Global Finals- Food, Fun, and Opening Ceremonies

Global Finals was a bit like being on a cruise ship, minus the seasickness.

There was So. Much. Food. Everyday we had an open buffet for every meal. There were dozens of delicious choices offering up tempting smells. Between the meals there were endless treats- coolers full of ice cream, crates of iced soda, and every evening party had tables and tables of desserts.

The Buddy Team meet-up had pastries right after breakfast. The movie party had catered pizzas, movie treats, eclairs, candy, and more ice cream. The Passport party had endless tables full of food from around the world. Fish and chips. Nachos. Italian bread and marinara dip. Sushi. Baklava. Tandoori chicken. BBQ Chicken. I can't even remember all the choices they had. (And this was served right after dinner!) My goodness, we were always full. I think we must have gained some weight that week.

(All-you-can-eat sushi? Yes, please!)

There were parties every night and plenty of fun activities to do all day long. The pool was open every day and our kids loved chilling out there during the hot and humid afternoons. They spent hours and hours playing in the pool, swimming until the pool closed at 10 PM. Our dorm was across the street from the pool, so it was a quick, easy walk home at night.

 Several courtyards were stocked with dozens of inflatable houses, water slides, human hamster balls, obstacle courses, and more. Most nights there were dance parties with DJs, famous singing groups, and other entertainers.....we went to a couple of those but the children lost interest after 30 minutes or so. The music was very loud and not our preferred style of entertainment.

We were lucky to be selected as part of the Buddy Team program, where we were paired with an international team for some events. The morning meet-and-greet was where we met each other and exchanged gifts that represented our home state. Our buddy team was from Ontario, and it was such fun to get to know them! We brought chips and Texan pineapple-jalapeno salsa to share, and gifts of shark tooth necklaces from the Texas beach, longhorn-shaped cookie cutters, and Texas-themed drink cozies. Our friends gifted us with maple candy, Canadian-themed mugs and waterbottles, and moose-themed gifts.

The opening ceremonies was a delight, somehow we were given the tickets to front row seats along the floor! We weren't sure who was in charge of seating assignments, but we were so delighted to be up close to all the action.

What a treat that was in such a large arena.

The Parade of Nations showcased the participating countries in grand display. We enjoyed giving every team high fives and cheers as they paraded past. They particularly liked high-fiving the astronauts from NASA.

The music and energy were such fun, and we cheered our little hearts out. Each time a state or country was announced, the participants from that area would stand and cheer loudly. Texas had around 3,000 participants, while other areas averaged around 100 or 200 participants. When Texas was announced in the parade, the roar was positively deafening.

Matthew was also featured in a live interview for television, which he thought was very cool.

We were treated to various live entertainment from singers and silk dancers, and Buzz Aldrin did a speech to encourage kids to pursue more STEM-based learning. (It was rather odd- he acted like he was drunk, and the presentation was quite awkward. The CEO of DI kept trying to wrap things up and get Buzz offstage, but Buzz would have none of it and monopolized the evening for much longer than he was supposed to. It was a total PR fail for Disney (who hosts Global Finals), but of course the details of that never made it into any articles in the Global Finals papers that were being printed daily.)

At the close of the ceremonies there was a spectacular confetti drop. It lasted for several magical minutes. The children really enjoyed catching the individual pieces out of the air or playing with the drifts of confetti covering the floor.

Matthew even made a 'confetti angel' on the ground!

After the Opening Ceremonies were done, there was a party on the floor of the stadium. Everyone was mingling and taking pictures with students from other countries. It was such a fun and friendly interaction, and it brought back so many memories of my childhood, when I participated in the International Fold Dance Festival each summer. I loved it that my children were able to experience something like this!

(Matthew's in a stage of life where he thinks it is 'uncool' to smile in pictures. It's rare that I can coax a smile from him when I'm holding a camera....so sad!)

What a memorable day it was! I could see why people would want to attend Global Finals as tourists even if they weren't participating in the DI program. It's such fun!