Dec. 15th
On my last day
in Piedras Gordas before heading out for the winter holiday I had the
opportunity to attend a graduation party.
It was thrown for the adult class that’s taught in the afternoon for
students that want to recieve their high school diploma. This was the first year that the class
was held, so the students were celebrating their 7th grade graduation. It was really fun and heartwarming to
see how excited the students were to finish up their first year back at
school. The age range of students
varries greatly, some students are fifteen year-olds that had just been out of
school for a year, and others hadn’t attended classes for over thirty years.
The activities
started out with numerous rounds of brindis
being passed around. The snacks
ranged from ham and american cheese on a stick to bright colored marshmellows
mixed in with cheetos. Next up was
musical chairs. The teachers and I
were asked to participate in the first round. When it came down to the final chair I was left to take on maestro (teacher) Gaspar, the most
serious maestro at the school and by
far the largest man in the room.
To everyone delight when the music came to a stop maestro Gaspar and I rushed for the seat with such enthusiasm that
he ended up sitting in my lap.
Once everyone had the chance to play musical chairs the students handed
out gifts to their “secret santas.”
My favortite part of the celebration was hearing the students pridefully
talk about their experiences being back in school and their heartfelt gratitude
to those that made it possible.
Then came the flour and candy filled pinata. When it broke everyone rushed in to collect the candy. The most avid candy-snatcher was maestro Gasper who returned from the
pile covered with flour from head to tow. The party ended with the ubiquous
Panamanian party meal: arroz con pollo,
potato salad, and chicha.
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