Sports plz (no shorts, plz)

Hear this, young women of the world: when wearing knee length basketball shorts, prepared to feel like the most scandalous of creatures alive when you take standard public transportation in India, for people will stare, shocked and aghast, at your pasty (and likely unshaved if you're anything like me) shins. Women do not show their legs here, though I have been informed by girls at school that this is because it is "winter" (most sarcastic of finger quotations).

After a great deal of confusion and poorly planned outfit coordination, CSBSJU kidz showed just their all-star quality by showing up to school with the knowledge that it was in fact Saturday. But certainly not just any Saturday, but a Saturday of SPORTS! Specifically track and field and random relays. The festivities began with a parade categorized by department (they don't have majors here, just a department you pick and are trapped in for life). Each department dressed similarly and held signs and did chants. Some were kinda lame (ahem...commerce & physics) but some (stats 'n' green chem) went all out crazy. Props to them. As we were not given much time to prepare, we wore a variety of CSBSJU apparel (and looked quite strapping, I might add) and were given an 8x13" sign on a stick entitled "Visiting students" announcing our powerful presence. However, due to our (mostly) glaringly white skin we were actually given thunderous applause as we passed the other students; they love us! 

The stats department plays their cards right

The races started with hurdles haphazardly raised to more or less the same height for first men then women (expert Courtney gave a "thumbs down" for form; harsh) and then a mix of other things, including regular races (I don't speak track, there may have been a 400 involved) but extending to stuff like "lady professors balancing a book on their head" and alum relays. We did America proud by garnering a few medals ourselves (but obviously not me personally! LOLOL) : Tiffany and Becca won the pingpong on paddle balance race (furthermore, Tiffany did a victory roundoff that shocked the saris off the older women in the front row), then Courtney and Adam won the partner run with a magazine between their palms.

You'd think they were doing this their whole lives

The ever-popular magazine-partner sprint, a staple in most track-n-field-a-thons

Sadly, Drew and Adam did not crush their opponents from their piggy back race no matter how much Adam screamed, "FASTER!" and swatted Drew's backside. 

Grabbing your horse's face will not make it run faster; Drew is similar in that respect

Americans--specifically Rachel-Ann and myself--should have been awarded a level for cheering. Though there were twelve of us out of the thousands, we accounted for approximately 70 percent of the noise. Not joking. Many jealous looks were thrown our direction, though in India, it seems that the expression for jealousy is strangely similar to disgust. Wow, it's tricky but always so fun learning cultural differences!