The Story So Far ...

We said farewell to our work friends at the RSPCA and BBC on 14 September, farewell to our families on 3 October, and set off for Africa to save cheetahs, decorate school buildings, and look around a bit. After a trip home for Christmas, we headed for South East Asia on 6 January -- where we were stunned by Qatar and Cambodia, taught novice monks in Laos, and acted as security guards at an Elephant Festival. It was back home for four weeks to look after John's dad, before we tangoed our way through five South American countries in fifteen days. We then snooped our way through New Zealand, dipped our toes into Fiji, drove-thru California and were home from home with family in Vancouver.

Now, we are home itself. Fulfilled, happy, and ready to earn the respect of our friends and family by knuckling down and earning some money once again ...

Monday, 21 February 2011

Too Many T-Shirts

Let's see if we have your size, sir. 

There were too many t-shirts.  Red, turquoise, green, pink (lots and lots of pink), navy, black.  Small, medium, large, extra large.  Different logos, different styles.  My task at the ElephantAsia Stall was to get them organised for sale.  I mulled it over for a bit.  Display one of each, I thought, and have all the rest in boxes by colour for people to rummage in.  Sorted.

Then the two American volunteers got involved.  "Let's meet!" they cried.  They grasped my hand for a "unity moment", before declaring where they were going with this. "I'm thinking ..." murmered Gina, "we could have a viewing area here, soften that ugly corner with that banner, stack boxes verticle below eye level, sorted individually in rows by size, style and colour, under a table, perhaps -- can we get some more tables? -- or maybe... "  They were going quite a long way with this, it seemed.  I scolded myself for my lack of vision.

An hour after we'd opened for Lao business, shirts were scattered to the dusty winds, boxes thoroughly rummaged.  But they were selling fast, and I had learnt another Lao lesson.  When shifting T-shirts at a stall in South East Asia, a lack of vision can be a good thing.

John

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