Well ok I know it's a bit late but it's been a BUSY week or so. Last week was the Dutch Queen's birthday (cheers Trixie!), an occasion which is celebrated in exuberant style across the Netherlands and with even more fervent devotion by Dutch ex-pat communities around the globe. Here in Singapore there is quite a substantial Cloggie Community and they love nothing more than to dress up in orange and have fun with their national celebrations.
At the Hollandse School the kids all wear orange and gather in the gym together with Mums and Dads and any stray relatives who may be visiting to hoist the Singaporean and Dutch flags, sing the national anthems, and listen to the Dutch Ambassador make a short speech. A long standing tradition is for the Ambassador to present the school with some large cakes which are divided among the classes later on.
This year the festivities included games for the various Groups organised in classrooms and supervised by Mums. There seems to be an endless capactiy for the school to organise jobs for parents here so there's always plenty of volunteers needed. I was in charge of 'koekjeshappen' which in the absense of Deventer Koek was 
replaced by marshmallows (basically the kids have to try and bite a marshmallow off a string without using their hands).
replaced by marshmallows (basically the kids have to try and bite a marshmallow off a string without using their hands). The combination of excitement and sugar had an interesting effect on the bunch of 7 year olds I was supervising and I can only say I'm pleased I got to leave at midday!
It's always a fun day though and one the kids really get into. At least they'll know what it's all about when we return to Holland.
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