Sometime ago I was co-opted onto the decoration sub-committee (big stuff, I know!) of the Nursing Council’s official ‘Launch Committee’ – a group planning the launch of our website and new policy documents. After the 9th meeting we felt suitably ready to get going on the preparations for the event set. After much fannying about, at 2 in the afternoon I was instructed to go off with one of my fellow decorators to buy what we needed to decorate the hired room at one of the city hotels. Bearing in mind the whole thing was set for 8 o’clock the next morning I did think we were cutting it a bit fine – but that’s just my British cynicism!
Within 2 hours though we’d organised the plants from the City Assembly, a flower arrangement, found balloons and ribbons to match the Council’s ceremonious chitenge material and bought some curtains to put up to use for the ‘unveiling of the webpage’. In fact buying the curtains wasn’t that easy! We sauntered into the material shop at about quarter to four (‘Come on, I was thinking to myself, we’ve got to get a move on….’ but FellowDecorator was in no rush it seems) Having fingered various bolts of cloth we found one we liked and told the very nice IndianLady what we needed, so she measured it all up and asked when we’d like it for. ‘Well, now’ said FellowDecorator, ‘We need it for tomorrow morning – is it possible?’ IndianLady’s eyes nearly popped out her head, ‘Ummm, no, it is not possible, I’m velly sorry’ she said, a little head waggle to re-iterate the point. ‘You really need to come earlier for this sort of thing’. (You’re not kidding, I said to myself!) ‘Well, there is something maybe I can do, come with me…’ she said, flipping her sari scarf over one shoulder. ‘Is this the kind of thing you might be needing?’ she asked, holding up a perfect pair of net curtains. ‘Are you sure? Isn’t that somebody’s order?’ I enquire. ‘No, no, no, well, yes it is but she won’t know, its ok, you have these, I’ll make more in the morning for her’. Marvellous! Now, can we trouble you for some curtain wire, hooks and tie backs?
We arrived at the hotel not long after to meet up with more of the decorating group. Several members were umming and ahhing over whether to put the table this way, or that way – or maybe lets try it like this – actually no, lets put it back here and try it like this. Good Lord! I wasn’t having much more of that kind of nonsense so with shoes off I whipped out the bag of tricks and got stuck in – lead by example seems to be the best method otherwise you can wait around all day, or night! A good couple of hours later the table, back in its original position, was decked out with the council cloth and the flowers – all the pillars were wrapped in chitenge or had balloons strapped on with ribbon, the curls gently dancing about in under the aircon. The banner was hung, information display up on the wall and the website page was hiding behind the beautifully perfect curtains.
Bright and early we were all back in the room – some fiddling with bits and pieces, some just standing. Then it was noticed that the banner had an error! Not huge, but these things matter so the signwriters were emergency bleeped and as the first guests of honour rolled in, two chaps were hastily changing the lettering – only to do it wrong! The dancing troupe distracted everyone from the on-going spelling drama by flinging themselves about. Allowances were surreptitiously handed out to the more important bods and a free t-shirt ostentatiously distributed to everyone else.
And then we were on….His Honourable Somebodyorother the Health Minister swept in with his entourage all of sudden, cut the ribbon over the documents and was ushered along the display and up to the top table. After 4 welcome speeches each one introducing someone more important, we finally got to the unveiling – the curtains were pushed aside and tah-dah….the website was launched! Some more dancing and a bit of am-dram, a quick prayer and then it was all over and off he went!
It seemed such a shame after all that work the night before to take it all down so soon but that’s what we did – 10 minutes flat. Pretty much everything was snaffled – left over t-shirts, balloons, ribbon, even the drawing pins! Amazing. Back at the office we had another meeting – a post-mortem of events. A bit of feedback never goes a miss I thought and put my two-penny worth in – only then did I realise that it wasn’t really about that - the meeting was only held so we could claim free lunch.
But you know I enjoyed it all despite the time wasting claptrap, it really felt like teamwork and its nice to know that it can happen here, just needs cultivating a bit more. I also love the fact that this whole event was based on documents that have been ready since last June and website isn’t actually available yet! So, was the timing late or premature? Neither really, it was Malawi perfect…
So, smiles all round as the ribbon is cut
and then it was all over!
