September 16, 2011

Sep 1st -The 23rd Birthday of the University San Francisco de Quito

Hey all, so birthdays here are a pretty big deal! 
For the 23rd birthday of my University here in Quito, the administration put together a huge event.  Classes were canceled from 11:30-1pm and all the students met in the gym for an assembly.  All of the professor were dressed up in their graduation regalia and the gym was decorated with balloons and streamers.  The chancellor said a few words and then they invited a famous poet to speak about liberty.  After the assembly everyone was invited to the school plaza for a reception.  They set up a runway in the plaza and all the sports teams of the university put on a school pride fashion show faulting all the USFQ wear that you can buy in the bookstore.  We all sang Happy Birthday and then FREE cake and sangria was served while a live band played.  Surprisingly, there was no limit to the amount of cake or sangria; it was eat your fill!  The cake was specially made by the school´s gastronomy department and the entire event was really enjoyable.  I was also quite surprised to see several of my professors enthusiastically toasting and drinking sangria.  I was even further surprised by the amount of self control that the Ecuadorians exhibited.  The plaza mostly cleared around 1:30pm after students diligently returned to class.  If there was ever an event like this at U of I, where there was unlimited FREE cake and alcohol, absolutely no one would go to class and the entire campus would be a disaster... Apparently this is done every year on the 1st of September and is thoroughly enjoyed by the students.

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