Hallmark Moment

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on here before, but this year at school we have the unusual situation of having a white girl as a student. She’s a new Grade 11, and was immediately visible to students and teachers on the first day of school this year. She’s in one of my computers classes, and her name is Naomi. Both of her parents are Belgian, but she’s lived in PNG (in Bougainville) most of her life. Her parents are living there now, and on home weekends she stays with a Bougainvillean family. I wasn’t sure at first how she’d fit in, but she’s settled in so well it’s like no one even notices her skin colour anymore – and although people don’t fuss over her, she is cared for by the girls really well. It’s lovely, actually.

This weekend was a ‘home-line weekend’, meaning all the students, day and boarders, go home (that happens every fortnight). I was on duty on Friday, trying to figure out the bus routines – 600 girls all trying to get home ASAP, with only 3 buses – a nightmare, let me tell you! A car pulled up, and a white lady with a funny accent stepped out asking for Naomi. I figured immediately that it must be her mum, as did the rest of the school (all sitting down waiting in their bus lines), so I set about trying to find her. I walked up to the buses, but she wasn’t there, and I walked back down again just in time to see her come out of the library and walk towards the office/assembly area. Her mum was on the raised platform, just above where the girls were sitting, when she saw Naomi and just walked straight towards her and engulfed her in the most enormous hug, a huge smile on both their faces.

The whole school just let out a collective ‘awwww’, then quickly stopped so as not to embarrass them – but it was one of the nicest things I’ve ever seen – both the joy in the mum and daughter themselves, and the empathy of the girls around them. I had to walk into the staffroom so they wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who was touched in that way.

And next week, that lucky girl will be me…

Can’t wait to see you, mum!