The sunday before last,

I forgot to tell everyone about our great speech!! The sunday before last Joe and I had planned on having a normal sunday, we even invited another volunteer over in hopes that we could try and make hamburgers, from ground steak meat!!! ( thats right ground steak)
We Thought we had everything ready when he heard banging outside the apartment. When we went to look there were many people setting up a stage right outside. I guess we were going to watch a performance given by some disabled people. I asked why are they performing and the students said because theyre disabled and thats what they do. So as the day went on the stage got bigger and bigger, and more people arrived dressed in nice clothes and makeup. Joe and I went to take the trash out and theres this man with one log and a crutch playing badminton with a student. Let me tell you he put tiny tim to shame! This guy was all over the place, you wouldn't ever know he only had one leg. The show is about to start and Joe and I are justing hanging around outside watching all this go on and talking to a student when a mob of men comeover, one of them looking like hes wearing harry carey sunglasses says to the student that he wants us to give a speech and the student will translate. The group of men just walk away then and tell us we go on after the 1,000 hands dance. "Great!!"we think to ourselves , what are we supposed to say?? This is a performance given by disabled people and in America if you say one word about disabled people you get looked at bad, soooo what are we suppossed to say?
A midget women rolls her wheel chair over to us and in perfect english describes that these people are all disabled, some no legs some no sight some cannot hear, and we are to talk about how hard they have worked to over come there ailments and come and perform for the students. "Sweet!!" we think as we walk around still not knowing what to say , this is all very awkward because we defiently don't have disabled people performances in America. We defiently dont put them on display like monkeys to dance around the stage.!! And this is what we are thinking as the student helps us to formualte a plan within minutes of the show starting.
We finally some how came up with some hoop la about how great disabled people are and how the students should always remember them when they are down about there studies. Some sort of motivational speech I guess. We waited and watched the rest of the performances which included acrobats, singing, dancing and many skits. Then there was the 1,000 hands dance , which is very popular at spring festival and symbolizes the buddah. We knew our turn was up next. As the dance was finishing Joe and I were both shaking in terror. There had to be 5,000 plus students, teachers, parents and officials watching. Plus there wasn't enough room for everyone on the basketball courts , so They filmed it and the performance was shown live in some of the classrooms. Did I mention it was freezing cold out too?? Some of the students just sat huddled together watching.
After the dance is finished we make our way to the stage and our liason is handing me a million bouquets of flowers. I'm supposed to hand them to the dancers. What I didnot know was that there were 15 bouquets, so they all start to tumble out of my hands as I handing out the first one. Everyone laughs, and Im in shock that this is happening. We take pictures and are thanked and almost rushed off the stage when the student says, wait there supposed to give a speech!! Ahhhh Man we almost got out of it and he had to remind them!!! ~ is what we are both thinking. Then they hand me the microphone and as I'm looking out into the crowd, I can't see anything. The lights are so bright that I couldn't even see one face. This made stumbling over a speech I just thought up 10 minutes ago a little easier. I tell all the students to close there eyes and to remember the faces of the disabled people. Its straight out of a movie. Joe then gives his speech and the student helps to translate. When its finally over my adrenaline is pumping and I can't believe I just did that!! I haven't given a speech since freshmen year of high school when Mr. Hall counted how many times I said "Um".
After it was over we were both really happy, we had the student over for burgers too. It was really cool getting to know him too, He is 20 and in Senior 3 , He actually spent a year and a half in amercia and even graduated from american high school. His name is Billy, he went to a school in Los Angelos and by some of the things he says you'd know it too. He sounds a little like a surfer when he says things like "Hey Man" and " What are you doin Man?" Hes really great! He even explained to us how different america was for him. Espiecially girls. He said it was amazing that cheerleaders could wear such short skirts and do flips and show off there underwear!! I never laughed so hard in my life!