It’s Groundhog Day in Panama! Well, actually it’s Flag Day but it feels like the movie Groundhog Day because we did the exact same parade today as we did yesterday. I thought maybe there would be more people in the parade, like floats or bands from neighboring towns. Nope. I thought maybe it would be cooler today. Nope. I thought maybe we’d get more sleep if the disco shut down earlier. Nope and nope. Oh and the hour of standing in the hot sun for singing and praying? Yeah, we did that again.
We did change a few things to make it better. Candace and I did the girls’ hair and makeup before getting to the school, although when we arrived both girls had a some touch ups done. Their eyes needed more blue and their lips needed more red. Note to self: parade makeup is a lot like dance recital makeup.
The parade route was a little shorter so that was helpful because today was REALLY HOT. One of the route changes took the parade directly in front of the 24 hour emergency clinic we have in town. Maybe to drop off anyone who is suffering from heat stroke…?
After the parade yesterday I remembered all my old running relay tricks for stamina and Zoe and I made peanut butter energy balls (our cook called them “bolitos”). We made them nice and small so she and Ashley could pop them in their mouths easily. But today during makeup session #2, the teacher told Candace and I not to give the girls food during the parade, that it was distracting. Alrighty then. I guess we will save the “bolitos” for before or after. Or maybe Candace and I need to eat them as we walk along beside the girls.
I think Panamanians have a different blood type for stuff like this. Yeah, the other girls were hot and they were also being given sips of gatorade and using sweat towels, but no one else seemed to be melting like our kids. Or us.
Tomorrow we have yet another parade, but this time we are the travelling team. The girls have to ride with their classmates to a town about 30 minutes away. Candace and I will show the Panamanians how to be helicopter parents and we will follow along in the car. Maybe when the parade is over we can show those other moms how to make bolitos.
