Right to Play

the drum majors

As well as getting ready for sports week next week, the students were also getting ready for Right to Play. The last two weeks after school I’ve watched the older students practice soccer, volleyball, and Takro (a Thai sport). They kept talking about Right to Play and that it was today. I couldn’t really figure out what exactly it was at first, but over the last two weeks I gathered information piece by piece from different people. As of yesterday I had gathered that the parade was starting at 7, and then they would have competitions in girls and boys soccer, girls and boys volleyball, boys Takro, and traditional games. On Wednesday all of the teachers were given shirts we were supposed to wear. That evening the students were all given their shirts, and each sport/team was a different color. I found out that it was refugee students from the camp nearby that we were going to be competing against.

the band from my school

Only today as I was watching what was going on and talked to the people who were in charge of it, did I realize the significance of this day in the lives of the refugees. This is the one day a year they are allowed outside of the camp. The Right to Play staff have to get special permission from several different places to bring them out of the camp for the day. They said that many of the students were so excited they couldn’t sleep last night, and those that did woke up early to get themselves ready for their day outside of the camp. This was the second year, and so some of the students had come last year and said that our fields and courts were the nicest they have ever seen. They couldn’t wait to come and play on them again this year.

flags of the ASEAN nations

There were ninety students and twenty teachers that came for the day. The first event was a parade that started at the church down the road, then marched to the school. Our school provided the drum majors, band, and then a group of fifth and sixth graders to cheer, followed by our athletes, then their athletes grouped by sport and color of their uniforms. I missed the parade line up because I was talking on the phone with my family. However, I made it to the school just as they were heading into the driveway. I took a few pictures of my students but wasn’t sure on the appropriateness of taking pictures of the refugees, so I just watched as they marched pass, and they stared and pointed at me. I’m not sure what was going through their minds as they looked at me. I wish I could have been in their heads throughout the day, or understood the conversations they were having with my students.

everyone lined up on the field. My school is to the left,
and the refugees to the right.

the traditional dance with the poles on the ground

After the parade, we had to wait for the guy who was coming to open the games. So, they were allowed to go and use the bathroom and such. Then, they were all called back to open the games when the man arrived. They sang the national anthem, prayed, raised the flags for each team. Then, the refugees all came and sang a song in Karen. One of the students played the guitar, and they all sang along. Then, some of our students put on Karen outfits and did a traditional dance. The pictures will tell better than I can write, but they had bamboo poles that the boys on the edge opened and shut in a rhythm while some girls sang a song. Then there were two boys and two girls who would step in and out of the openings made by the tappers in rhythm. I’m sure the dance had a meaning of some sort, as they switched directions and did different things. Then, they lifted the poles and had 4 boys come and hold the two bottom poles, while they tapped the same rhythm. The dancers then went around and would stick their heads up through the poles. I had never seen anything like it, and it was a way for the students to share their culture. I hope that I’ll have opportunities to see more of these cultural dances and learn about them as I continue to get to know the people and live with them.

and then in the air

The rest of the day was spent watching them play soccer, volleyball and takro. As I watched, I talked with the people who were sponsoring the day, and they gave me a lot of information about the camp, and how special it was for their students to be able to come out for the day and to play with our students at our school. It is something they will remember for the rest of their lives probably. Talking to them, I almost wanted to cheer for the refugee teams, I did in my heart, but on the outside I clapped for our school. Lunch was provided, and I watched as they dished up HUGE portions of rice, most of them ate as much rice in one meal as I would eat in a day. I’m not sure why that was, but it was very interesting for me to watch.

teachers serving lunch

the huge pans of rice, there were at least 5

Throughout the day I watched as our students talked with their students. I saw friendships forming, crushes starting, shirts being traded, pictures being taken. That was the point of the day, for the refugees to get to leave the camp for a day, play sports, make friends, and just be kids meeting kids their age and forming friendships. The students were all probably between the ages of ten and fifteen. I wish I could have talked to them to find out what their lives are like in the camp, but I didn’t have the opportunity as I don’t speak Karen. However, I could see from the smiles on their faces that they were having a good time and enjoying the day. After the last game was played, they had a closing ceremony. The teams were to each stand in a line, and prizes were awarded. The prizes were baby powder, a bar of soap, and a tube of toothpaste for each participant, and then a ball of that sport for each school. Very practical prizes for both schools. As I looked at the lines, I could tell where they had traded shirts. Usually the colors were switched between a boy from one school and a girl from the other. It made me smile to see this little way that they showed interest in each other. It just makes me wonder if they’ll really be able to stay in contact, or if the trading of the shirts is the final contact and memory of the day they met each other.

the prizes laid out before the closing ceremony

During the ceremony, one student from each school gave a speech saying what the day had meant for them and students at their school. The one from the refugee camp talked for several minutes and while I’m not sure exactly what she said, it was from the heart, and this day meant the world to all of them.

After the ceremony, the 110 people from the refugee camp got in the back of five or six trucks, some had standing room only, in that everyone in them were standing. Our students stood and waved bye to their new friends. What a special day for everyone.

they played traditional games, here is tug of war

and then a relay race walking on homemade bamboo stilts