Goal Posts

Some late summer afternoons, as the sunset drips honeyed light over my neighborhood I would wander out to a vacant field with four bamboo sticks for goalposts and a gaggle of children perpetually at play. The crossbars had long ago been damaged by errant shots, but the grass, yellowed and prickly during the short, hot summer had grown into ankle-high feather-soft and clumped blades of rich green. Every evening the arrival of nighttime was heralded by squawking crowds of parrots and stately clouds of egrets squadroning up to the aged trees on the hills. As the stars began to emerge people start drifting away until at last there was only the moon waiting expectantly in the goal. Usually when I arrive I am placed in the goal (which I can almost completely fill) until some injury or the sudden emergence of chores for a teammate brings me out onto the field. I am not skilled enough to play soccer will people my own age, or even really with children, so I imagine that I have more fun non-competitively waiting in the goal than being constantly shamed by my own students. Initially the hardest part for me to get used to was playing barefoot and ending up with twisted toes, mud caked feet, and a myriad of tiny little cuts from trash, fallen branches, and roots. We play barefoot so that we don't crush one another's feet, and because rubber flip-flops are far too flimsy to last for even a single good kick. As the summer progressed more and more people would come out to play, some evenings the lot resembled a foosball table more than a soccer field. One memorable night at least half the houses in the neighborhood were represented, and more turned out to watch. The teams were never fixed but it was usually the girls and I (and sometimes their parents) against the boys and the high schoolers. Only one sixth grade girl kept track of the scores, and she adjusted the teams accordingly (always making them basically equal, but slightly weighted towards hers). This time of relative neighborhood solidarity amongst both children and adults was brought to a sudden close by the arrival of the rain, which turned the field into mud by mid-May. The goal posts have been brought down and the children have been neatly divided into groups by grade, not to play again until summer returns.

Elections!

One Month before Elections: The Convention

The school this week has begun to simmer with excitement, for today the parties for the student assembly would form and choose their candidates. The results were surprising, 5th grade (always the favorites) had a long squabble about who to put forward as president, finally settling on the most vivacious student in the class, their roster was bolstered by a couple of layabouts and some good students. They chose to go under the name PES (Social Student's Party), and their symbol was a fish. The main opposition party was a coalition of 3rd and 4th grade named PIE (International Student's Party - they may have been banking on my support), it was a good idea because nepotism plays a large role in school politics and having two classes of brothers and sisters would hopefully net them more votes than the 5th graders could manage.

Two Days until Elections: Campaign Day

 Things are looking very close in the school election campaign, with PIE and PES neck and neck for the presidency. The PES party spokesperson said "our presidential candidate is clearly the best choice, and look, we have candy!" when asked, however, exactly who the presidential candidate was the spokesperson was less clear "well, I think its Yesmily, but it may in fact be Zynara" at this point Zynara arrived to clear up the confusion "I'm the presidential candidate" she said, standing behind a tree, apparently too shy to stand up and speak to the crowd of assembled students. The PIE candidate was not so quiet however, and he proudly stood up on a bottomless chair and began to speak. "I promise a whole new set of plates for the dinning hall, and a new faucet for the sink, and tons and tons of parties and days without school!" The hearts and minds of the public were nearly swayed when he stood up on his tippy-toes and announced that PIE too had candy. At this point the public stormed the stage. PIE's victory was almost assured, but in their moment of triumph tragedy struck. "Wait, they only have chewing gum!" the cry echoed around the playground, and suddenly the momentous support he had gathered collapsed to follow the PES Spokesperson, running in circles throwing all sorts of candy around the field.

Election Day

Exit Polls conducted on Election Day reveal that PES's victory should never have been in doubt, all students, from kindergarten to 6th grade knew that the oldest would always win, and though PIE made a valiant campaign, their coalition could not hold. A splinter party of 3rd and 4th graders ended up cutting into their votes, and the easily awed 1st graders would always vote with the oldest kids. My host mother admitted herself saddened at the result, since PES had not made any real campaign promises, and none where the kitchen was concerned, though she readily admits that she has never seen any politician, in elementary school or otherwise who has made her life better.