Day 1: Stephens' First Annual Sports Week

Yesterday was an exciting day. Goodbye Card Tests, hello Sports Week. For three days this week the four houses of Stephens (blue house, yellow house, green house, and Hufflepuff) will battle it out in the courtyard for the prize of coming in first place in Stephens' first annual Sports Week, akin to an American school's field day. Unlike American students, they won't win bragging rights because these kids don't brag and gloat when they win. For that matter, they don't shed tears and whine, "That's unfair!" when they lose--Nepalese kids have a really healthy attitude toward competition, which makes Sports Week that much more awesome.

Everyone cheers on their friends without any holding back. There is no animosity between houses (every Kathmandu school splits the students into green, blue, red, and yellow houses.) I didn't hear one student whine about not being able to play in some of the activities. Getting the students to think creatively or write something original even about themselves? Frustrating as hell. Having a school-wide competition at a school with no field-space, one set of speakers, and 120 students from age four to fourteen? Absolutely wonderful. But enough gushing over my perfect little competitors. On with the program:

First, the students quickly assembled themselves by house and swiftly marched around the grounds in a timely hour and a half.

Then the inaugural ceremonies ended and the real events came under way. First up, and my second-favorite event, the math race. Students lined up at one end of the courtyard (battlefield) and when the whistle blew they had to run toward a line of papers with a single math problem on them. This was one of my favorite events not only because it challenges the body as well as the brain, but because students were pictured running toward math problems.

Most of the events occurred in heats separated by grade. This was especially important for the math race. Students furiously scratched the papers with their pencils, scrawled the answer across the sheet, then sprinted back to the teachers to finish the race. Only a correct answer could officially get you over the finish line.

If Drugba does a problem 3 times faster than Renu
 and Pasang is 5 times faster than Drugba, then when
can we do something that doesn't involve school work?

Have you ever seen anyone this excited
about someone else doing a math problem?

Catering to all ages, the Stephens school then held an event for the Lower KG class. This event was categorized as a relay race, but I remember an epic battle occurring: Toddlers vs. Balloons.

They may be tied down, they may be latex filled with air, but that
won't keep them from being formidable four-year-old obstacles

The littles charge.  The balloons stand their ground, taunting the toddlers
with deceptive defenselessness

The little tikes had to run across the courtyard and instead of doing a math problem, they had to pop their designated balloon and return safely to the starting line. I think the math race went quicker and was less puzzling for the participants. Balloons are close to being little kid kryptonite--bursting those fun bubbles and running away from all that round rubber fun? It goes against all an infant's instincts. Some bent over to poke the balloons, some tried to steal them, and others stood flummoxed above their latex enemy, vexed over how to best vanquish their foe. And a couple went on popping sprees, stomping out others' balloons...

One on one may be daunting, so the toddlers devised a ganging up strategy.
In the end even a balloon is no match for three kindergartners.

Next up, the Upper Kindergarten class took the stage to show off their incredible hand eye coordination and balance in the Ball On A Spoon Relay.

 Although it took approximately ten minutes and four adults to get them all standing in that line without dropping their cargo, they deftly departed for the finish line without a single student stumbling or losing their load...

 ...for the first five feet.

The relay race for grades one through seven was of the sack variety. Students donned empty rice sacks and quickly and efficiently scraped their knees.

After mending some (many) pants and refueling with a dal-bhat lunch, the students returned to the arena for two school-wide competitions: Marble On A Spoon Relay, followed by Musical Chairs:

There is no spoon

And finally, my favorite event of the day. For all my friend who reads this, we will most certainly be playing Kabaddi when I return home. Kabaddi, I am told, is the national sport of Nepal, and what a sport it is. I had never heard of this brilliant activity before, so I made sure to listen intently to the rules...

For those of you who are still as confused as I was, you can read about it yourself. It is actually very easy to understand how to play after watching for a minute, but going into it, the only rule I was sure about, and this was stressed to me, you have to yell "Kabaddikabaddikabaddi..." at some point during the game. Saying "Kabaddikabaddikabaddi..." and affecting an athletic peek-a-boo stance also serves as a completely sufficient way to explain the game to stupid foreigners.

Red house captures another victim and a point on the scoreboard

Blue house answers by wrapping up Yuvraj, a key player for red

Bizen (with the yellow collar) keeping a watchful eye on
all the green collars. It's a bit like walking into the lion den.
...while screaming Kabaddi over and over again

If you were too lazy to read the Wikipedia entry, the sport is a mix of wrestling, tag, dodgeball, and more wrestling. One at a time, your team members must venture into the opposing team's half (yelling kabaddi, of course) and if possible, tag a player before returning to your half. "If possible" because all seven players of the other team are trying to prevent you from leaving their half via bear hug, tackle, or, maybe, a really persuasive argument. It is best played on sand or at least softer ground than concrete, so while some students put up a fight, many others took flight back to safety:

It was a very fun day. The students (and teachers) get a much deserved day of rest for Christmas, but we will be back the following day to keep on competing in Stephens' first annual Sports Week. I can't wait. I'm even practicing: Kabaddikabaddikabaddikabaddikabaddikabaddikabaddi.

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**As requested in the comments section, here are additional "cuties popping balloons" (though I still see an epic battle, I don't know where "cute" comes from)**

"What should we do with it?"
"I don't know I'm used to freaking out and playing with it
but it's tied down."
"Maybe it'll still be fun. Poke it with your toe."
"Yeah, it's still fun"

The End