Tuesday, February 13, 2007

blading

Picture this: Twenty kids of various ages and sizes. Each with a pair of used and scuffed up roller blades or skates attached to two limbs. Each of these pieces of footwear are the incorrect size: whether oversized or undersized it doesn’t matter. Most of the latches used to tighten said footwear are broken from incorrect usage therefore the ankles are loose and most of the feet in the room are at a 45 degree (or less) to the floor. The odd kid has protective gear on. Caught one kid trying to use a wrist guard on a knee. Not one kid has a full set (I guess they just intend to fall on that one place). Now the location: An all purpose room used extensively during the rainy season. Large windows with no screens, low ceilings (thankfully the bats remained unseen), concrete floors, a tin roof that echoes the sound of rain so that any other noise is indistinguishable, stacks of chairs and benches, a ping pong table covered in Sunday school material, a piano (labelled as being anti termite) and a concrete stage with makeshift curtain for performances. There is no pattern to the general flow of traffic. Collisions occur, sometimes with obstacles, sometimes with fallen people and sometimes with air. This continued for two hours and the kids had a blast!

This was one event included on half term. Half term is two days where they go swimming, tubing, sliding on rubber down an ant hill, biking, go carting, eating at the river and most importantly of all: No school! I’ve been quite enjoying the time out of the classroom but it will be nice to get back to schedule.

6 comments:

Rachel said...

Wow!With your description I felt like I was right there with you.You have a definite gift in creative writing.

Anonymous said...

haha that's hilarious. they don't go to school on sats or suns do they??

Darren Irvine said...

Sliding down an ant hill? Wow, I hope those aren't the waist biting kind. Are they nice docile ants? How big is this ant hill of which you speak? :)

Anonymous said...

ANGELINA!!!!

You need to update your pictures. I am a visual person, you know. :) Anyway PLEASE tell me you went down the tire slide, and the FLYING FOX. Did they have it out? That has got to be the greatest invention they ever came up with and made. You get the HUGEST wedgie, and your nose FILLS with water but it's worth every trip.

This week has been nothing but SHORT of LONG. No pun intended. Friday will arrive tomorrow however, and I am truly looking forward to it. However, I have the kids doing nothing but tests. HAHAHAHAH I know tests on friday it is the CRULEST OF ALL CRUELS.

Anyhow, GET MORE PICTURES ON YOUR FLICKER SIGHT. That and have a fabulous day.

Love 'G'

Anonymous said...

hey als!! becha wonderin who i am! haven't heard from me in VERY long, but i decided to put a stop on this once and for all! i've been reading every single one of ur blogs, and it sounds like ur fitting in quite well there! it sounds like hard work, but the kind that makes u smile in your sleep:):) i realized that i REALLY REALLY miss my beautiful big sister and i'm kinda tearing up right now! i wish u were here and i could give u a big huge hug!! i told suze tom that she has to give u a hug from me, because she'll see u b4 me!! guess what? I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!! haha just kidding. just like to throw a little schocker in there once in a while:) hehehe. well, raquel is moving to portage to work at the vanstones nursery from march to end of july, and she might need some bedroom furniture, can she use the dresser that u got from alice?? or will u really need it whenn u come back? im just wondering so don't feel pressured. and asking u this is not the reason im writting this "comment" i just decided to mention it now:):) love u lots and miss u tons!!

Gabrielle Touchette said...

hey als-- why haven't you written a book yet? I'm discovering your great gift of writing and I am really impressed! Keep writing and I'll keep reading. but come back to winnipeg ok?