Left. Left. Left-Right-Left.

Let me tell you a little thing about Independence Day in Honduras. It’s not all fireworks and barbeques, butterflies, and lollipops like in the U.S. It IS those things, but there is one tradition that the Hondurans, I think, could do without. Every Independence Day it is required by law that every single student in any kind of school: public, private; in any and every town: Mayan village, Capital city, Santa Rosa de Copan, march in the city’s parade. No matter how small, how hot, how sick, how tired, they all have to march.

Just take a moment, sit back, close your eyes, and picture what it is like to get 34 first graders to march 2-3 miles left, left, left, right, left. First grade- that’s 6 years old. Now imagine 2nd graders, and 3rd graders, and 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. And we are not talking about Gay Pride Parade marching where everyone just walks down the street in a huge mass. We are talking military. Come to think of it, I could have used my brother’s expertise this past week.

In order for this parade marching to happen in some sort of organized fashion, the kids, of course have to practice, and the teachers, of course, have to help. This past week, every day, the kids would practice marching for 2 hours. Now, I was in marching band and WE didn’t even like to practice marching and we WANTED to be there. I must say, this definitely took me back to those marching band days with the Nor Cal renowned Sullivan Celtics. All Around Sweepstakes YEAH! I played trombone. It was great.

The kids HATE it. Like, HATE it. And I don’t blame them! The Honduran teachers have no mercy though. I suppose they had to do it so they don’t take much pity on the kids. I on the other hand would often swoop in and be nice teacher and give them water breaks. You can just tell the seniors are so loving it though because they know this is their last year. The whole point of this thing is to salute your country. So after learning left right left, they learn how to turn and salute. All week I was saying in my head “Izquierdos tres cuatro Izquierda Izquierda, Izquierdos tres cuatro...” (Left, two, three, four, Left, Left, Left, two, three, four).

So the big day came and Abby, John, and I were very excited because a) we would no longer have to practice marching and b) we found out two days prior (of course no earlier) that we got Monday and Tuesday off of school for Independence Day and Teacher’s Day. Who knew! So we were counting down the hours until the parade’s end so we could book it home and get on a bus to the coast.

One of my tenth graders, Angela, in a beautiful costume dress depicting the arrival of the Spaniards to the New World...or so I gathered.

This picture was taken for Brent Movitz and Carly Atto, though others are allowed to enjoy it too. This would be a parent, shading her daughter with a Hannah Montana umbrella.

Video of 3rd graders chanting...Izquierdos tres cuatro, Izquierda, Izquierda...Izquierdos tres cuatro...they look thrilled.



The parade was lovely. If you can call students marching down the street for four hours, not really doing anything, “lovely.” Yeah, I mean, they have a band which is nice when they are on beat, their parents are there supporting them which is sweet, and a few of them had some cool costumes, but other than that, I was pretty much over the fact that I kept having to help third graders stay in a straight line. Apparently it’s really hard. There are a couple of things that have happened in Honduras that I promptly say, “this would never happen in the States,” but this parade, above all, takes the cake for that line. But now they have all saluted their country and are good in the eyes of the government for one year. Well, THANK GOD.