Special Olympics

So far the two events that I will remember most in my Peace Corps would be GAD camp and the Special Olympics. Last week was the kick off of the Latin America and Caribbean Special Olympics. I was given to the honor in being a part it. Thanks to a volunteer named Cat that decided to extend her service as a liason between Peace Corps and Special Olympics, we were given food and lodging during our time in Panama City.

Watching the games was simply amazing. Seeing all of the athletes happily compete for their countries with all the difficulties they face daily was inspiring. Seeing them cheer and congratulate their competition as if they were all on the same team was another amazing site. Even if they lost they refused to let it put them down, they still celebrated.

The various Olympic events were located all over Panama City. Five other volunteers and I were assigned to the soccer completion for that week. I was given 6 high school students to assist me with the job of hydration specialist (water and powerade boy). Each day we were assigned a new batch of high schools to assist us with our duties. The kids were great to work with and made everything as smooth as possible (well except the last group).

The two sets of kids that stood out in my mind were the last two groups I was assigned for the week. The group that was assigned to me on Thursday was almost perfect. I was actually pretty freaked out by it. These kids spoke perfect English. I almost forgot I was in Panama being around them. They were well behaved and did everything without being asked. But what really freaked me out was that they were all super attractive. ALL OF THEM. It’s like they were genetically engineered to be a super society. Im glad I didn’t go to that high school . I would have been the school hunchback of Notre Dame. My daily rating for them: Excellent!!!

The batch that we received on Friday must have been the rich kids. Some of them drove to the stadium and they refused to free lunch to go to TGI Fridays. When I asked one of them to get a bag of ice he said “Ice? Carry ice, really?”. Also when I told them that all the volunteers in yellow shirts (them) couldn’t crowd around and talk so much because it kinda looks bad to the parents and sponsors they told me “That is racist”. I just walked away and said thank God this is a half a day because I might choke one of these kids. My rating for them: SUCKED

Even though we encountered a few speed bumps along the way the games still ended up being a success. Over all the experience was great. I hope that I will be given the opportunity to participate again in the near future.