Tuesday, December 3, 2024

St. George’s College (Week #90) – Day #416

Date for Entry: (Tuesday 03 December 2024)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (December 2024)

[T1, W:15 – WD:, (Td:)*].

Dear Diary,

    This morning I got up early. Leaving the house was lightly late. Daddy was complaining bout his back. We laughed at him when I was ready to go since he got comfortable on the couch and couldn't get up. He mentioned that his back was still hurting from lifting all those galvanised sheets. When I asked why he had to lift them it was because there was no one else with the driver. I told him that since I cannot lift heavy things I would let someone know.

    We left for Curepe and only one bus was waiting like the weekend. The rain started pouring from the car. The air conditioner was cold after being wet. It looked like I did not shake the umbrella enough before entering but that could not happen even if I tried. Drivers like to take off one time. I still had to shelter with my umbrella while walking down Sixth Avenue. Thankfully by the time  I got to the school, it stopped. That was another joke for the morning I suppose.

    The atmosphere of the staffroom felt very different. I did not like it and it felt very depressing. It was just like someone died and people were grieving. I needed to get the hell out of there. Immediately Mel came in and said that she was having a test in a Form 3 class. We decided to do number inserts to the mark book while the four students did the makeup test. Form 2s were entered first and the 1F and 1L. She did not have all the names for 1M and it took me a while to put in the main class list file and then transfer over into the markbook. We did not do any of that until after school because the teacher's Choir practice was going on.

    Instead of wasting my time and waiting I went back to my desk. While inserting marks we heard the panorama tune earlier this morning. After 3 times of sending a different student to tell them to stop I ended up having to run to the hall. Raising my hands in the air like the Phoenix in front of the band they immediately stopped. Since they could not hear me I went to speak to "Vannah" and told her that only the Christmas Programme ensemble piece and the solos could be run. I told her that when Mr Marcelle comes for practice then it could be played.

    I was feeling too upset in my stomach in the second half of the day. Jess came to speak with me. She got to school late and went to sit in the corridor by the teachers. "GG" left early today and was asking me if I wanted to go with them but I stayed back. We got the 1M class list ready but with the girls, there was a mix-up with the names. It took a while to fix. Even with the Form 4s later that evening some of the surnames were not remembered. Luckily I had the school list of names that I made from the previous academic year to recycle.

    After 5 PM, Mr Raymond came back to the school compound. He was going to practice with Mr Marcelle who returned for the evening to George's. Miss Jones and her husband were practising for the performance tomorrow in the hall also. I tried to see if Sir and I could find back his umbrella but it looked like someone took it and went with it. 

    When we first spoke in the staffroom earlier this evening, he was asking if I was going to play with the teacher's band for the function tomorrow. He said that I could fall in or do the toc-toc if I wanted. The term he used at first was "jam-block". That was the first time hearing jam block. He said that was the first original name before it was called the Toc-Toc.

    Mr Raymond left with Miss Harris. She was still complaining about $800 that went missing. Mr Marcelle came back he had forgotten something that he needed to do some work. Mel and I decided to take a recess after finishing the remaining 1M class. As we walked out of the compound we saw Miss Jones and her husband practicing still. She told me that Chinese would be better since I was fasting and full more as if I ate food. We were going to the place called Hunchies opposite the school to the back at first.

    We ended up going for the Chinese, which was almost half the walk from school to the bus route. The wait was long. We spoke more about the programme for tomorrow and the concert on Saturday. She met someone who recognised her and we walked back to meet Matthew. As we were about to make our way back and make the end to the school, a person came asking for food and then the rain broke down on us.

    We ended up running to the hall door to rest our bags. We were both soaking wet. Matthew couldn't wait so she got an umbrella and went out to the road. I could hear that Mathias was there. The sound system men came after we were done eating. Mr Marcelle's food was saved for later. I used my blue biscuit pan as a dish. It was a long while I had wished that I brought a plate to school. As they were leaving, we were neatening up the hall to the back and packing chairs that remained in rows. A lady came to visit Miss at some point. The fabric brought was called skirting.

    When the lady left, the three of us and the sergeant guard helped us. She went up on the ladder while Miss and I held onto us while she was up there. Only the red fabric was set up. The skirting will have to be sent by the who is renting them. It took us a long while to fix the stage too and then for Sir, Mel and I dragged four palm plants into the hall. They were really heavy. I caught a laugh dragging in one palm plant on my own but it left a hard pain in my chest for a while. Mel was looking for another palm plant but the others in the yard were too dirty.

    We ended up locking up the hall for tomorrow inside the school but the floor was too dirty after it had been mopped that same morning. Children were taken to the hall today because the rain had taken dominance of the compound. The PTSA was holding a fundraiser fun day for the students. The three of us went back into the staffroom. This was minutes after 9 PM.

    Sir did not have another chord he needed for his laptop so he ate after Miss had made sure he did. I had a good laugh about a list we were looking for. He told me that while in this experience, it is good to observe everything so I know better in future and keep the phone numbers for the designers and sound people when I need them.

    Mel's phone was running low so I suggested we put the marks in and then she could put the grade letters and comments in whenever she got the time. All of the Form 1s and 2s were entered. We will have to wait for Jennice on the Form 3s to enter the markbook tomorrow. It was after 11 PM that was the end of the inserts.

    By 11:26 PM miss went to the couch to rest. At first, I rested by my desk and then went to the single couch in the corner. The small table became my footrest. At 5:02 I got up on my own. I called Miss and she agreed to switch. I took the long couch and she went to shower in the female restroom. Afterwards, I went to shower. I told her it felt like the people and this place were trying to make me Georgian. Is possible to be a hybrid? Being Spartan and a Georgian at the same time? I wonder.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

(7:46 am – REMAINED THE NIGHT IN SCHOOL)

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