Well - only today and tomorrow left and we are over the worst month of the year living in Indonesia. Luckily I love living here and it would take more than just one month a year of a little bit of fustration to kill the spirit.
I have been busy making plans for our school community activity that is just like the old fashioned Aussie town gatherings. Now I don't know what cities in Australia do (and I don't care), but in the towns I have lived in, around christmas, there has always been a huge town event at the local pool where games, slip and slides, jumping castles, jumping castles in water, slides into water etc bring the whole town together in an afternoon of fun. Adults/kids will do wrestling into the water from a beam, races across, all the fun stuff (that is if it hasn't been shut down by some Health and Safety party pooper.
(When they coined the phrase - up S*&T creek without a paddle - they obviously didn't have a spare shovel around - anyone for crossing a pool in your pajamas - dry?)
We are having one at school, it has taken 2 years for me to get this idea off the ground - and I was up against a "twilight orchestra picnic". When I said I would compromise and arm the kids with water pistols, I was given the go ahead for the big day of fun in the sun (not the official name - obviously).
My kids are hugely excited. I am hugely nervous. If it is a success we will do it again for the secondary school. Hoping the kids expectations aren't seriously above what I can organise on the day. But I was out there this morning in the hot blistering sun with the events manager (who is fasting, so he was probably a lot more uncomfortable than me), laying out plastic and hoses so we could make sure we didn't forget anything vital. In a meeting yesterday, I even got the Health & Safety Co-ordinator invited so that it wouldn't have hold ups on the day.
First weekend after the holiday, straight after a swimming carnival, then it is on (gives you an idea of how jam packed the school activities are when you have to be scheduled on a sunday after a swimming carnival (or invitational swim meet if the word carnival is throwing you off). Mind you - no one has any idea what is involved - so it is all a bit of a scary/fictional event at this stage.
So yes - the school is going to experience a little bit of Aussie. The really fun, family orientated part of Aussie. Yes there will be beer and tequila sunrises and a BBQ. I'm expecting the men in one corner and the women in the other - but it hopefully will be a lot of fun......
We've even got those trampolines where you get strapped in and go really high.
First things first - a holiday at the beach with our holiday buddies (look for the blog jenjenqld and you will see us in almost every holiday photo).
Fingers crossed that no one nearly drowns and there isn't an earthquake (as the last earthquake caused a tsunami alert at the resort we are staying at (and it was near the epicentre)).
C girl has understandably been extremely nervous all week - unable to go to sleep - for fear that something will happen. She asked to stay in Jakarta with her friend, but I asked if she would be okay with this - she thought about it - and decided she would spend the entire time very worried whether we were okay - much better for her to stand on the side of the beach and scream that we come back in (as she has done on many occasions since).
It is a very dangerous beach location - at least we know that going in (unlike when going to Bali and not realising the 100+ people die on Semanyak and Kuta beach a year (each beach that is)).
(I will get a photo of her this trip with her brand new board - we even had to get roof racks)
At this beach, there is a very organised surf club who saved 100 people over last years idul fitri holiday alone. If MMM wants to surf, she will have GJ or a hired teacher to teach, plus 1 surfer to shadow, plus a back float (they are excellent light device that both little ones had when we moved here and they weren't 100% confident). I will also be there with a boogie board (J sewed on some super tough wrist straps last week so they won't pull off in a big wave).
There is an excellent swimming pool, soccer pitch and pool table for other distractions. Don't worry - we will be okay.
No comments:
Post a Comment