House Under Construction

Behind my house in Portugal there is a train line, in which to save time, walking the shortest route would be following the tracks. Me and my friend Fabio would usually walk on the tracks and then cut across an empty lot. One day construction started on the lot we normally used. Diggers opened up this big hole for the foundations and fenced all around it. Lucky for us we still had a narrow path that we could still use to cut from the railway line to the street.
Few months went by, and the construction was almost done. They started to take away the fence around the newly built house. But there was still a gap between the house and the hole they dug for the foundations.
One fine sunny afternoon, after it had rained the night before we were on our way to school, but something had changed... They had filled up the gap. They must have filled it with stones and then finished it up with sand. It looked perfect. Everything was dry. I decided to test it, and without any hesitation, I just put both feet on it. It wasn't a jump, just a tiny leap (of faith). To my surprise, within a split second, I was looking at my friends knees, stuck in mud until half my chest.
I don't remember much of my friend's reaction except for me thinking I'm in sinking sand and shouting for him to pull me out. After that, came the laughter and the walk of shame all the way home, so I could have a change of clothes.

Francisco Sa Carneiro

Whilst studying at Padrao da Legua, Portugal, one sunny day, during break between classes, there was a prune tree giving fruit. Young and stupid I decided to pick at, the not yet ripe, fruit so that I could throw them around at people. Getting caught by the school janitor was the only possible outcome as he normally did his rounds there.
I remember the janitor calling me telling me that I was to be taken to the Headmaster's office. He didn't know me well by then, otherwise he would have known I would try and talk myself out of anything.
I basically told him I needed desperately to go to class as I had an important test. He then proceeded to demand my name and class number. Obviously I made up the class number and to make things more interesting I gave him a false, but famous name. Gave him Francisco Sa Carneiro. In short a famous politician that died in a plane crash in the early 80's, surrounded by doubt and conspiracy theories to this date.

It's just comical how the janitor fell for it with the most serious of beliefs. My expression of repent and trust worthy face might have helped. I recall having to hide from him in the passing weeks until he finally gave up :)

Missing from school

I think I was around 8 or 9 years old at the time, studying in South Africa. It was a big Primary school with infinite places to hide. The school only had classes in the morning and some Parents would pick their children around lunch time, in that time the 3 main exits would open so that they could leave the school. For the students that could only get picked up after working hours, they would remain in school for "after-care" in which only a hand full of Teachers would remain watching over the remaining students. Everyone was confined to the back part of the school with the big soccer field and jungle gyms. My Mother would pick me up everyday around 4.30pm.

A certain day I decided to "escape" during lunch time to a friend's (Andrew)* house which was next door to the school. I remember playing in his room for hours on end with his legos. His Mom would ask me from time to time: -"Does your Mom know that you are here?" My answer would always be: " Yes she does, she said she would be late today, so I asked if I could stay here until she picks me up, around 8ish".

When I finally was woken up from my Lego fascination it was around 8pm. I told Andrew's Mom that I would have to go back to school as my Mother would be there already. As I returned towards one of the gates I found it extremely odd that there was so many Police officers with Dogs barking and sniffing me. The memories are a bit fuzzy but all I remember is finding my Mother crying in my Dad's arms as they directed me towards them, and then my Mother hugging me, crying. After that I don't remember.

Basically my parents had been called almost from lunch time, for when the "after-care" did the head count, and I was nowhere to be seen.


* Andrew - in 2004 I revisited South Africa and found out that Andrew had comitted suicide at some point in his life. R.I.P.

Introduction

Hi All (friends and unknowns),

I've decided to start posting my life's memories in a blog. Not so much to humour friends, but to have a memoir of events in my life that I found "comical and not so comical".

Each time I have reunions with friends, we always have a laugh about crazy stuff that I did, or that happened to me so I'll try my best to post events that feel is worth mentioning, or that I can remember from time to time.