Warning -- This is an Advertisement!

 Sorry, but this post isn't going to be a sensitive, balanced cross-cultural comparison like all my other posts have been.  (Ha, ha!)  It's an ad, pure and simple.  Clearly, I'm the only human being in a Western country who isn't on Facebook.  So I'm using this blog as a way to promote this Christmas Charity Bazaar that will happen one week from today. 

   What can I write about this bazaar?  It was a huge event that consumed about three months of my life last year.  Afterwards I said, ""Never again!"  But here it is, a year later, and this year's bazaar has managed to consume another three months of my life.  The only consolation is that it's all going to be over one week and 12 hours from now.  But I really won't be doing it again next year.  If I do, somebody please shoot me, and before the bazaar, not after!

    Actually, I'm acting like this is a solo production by me alone, but that's far from the truth.  This is a team effort and I'm a co-chair, and not even the most responsible one.  I'm actually going to be a vendor as well as an organiser.  This means that on the day of the bazaar, when things get really frantic, I'll be in my booth selling my items, immune from the frenzied activity elsewhere.  Does that make me clever or a coward? 

    Here comes the cross-cultural part, if there actually is any.  This is NOT the old-fashioned kind of church Christmas bazaar we Americans expect.  Oh, there will be a few recognizable things, like preserves in recycled jars with little fabric hats on them.   (But most will actually be pickles, since they're a big part of a British Christmas, I gather, and Penang is a seriously British-influenced place.)  The women's group holding this mega-bazaar will certainly have some traditional  booths, like a bake sale table and a white elephant corner to sell recycled clothes and household goods.  But they'll be in the minority and all proceeds will go for our charitable donations.

     Well, you might ask . . . what will be sold in those 100-plus booths (tables, actually) at this bazaar? Well, the variety is immense, since many of the vendors will be business people selling their wares.  I guess I'll have a somewhat international item, with my authentically Japanese stuff.  There will be masses of accessories and kid-friendly items, plus health products, organic goods, and local goods like nutmeg products of all kinds and coconut ice cream.  There'll be Persian carpets, handmade wood furniture from Malacca and home decor stuff. A chocolate boutique took a table and a very upscale operation that sells high-quality textiles from India.   There's too much to explain, truth be told. Of course the best booth of all will be offering Japanese garments, especially kimono jackets, called "haori".  (Of course I think that, 'cuz it's my table!)

Typical women's kimono jacket like what I'll sell

    All those tables will be upstairs, inside a really upscale "retail shopping marina" called Straits Quay, the venue for the event. (Duh!)  Outside will be 18 tables that we'll offer free to local charities so they can raise their own funds and heighten public awareness of their causes.  These range from animal shelters to cancer services, from homes for orphans and abused women to counseling centers, and more.  

    This event really is a charity bazaar!  The money we get from vendors for their table rental will go to worthy charities.  So will any proceeds our own tables bring in with the homemade baked goods, etc.  The raffle proceeds will, too.   The charities will be given a free table out in the courtyard, and naturally any money they raise will be theirs.  We gave away tens of thousands of ringgit last year and we expect to do it again this year, too.  

Boys' Brigade Lads -- Nice bunch, aren't they?

Donation boxes from last year, lost in the move, sadly

       We'll have the volunteer support of the Boys' Brigade (like Boy Scouts), but this year we'll have some girls, too, we hope.  They'll help us set up and take down the tables and haul stuff.  Their help is invaluable and they're fine examples of youth volunteer spirit.  Last year I offered one young lad some cake to thank him for helping me haul my heavy bags.  He politely declined, saying, "Sorry, I can't.  I'm on duty."  Impressive!  Another thing they do is carry our donation boxes around so people can put small change into them.  I made these boxes last year and learned that:  
1)  You have to cover the whole box so nobody will be tempted by seeing the money inside and snatch one, 2)  You have to tape the top closed so nobody can

quickly take off the lid and dip in. Who knew?!?  Unfortunately, the ones in this picture were lost or thrown away when we moved our office, so they had to be made all over again this year.  (Heavy sigh!)  

      Another thorny aspect of most events in Penang, maybe more than most places, is sponsorship and donations for raffles, etc.  First, you approach potential sponsors and get them to provide something of value that you can raffle off to make money.  Then you have to figure out how to thank them publicly and give them the exposure they expect and deserve for having made their contribution.  For example, one of this year's sponsors is a jewelry boutique that donated this lovely pearl earring and necklace set.  Once you get the raffle items, you have to safeguard them on the day until they are awarded to the winners.  You have to guard the raffle tickets, too, since they're like money.  Again, who knew!?

Pearl set donated by Amee Philips for bazaar raffle

       One interesting new aspect of our bazaar is a "bottle tombola," something I'd never heard of before.  It's a British thing I gather.  People buy raffle tickets and then, throughout the day, the tickets are drawn from a wire revolving basket (called a "tombola," apparently).  The prizes can be  anything as long as it's in a bottle, from wine to ketchup.  Any bottled thing is fair game, and I guess you don't know ahead of time whether you'll get a lovely bottle of something alcoholic or just some ordinary household condiment.  As I said, it's a first for me.

   Yup, this bazaar has been killer hard work, it's true.  But whenever I get tired or discouraged, which is a lot of the time these days, I just remember that our bazaar is only once a year and it'll be over a week from today.  Royals in other countries and First Ladies (presidents' wives) in America, not to mention ordinary women worldwide do some kind of charitable work day in and day out.  There's no doubt about it:

We women rule the world (from behind the scenes)!