Tēnā koutou, i am thrilled to be starting my Te Reo Journey, i have recently left the Navy after 35yrs service in uniform. After serving that amount of time in a closed society i found i had lost my identity, the values and ethos i thought were mine were only borrowed from the Defence Force. This left me without my team, my shipmates my everyday associates. I had spent three and a half decades trying to blend in and be the grey man.....i found life outside of that institutional environment was very different, i lost my sense of identity, my purpose, even the values and ethos i had adopted over that period of my life. I struggled for 3years trying to find my now identity, my purpose and my own values. As soon as i decided to sign up for night classes in Te Reo L1 and 2, i found my tribe again amongst the other learners in my class, our WhatsApp group motivates and encourages all of us (shout out to Fried bread Crew). Signing up to learn my own language has been the best decision i have ever made. Kia Kaha Māori Ora!!