Tuppence From You

With a sash hanging down from my shoulder and a donation tin in my hands, I stood in the middle of the busy street. Three hours. For a moment I had to remember why I signed up for it in the first place. And why I signed up for three hours. I already knew beforehand that most of the UNICEF volunteers had class in the afternoon while I had none.

That's besides the fact that the weather is starting to get chillier by the day.

Still I smiled at each passerby as they strolled pass while some jiggled their purses to find some change and fed it to the tin. We agreed that we won't shove the tin in people's faces but rather let them walk up.

So I did some watching.

Our designated collecting point was the Market place, which made it all the better. Almost no cars drive past the street. Only people walking into the market, or into the different stores. I was in front of Primark, by the steps to a little square with statues and resting areas. Pigeons bobbed about, making quick escapes when anyone raced past them.

Such surreal scenes indeed! There was music in the background. If I moved closer to my right, the Native American instruments played soothing tunes to familiar songs, reminding me of the musician in the local mall back home. Closer to my left was a puppeteer letting the oldies roll.

Another UNICEF member tapped on my shoulder. She said it was a last minute decision, but I didn’t mind. We talked while people stop by to drop in their coins. And as our hands started to freeze we took a break and had hot drinks.

“Do you notice,” She said, “That it is the people you least expect to have much money that comes up to us, while those that look like they have a lot of money don't?”

I agreed partially. Many a times (though not all the time) the most unexpected people came forward with pennies or a pound. Some memorable people were the students who came up saying that they’ve did this before and knew how horrible it is to endure such weather, the guy who is back from his social work in Brazil, kind people who ask us how we were, the weird man and the jolly old man who started singing Christmas songs.

She had to leave early, so I resumed my post. I had been watching a video called ‘Feed the Birds’ lately from Mary Poppins (my favourite song from that movie), and something sent shivers down my spine – This woman who resembled the bird woman in the film sharing her bread with the pigeons by the resting area.

And as it started to snow, the musicians packed up and I could only hear Disney music playing from a carousel nearby. Curious.

But three hours was three hours. When the next UNICEF members came to take over my shift, I walked pass the Market place again. Curious. Interesting. Lovely. Down the little street of Norwich.


Do watch this. The song is stuck in my head now. And drop a coin into a collection tin one day. I'd do that. I'd appreciate it.