Olympiadas

We have been told numerous times since we have been at the Ranch that NPH Honduras has an activity called Olympiadas (Olympics) that takes place in May and is “muy divertido” (very fun). All the NPH children and many of the employees are divided up into teams of 30 – 40 people. The teams have some kind of mascot (last year’s theme was mythical animals) and puts together a costume, flag, and presentation/drama/dance/song reflective of their assigned mascot. At the end of May the teams compete in unusual physical challenges like wheelchair races or obstacle courses as well as present their show, their flag, and a cheer. A team of judges decides on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams.

An Olympiada Event from 2023

Now that it is May, the activity is rolling out with anticipation and confusion (as is normal here). The theme of “exotic animals of Honduras” was chosen by ranch employees from among several alternatives and was announced in April. We received the team rosters a few days ago with the first meeting yesterday.  We are supposed to meet twice a week from 2 -4 PM which are normally work hours for the next 3 weeks. The event is scheduled for two days: May 31 and June 1.

The volunteers were divided up among the teams and I am on team 14 while Allen is on team 3 and my coworkers (Dixi and Cintia) are on team 5. Names of exotic animals were put in a bag and each team given an animal randomly selected from the bag. My team´s mascot is the Manatees which is not exactly as fierce as jaguars (Allen´s team), or tiger sharks (some of the kids in my hogar); or as colorful as guacamayas (my coworkers). In fact, manatees are big and placid, spending most of their time either sleeping or eating plants off the sea bottom. They are also known as sea cows and are gray and kind of ugly – sorry manatees!  How Christopher Columbus confused them with mermaids is a mystery to me.

Manatee


Mermaid

I think we got the most unexciting of the exotic animals of Honduras but are going to make the best of it. We already found a few manatee dances (who knew!) and we should do well at the water sports as long as they don´t involve speed since manatees move about as fast as a person can walk.

We also found out that all the adults on our team are newbies for this activity in contrast with Allen´s team that appears to be managed by a veteran. Based on the first two meetings, I think what we lack in experience we will make up for in ideas. I can see how this activity will be a fun way to bond with my teammates. We are already busy looking for images for our flag and Tshirts.

This Should Be Our Motto
My Personal Favorite for Our Flag/TShirt


The US Postal Service has a new "Save Manatees" stamp that was available to buy across the nation on "Manatee Appreciation Day" which is March 27. This is not to be confused with International Manatee Day on Sept 7.



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