Science Night

     Days before the big night, before facing elementary school kids running around, overwhelmed with the various experiments, and before their curiosity prompted questions regarding our bubble experiment, I knew that planning was a must, and perfection was key. So, two days before the actual day, I followed the magic recipe for the bubbles, began to pour here and there, mixed that with this, stirred methodically and began to improvise a bubble wand out of a wire I luckily found poking out of a random corner of my home. These bubbles, however, were popping. Almost as if the slight breath nervously coming out of my nose were daggers, popping every home-made bubble I blew. I still had hope, perhaps redoing the experiment with a partner may be different; two heads think better then one, right? Hope still lingered, Mariel and I performed the experiment, and there was popping everywhere. Nothing could be done.

     Despite the hopelessness, Caren with a chemist's hand created the unpoppable solution, our philosopher's stone. Now, this solution was the keystone, holding everything together during that special night. Kids began to rush into the hallways, their minds craving knowledge, and our frontier, our table, boldly standing with Caren's solution placed exactly in the middle of the table. We were ready. Our aprons protecting us from chest to knees, and our table serving as our refuge, the sanction of knowledge and curiosity. The table was decorated with colorful solutions, and padded with thick towels, since we were already bracing ourselves for the flood that will accumulate after a few hours of having fun with bubbles, and witnessing the kids eyes widen towards a spherical, syrup substance. Just like the prominent solution crafted by Caren, each of the group members bared an important trait. Vanessa and Mariel were the kid-magnets, attracting most of the kids, and both without hesitation were teaching them how to properly make a bubble wand, and they swiftly revealed to them the super weapon, the perfect bubble solution grandly in the middle of the table. The rest of us interacted with the one's that were not able to reach Vanessa or Mariel since they were occupied assisting others. However, Guillermo was the idol to every kid and even parent who witnessed him blow bubbles bigger than his entire face. In fact, Guillermo was the main attraction. as his bubbles almost obstructed the narrow hallway.

     A few minutes into Science Night, and our experiment became almost like an origami activity as we guided the kids on how to correctly, and efficiently bend and twist the fuzzy, caterpillar like pipe cleaners. Left and right, I was getting questions asked both by parents and kids, I felt like a teacher instructing the composition of the bubbles, but sounded more like an over enthusiastic bubble aficionado. The Elementary school children were dipping their wands here and there, some passionate kids were dipping their hands into Caren's thick solution, the elixir of reminiscence, considering the countless stories I had heard from the children in which were triggered by the simple making of large bubbles. It was a therapeutic activity as well, and a nostalgic one also, since I felt older than ever. I, myself, was dealing with kids and parents, I stepped into an elementary school where the sink was below my waist, and I became the center of attention only by blowing bubbles.

A simple activity, a simple rectangular fordable white-top-table with bubble solution, ironically, developed my trait of maturity. It involved interacting with small 10 year old kids, with parents decades older then the kids and myself. This tested my ability to deal with any situation, whether they are extremes in difference. From being eye level with a kid conveying the sense of trustworthiness, to confidently and eloquent;y speaking to the parents.  It took the effort of my entire group to perfect this experiment, and with their motivation, memories worth reminiscing were made.