We’re going to meet at Java Java on Hollywood Road to divide up duties for the Halloween party at Rockstar’s school and because not all the mums could make it last round…
It’s the new coffee lounge near one of the mums’ offices, the only full-time working mum in the bunch. After a crazy bout of emailing (getting everyone to meet around kiddie schedules is always the hardest bit) we settled on somewhere near her Sheung Wan office because she’s in a patch of late nights at work and will be nipping in and out of the meeting – and she then offers everyone a treat.
It takes me an extra 5 minutes to flag a cab and as a result, by my oh-so careful calculations I’m going to be a little late meeting everyone…
3.30pm sharp, I text one of the mums…
Immediately she replies “Yes we’re here”
I arrive 5 minutes late… and I’m the last to reach. I was last to arrive the previous time too, being also around 5 minutes late (I’m a bit off with my travel time budgeting because we’ve been meeting at places I’ve never been to)
Everyone breaks out their iPhones. And pen and paper. It’s like any work meeting I’ve been in, except we’re all stay-at-homes – wasn’t there an article in Marie Claire US ages ago about mums in Japan mimicking a strict corporate hierarchy?
We’re n-ot quite there yet, but I’ve been really impressed at how fast everyone (it seems) in the Mummy volunteer group moves. Supposedly we’re speaking in simple sentences and cutting food into tiny pieces at home, but I’m actually feeling a breeze here.
It’s funny, because every time we try to meet up it’s mails and mails going back and forth, and then suddenly everything falls in place – whooosh!
Like the last time, we’re done in an hour. As we leave, I walk with one of the mums along Hollywood Road and into Lan Kwai Fong, taking pictures as we go…
As we pass this alleyway (and we pass many – to me the roads are chaotic , they wind up and down and meet at odd angles so I often have problems understanding directions) the mum I’m walking with, “Yup, I’m Hongkie,” tells me this is a very famous dessert stall. They only sell “Dong Shui (syrup dessert) and some noodles.”
Before I got here I once remarked Hongkies must be very fit – they have to walk up 30, 45 degree inclines every day if they live in such areas (which is not uncommon)… and older folk do this a lot too – we once pointed them out to our parents, thinking to subtly encourage them to keep fit as they got older
One of the mums brought her Year 2 daughter with her while she’s between helpers, and we barely notice the little girl around. Yet her mum still kept her tightly reined in with a couple of warnings in – Hindi? (I’m not sure, but they’re from Bombay.)
“iPhone saved my life!” And watching her daughter swishing away, we all agree. Next meeting I’ve got to ask what programs the others have downloaded for their kids because Rockstar is getting bored with Alphabet Balloon Pop.
Mum Who Works In This Area warns me the antiques and art here are very expensive and predominantly meant for tourists… Darn, the art shops look tantalizing… And note the cute lantern someone hung on their air-con high up… Just so you know families live right above…
And I love this picture with all the roots hanging down out of nowhere among so many grey old buildings..
And this flower stall in Lan Kwai Fong has been here like, donkey’s years…
Oh I just realised no 2 mums at the meetings have the same nationality – there’s Swiss, Hongkie, British or Aussie…….. one mum later tells me she thought I was Japanese. I’m ??!! – have never even been there – but she’s not the first to make the mistake, and for some reason Rockstar gets it a lot more frequently than I do
Mum from Bombay chaired the meeting this time round, and within a few hours we get a mail with an excel spreadsheet attached with all the duties we’ve laid out – complete with cute little Halloween graphics.
And Lan Kwai Fong Halloween decor is up… Another excuse to sell alcohol… Look out LKF, there’s another party coming to town… you have beer, but we have sugar!
I offered to join the Reception table… After we close the table we’ll help the other mums at the stalls – mainly because I’m terrified handling someone else’s kids so I didn’t want to take first shift at one of the game booths where you have to organize the kids into groups or in general um, get them to do stuff for you.
When I get home, Rockstar is in a foul mood. Can’t blame him, he has a bad cold that morphs in the night into a horrendous cough that culminates in him throwing up his entire dinner and us stripping the bed for the second time this week.
I threw his pyjamas away.
