School trips were never like this

Last night turned out to be one of those nights where you think "oh god do I have to go" and then afterwards you're really glad you did.

It was a filthy night and I was glad to get indoors after work only to find that Jodie had a meeting to go to at school about a proposed school trip, she seemed to have forgotten about it so we decided not to remind her and find out about it tomorrow from someone who had been.

About half an hour before it started she got a bloody text message from a friend asking if she was going, I was nominated to take her.

After the disaster of my last visit to school I wasn't looking forward to it but got changed again and out into the wind and rain we ventured.

The school trip is being planned for the summer of 2008 - and they are taking the kids to South Africa.

And it cost £3000.

Each.

We entered the school hall to find a lot of other parents reading the brochure and silently mouthing the words "fuck me" when they reached the bit that said "£3000" but we all staye din the hall anyway (the headmaster was blocking the exit) and sat and watched the presentation from a nice man from a group called "World Challenge"

It was an eye opener, one of those moments when you're glad you made the effort.

The reason that they are planning this now is because the kids who agree to go will commit themselves to eighteen months of studying and fund raising to get there and the brilliant news is that as parents we aren't expected to fund the trip - the kids are.

Yes ok, we'll guarantee the money, and we'll pay in a roundabout way with having the car washed every day for £50, but it will be eighteen months of hilarity watching Jodie trying to think of more inventive ways to screw money out of me.

When they finally leave to go on the trip they will have four weeks of treking and community work in Kwazulu Natal and Swaziland and the organisers promise that they won't lose any kids, will do a head count every few days or so, and will challenge our kids to heights that they've never dreamed of - it sounds fekkin fantastic - especially when the leader explained that the trekking has no itinery and that the kids will organise and research each activity themselves, the leaders are there to follow and make sure they aren't in any danger from lions and stuff - the guy last night explained how one year he had followed a band of 16 year olds on a trek to a mountain range, three days they had walked in exactly the oposite direction to that which they should have been walking but he didn't correct them, when they realised their mistake they just did some different activity in the place that they had found themselves - sounds like my kind of easy come easy go expedition does that.

Jodie thinks so too, she's got five days to think it through and commit herself to eighteen months of hard work and study but I personally hope she does it, Suzanne has lots of mothers doubts, but we'll just over-ride her in the family vote.


Its a far cry from my school trips in the 1960's, and there we will leave the subject until tomorrow...