A night of Drama!

Tuesday 9^th Sept. 2008

You know how things seem to happen in threes? Well last night after classes everyone left quickly and Mr Gam the caretaker reminded us to turn off the lights in the stairwells, as I went up with Mark to his room for a chat and a drink before returning to my hotel.

Except that when we descended the 85 steps to the front door so that Mark could let me out and lock up again, we discovered the padlock securing the door had been locked from the outside and couldn’t be reached without smashing the glass! It was then we realised that we should have said something to Mr Gam about leaving it till I’d left for the night.

The security of buildings is very strange here. The building which houses the school also accommodates a primary or nursery school and there is a stairwell at each end. The children have the ground and first floors, our stairwell being separated by gates in the corridors on those levels so that we hear all their noise during the day. However, by the time they’ve gone home, KTV is opening up for evening classes. After that, the division becomes more vague right up to the top, where there is a very grand room; maybe their Directors Boardroom, and food is prepared in their kitchen opposite Mark’s room. They have exclusive use of the elevator, presumably for the Directors and to take meals down to the ground floor. The second and third floors are used by KTV; the Teachers’ room, Office, Library and Reception being padlocked out of school time and the outer gate also padlocked when no-one is in school.

However, when we went into the other side to find a way out, I was surprised to find an open entrance hall with no front door, but only an outer gate, which was padlocked. Mark tried to find the caretaker without success, but eventually managed to climb over a wall and let himself into ‘our’ side with his keys, so as to let me out... if you can follow that!

It was now after 10pm as I sloshed my way home through the rain, only to be met by a young man from the hotel, on his bicycle and holding an umbrella, who stopped me saying, “telephone school... Mister Michael!” I hurried the last few yards to the hotel but as no-one here speaks English I could only use my cell phone to contact Mark as I didn’t have Michael’s number. I knocked on Michael’s door on the way up to my room but there was no response. I got out of my sodden clothes while phoning Mark for news but he couldn’t contact him. Then hearing noises in the corridor outside, I opened the door to find Michael standing there in bewilderment, saying “I don’t believe it! My laptop’s been stolen!” as the hotel owner and staff clustered around his door, all babbling away incomprehensively. How they knew about it before Michael even got back to his room is another mystery!

Mark was here right away and we convened in Michaels’s room to give him support. Mr Thom and Ms Khan, our support at KTV, were immediately contacted. According to the hotel staff, a stranger had come into the hotel (how he came in without being noticed is a mystery) apparently picked the lock to Michael’s room and walked out with the laptop before being spotted, but not stopped! He also lost a large amount of money that he was planning to send home to his family, that he’d left with the laptop. OK, that was a foolish thing to do! One can’t be so trusting, especially in a hotel where we hand in our room key every time we leave.

Naturally, he was devastated! As a young American, his laptop is his contact with home and especially his family, who he talks to regularly. I know how I’d feel if it happened to me... the gods forbid! How he slept I don’t know, but today he had classes most of the day at the local High School and had to be there by 7am.

Oh yes, the third thing! As I left KTV that night in the pouring rain, we spotted a large frog trapped in the lobby and you’ll be relieved to know that it was persuaded to return outside, where there is an ornamental fishpond. If only all problems could be so easily resolved!

Wednesday 10^th Sept 2008

Postscript to Michaels’s laptop. It appears that the hotel management are not keen to involve the Police, but with Ms Khan’s negotiating skills agreed to reimburse the cost of replacing his laptop. However, they pointed out that the Hotel Regulations clearly state:

‘Valuables and money...

You’d better take care of your money, documents, maferial. For preventing loss or stolen, valuable and cash can be left in hotel care. Our hotel provides free of charge service.’

Ms Khan was quick to point out the ambiguity of this statement and as far as Michael is concerned, if he locks his door and hands his key to someone in Reception, his possessions are in the care of the hotel. I’m a bit more cautious and lock my valuables in a cupboard, keeping the key on me. However, this might not be enough to ensure their safety, which gives me the option of taking my laptop with me wherever I go; not always convenient as it’s quite heavy with all the leads. I often do take it to school in my bag on wheels and leave it in Mark’s room if I want to use it there, but then I have to drag it back again. Ideally I’d like a much smaller Notebook that doesn’t weigh so much.

My daughters would ask; “Why travel with a laptop anyway?” They have no idea! On my laptop I can chat to Diane and others on ‘messenger,’ send letters by email and when my credit is accepted on Skype, be able to phone anyone at home very cheaply. It stores all my photos; otherwise my camera would be too full to operate. It contains my favourite music, and most importantly, enables me to write my personal journal and publish my Blog, as well as preparing lessons, which can be printed out for my students. You may not realise how much my life is enhanced because of the internet. It really is a magic window on the world, wherever I happen to be.

My thanks to Mr Gates and all the geeks who somehow invented this modern miracle of communication! I just watched a film on TV about the history of Microsoft and Apple Mackintosh; very interesting. There were numerous people involved in the process of inventing the computer but it took the genius of a very few to see its true potential and have the nerve to put the parts together in a marketable package.

Their motto was, or is; ‘Great artists don’t borrow, they steal.’

Isn’t that a thought? I’ll have to think about that one! What do you think about stealing? Where does trust come in? I may write more on that.

Any comments welcome! I'd love to hear from anyone who may be following my ramblings.