Something very special happened on Saturday morning.
To be honest it hasn’t been an easy couple of weeks at KOTO. Securing the new restaurant has taken so much longer than we thought. A couple of key and much-loved staff have just left. And as ever we worry about money – we want the new KOTO to be so special, but what can we really hope for when funds are tight? Morale isn’t low – but it’s a little dented.
But then, like I said, something very special happened.
In truth we’re so close to announcing the new KOTO. We’ve been negotiating for months now. I’ve been inside the place. Making the space into something useable is a huge job. But what a space it is. It’s a great location too.
But it needs so much work. So much money spent on it. Can we do it? If we don’t then the alternative is simply too horrific to contemplate. Can we really make it all happen on the limited budget we have?
On Saturday morning, despite not all the loose ends being tied up, we were allowed into the building. We wanted to start the cleaning up – all the while keeping our fingers crossed that no contractual hitches would render our hard work a waste of time.
We took volunteers from the kids and staff. Would they be willing to give up their time? Could they be trusted to work sensibly in such a potentially hazardous environment? Could white skinned, lardy volunteers (such as I) work in the heat?
It was yeses all round. And yes it was special.
The kids, largely shielded from the fears of the management, saw the place for the full time. They saw the size of our task. And still they were excited.
We had decided to clear up the areas we had hoped to use for offices. It was filthy. It was wet. There were nasty looking bugs.
Staightaway the kids just pitched in. Sleeves rolled up. Working in muck. Working hard with smiles on their faces. We cleared, we scrubbed, we sluiced, we disinfected.
It was a beautiful thing to behold. The kids were having a ball. We had a fruit and water break and we sang (the only songs we all know are Feliz Navidad, You are My Sunshine and Jingle Bells).
We had booked in two volunteer crews for morning and afternoon. We finished in half time. By the end of the morning slot our targeted area was already clear. Spotless it was.
We had a rice lunch. We walked back, arms around each other, to our current Van Mieu restaurant.
It was a huge boost. A real “we can do this” boost. A boost that left me feeling, for the first time in a couple of weeks, that we can pull this off.
But more than that. The KOTO Class One was special. It was special because they cleaned, painted and opened the first restaurant. That class is legendary, they were so proud of what they achieved and they have all gone on to great things.
Now we have a chance to repeat this with Class Six and Class Seven. We will all work together on the new KOTO. We will all have a stake in it. We will all be very proud on opening night and that pride will always be with us.
So the new KOTO won’t be as swanky as maybe we occasionally dreamed. It’ll be make do and mend job. There won’t be a wow factor. But, like the old restaurant, it’ll be the kids that make it special – not the décor.
That’s no bad thing.
And yes - we CAN do this. We really can.
(pics to come)
