Hamilton Gardens planted hundreds of colourful and attractive cup shaped flowers which not only attracted bees but people also. Like us, most people were busy posing in front of the tulips or taking pictures of them.
It is interesting to note that although tulips are associated with Holland, both the flower and its name originated from the Persian empire. The tulip is a flower indigenous to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia.
We also toured the Paradise Garden Collection featuring gardens representing some of the most significant garden design traditions like the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden, the American Garden, the Italian Garden and the Indian Char Bhag Garden. DSC05105.JPG
Did you know that the land that is now the Hamilton Gardens was first occupied by the Maori people in the early 1600s? In the 1950’s the land was used by the Parks and Reserves Department to grow plants to supply the city gardens. In 1958, the construction of a tropical display house as the first stage of a botanic garden was proposed. Approval was granted, and the glasshouse was built the following year, with the 116 varieties of tropical plants donated by various local bodies and individuals. This tropical display house and the surrounding 4 acres were named the Hamilton Gardens, and officially opened on 13th July 1960.
Hmmm, we are hoping that the Hamilton Gardens will host many interesting activities next year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. And we are already planning to go to the Gardens again on the 20th September for its Daffodil show and we’d be delighted to have you with us!

 

By
Chandan Boodhoo
on September 9, 2009 8:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SPRING ON THE CAMPUS

We have neither been to the Hamilton Gardens nor to the zoo yet, but the campus with its flowers, trees, lakes, ducks, hares, birds, amongst others, has been scintillating with hundreds of colours during spring. Me and my wife are experiencing spring for the first time, since in Mauritius, which is a tropical country, we have summer and winter only. I guess this might be the reason why we  stare in awe and marvel at the beauty of the spring flowers, each time we go for a walk on the campus.

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Everything is blooming most recklessly on the campus and this explosion of colours is a real pleasure to the eyes. 

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Last month, during our walks on the campus, twice we spotted a pair of colourful parrots and we so much regretted not having had our camera with us on those times. Afterwards, each time we would go for a walk, we would always be looking up at the trees, hoping to spot at least one parrot. But, we didn’t have any luck until today. This afternoon’s walk turned out to be lucky and special! Not only did we spot a pair of parrots again but we have also been able to photograph the pair from all angles.
We leave you today with two quotes regarding spring. One of them or may be both will definitely strike a chord within you. Enjoy the quotes and the pictures we have taken on the campus. But, most of all, enjoy this spring which will soon be overtaken by summer.
If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Audra Foveo
Spring is not the best of seasons.
Cold and flu are two good reasons;
wind and rain and other sorrow,
warm today and cold tomorrow.
~Author Unknown
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By
Chandan Boodhoo
on September 5, 2009 11:10 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

NZAID Scholar Support Evening

  DSC04820.JPGMost NZAID scholars and their dependants turned out for the ‘NZAID Scholar Support Evening’ organised today by the Waikato International Office at the Guru Phabians Lounge. This event was an opportunity to get together as a group during this teaching recess, have some fun (the children enjoyed having their faces painted!), share some words with friends we haven’t met for some time and take a group photo of the NZAID family at the University of Waikato.

Staff members of the Waikato International Office, Huy Vu, Matt Sinton and Christine Kokiri, made mini-speeches each since they didn’t want the evening which they had promised to be an entertaining one, turn into a boring one. But most of all, those three ensured that we all had a good time and we did.

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According to Huy Vu, there might be another similar evening organised at the end of the year and I bet, Pooja and I aren’t the only ones looking forward to it. Here are some photos of this great evening.

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Well, well, the picture below shows the good spirit that prevailed during the get together!

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By
Chandan Boodhoo
on September 2, 2009 7:59 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

NZAID SCHOLARS EVENING

Hi all,

We are looking forward to have quite a lot of fun next Wednesday, the 2nd of September, as there is a get together organised for all NZAID Scholars and their dependants at the Guru Phabians Lounge. We have been invited to dress up in our traditional/national costume. So we will certainly be bringing you more news and photos of the NZAID scholars evening next week.
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                                       NZAID 2009 group photo
By
Chandan Boodhoo
on August 28, 2009 9:37 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gathering for Winners of NZVCC Award

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As I promised you yesterday, am back to share some more details, (but few, unfortunately!), about this afternoon’s gathering organised by the NZVCC in Block B at the University itself. Well, the gathering was a short and sweet one since it lasted only forty-five minutes, but it gave me the opportunity to meet some of the other Commonwealth scholars who are studying at the University of Waikato.
We were welcomed by Gwenda Pennington, Senior Scholarship Advisor and then, Professor Giselle Byrnes, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Doug Sutton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor Janis Swan, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, addressed us. They all congratulated us for having been awarded scholarships and urged us to keep working hard. End of protocol!!!
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After taking some pictures, I enjoyed a tea and some delicious snacks while chit-chatting with the others.
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By
Chandan Boodhoo
on August 28, 2009 9:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

NZVCC To Celebrate The Successful Applicants For Awards

Kia Ora!
 
