Life Is a Carnaval

As Easter approaches and March comes to a close, I am reminded of the celebration of Carnaval which opens the season of Lent. Like my elementary school used to celebrate Mardi Gras, my school here celebrated Carnaval, the difference being that Carnaval celebrations lasted the entire week! Each day had a different theme for dressing up: crazy hat day, crazy neckwear day, crazy socks day, face paint day, and a day of full costumes (I dressed like a tiger, with a tail!).

The kids got to parade around our town (Boadilla del Monte) in their costumes and, afterwards, enjoy some chocolate a la taza (or Spanish style hot chocolate) and biscuits. The kids love seeing their normally serious teachers all dressed up, and we have fun dancing with them and marching around the city with them. It's an incredibly sweet and fun day for everyone.

Since our school is focusing on teaching about India this year, some teachers dressed like Gandhi and we all made signs with quotes from Gandhi or other famous and inspiring figures from India. 

Of course, I took many, many photos: