The rider to my blog is, “Musings of a Nigerian in New Zealand”
I just realized that perhaps those reading my blog are not quite getting enough of what it means to live in Aotearoa.
Take for instance, the death of Sir Edmund Hilary. The first man to reach the top of Mount Everest and a New Zealander to boot.
He was 88 years old and achieved fame 55 years ago at the age of 33 when he led an expedition to the top of the highest mountain in the world.
He was immediately knighted by a young Queen Elizabeth and became an instant celebrity.
And yet… Sir Edmund was not a celebrity in the sense of the modern day starlets and pretenders of today. He sort of epitomizes the kiwiness that permeates this country of 4 million people. He epitomizes the determination of the human spirit really.
I just realized that perhaps those reading my blog are not quite getting enough of what it means to live in Aotearoa.
Take for instance, the death of Sir Edmund Hilary. The first man to reach the top of Mount Everest and a New Zealander to boot.
He was 88 years old and achieved fame 55 years ago at the age of 33 when he led an expedition to the top of the highest mountain in the world.
He was immediately knighted by a young Queen Elizabeth and became an instant celebrity.
And yet… Sir Edmund was not a celebrity in the sense of the modern day starlets and pretenders of today. He sort of epitomizes the kiwiness that permeates this country of 4 million people. He epitomizes the determination of the human spirit really.
Very unassuming and uncomfortable with any pretensions of grandeur, he is remembered in Nepal for building hospitals and schools and working tirelessly to improve the lives of the local people who have seen a different kind of adventurer attempt to conquer the slopes of Everest in recent years.
Adventurers that attempt to scale the heights for personal selfish reasons and were more likely to leave trash lying all over Everest and ignore a fellow climber who was stuck half way up with frostbite about to claim his ass.
Although constantly being overshadowed by their bigger neigbours across the Tasman Sea, Kiwis have gone and forged pioneering careers and lives across many spheres of endeavour.
I am happy so far with my sojourn in this land of the long white cloud and I hope to share those everyday instances that show what living here means, a bit more in the following months.
Meanwhile we say Adieu to perhaps the greatest New Zealander of them all.
Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008): The Greatest New Zealander of them all
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