My memories are inside of me. They’re not a thing or a place. I can take them everywhere. – Olivia Newton John

In ‘Random things about me’ you may have read that one of my first childhood memories is that at the age of 5 I chopped a lock of my hair because it had chewing gum in it… Well… at the beginning of this new school year, why don’t I take you back in time to my early schooldays… 

My nursery school was part of a catholic school. There were several nuns and one of them had to take care of my class with about 30 toddlers… If we were too loud or too lively in class, we all had to stand in a circle with our hands on our heads until we were calmed down. (Ah… the golden seventies… those were the days  !) But can you imagine 30 toddlers being nice and quiet all the time ? Nah, me neither…

So on one fine day we had to stand in a circle again, with our hands on our heads… but I had a big problem… I was chewing gum which, of course, we weren’t allowed to… I know… I was quite the daredevil at the time ! I remember how I thought “oh my, when we have to stand in a circle, hands on our heads, the nun will certainly see that I’m chewing gum and I will be punished !” (mmm… so perhaps not thàt much of a daredevil after all…). So my solution was to put the gum in my hands before I put them on my head… and guess what… the gum got stuck on top of my head in my hair of course!

When I got home, I was afraid my mum would notice and she would be mad at me for getting gum stuck in my hair… so I sneaked into the kitchen, took a pair of scissors and ‘snap’, cut the lock of hair with gum… phew… problem solved I thought and went to play.

A bit later my mum called me and my sisters Maggy and Cindy into the kitchen. “Whose is this”, she asked, holding up the lock of chewing gum-hair. Of course she must ‘ve known it was mine as my hair was fairer than my sisters’ ! I immediately put my hands on my head and said “it isn’t mine”!

It must’ve been so funny seeing me with my terrified face and some spiky hair standing up on top of my head. Can you imagine ?! I bet my mum and dad laughed their heads off afterwards…

This is one of my first childhood memories and one I will never ever forget. What happened after my mum found out I don’t remember anymore… so I guess it wasn’t too bad or I would’ve certainly remembered that too !

The nun, by the way, didn’t make it until the end of the schoolyear… As it happened, she had a love affair with the local policeman (who was called ‘Hitler’ in our village as he was so strict ànd he had a moustache !) and she had to leave the convent and school immediately ! She was replaced by this kind, young lady with the most beautiful long hair, with fantastic 70ies floral gowns… and guess what… she didn’t put us in a circle with our hands on our heads, but she played children’s songs on a tape recorder or on her guitar ! All’s well that ends well apparently…

I look back on this memory with amusement, however terrified I might ‘ve been at the time. I take this memory, along with many others, everywhere with me…

What is your first childhood memory ? Was it something funny, terrifying, silly ? Take some time to reminisce… it’s a fab way to waste some time!

Love, Kathleen