Homecoming Parade - Service Learning

     Homecoming weekend a group of fellow students and I took our TEAs to the Homecoming parade on Main Street. The TEAs had never seen anything like it. They were literally jumping up and down with excitement for every float and every horse and every trumpet. Multiple times we had to pull them out of the street at the last minute just so they didn’t get run over by a horse or a fleet of band members. They took pictures with everything and everyone. And when one of the floats started handing out those blue and gold headbands with the crazy hair they flocked to them; every woman we had in our company collected at least two head bands.

     It was an interesting contrast: to think of our American culture that has parades for pretty much every event and every holiday juxtaposed with the Nicaraguan (where most of our attending TEAs are from) culture which, apparently, does not. Sydney, Bridget, Mackenzie, and I have seen so many parades that they've just become second nature. I didn't even go to the Homecoming Parade last year, but I'm so glad that I went this year with Ana and the other TEAs.
     The language barrier, for me, is not an enormous obstacle. I understand Spanish, though I cannot speak very well. But keeping eyes on all of our TEAs was a challenge; they wanted to see everything, so naturally, they ran in every direction. At least twice (once was when we were trying to get organized for the above picture) I lost track of Ana. Both times, a lot of shouting ensued until she came running back to the group, laughing.
     By the end of that morning, I had developed a completely new view of Homecoming parades, and parades in general. I remember how excited I was a kid when I heard I was going to a parade - because I hadn't seen one thousand of them yet. But now, I've been able to realize this desensitization and perhaps be excited again. And it's not just parades, of course. You might have already realized that this is getting bigger than parades, but I'm excited to see what else I can learn from Ana and realize about my own culture, as well as hers.