I felt I should try to get down my reflections while still fresh. Last Friday and Saturday, the primary school held its yearly sports meet. A parade was held to begin the meet, led by the Chinese flag, carried by 6th and 7th graders. The school band followed, then about 20 children carrying silk flags in different colors. The remainder of the students walked in formation, some waving balloons and pompoms made out of tissue paper. The kindergarten children were dressed in bright dresses of turquoise, lemon yellow, and scarlet. The boys had balloons and the girls flags. To begin the program, a short speech was given and the flag raised to the accompaniment of the natural anthem, with which we are becoming quite familiar. The 7th graders, in their army uniforms, demonstrated some march steps and drills, and the kindergarten children did two dances. The first consisted of sitting on the ground and moving their heads from side to side, then pointing and raising their toes and lifting up their arms over their heads into a forward bend, collapsing flat on their legs. Most had beautiful bows in their hair and all had a small red spot painted on the middle of their forehead. The second dance was done standing up and involved more complex steps with arms fluttering and turns in both directions, pompoms and balloons waving gaily from little fingers, facing smiling and proud. Then Taalan and two other boys gave a brief and very fast demonstration on roller blades. The students then dispersed and the games began. The flags were distributed along the circumference of the track, which goes around the school. The school backs up along the north side of the track, with shot-put and high jump taking place in front of the school in the open space left in the middle of the track.
In some the sports meet was very similar with the usual sports meets held in the US. Many events were the same, including 50- and 100-meter dashes, shot-put, high jump and long jump. In other ways it was very different. Some of the sports were played differently. The shot-put was thrown by swinging it in both hands alongside your body, then rotating it up over your head, and throwing it with both hands. The relay races were run with 12 students from each grade on a team. Each student would run one lap of the track, about 270 meters around, with 12 laps to a race. The students competed by age group; 1 through 3 competed against each other, also 4 through 6, and 7 through 9. Of course this meant that usually the oldest students won the event.
There was always something going on. No one tried to control the children, so there were children darting across the track just as race began, often no more than a step or two in front of the runners. I saw a child run right in front of a student who was competing in the long jump. He was so close I thought he was going to get run into. The student competing never broke stride or hesitated, running strongly and putting in a good jump.
The most interesting events to me were the ones for the kindergarten. Children and their parents participated. In the midst of much laughter and good-natured ribbing, the teams of child, Mom, and Dad would run various relay races or feats of speed. The first race consisted of changing the bamboo sticks. In a zigzag pattern, VVV, 6 18-inch bamboo sticks were laid on the ground, with another pair in V's above and below them. The child had to run up to sticks and back. Mom and Dad had to run up to the sticks and reverse the pattern and run back. Of course you could reverse all 10 of the sticks, or if you were clever, you would reverse the top and bottom v and then move the outside stick to the other side to reverse the large pattern, ^^^. Another relay race consisted of having to place three wooden weapons in three circles. On the way down you dropped off the clubs, on the way back you picked them up again, them passed them on to your partner. They also had a book bag race only for the children. Their book bags, along with 5 books and a pencil case, were set up on a chair. The children ran to the chair, loaded the book bag, fastened it or not as you wished, put the book bag on and raced back. Most of the children were Tariqa's size so you can imagine how cute the whole thing was. Saturday morning was the long distance running, 800 and 1500 meters, and the teacher's competition. We got to compete in teams of 4 from our different teachers lounges, in the bamboo race, weapons race, and 4-in-line bamboo-pole race. In this race we lined up one behind the other. Our left legs were then tied just below the knee to one bamboo pole, about 10 feet long, and our right legs to another. We then had to run (!!) 50 meters in unison. By leaning forward and putting your hands on the person's shoulders in front of you, and by calling yi, er, (one, two) to keep our legs moving at the same time you could actually do a slow run if you were lucky. It was really great fun and a wonderful way to build teamwork. One of the Chinese English teachers was going to call me because she thought I wouldn't come and participate. She was pleased when I willingly agreed to take part in all three events at the insistence of the headmaster. We came in third in the bamboo pole race, second in reversing the bamboo sticks, and first in the weapons relay. A great time was had by all. That about concludes the sports meet. Taalan ran in the 100 meter, but not very quickly, and in the relay race. Though he did very well, he finished last because his grade was competing against the fifth and sixth graders. Tariqa went in the book bag race and in the standing broad jump. She enjoyed the broad jump so much she continued jumping for another ½ hour after the event. It has been hard to get her to participate, so I was glad she had a good time. She is starting in kindergarten on Monday, so I hope that will make a difference, and she will be more willing to try new things. She originally been placed in first grade, but it was well beyond her, and the teacher moves the children along very quickly. In America, she wouldn't start kindergarten until next year.
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