17th May 2024

 Many years ago I hosted language students from countries all round the world.  I became a mother duck with some of the young ones worrying about them being out late at night.  But it was Andrew (from the High Rise blog) that invoked a sharp memory when he was talking about transport in his city.

This tale is about the Brazilians, who, and I can never understand this, came in the cold months of January from the hot temperature of their own country.  

I had just picked up my next person, a Brazilian policeman, with his unexpected luggage - his girlfriend, from the rail station in the evening.  They had wanted to find a guest house for her but I said no, not driving round Bath all night they could use the attic bedroom which had a futon.  This room much prized by my children, housed anyone spare at the time.

We had stopped at a red traffic light, my policemen said rather incredulously, do people stop for the red light here.  I assured him we did and that if we did not and caused an accident we would end up in prison.

We got home, panic set in, he could not unlock his suitcase, daft idiot had  thrown his keys into the suitcase and then locked it.  With all his money and documentation in it. We had a basement with plenty of tools so he ended up down there furiously sawing at the padlock.  He emerged triumphantly later. But this was not the end of it, the next day the school were taking some of the students to a pub.  Off they went, but he came back later full of woe, someone had nicked his belt bag off the table where he had so carelessly thrown it, again with all his important stuff.  This is a policeman we are talking about.

But this is England and next morning a call from the school, said that a small girl with her mum, walking along a country lane had found the bag and could we go and collect.  So girlfriend and  not forgetting in his push chair Tom walked down to town and collected it from the insurance offices where the mum worked.  Life was peaceful after that.  They were a sweet couple ;)

The other Brazilian drama was a pretty blonde Brazilian girl, her father was a 'chief' of the Fifa lot. She arrived through the front door supported by her friend.  Immediately burst into tears as she stepped over the threshold, and comforting her I said I would make some tea, at which point the phone rang.  It was her mother who obviously knew what was going to happen and she quieted down.  Next weekend she was out partying up in London - and her mother had other things to worry about!

This reminds me that there was no mobile phones at the time, and our house phone was forever ringing with relatives for the students.  Many of the students wanted to stay on over their allotted time, and we let them, giggly Japanese girls, Swiss engineer, and one poor chap who had been sent to boarding school in England for most of his life and was obviously not wanted back  home.