hail the flag

Yes, I am still alive--I fought the battle against the amoebas and came out victorious (or at least I think I won--I still cringe at the slightest stomach rumble.) Otherwise, life has been pretty normal, which I guess is a good thing. I've somehow stayed busy with nothing of much interest, hence the lack of posts this past week.

At school last Friday we had the Ceremony of Flags. I had not yet experienced this ceremony, and wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I decided to sit in on the 5th/6th grade one to watch and learn. The Ceremony of Flags is a very patriotic ceremony in which the top students from 5th and 6th grades are honored for their academic and disciplinary achievements. The top students from fifth grade march in with Ecuadorian flags, and then the entire sixth grade marches in. The top nine students from 6th grade march in, and the top three are presented with the flags of Ecuador, Quito, and the school. They make pledges to serve and protect the country, the top student makes a speech, and then the ceremony concludes with the entire sixth grade kissing the Ecuadorian flags that the 5th graders present. It was such an interesting, unique ceremony, and I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about it. I was so excited to see students recognized for their academic and behavioral achievements, but I also felt a little strange about the extremely militaristic style of the whole ceremony. It is yet another example of the cultural differences I am experiencing on a daily basis--who can say if it is good or bad, just different.