Workers Day 5/12/13

Last Wednesday was Worker's Day.  It was the Burundi equivalent to Labor Day.  It was a holiday, so the kids didn't have classes.  The schools in the area celebrate by having a march or a parade.  Each school does a circuit around the stadium.  For the occasion, we dressed up.  The students wore their uniforms with their green sweaters and staff wore dark clothing.

We took three bus loads to the stadium of the staff and the students.  We didn't quite fit everyone, so Jen, Hanna and I ended up in the normal truck.  The road to the stadium was packed with children from different schools, and adults from colleges or technical schools waiting for their turn to enter the stadium.  Jen, Hanna and I walked through the mass of people to get to our school.  One guy came and hovered his arm across my shoulders and pretended to escort me.  He was showing off for the other students in his school.  Once with our school, we waited and slowly inched our way to the stadium.

Waiting in line down the street form the stadium.

 

The math teacher from Uganda pointed at my camera and said, "Do you appear in this?"
He then borrowed my camera, and took a picture.

The students wore their uniforms with their green sweaters.  They were pretty hot in the sun, but they handled it well.  The students said they got several comments that they looked "Smart" compared to the other schools.  When you look nice here, they don't say, "nice," "beautiful," "pretty," "handsome" or "cute."  They say you look smart.

We entered the stadium and walked around the stadium.  They had music playing that sounded like circus music.  When we walked in front of the stands, they announced our school.  Our school staff was invited to go into the area in front of the stands.  I thought someone wanted to take our picture, but they escorted us to some empty seats!  We got to see some of the schools and organizations walking by, and some of us got to see a drum presentation.  Some of the schools and organizations walked by with different equipment.  One group walked by with prosthetic limbs.

Our school staff, sitting in the stands.

Teacher's from one school marched by the stands holding chalk.
The drummers are in the background.

 

This technical school marched with surveying and computer equipment. 

I hung out in the seats for awhile, then joined the kids in the concrete seats surrounding the stadium.  The kids wanted water, but I didn't see anyone selling water until it was time to leave.  Hanna and I did buy a bunch of peanuts, and gave them to the kids.  One kids found his parents, and they snuck him a Fanta and some food.  :)  For security reasons, we discourage the kids buying things.  I was thankful there wasn't much to buy!  There was a water spiket, and but there was fighting between people to get to it.  Who knows if it was clean drinking water.

There were a ton of people, a ton of kids, and I saw one other muzungu (white person) outside of my organization.  A midget marched in the parade, and then came and talked to Hanna afterwards.  His English was pretty good.  A group of people gathered around the two of them and just listened to them having an English conversation.  It's funny how the crowd mentality works.  If there's a group of people, it doesn't mean there is always something to see.  :) 

After the last bus left, Jen, Hanna and I waited outside the stadium with some other YFC staff.  A group of kids gathered around us.  It's not uncommon that if we are in an area for some time, a group gathers around us...especially kids.  It can be awkward.  But...I gave a shot at teaching them Peace Like a River in English with hand motions.  It went alright, but I think was better then just staring at each other.  :)  I need to work on learning more Kirundi.