Olympic Countdown

The Olympic campaign is in full swing, it seems. Last week I was summoned to a sports day at the Ranau Sports Ground by the British Council - the very amiable head of B.C. Malaysia was due to be in attendance, and "would very much like to meet any mentors living in the area." I ignored the implication that them in Kuala Lumpur head office had no idea who was living in Ranau and apparently had no records of our names that they could check, and dutifully cleared my diary. On arrival I was shown to the teachers' section, my guide explaining that "Gavin's up in the VIP area, but I'm sure he'll pop out to see you." Well. I'm not used to not being the VIP in the area, but I was quite pleased to be able to quietly sit with the teachers from one of the schools taking part. Soon the VIPs came out to take their seats - typically, these were comfortable cane chairs with cushions, arranged in a line on a tiled area, before a table carrying water and snacks, in contrast to the concrete steps the rest of us were making do on. Not that I'm in any way jealous, mind you. By this stage the band had started up, and the five selected schools were making their way onto the field, each one representing a continent.

Sorry, I should have said "making their way onto the best sports field in the world." Look at that view! 

The VIPs set off a hundred balloons, taking with them a sign to celebrate the occasion - as it disappeared into the sky, I wondered about the villagers who would wake up the next day to find this incomprehensible piece of fabric tangled up in their rambutan trees.

The obligatory run with the torch came next, with students from each school relaying the homemade torch to each other, then continuing on together - surprisingly touching!

Finally came the obligatory dancing girls - which I have no objection to at all. Every time I watch this particular dance - the Bamboo Pole Dance, apparently, with no sense of irony - it amazes me that nobody loses a leg. The four girls sitting on the ground slam together bamboo poles in time to a drumbeat. Two girls then skip easily through the poles, lifting narrow ankles just clear of the sticks-of-death, smiling prettily all the while.

I'm always a little relieved when the end comes and the poles are lifted up for applause from the audience.

And then the VIPs all disappeared inside for makan-makan - the popular Malaysian pastime of eating. We were spotted by a BC official who recognised us from a previous mentor gathering, and ushered into the VIP area, where we chatted to our big boss, ate banana rice from leaves, and vaguely watched the sports events from behind a glass window. This seems to be the usual state of affairs; officials attend an opening, then leave the actual event to the participants and a scattering of spectators. The officials today were lovely and friendly to us - the Minister of Education for Sabah thanked Fiona and I for all our hard work, the MP for the district wanted to hear what we were up to - but nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to the day's main stars - the children out on the field, practising their newly-attained skills in javelin throwing and 100m sprints.