Rule #1: Always Bribe the Judges

This past Friday, we didn’t have school. Instead, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., we had school-wide Olympics at our local university’s gym and pool. The 7 gimnazjum (middle school) homerooms competed against each other and the 6 liceum (high school) homerooms competed against each other in swimming races, jumping events, running events, volleyball matches, etc.

Like Studniówka (the Polish senior prom I attended in January), the Olympics celebrated school community. Here are photographs and stories from the Olympics!

Costumes

Every homeroom had picked a theme and dressed up according to their theme (homeroom teachers too!). I was very impressed with their creativity!

This 7^th grade homeroom wore elementary school uniforms (suspenders and all!).

A freshmen class of construction workers (they also created a fantastic construction zone in their section of the gym).

7^th grade vampires. (I'm pretty certain the Twilight-Robert-Pattinson-obsessed girls in their class picked this theme.)

7^th grade mimes.

My personal favorite – this senior class was on a safari/camping trip.

They sang “camp songs” during breaks and hung out by the tent they had pitched in the corner of the gym.

Events

Here’s a photograph of the opening ceremony for the gimnazjum (middle school). Let the games begin!

Middle school basketball events.

High school volleyball matches.

Swimming relay races – my favorite event!

The cheering squads at the pool waiting for the next event.

Food – the key to a successful Olympics

Knowing that the Olympics lasted all day (and knowing how crabby and unpleasant I am when hungry), I packed a lunch on Friday. What I had forgotten was that I was attending a Polish gathering, where serving guests lots of food is a responsibility taken very seriously. I arrived at 8:45 a.m. and by 9:30 a.m. I had received a stack of cookies, chocolates, three drinks, and a sandwich to eat. At 9:30 a.m.! Why all the food?

Well, it’s an “Olympic tradition” for teams to bribe the judges (teachers at our school) with food and drink. I wasn’t a judge, but was showered with bribes anyways.

Here’s a photograph of the judges’ table. It was always well stocked with drink and food bribes from various teams.

One freshmen class had a “tea theme,” and they bribed the judges with wonderful tea. Agnes walked around with the menu (see it printed on the side of the box?), you picked your flavor, and her accomplices served you your tea!

“Vampire blood” (with the blood type of the unfortunate human donor noted on the cup) from the 7^th grade vampires.

Me with a piece of delicious traditional Polish apple cake - a bribe from my class of sophomores who were “village people”.

Needless to say, I didn’t starve at the Olympics or eat my packed lunch. I also went home with a bag of leftover sandwiches (that I tried to politely refuse but my attempts failed miserably) that I could (theoretically) live off of for two weeks. Polish hospitality (including the importance of food at celebrations) is best summed-up with the Polish proverb “Gosc w dom, Bog, w dom” (“A guest in the home is God in the home”).