Out! Get out!
Nearly 5 years ago I was with a youth group touring round Israel, seeing sights, being taken to see monumental buildings, hiking through the desert and other fun stuff. One of the highlights was getting to go to the supreme court, see the building, how the law worked and see courts in session.

We were the 'infamous' group - group 2.

We were ushered into the building by our group leaders, ad then a tour guide came and greeted us. She was French - she asked us where we were all from, and we all shouted out various English locations, Leeds, Manchester, London...I can't remember exactly how it happened, but she made an anti-English joke. We responded with an anti-French joke, and it carried on from there. Already boisterous 16 years olds were whipped into patriotic madness.

We eventually got to the courtrooms.By this time we were somewhat calmer, and we were told in the strictest terms that we must keep absolutely silent during the proceedings. We did...but then one of our leaders mobile phones rang! We were quickly ejected from the room, and bundled ino an empty courtroom. Frenchy then left us alone in the room. This was, in hindsight, not the best idea.

Spurred on by our leaders, we took to the judges chairs, played with the microphones, and held a mock trial, where the accused was being charged with gross indecency and stealing of milkybars and last rolos. Two kids started to climb up the witness stand and get on top of it, and everyone was shouting and laughing. Frenchy came back.

She stared for a moment in dumb horror at what we were doing to the courtroom, and then screamed "Out! All of you, get out!". She turned into a small whirlwind and booted us out, leading throught he corridors the hysterics crying that shed be sacked for sure and she couldn't believe what we'd done.

We were hencforth banned from the Supreme Court. So were all the other groups in our organisation. We were ashamed, and yet stragely impressed. In any case, she'd started it.

This year, I went back to the Supreme Court with a far smaller group, girls only from the US, Canada, France and the UK. The tourguide greeted us - she was originally from North London and had a heavy accent. "So" she said, "Have any of you been to the Supreme Court before?"

I tentatively raised my hand

"I have, but, um, I didn't really get to see all that much of it, you see we got kicked out..."
"Oh yes! Group 2, right?"

They remembered us!
( Hampster Squared has stuff at www.tilla.co.uk, Thu 31 Aug 2006, 13:26, Reply)