Sunday was one of those days when I could really have done with a long quiet rest. I had got home at 0125 that morning after an exhausting and rewarding four days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where my one of my Drama colleagues and I took 21 students to take part in the FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools In Asia) Drama Festival. Three full days, plus travel, of Drama workshops, games, play-making and high energy activities left the chidden exhilarated and teachers exhausted but also pleased that things had gone so well. Huge praise to the teacher who organised the festival and huge praise to my school's children for having a go at all the activities and creating some memorable plays. The children also enjoyed trying their hands at haggling during a brief visit to Ben Thanh Market on the way to the airport for the flight home. In order to help identify them at the airport as well as test out my haggling skills (as well as spend up the small surplus from the trip) I tried my hand at buying 23 identical t-shirts for our crowd. After much flattery and chatting and cajoling and persuading I managed to move the initial price of $8 per item to a much more sensible $2.5 and the deal was sealed. Thus we all trooped through the airport sporting "i-Pho, Made IN Vietnam" t-shirts in either pink (sizes medium and upwards) and grey for the smalls.
Because we had been on our half term break during the week that had meant that holding a party for Trixie's 7th birthday was always going to be a little tricky to get all her various chums to attend. Therefore Lexi and I arranged it for Sunday morning. So bleary eyed I staggered around doing what I could to assist while a small gang of fellow seven year old girls, mainly dressed as fairies, as only seven year old girls can, played pass the parcel, the fairy leaf game and decorated fairy party bags. After munching their way through pizzas, crisps and, appropriately, fairy cakes, they all trogged off to the swimming pool for fairy swimming and fairy cooling down. They all had a fine time.
But there is always a BUT. So.... but.... while this marvellous gang of little ones were loving splashing around and making merry one of the compound guards came up to the pool, stared at the girls, took out his whistle and gave it an authoritative blow. Here in Malaysia guards seem to want to blow their whistle lots and lots, often for no apparent reason, so Lexi and I exchanged glances with each other and the guard and carried on assisting our charges and chums in making merry. This clearly didn't please the guard who was wearing a red beret, the highest status headwear that a guard at our place can sport. He didn't go away. He blew again. More glances exchanged and more continuing of splashing. Eventually when he saw that his whistle was not going to have any effect he reluctantly strolled over to our party and explained that we needed to stop making noise. The noise was of six small girls having fun in a swimming pool. Apparently there had been a complaint about noise from a house that backed directly on to the pool from the compound's official misery guts. Every street or housing area has to have one and ours is a tall, surly, bearded French bloke who takes joy in explaining how he works shifts and requires complete silence during daylight hours. Odd that he should choose to live right next to a swimming pool in a family friendly area, then. Needless to say I offered to speak to the complainant but the guard and his red beret would have none of it, so we all dutifully ignored the guard and carried on enjoying the party, a little bit irritated and encouraged the partiers to make even more noise. Mr Red Beret disappeared and being the boss, did the dirty on one of his underlings and told him to go the the pool and keep watch over us instead. Quite what he planned on doing should we increase the volume still further I have no idea. Naturally I made sure that bloke was as involved as was possible for a man wearing a cheap uniform and baseball cap with "Security" written on it could be and presented him with a slice of chocolate cake after cake cutting time. He looked extremely embarrassed and awkward, so much so that I almost felt sorry for the poor man. He then stood very close to the edge of the pool and stood laughing and enjoying the fun that the girls were having in the pool. I was willing Trixie and her chums to be just naughty enough to sneak up behind him and push .... Sadly they didn't although if he had have blown his whistle then ....
Cutest moment of the day came when I was throwing Trixie in the pool, accompanied by the wonderful squeals and shrieks of delight that daughters love to make. One of her classmates approached me and looked up with employing eyes and asked "Mr Lawrence, could you throw me in too?" From then on the noise levels got higher and much more excited, much to the underling guard's and parents' delights.