Last weekend the RGU Go: India team was all over Aberdeen! Camilla, Simona and I (Giulia) set up a stall at Enjoy Music Festival in Hazlehead Park, where we did face painting. We had some designs, but mostly it was all about glitter – what else? I brought some feathers too but no one was brave enough to go for them. I won’t argue that. Everyone was engaged and interested in the project – many left an extra donation to support us.
You can see all the photos here.
I would love to say that it has been a smooth event, but it started off as an odyssey. The night before, we realised we did not have a foldable table, nor a gazebo. “Surely we don’t need a gazebo,” we concluded, “and we can bring a table from home.”
So we did. I woke up, had a shower, had breakfast on my table, and then took said table down three floors and on a bus. Met Camilla in Union Street with her three chairs, and got the bus to Hazlehead.
When we got there, we thought there was little left to do. Oh, how naive! We had no idea of what was awaiting us.
A lovely lady who had gotten off the bus with us offered to help us carrying our equipment until the entrance of the park. When we got there, there were no signs of the festival whatsoever so we decided to follow the music. We turned the table and let it surf on the grass, which was not as easy as planned. We spend 45 minutes trying to reach the place where the music was coming from, only to realise we were merely wandering with no direction. We found a path that was leading to a gate: the main entrance of the festival. Yes, we were there, but it was locked. Thankfully, a gentleman was filling tanks with water just by the fence so we asked him.
“Hi, excuse me, we are working here today, can you open the gate for us?”
“I’m doing water”
“Can you please call someone else so we can speak to them?”
“I’m doing water”
“Isn’t there anyone else at all here?”
“I’m doing water”
Eventually, someone came for us, but the lock could not be unlocked: we had to pass through the staff entrance. The gentleman kindly took our chairs, while the table was still with us.
With tears in our eyes, we turned back and walked towards the exit of the park. When we reached it, we thought we had missed the gate we were looking for: we turned back, again, and entered the rose garden which was not leading anywhere. Trying to fight the instinct to just leave everything there and run home, we saw some festival staff behind a fence and went to speak to them. They saved the day by taking the table over the fence and letting us find the gate empty-handed. I felt liberated while leaving the piece of furniture behind, although it was weird to not be carrying something. What was I supposed to do with my arms?
When we finally entered the festival site, we went table hunting. The view was not of the happiest.
When we set up everything, we realised a gazebo was essential. Not only we would have had the sun in our eyes for the whole day, but we weren’t even looking like a legitimate stall.
We took one last action by going back to town and getting a gazebo. By the time we got there, the festival had already started and in an hour’s time the wind had already bent one of the legs.
Despite all the unfortunate events, we had a great day and a successful stall which contributed with £145 to our cause! We surely won’t be underprepared next time, and, after a morning like that, nothing scares us.
Go India, go team!
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