There are always two events – the one I plan and picture in my mind, and the reality. The first one went like this. The District Commissioner would come at about 4.15 by which time I expected the girls to have arrived, looking neat and smart in their denims and shirts and accompanied by their friends and family. We would do the enrolment, play the chocolate game, including all the brothers and sisters and finish with delicious eats.
Well the delicious eats materialised. They were provided by the orphanage and organised by Bertha. Plenty of sandwiches, boxes of juice for twice as many people as we had as well as two big packets of assorted biscuits.
Things started going wrong when I got a phone call from my commissioner just before I left. Her dog needed to be rushed to Onderstepoort and she wouldn’t be able to come and enrol the girls. I would just have to do it myself. Then I got a call from Bertha. There appeared to be a crisis involving the transport and everybody would be late.
On the positive side, Nelly came to help me. She had been a grade 10 student at Roseact at the time when I was teaching science on Saturday mornings. She is so enthusiastic and I am sure she will be a great help.
When the girls arrived, further disappointments. No sign of Amanda. Minenthle didn’t know where she was – perhaps gone to a funeral with her aunt. The girls from the orphanage arrived without their uniform. Laizah was wearing ski pants and a short frilly dress and Maria did at least have jeans but a pink top. One of the carers from the orphanage went to get white school shirts for the girls and Maria was almost acceptable. So I only enrolled two. The rest will have to wait until next term.
The chocolate game was a great hit as it almost always is. The party went well and we ended up by playing “I wrote a letter to my love” for the last 10 minutes before closing horseshoe.
Not quite the success I had planned but I think Jeanette for one enjoyed it. I also have ideas about how the cookout will go on Tuesday. No doubt the actuality will be vastly different. I must try not to have expectations.
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