I went to OSC again today. Or OCS, depending on whether you go by the new name of the school or the old. OSC=Overeseas School of Columbo. OCS=Overseas Children’s School. I don’t know which one is the current one and which one is the old one. I suppose all I have to do is look at the sign whence I’m there. That would be the intelligent thing to do, eh?
Barbara from Holland has been in Colombo the last couple of months taking care of her grandchildren while her daughter-in-law was overseas taking care of business. Barbara flies home tomorrow. Her grandchildren go to another school, but they go to OSC twice a week for dutch lessons, and Barbara goes with the youngest. When Michelle gets back, she’ll be doing the same thing.
Had I known sooner, I would have either arranged to meet Barbara, or Michelle, as the case may be, at the school, or arranged for them to visit with me in my home. I’m all of a five minute walk away, and it would have been a whole lot more fun for Barbara or Michelle than sitting alone in the cafeteria picking their collective noses. And I’d get to know them better, too, so we’d all benefit. Ah well. Too late for Barbara, but not too late for Michelle, who I’ll have to talk to when she comes back.
Anyway, this being Barbara’s last day at the school, Marlene suggested I come to the school and say my goodbyes. I’ve really enjoyed having Barbara here – she’s the same Barbara as taught the fabric painting class for Homemaking – but she assures me she’ll be back. Excellent!
Meanwhile, I took pictures of her and her grandchildren, of course, and need to email them to yon grandchildren.
After they left, Marlene took me up to her classroom. There were some paintings on the wall that I thought were rather attractive and pleasing to the eye. Translation – I liked them. Immensely. Okay, I like bright colors anyway. This is an established fact in the life of Laurie. I like bold. I liked these. So I took pictures.
When I asked Marlene about them, she told me that Victor, her colleague, had purchased them from the students who painted them. Students from OSC, grades 2 and up. Oh. Cool. They show talent.
Granted, I know nothing about art. I know nothing about recognizing talent, I know nothing about form and function and brush strokes and all the rest of it. I’m basing it purely on whether or not it speaks to me – that’s it. Going by that criteria, these kids have talent.
