You know that one about photocopiers always breaking down/getting jammed/running out of toner just when you’re having a last minute/running out of time/should have done this yesterday moment? Over here the photocopiers are slow but there are about three people responsible for each photocopier. They are the Photocopier In-charges. Photocopiers are therefore well-maintained. However it’s usually easier to organise and process one’s own photocopying. Delegation ususally results in papers being in the wrong order – a by product of the back to front, right to left Arabic thing. Bypassing the Photocopier In-charges is, nevertheless no easy matter. It’s a bit like trying to make your own coffee and thereby usurping Mr Abu-Bakker’s entire reason for being here.
Now today is Saturday and although it’s an official working day to compensate for the extra day off that we were given in Eid, it’s pretty quiet in my offices. So successfully I snuck into the photocopier room to initiate a mammoth photocopying run of all the teaching handouts from the semester this term, for all my students. I calculated that the run would take about all of the two hours I have before teaching begins. I keep running up the corridor to load paper / remove completed batches. I just ran up again. The photocopier room door is locked and has been for the last 30 minutes. From outside the door I heard the machine stop …
One of the Photocopier In-charges has returned. And has locked the door to do her lunchtime prayers, apparently.
Arghhh, so this is the Islamic version of the Photocopier Jinx.
