(It seems as if we're all trying to get away from the British, doesn't it?)
Even though it was a Sunday, the girls all had programs at their school. During the week leading up to Independence Day, all of the stories that we were writing in English class revolved around the anticipated Independence Day festivities, and any and all free time was spent practicing the dances and songs that were to be performed.
So on Sunday morning, I went to the Dodda Gubbi school, where girls in the 8th, 9th, and 10th classes go to school. We hadn't even gotten off the motorbike before it was swarmed by the girls (who had arrived early to practice) and dragged off the bike, up the road, and into the school. We saw each classroom and several girls were proud to point out their seats in the front row or the ways that they had helped decorate the school for Independence Day. Then, we sat and watched the flag hoisting and many dances and songs. After a while, it seemed as if it was over...but we were just reforming for a "march" through the neighborhood around the school, stopping to salute and have a moment of silence at a cemetery where a war hero had been buried. We returned to the school, were fed some rice, and then watched several more hours of singing and dancing. The majority of performances were by our girls, and I had my camera out the whole time filming and taking pictures like a proud parent.
We walked home from school, and I was convinced that it was about 6:00. Man was I exhausted...and I wasn't even doing anything but watching! The girls were even more tired than I was...and it was only 2:00! They had a whole day of homework ahead of them...I, on the other hand, had the luxury of falling asleep to a rainstorm :)
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