I had a conversation with about 12 kids today. About 8 of them did the talking, all at the same time. lol Middle school kids- mostly boys. Talkative boys, and the girls who just stood in the sidelines, watching the boys make a spectacle of themselves, one talking over the other. Oh, and I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, but Indian kids in groups… talk loud!
It was a whirlwind conversation as it only lasted about 4 minutes, but they were in chatting with the Head of Ed and were curious about this stranger working in the office, and so the Head of Ed introduced me to them.
I wouldn’t be able to call them by name if I saw them again, but what I remember fondly is the fact that they were very eager to talk and tell me what they know about Canada. One boy said “Punjabi’s drive taxis”. 🙂  Another mentioned the historical museum that recently opened in downtown Toronto.
There was one boy in particular, who, during the course of introductions was still chatting with the Head of Ed, so by the time he joined the rest of the group they were introducing themselves by name. He immediately took over the introductions and began to introduce and reintroduce everyone, enthusiastically and comically.
I immediately coined him the joker of the group-to which everyone laughed and agreed.
Jokers always were and always will be. Although I barely know him, he’d already left an impression on me. I’d love to see him 5 or 10 years from now. I’d bet he’d still be as much of a joker as he was in the office today.
Every group of friends needs to have a ‘joker’. It’s what makes friendship lively in the highest and lowest of times. I have a friend who I’ve known since he was born- as I’m a few years older than him ;), and he’s hilarious. He remembers every story about the large lot of us who grew up together, with such incredible detail! He can quote people word for word, tell you what you were wearing, and how the drama all started and ended and what our parents said when we got in trouble…lol And it’s this level of detail that makes him all the more funny as he remembers things we all had forgotten and he speaks the “best” patois with lingo!
Andrew B #1, thanks for being you! Your stories make our growing up so “historical” by your funny storytelling episodes. My interaction with these youths made me think about why variety is needed in friendships. When you interact with kids those experiences can tell you a lot about your life. lol
foreigner forever 