Sports Day... Like nothing you've ever seen...

Well, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. We held our annual school wide (both the International School as well as the regular school), sports day on Tuesday, and it was a sight to behold. The opening ceremony was akin to what happens at the Olympic games. Each class parades in on the track and demonstrates a choreographed dance in front of the dignitaries on the grand stand. There is music, pomp and ceremony, marching cadets, flag raising and cheers. Then the games begin.Sport, as in all schools, is serious business. Kids train hard for a long time. Mainly, there were running events, and high jump. Over 500 kids participated, all provided with a bagged lunch and a small foldable chair to sit on. It’s a huge feat to organize this, and I found it just plain impressive.We managed a team of 4 foreign teachers to “compete” (and I use this term very loosely) in the 4X100 relay...ohh, we were a sorry sight…I actually thought we’d have a chance…the senior boys ran around the track like a herd of horses heading back to the barn…I felt like I was standing still as they roared past me…