Sunday 14 December 2008

Birds of a Feather

Yesterday morning as I hopped off the train at the main terminus, I was greeted by an unusual sight. Well, I should say I heard something unusual before I saw it. On the main concourse was a group of about 50 women chattering away, like a group of migrating starlings. I started to play the guessing game; Greek, Russian Orthodox, Serbian? I overheard a language I couldn’t translate, as the musical chatter ebbed and flowed.
Most of them were dressed in black, some were elderly, some were wearing headscarves over their grey hair, some looked like trendy grand-daughters wearing black leggings and sporting ipods and earphones.

What was unusual? Well, not one of them could have boasted of being 5’ tall. In fact they were all the same height – though I noticed some of the iPod babes were wearing heels.

I have heard the average height of a Kiwi lady is 5’5”, so I already have 4 inches on the average, but I felt like a giant next to this crowd. I quipped with one of the young women “This looks quite an outing, which train are you taking?” She replied that they were all family and going on a picnic to a local beauty spot.

FAMILY!!!!?

I guess Christmas in that community will be quite an event.

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