El Día de San Valentín has come and gone, and, quite frankly, it was uneventful. But two days later, at the 58th anniversary party of Y Camp, I received my most interesting assignment yet: dressing up like cupid, walking around collecting valentines, and delivering them the following morning.
They told me it was tradition. Brad, the Global Gap Year Fellow who worked with the Y last year, was cupid, and now it was my turn. To be honest, it makes sense that their cupid is a white male, given that he is a white male in nearly all depictions. So I stripped down to my underwear, covered myself in a red fabric “diaper” (which was filled with more fabric to give it the impression of being full), and sat calmly while a giant red heart was painted on my chest. And while a golden ribbon was being tied around my head, someone surprised me, to my dismay, with a heart-shaped tramp stamp. Then, I grabbed my heart-topped staff (to replace a bow and arrows) and valentine basket, and set out on my task.
For the next two hours, I, with the help of two others, passed through the various cabañas, módulos, and lotes of Y Camp, inquiring if the inhabitants, who were eagerly awaiting the 600-person party that would ensue that night, would like to send a valentine to somebody else at camp. Many took me up on the offer. Others wanted to take pictures or simply have a conversation with their cúpido.
The next morning, we distributed the valentines, and everyone was happy. Sure, I looked absolutely ridiculous. But to be frank, it was a fun activity that let me interact with a load of new people. It’s was something new, and something I’ll probably never do again. After all, how many people can say they’ve paraded through a camp full of Peruvians in a Cupid costume? Not very many.
De Cúpido con amor,
Don Quixote de las Carolinas
Cúpido
My surprise tramp stamp and full diaper
WOW!