I have been invited to an afternoon tea tomorrow by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellor’s Committee (NZVCC) to celebrate the successful applicants for awards offered under the auspices of the NZVCC. The invitees include 2009 winners, like me, and current recipients from previous years.    
 
The NZVCC represents the interests of New Zealand's universities. As a statutory entity, the NZVCC has overall responsibility for the quality of university programmes and acts as the interface between universities and the Government.
The University of Waikato and the other New Zealand universities are represented on the NZVCC by their Vice-Chancellors. The eight Vice-Chancellors comprise the Committee, which meets on a formal basis six times a year. The position of Committee chair rotates every two years.
 
The Commonwealth Scholarships Scheme, in New Zealand, is administered by the NZVCC and the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), which falls under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
 
The NZVCC administers Commonwealth Scholarships for applicants from developed countries while the NZAID handles applications from developing countries, like Mauritius, from where I hail. Scholarships are available for either Masters or doctoral level study.
Commonwealth scholarships funded by the NZAID are awarded with the expectation that scholars, like myself, will return home to contribute to the social and economic development of our countries on the completion of our studies.
I promise to bring you more details tomorrow evening and post some photos as well.

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By
Chandan Boodhoo
on August 27, 2009 8:15 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Daffodil...hardly just a flower...

DSC04421A.jpgWe came across our first pretty, bright yellow and dancing daffodil yesterday afternoon during our walk on the campus. We crouched beside it to have a better look since it was the first time we were seeing a real one...unfortunately, daffodils do not grow in Mauritius.

Commonly known by its English name as ‘Daffodil’, the flower’s botanic name is ‘Narcissus’.
When you hear ‘Narcissus’ you can’t help but recall the Greek myth about a young and vain man called Narcissus who was so obsessed with his reflection as he kneeled and gazed into a lake that he fell into the water and drowned. And that at the place where young Narcissus died, sprang the ‘Narcissus’ plant. This is the reason why the Narcissus flower is often perceived as a symbol of vanity. However, in China, the same flower is a symbol of wealth and good fortune.
Even if not considered as the queen of flowers, daffodils inspired poets like William Wordsworth and artists like Vincent Van Gogh. It is also the national flower of Wales.
In New Zealand, daffodils are admired by many and daffodils shows are held throughout the North and South Islands by the National Daffodil Society which was founded in 1926. In Hamilton, the shows will be held at Hamilton Gardens on Saturday 19th September and on Saturday 3rd October from 12 pm to 4 pm.
The Daffodil Day will be celebrated in New Zealand on the 28th of August 2009. If you are thinking that the Daffodil Day is some kind of flower show, then you are mistaken. Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society of New Zealand’s annual flagship event and one of the most important fundraising and awareness campaigns in the country. Now, if you are asking yourself about the link between daffodil and cancer, well, according to the Cancer Society of New Zealand, the daffodil is one of the first flowers of spring, whose bright yellow blooms remind us of the joys the new season will bring. It represents the hope there is for the 1 in 3 New Zealanders affected by cancer.
So, as winter is waving goodbye and daffodils are poking their heads out of the soil, do take your camera when you set off for a walk on the campus. You’ll be pleasantly amazed by blooms of all colours and shapes.
By
Chandan Boodhoo
on August 3, 2009 7:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Red Mushroom...fascinating and poisonous!

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It was impossible not to notice this deep red, white-spotted mushroom during our walk on the campus, few days back. It was there, just one, but a big one, under the pine trees. We were so fascinated by it that we decided to take a picture (luckily we had our camera with us). Back home, we decided to get some details about the red mushroom, so we checked about it on the internet and found some very interesting facts regarding this Amanita Muscaria (the red mushroom’s binomial name).

Amanita Muscaria is native to conifer woodlands throughout the temperature regions of the Northern Hemisphere. So how did it land in New Zealand? Well, it is said that conveyed with pine seedlings, it has been widely transported into the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia,New Zealand, South Africa and South America.

This red mushroom is considered to be poisonous. However, it is used in some cultures for its hallucinogenic properties. In many places around the world, this mushroom has traditionally been used as an intoxicant. At last, the one nice thing we came across while reading about this mushroom, is that it is often present on Christmas and New Year cards as a symbol of good luck.

A simple walk turned out to be enriching in the end… 

By
Chandan Boodhoo
on July 13, 2009 3:12 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kia Ora!

Greetings from myself, Chandan Boodhoo and my wife, Pooja. We are from Mauritius, a tropical island in the Indian Ocean. As a scholar of NZAID (New Zealand Agency for International Development), I am in New Zealand since January this year. On the 2nd of March, I started a Post Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Waikato. Hopefully, next year I will undertake a Master in Education. During these two years, the papers I have chosen to focus on are Educational Leadership and Curriculum. We will keep you updated with our experiences here.

Catch you later..

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By
Chandan Boodhoo
on July 8, 2009 5:28 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
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