Easiest method was to look for ozzie accented Caucasian parents to follow. Bunch of locals loitering under a tree near the entry steps to AISHK – no disability access here. Security guard doesn’t even know where the auditorium is – maybe Chris’ Aussie accent is hard to understand? [but this IS an AUSSIE school!] Phone Kathy and she comes to get us visitor passes. Chris feels obliged to go inside. Nice breezeway connecting the 5 stories of classrooms and external corridors.
Timothy is singing with the Year 4s and Alicia is in the audience for their assembly. Same type of skits as per Chinese School ie. only interesting to parents and boring/embarrassing for others. Presentation includes a Year 3 boy who used his lifesaving training to rescue a baby straying into the hydrotherapy part of the pool. Cringy school song. Abi woke up halfway through the assembly and cried. Chris and then Priscilla walked with her outside until she calmed down (biscuit). End of assembly and kids go to their classrooms where lunch (junk food mainly) was tabled and shared. Abi didn’t want the cheese or boring old biscuits, she was interested in the French fries and cupcakes with shiny sugar balls. Later tried a frankfurt and banana. Left a mess for the poor cleaner. Teacher comments to us that he will have to cope with sugar overloaded manic kids that afternoon.
Watched the senior primary kids play touch footy (girls and boys separately) in the steamy lunchtime. Watch Alicia’s team while Mark bellows at her (she doesn’t hear him, the noise level is incredible). Abi wanted to join in the ball games and walked down 1.5 flights of stairs before demanding mum carry her. Left the rough playground under protest – why won’t you let me join in the ball games?
Since AISHK works on the Australian/NSW schedule, they finish at 3/3:30pm so we decide to go to the shopping centre for coffee. Apparently unlike other expats, aussies love their cars and cause a local traffic jam when school finishes, so many of the parents just go shopping between now and pick up time.
Walked to shopping centre with Kathy and Mark to chat and enjoy coffee/snacks in the “Pacific coffee company” lounge (it has with internet access, expensive coffees, a reading room and padded lounges). Tried a cheese bacon croissant and green tea red bean muffin (not as nice!). Abi loved it there, flirting with people and bouncing all over the sofas. Decided to sort out the big chess pieces by colour, then touched the merchandise ceramic mugs etc giving her mother a heart attack. On the way back from the nappy change room Abi was fascinated by the beads and shiny baubles in a boutique. Left Kathy and Mark and walked through a sports store before going to the MTR. This shopping centre is massive, with really nice atria varying in shape and skewy escalators and lots of natural light. There’s even an ice rink with 3 levels of shops/food hall adjacent. Abi fell asleep as soon as we started for the MTR – poor thing must be exhausted.
Dinner at MX again – spaghetti Bolognese not a good idea – confirmed Abi has intolerance to tomato or whatever additive in the meat sauce. Severe rash around mouth, chin and lower arms (eating with her hands of course). She didn’t think much of the 3 kinds of rice in Chris’ healthy chicken meal (red, brown and white). Walked through North Point Electric Road then Kings Road looking for silicone ear plugs and calamine lotion. Abi decides she does then doesn’t want to walk along the street holding parents’ hands. Getting bolder as she touches more and more in successive shops. Decide that she is over tired and head home. Too many bright lights indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment