The festivities kicked off with an incredible "Olympic Style" March of Nations. I went with Barbara and some of the Archeology interns on island and somehow we managed to find ourselves sitting in the VIP section three rows behind the Governor!!! Definitely some of the best seats in the house! To our right was a delegate from New Zealand and right in front of us was a delegate from Papua New Guinea. The ceremony began with a speech from the Governor and the Festival Coordinator.
The highlight was the following quote from the governor:
"If God is the Michelangelo, then the Pacific Islands are his Mona Lisa."
Perhaps funnier than the actual quote however were the reactions of the people around me. The Italian to my right just shook her head and looked dumbfounded. The American archeologist to my right paused, thought about it, and then with a little hesitation said "Wait I thought it was that Da Vinci guy." Meanwhile everyone else around us just nodded their heads approvingly. Classic island moment.
After that came the parade. As each of the countries delegations passed by they performed a traditional song and dance and presented a gift to the Governor's wife. Here are some highlights (pictures courtesy of Barbara):
Waiting for the Parade to start
The Tahitian dancers were phenomenal
The Samoan delegation played conch shells
The women from New Zealand had great tops. The mens costumes (mainly body paint and feathers) were great too but unfortunately they moved around too much to get a good picture.
Unfortunately the delegation from Hawaii did not perform up to our expectations.
Barbara's future husband
Even Jesus made an appearance! If you can't see it the sign in front of Jesus reads "Architecture."
1 comment:
HOLY HECK!!!! I can't believe those pics, I can't believe I will be there in less than a week....OMG...get ready!!!
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