The King's Visit

I promised that I would write a post about the king's visit tonight but I'm sorry to say that it was pretty uneventful for the most part. However, I made a promise and so here is my entry. Today was the day on which King Abdulluh The Second made his visit to King's Academy. He visited for the evening's Iftar (fast-breaking meal at sundown) and stayed throughout the entire meal. The meal was an all school sit-down meal for which both classroom dress and attendance were required. The evening's program started at 6:00, when the entire school had to be in the dining hall. Now, we were told that we had to be in the dining hall by 6:00 but we were also told that the king wasn't scheduled to arrive until 6:45. So for those 45 minutes it was pretty much a free for all, though most people just decided to sit at their tables and stare at the bread and appetizers that were gradually being set before them. At around 6:45 one of the junior fellows stepped up to the podium placed at the head of the dining hall and announced the arrival of HMK Abdulluh II. The king, with his posse of two or three important looking people, then walked right through the front door and proceeded straight accross the dining hall to his seat at the headmaster's table. I should mention, however, that we were all standing at the this point to honor the king's arrival. After the king had his place at the headmaster's table, Dr. Eric walked up to the podium to announce that we could sit down and that a student would recite the call the prayer for the evening's meal. I'd first like to take a moment to describe the call the prayer before I continue. For those who have never heard a call to prayer, it is bascially a prayer that is announced in specific tones and notes for anywhere from one to ten mintues. This is simply my impression of what the call to prayer is, however. I really don't know the exact art or if there even is one. All I know is the student who recited the call to prayer had clearly done this before, as he recited/sung/uttered/announced the call the prayer with clarity, rhythm, and melody. With the call to prayer the community was told that it could now begin the meal. I didn't see much of what happened at the king's table but I should mention, however, that his table was the same as any other table, except in size; as he was sitting with a group of students. When I heard that the king would be sitting with students for the evening meal I though that the school had probably randomly assigned students to his majesty's table just as it would for any other table. Apparently, I was wrong. It would seem that all the students sitting at the king's table were all exceptional students. I for one think this is unfair, however. Rewarding exemplary students by using their photos in admissions catalouges is one thing. But to give to these students the opportunity to meet the leader of a nation I think is unfair to the studens who work hard but are nevertheless seen as just average students. It's even unfair the students who are struggling with their grades and behavior but who certainly have potential and who could certainly carry a conversation with the king just as well as any other student. But luckily there is now a chance for any students to prove his/her merit and earn the opportunity to spend time with the king. The king is heading to South America for seven days and has told the school that he would like to take a boy and a girl along with him. The students would miss school for a week, but I don't think their teachers would really mind. Unlike the king's previous request to take two students to accompany him on a trip, this trip will not be awarded by Dr. Eric to two students who have shown academic accomplishment in the past. Instead, any student will be able to write a paragraph explaining why he/she would like to accompany the king to South American, and, then, Dr. Eric and other senior faculty members will choose two students based soley on the quality and content of their essays. Anyway the evening concluded with the king ascending the podium and expressing his wish to see King's Academy continue to succeed. Dr. Eric then went on to announce that the king would be remaining in the dining hall for a few minutes so that he could take a picture with the entire school community. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the dining hall to take a picture with the king all at once, so Dr. Eric instead asked the everybody in the dining hall to divide themselves into two groups that would each take it's own picture with the king. He then divided the dining hall into the left and right halves and asked that the right half take its picture after the left half. I, however, wasn't in any picture because I still hadn't finished eating my first Ramadan desserts. Besides, I didn't exactly see the point of taking a picture with the king if I was just goint to be single head floating in a giant mass of people. Well, I'm really tired and so I think I'll end my post here.