SYMPHONY IN MOTION

At around seven forty five this blogger was standing on the front steps with cigarillo and coffee, because while a certain person with whom he shares the apartment has not yet left for work, one shall not smoke indoors, watching a young person running down the street.

Who accidentally dropped a folded sheet of paper.

I also noticed a raggedy individual negotiating with a pigeon, but paid it no mind; that's normal. Properly dressed trotting people aren't.

When she had passed beyond sight I started wondering about something. And realized I should have hollered at her. "Wei, siu jeh, sat jo sau laa", or "Miss, you dropped sumpin' ". Or even "ooh arg, ya lost yer sheets!"
What if it was important? That pigeon disputant might see it.
A doctor's appointment? Bank statement?
Valuable information?

After a minute or so I went over to pick it up.


Gallileo HS Student Schedule

Student information: 趙小姐 ('Miss Chew'; shan't give her first name, because it's nobody else's business).
Student No.: xxx. Grade: 9.


During first period, she has "home room", last class of the day is art-related. Algebra and Biology are in-between.


I find this strangely fascinating. When I was fifteen I too had Algebra and Biology, but "home room" is a brand new concept.

From Wikipedia: "In the Netherlands, the students are put in a group which more or less stays the same during their high school career. Those groups are sorted in levels, depending on a test children take at the end of primary school and their teachers' advice. Those levels determine how long you stay in high school and what kind of school you can attend after high school. Usually, the only reason to switch groups is when you go up a level or drop a level at the end of a year, based on your grades and performance. So students always take all classes with exactly the same group, have lunch breaks at the same time etcetera."

"Each group is assigned a mentor, which is a teacher who teaches a certain subject to multiple groups of all levels. In the meantime, those mentors are responsible for their students well-being, grades and performances, the group dynamics and more. They also are there to advice students regarding choices they have to make like what school to go to next or what career to pick, help them with personal issues and most of them plan a few fun activities or trips during the schoolyear. All of this has to happen during the mentor's own class. 
There is no homeroom. Some schools however schedule a mentor class once a week or once a month, and most mentors make room to talk to each student once or twice in private before or after school."
End cite.

An over-view of that entire Wikipedia article makes clear that it's basically gang-related and planning. Or some such. Preparation for a life of office drudgery. Or a stint in the Navy.

I fervently hope that little Miss Chew does well in Algebra, because she'll find a career as a Mathematician far more rewarding.
Or Biology. Lab research.

No, I cannot assay her chances as an Olympic runner. I was just amazed that she could run for over a block and a half with absolutely no signs of exhaustion or creeping old-age. I could not do that; I'm jealous.

Art-related stuff is important too. Develops the mind.

I don't think Dutch High Schools had "mentors" in my day, as per that Wikipedia article's information. The only docent whose name I actually remember is Fritz Staals, who taught French. He was good.
But he had some lousy students.

I still don't parlay la langue de la belle France worth merde.



AFTERTHOUGHT

The reason why she was running on the opposite side of the street is NOT because she was avoiding the smoker (me), but because that is the side where the bus stops on Van Ness Avenue. She probably is a non-smoker, because she cannot buy her first pipe and tin of tobacco in California until she reaches twenty one.

Or goes on the internet and purchases both from out of state.
Using her mom's credit card, with permission.


NOTES

Sat sau (失手): Accidentally drop, Sat jo sau (失咗手): To have accidentally dropped, unintentionally lost something.
Jo (咗) marks a completed action.




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