Kelly green and Sunshiney yellow – those are the school colors of Cypress Primary, and during my 2nd week, I got a chance to soak in (or ooze, if you will) some real school spirit. On 15 February, primary schools all around the Athlone area competed in an official Sports Championship, where their best tiny runners, jumpers, and throwers showed up at the local stadium in their schools’ official (and sometimes not-so-official) track/pt outfits to give each event their all… all in order to see which school could boast the most athletic achievement. Terrific, right? And everyone else gets the day off from school. This is truly a blessing, as it was in the dead-heat of summer, so even when sitting completely still in your classroom (which happens NEVER in 1st grade), you feel a bit like an egg cracked over a hot stove.
I find a lot of my best (or at least most memorable) mass-kid moments here in Africa always begin with us being crammed into a small space; under that umbrella, it’s usually aboard a bus not meant to transport dozens of children. When I was in Tanzania, for instance, I once found myself sandwiched into the front seat of a passenger bus so filled to the gills with preschoolers, they literally sat on each others laps, upon my feet, and in every inch of the aisles, all in the name of their “first and possibly last ever field trip” to the infamous “snake park,” which could be more aptly described as a dilapidated petting zoo for venomous snakes and mzungu-price camel rides. The entire day was such a liability nightmare (by Western and most generally excepted rational standards) my poor heart could barely take the stress of writing a mere blog about it even some time later. Upon reflecting on my Athlone Sports Day, however, I couldn’t help but draw some parallels.
The one that resonates most is that each morning began with volunteers and teachers attempting to organize all the children/athletes onto busses meant for other things, followed promptly by a far more organized attempt by the children to serenade us all with some spirited singing. In Tanzania, dozens of adorably-accented tiny people charmed me into a hot, crowded oblivion by crooning “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight – Ahh-wooooooo! Wee-bum-bum-boo-way” at the top of their tiny lungs. This lasted five minutes straight. In Cape Town, meanwhile, the singing on the bus was more “chant” than “song;” a battle cry for Cypress victory. I have to tell you, being surrounded by children enthusiastically yelling “We-are-CYPRESS! AND-NO-ONE-CAN-DEFEAT-US! AND-IF-YOU-CAN-NOT-HEAR-US, WE’LL SHOUT A LITTLE LOUDER!” on an enclosed charter bus is nearly as infectious as it is ear-splitting. I’ve rarely felt more freaked out, pumped up, and naively optimistic.
Naïve we were, too. Cypress rarely competes well among its 11 other neighbors in sporting competitions, usually falling somewhere at the bottom of the athletic (and general resource) food-chain every year. This is actually rather telling, as several of the competitors have year-round physical education programs, while Cypress… well, I’m pretty sure they started training when Dave and I showed up on campus about one week earlier, and he was dubbed “Coach.” (Thus our inclusion on the bus and involvement in all things medical tape, finish line, and crowd-control that day.) I honestly think Dave’s daily hurdle, shot-put, and baton-passing crash-courses (not to mention boundless amounts of team-spirit) made a difference, however, as Cypress not only came in 8th (instead of 12th, out of 12, haha), but also had several runners and jumpers placing 1st in their age group… including one of my own students! (To whom I then obviously showed unyielding bias for, cheering ridiculously from the sidelines and giving copious amounts of high-fives to anyone nearby). Her name, naturally, is Robin Williams. Why not?
I spent most of my time at the finish line and in the long-jump pit, measuring the jumps and scratches of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade boys whilst falling in love with all of the kids in green and gold, meanwhile obtaining the wickedest suntan/burn of my young life. All-in-all, a really good day for Cypress Primary, Coach Dave, Patch Adams, and myself. More Teacher & Athletic Adventures to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment