National Night: Greenland and Thailand
This morning, an electric sun pierced through the low lying clouds and fog crawling over the mountain tops, leaving a trail of light that warmed the cool, crisp air. Dark splotches with traces of water spattered the courtyard – remaining remnants of yesterday’s downpours. The birds practiced their songs – an orchestra in tuning, warming up for a sonata, waiting for a conductor – the magpie’s harsh, abrasive cries raising above the rest. The hum of vehicles along the highway and the stark order of the now quiet military base housing the Village are reminders that humans interact with this incredibly peaceful environment. Piles of shoes wait, crowded around open doors, waiting to provide comfort for the children as they venture out into the morning air.
The Delegation of the Day, USA, woke the girls with classic rock (“American Pie”) and the boys with rap (“Soldier Boy”). By 8:05 children started spilling into the courtyard; perching their bodies - enveloped in sleep - on the concrete steps, heads drooping, eyes slowly focusing on the reality of morning. It is the beginning of a new day of Village.
In the voice of two of the children, here’s what we did:
After Flag Time, we went to breakfast and had bread and cereal. After that, children ran to find what cleaning group they had been moved to. To most of the children’s surprise, they were to continue in the same groups. A few children were put together to form a new group. Then we had to get on the bus [to the waterfront park in Voss] to play volleyball, futbol, or to swim. We had lunch [at the Park Hotel] - a big sandwich. It was good. Siri (a member of the staff) showed us this really wobbly bridge. It was really awesome. We could choose to play futbol, volleyball, or to swim. The weather was really cold, but many of us still swam. It was so cold, but it was a lot of fun. We walked back to the park where we had cinnamon buns and bananas for a snack.
After showers, delegation time, and dinner, Thailand and Greenland had their National Night. Thailand made noodles for dinner. It was incredibly spicy. For activities, Greenland performed a traditional dance, then they let us taste dried whale and fish. Thailand performed a few dances then shared a video. It was a lot of fun. For lullabies, we chose so sing, “Iris”, “Save Tonight”, “We Are the World”, “Wonder Wall”, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, and “Bonfiara.”
No comments:
Post a Comment