Rain was forecast but our spirit was not dampened. The showers came but we played on. Umbrellas were put up and still the students smiled and ran and jumped and kicked and clapped. I arrived too late to see the opening ceremony which I am reliably informed was a miraculous thing to behold. They came in class by class and performed for the judges who were looking for a co-ordinated team and their ability to express their ideas through their performance.
The most memorable class team had prepared a basket of white doves and held flags of the world. They let out their battle cry and released the doves who fell quickly to the ground, having earlier had their wings clipped. As they floundered around on the ground, Brett and Keren took it upon themselves to save them from being squashed by the upcoming stampeded of the next class who were heading towards the bewildered flightless creatures. They plopped them on the table with the flowers and they were so stunned that they stood motionless.
One sensitive teacher who has not been in China for long was a little when he saw the flightless doves being hurled into the air with no hope of . Hey Foxy, don’t cry – they’ll live to fly again!
The sports continued into the afternoon after the consumption of a mountain of lunch boxes. Through light drizzle the students played on hoping to divert their attentions from the upcoming mid-term exams next week.
