University of Alabama students wouldn’t have guessed any of their days to end to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” when they came here in May as part of their Alabama Action Abroad program.

But before bed one evening, as the nightly meeting was coming to an end, the Cacique cued AJ Collins, the Hanashita, to read his account of the day’s activities. To their surprise, he cleared his throat, and began singing “Yankee Gringos* Came to Town.”

(To sing the words below to the right tune, listen to the song here.)

Yankee Gringos came to town
A ridin’ in a truck
Amubri- a BriBri town
The roosters gave a cluck

Yankee students went to paint
And fill in giant holes
Hanashita, Shaman, trapo
These were all our roles

Yankee teachers were we all
And children came a grinning
Teachers loved to teach english
The soccer games we’re winning

Yankee students roused themselves
To eat some yummy flakes
Some students stayed to make trash cans
And no one saw some snakes

Yankee gatherers went to hunt
For yuca and plantains
Never did a single think
The day would end in pains

Tico Andre came to learn
To bother and to play
However his hormones were out of whack
And he wanted to love McKaye

Yankee tourists went to swim
But Sergio had plans
Decided we should take a trip
Over muddy mountains

Yankees AJ and Elise
Adorned some sweet flipflops
But down the mountain did they slide
And never could they stop

Tico thorns were lurking there
And waiting for some feet
Alas, alas poor AJ fell
And there alaid his treat

Many many Yankees swam
And floated down the creek
Thank God- Jules on horsey came
And no one crossed the peak

Yankee AJ came to camp
A ridin’ on a horsey
Had 40 thorns in his feet
Was feeling a little worse-y

Yankee clothing smelled like must
Trey nearly flashed poor Wahnee
Before the trip the Yankees thought
that wearing dirt was gaudy

But Yankees now just sat and hoped
That camp had underwear
And Rachel looking through her bag
Found leggings- in fact 2 pair

Yankee Julia was naked
Under her sleeping bag
Changed into her underwear
Without even a snag

So, in short, Yankees enjoyed Amubri
The BriBri tribe was great
And now we leave this awesome town
Suretka awaits our fate

So though the bugs came biting true
And bat attacked McKaye
Our time here in Amubri’s done
There’s nothing more to say

Couldn’t have sang it better ourselves.

*gringo is term for a foreigner in Latin America