Earlier this week I came up with a great idea: Why not have the girls at Hogar de Niñas de Capital pose the Boys and friends and write the story for Friday Red Mr. Peanut and Gallito Mescalito Blogging! Can't miss, right? Well, I had forgotten that Creativity is not an important aspect of Public Education in Panamá. I first noticed this several years ago during Daily Vacation Bible School when the Teachers would show the kids an example of what ever the craft was, and then the kids would produce exact copies of the example. Ten kids would produce ten exact copies of a fishy. They would use the same colours as used in the example, they would all cut the fishy exactly the same, and if they hadn't put their names on the back of the fishy, I have no idea how they would know which fishy was theirs. Every year we display the arts and crafts from VBS and it is always a display of almost perfect copies.
Now, I know that I was a bit of a strange kid (and an Odd Adult, like the rest of you), and my kids are just as strange as I, but I never had any trouble making up stories, and posing inanimate objects to illustrate the story was pretty much my normal play and my kids were the same (kinda like Gilda Radner's "Judy Miller Show" skits on Saturday Night Live). That could be why I do this goofy thing every Friday. Well, Mona brought some of the cast and asked the girls to pose them and make up a story and she would take photos, but, since such creative thinking is not encouraged at school, the girls were unable to come up with a story. They seemed unsure what to do with the boys and their friends. They did like to hold them and listen to Mr. Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kitty Toy make its noise. So, no story tonight, but lots of photos of Red Mr. Peanut Bank, Gallito Mescalito, Wooden Kuna Doll, Mr. Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kitty Toy, and the Egyptian Hippo of Love hanging out with Mona and Tía Sue's girls.
1. Hmmm. . . Now what?
2. What if I pose them this way?
3. Squeak!
4. Gallito Mescalito: ¡¡Shrieeek!!
Red Mr. Peanut Bank: Sheesh! Keep it down!
Estefani: What is wrong with that rooster?
5. ¡Mira!
6. Evelia and the Boys
7. What if we put them like this?
8. Excuse us, we're trying to play a game here!
9. Mr. Chompy's Chewed-up Squeaky Kitty Toy: What? Waddya lookin' at?
Evelia:Maybe I should squeeze you! You're already chewed-up.
10. Go Fish and Wild Hair!
11. We loves 'em!
3 comments:
That's too bad about not teaching creativity or encouraging it in the public schools.
You know, I'm from the South, and we are all about stories, and even the true stories are told with little embellishments.
You well know about embellishments, don't you Padre?
"The Judy Miller Show"! Did she grow up to become a reporter for the New York Times?
Just when a little "realismo magico" would have done the trick...it's never there when you need it (or expect it).
Where are the swarms of honeybees that carry messages and instill their blessings on all they don't sting?
Leonardo Ricardo the Taggedless
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