SCGS "Under One Roof" Carnival

Months ago, we first received the carnival coupons to sell. And like the person accustomed to such "charity work", I aided K to sell them with gusto. We exceeded our own quota of one booklet, and managed to clear two! Ahh, such is the beauty of having family within the same family-school.

 

K had known of her duties through the school briefing, and she was one excited little girl looking forward to the carnival. Our boys didn't get to go (too much hassle logistically) so I had made arrangements with the husband prior, so that the girl and I would be spending all day together. After her regular morning class, we had lunch then bused to school.

 

K's class had come up with a games stall and here is the stall looking nice and spiffy just before they launched it at 9am.

 

Parent volunteers, the girls, and the form teacher

 

K and I had made it to school about 1pm, and it was so crowded everywhere! We barely made it from the bus bay, to the class stall (needed to report to Mrs Eng, she said) when the skies darkened and a drizzle quickly became full-fledged rain. Boo. K and I made it very slowly (we crawled through the crowds along a very narrow corridor) and met the sister. I realise that the sister, K and I did not take a picture together. Oops. Along the way, we got an ice-cream.

 

Adding toppings

 

Our crawl to the canteen was so slow that by the time we reached the sister, her ice-cream had become half mush. K was one enthusiastic girl, on the constant look-out for friends. When she couldn't spot any, she was frustrated and in a bid to distract her, I brought her on a walkabout. Due to the rain, we made it to the hall (fully sheltered) and let her have some playtime on the bouncy castle. During this time, the sister started walking about with her friends along with my belongings. I also tried to meet our cousin who - thankfully was in one fixed position - and managed to locate my sister using her phone.

 

Then, a celebrity sighting - our beloved principal of many, many years, Ms Rosalind Heng!

The next-generation of SC girl my neice C, my cousin, SC alumni C, Ms Heng - as
formidable as ever - current generation SC girl and me, also an SC alumni member.

After this significant moment of taking a picture, came a period of confusion as I retrieved my belongings from my sister, as we lost our cousin and all went our separate ways as it started to pour again, and I met my friends to hand her some coupons for her to begin her carnival exploration. I found a little spot that was sheltered, amidst some of K's friends and their mommies. I spent some time just vegetating there as it was peaceful, and K was on the run, in search of snack and play with her friends. Watching her play so seamlessly and happily with her friends made me very happy, and I didn't want to be a bothersome parent who got in her way. So, I just waited for her until she came back to me, where I sat.

Savouring the fairy floss she bought on her own

The rain didn't let up, and we then spent the next part of the afternoon shopping. I discovered the sale of some t-shirts and scored a pair of identical ones for K and I. My gfs and I then finally managed to settle down together, all feeling really wiped out from the heat, the humidity and the noise. I have nearly forgotten how noisy a school can be!

Little Em, possibly an SC girl in the future, J, an SC girl in 2 years to come,
and K, a newbie SC girl.

 

That's us, with our little girls

It felt so nice to be able to bump into friends or familiar faces in the familiar compounds. I also can't help my heart from swelling as I see my little girl in her uniform. She looks so adorable. And so, I had to stop for a picture of us in the school before we left.

Precious

The carnival was not great, as the rain was a true dampener, but the spirit of the school was strong and though I didn't do that much, I felt very proud to be part of the funfair. The interaction I had with the students was great - I had girls who came up confidently to sell their wares, students who went a step further to help me with my t-shirt purchases, I can only hope that K will grow up to be a happy and confident girl in this thriving environment.

As a Mother now, I understand the heartfelt desire for a child to grow to be the best that she can be. To be able to provide her with the right school environment is the first step of her many, many years that she will spend while growing up. I still feel like pinching myself sometimes, when I see her in the blue sunflower dress.

It was a good day with her and despite a few grumpy moments, it was amazing to be able to spend that time together with her. We all crashed to bed that night, knocked out within moments!