I would not normally talk about school here but…when you
suddenly get a glimpse of the 1001 Nights in the land of the Sultan of Brunei,
well, it deserves a mention.
Red carpet; a throne facing the stage; two armchairs one
meter behind the throne on either side of it making a triangular shape; VIP
chairs on each side of the read carpet and us, the commoners seated comfortably
at the International Convention Centre to witness the official launch of the
Polio Points initiative on Wednesday in the presence of Princess Sarah, the
school patron, is an experience to remember. High Commissioners, Ambassadors and
Bruneian ministers also attended this high profile ceremony which put our
school in the media spotlight and there was something definitely grand and solemn
about it.
The uniqueness of this project is indescribable, really, so here are
two links for you:
Princess Sarah, a mother who brought
her children to school in jeans and t-shirt that very morning, went back to the
palace to get ready for this launch. I love that! Cinderella is real! A modern
princess even if the protocol involved is definitely antiquated (all guests had
to be seated half an hour before she arrived and had to remain seated half an
hour after she left; every guest speaker had to approach her, be accompanied by
a student and bow at her; her personal guard had to be on stage with her and a
few feet away from her etc…) and burdensome. The whole school arrived way before it
started, however, once the ceremony began, silence reigned and it wasn’t just because it was to launch this beautiful initiative
that our students are so proud of, I believe it was because Bruneians respect
and love their Princess. The Royal family sends their children to our school,
they are treated like normal people and most importantly are given a childhood
but when duty calls… :)
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