Some Few Minutes

December and January have been busy times at the Mustard Seed.  As everywhere, most folks leave things to the last minute.  We have had numerous last minute requests for support, as well as have been finalizing the school funding applications for others.  In between it has been collecting report cards where girls have no guardians, and that is where ‘some few minutes’ has relavence.

In mid-December one of the board members and I traveled to pick up a report card on the precribed date.  I though we would arrive late and miss the initial rush, but when we arrived a meeting was in progress.  Concerned parents are active in this school, and before the release of the student reports, a parent school meeting was in progress, in Sesotho.  Before entering the meeting I inquired, "Would it be long?"  I was assured the meeting had been running for some time and it would be just ‘some few minutes’ and it would conclude. 

The board member and I entered, and sat down.  The meeting was being conducted in Sesotho, so I understood very little of what was being said, but I did realize that among these parents were ones keenly interested in the schooling of their children.  Questions from the floor were often preceded by a five to ten minute preamble.  ‘Some few minutes’ stretched to thirty and then forty five, and after an hour I excused myself and attended to some other matters I could do.  A further thirty minutes later the meeting finally came to an end and reports were available for pick up.

Without a staff member this year I am working with one of the board members finalizing what we can get done before the school funding application deadline.  We run into barriers and frustrations, sometimes seemingly without rational, and lots of waiting.  I need to remember to take a book to read during the waits and to learn from my colleague who never seems to be rushed or bothered by the waits.  It just is something that has to be done, just some further few minutes.

~ Benno ~