396. Sinking and surviving

 When I set up camp again at the back of the exam room I think of Baby and how this is my last batch of school exams and that freedom awaits. I am in a tiny room this year and this is more relaxing and at the same time more boring. Very little to do. Pacing up the room is done in 12 steps and back again to the front. 119 bags at the back of the room, 19 papers to hand out, 19 wrists to check for connected watches ... I am wondering as I ask them 'sorry could you lift your sleeve up please' what the next step will be ... and what are we going to do when they have a chip under their skin and waves getting direct to the brain. I look around and feel a little sorry for them, hopeful dreamers. They set up camp too, a vast array of colourful fluorescent markers, pens and pencils and erasers and rulers, bottles of water (it's been pouring for weeks out there, why would they want to have water at the ready beats me), plastic ones, metal ones, fancy ones, all sorts of biscuits and snacks too (one girl even has a bag from the boulangerie next door!) and even medicine!!!! Some kids even have two types of medicine in the desk, Paracetamol tablets and some other threatening red tablets. I am horrified. Can this generation not sit an exam without getting the a headache?

I have had enough of pacing up and down, I read for a bit and draw for a bit but I am at the back of the room and drawing the back of their heads gets boring very quickly and I wave to the teacher in the corridor and go downstairs for a cup of coffee.

The coffee is disgusting and cold, there is only one type of biscuits and I don't like them. I wish I had brought my own coffee and my own cake. I sit down on the windowsill. In front of me, her back turned to me, member of staff is on the Auchan website doing some shopping. I sigh inwardly thinking we're on the Titanic and we are very close to hitting that iceberg. A teacher comes in and makes joke about the shopping online.

'I'm not doing my shopping! I'm shopping for the ned of year ball.'

She grins from ear to ear.

'I'm trying to find original ideas for alcohol-free cocktails.'

She sounds as this is the best day of her life. She is scrolling down a page of large pictures of fancy cocktails. 

'I've just found out that there is alcohol-free gin.'

'Yes, and it is very good.' The colleague says, getting all technical about how they managed to capture the test and leave out the alcohol, I think it is time for me to head for the lifeboat and head back up to my classroom. Non-alcoholic gin!!! I'm going to have nightmares about that!