THE CARNIVAL AT ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR MARÍA AUXILIADORA

I took the bus to school so early in the morning that I though that the students were going to think I was still asleep. The students were anxious and happy because of the carnival parade and party we were going to have. Once inside the institution, the students, all around, were dressed up in fancy customes, another kind of masquerades, and masks, were taking photographs and talking about what they were going to do during four days of non-stop partying.

You could see pretty ladies all around even before sunrise. Not to mention the joy on the teachers faces. A few words before leaving school to start the parade by the streets of the neighbourhood called "Pescaito".

The passing parade is a marvelous display of colorful costumes, dancing, music (my daughter's grade had hired a 4 piece brass band that we, costeños, call "papayera" and others had a kind of wood and leather music band called "tambora"). All this at the rhythm of cumbias, mapalés, porros, reggaeton, and more of our traditional music. It was really funny to see all those girls singing: "¡Aló! ¿Dónde estás? ¿Qué pasó? Me colgaste el celular" Hahahahahaha.

Our carnival was just a celebration of joy and culture. But, on the back, the real Samarian carnival was taking place. A crazy display of people screaming, dancing, singing, playing the drums in a frenetic manifestation of things they can not do in other moment of the year. Some girls,half dressed, passing by the streets, wearing fancy customes and masks. A lot of young and elder people, having what could well named a "foam, powder, and water" battle. Being clean and pass near this madness is a clear sign of defiance and one sure way to be "attacked". But this is not an exponential risk to be injuried, one just have to "follow the flow".

We finally arrived to school and started the party. We had a contest where the "comparsas" showed their dancing skills and the queens from all the grades of the school tried to gain the jury favor in the same way.

At the end, the winner: 9th grade. Congratulations!