Within 2 hours though we’d organised the plants from the City Assembly, a flower arrangement, found balloons and ribbons to match the Council’s ceremonious chitenge material and bought some curtains to put up to use for the ‘unveiling of the webpage’. In fact buying the curtains wasn’t that easy! We sauntered into the material shop at about quarter to four (‘Come on, I was thinking to myself, we’ve got to get a move on….’ but FellowDecorator was in no rush it seems) Having fingered various bolts of cloth we found one we liked and told the very nice IndianLady what we needed, so she measured it all up and asked when we’d like it for. ‘Well, now’ said FellowDecorator, ‘We need it for tomorrow morning – is it possible?’ IndianLady’s eyes nearly popped out her head, ‘Ummm, no, it is not possible, I’m velly sorry’ she said, a little head waggle to re-iterate the point. ‘You really need to come earlier for this sort of thing’. (You’re not kidding, I said to myself!) ‘Well, there is something maybe I can do, come with me…’ she said, flipping her sari scarf over one shoulder. ‘Is this the kind of thing you might be needing?’ she asked, holding up a perfect pair of net curtains. ‘Are you sure? Isn’t that somebody’s order?’ I enquire. ‘No, no, no, well, yes it is but she won’t know, its ok, you have these, I’ll make more in the morning for her’. Marvellous! Now, can we trouble you for some curtain wire, hooks and tie backs?
We arrived at the hotel not long after to meet up with more of the decorating group. Several members were umming and ahhing over whether to put the table this way, or that way – or maybe lets try it like this – actually no, lets put it back here and try it like this. Good Lord! I wasn’t having much more of that kind of nonsense so with shoes off I whipped out the bag of tricks and got stuck in – lead by example seems to be the best method otherwise you can wait around all day, or night! A good couple of hours later the table, back in its original position, was decked out with the council cloth and the flowers – all the pillars were wrapped in chitenge or had balloons strapped on with ribbon, the curls gently dancing about in under the aircon. The banner was hung, information display up on the wall and the website page was hiding behind the beautifully perfect curtains.
Bright and early we were all back in the room – some fiddling with bits and pieces, some just standing. Then it was noticed that the banner had an error! Not huge, but these things matter so the signwriters were emergency bleeped and as the first guests of honour rolled in, two chaps were hastily changing the lettering – only to do it wrong! The dancing troupe distracted everyone from the on-going spelling drama by flinging themselves about. Allowances were surreptitiously handed out to the more important bods and a free t-shirt ostentatiously distributed to everyone else.
And then we were on….His Honourable Somebodyorother the Health Minister swept in with his entourage all of sudden, cut the ribbon over the documents and was ushered along the display and up to the top table. After 4 welcome speeches each one introducing someone more important, we finally got to the unveiling – the curtains were pushed aside and tah-dah….the website was launched! Some more dancing and a bit of am-dram, a quick prayer and then it was all over and off he went!
It seemed such a shame after all that work the night before to take it all down so soon but that’s what we did – 10 minutes flat. Pretty much everything was snaffled – left over t-shirts, balloons, ribbon, even the drawing pins! Amazing. Back at the office we had another meeting – a post-mortem of events. A bit of feedback never goes a miss I thought and put my two-penny worth in – only then did I realise that it wasn’t really about that - the meeting was only held so we could claim free lunch.
But you know I enjoyed it all despite the time wasting claptrap, it really felt like teamwork and its nice to know that it can happen here, just needs cultivating a bit more. I also love the fact that this whole event was based on documents that have been ready since last June and website isn’t actually available yet! So, was the timing late or premature? Neither really, it was Malawi perfect…
Florence Nightingale and the greeting party!
The offending banner - it was meant to read 'nursing and midwifery services' not midwives services...
...so, as the guests filed in, the signwriters fished out their little pots of paint...but wait, how are we spelling midwifery these days?
Its all ready, just in time!
So, smiles all round as the ribbon is cut and the curtains are drawn back
Then the ladies danced...
While the hangers on watched (or just looked shifty!)
and then it was all over!
1 comment:
Aahh Miss Clara, you look like a proper Malawian nurse with the little head thingy (whaddaya call them?!)!! :)
Post a Comment