intercarreras

Yesterday was the final day of the week-long Intercarreras celebration at the College. Intercarreras, an olympic-like celebration that pits students in the five different academic departments and the Pre-University Program against one another in a series of different competitions, is celebrated every year around October 4th, which is the Feast of St. Francis and the day the College was founded. This year, the College celebrated 19 years. 

Education students preparing to dance on Sunday afternoon.

The days are filled with mostly sporting events:  soccer, futsol, volleyball, races, chess, etc. Every evening there are cultural nights in which students participate in poetry readings, lip synching, theater, partner dancing, etc.  Points are awarded for each event and, in the end, the academic department with the most points wins.

Angelica Quisbert, Director of the UAC-CP's Nursing Department, serves rice during the campus-wide barbeque on Saturday. The College served more than 400 people.

The event also serves as a type of informal homecoming gathering; graduates return to "home" to Carmen Pampa to visit...and even participate in some of the events. I ran into several graduates on Saturday at the all-school barbeque and again on Sunday at the parade of dances.

The festivites ended yesterday with groups (including a group of administrators and volunteers) dancing traditional Bolivian dances. For hours, spectators watched as seven different groups took to the soccer field in their uniform costumes and choreographed motion.

The final winner? The Agronomy Department took home the grand prize: a giant trophy that will now be on display in the main office.

To view more pictures, visit: https://picasaweb.google.com/fundaciondecarmenpampa/IntercarreraDances