Follow our interns on their blog

Our two interns, Kay Adami and Zoey Bouchelle, have started their own blog! Follow their adventures at: http://soccerwithoutbordersgranada.blogspot.com/

Reflections- from Marisa

I have now been living in Granada, Nicaragua for about three weeks, so it is about that time to start reflecting on my experiences, impressions, feelings, and every day occurrences. Before coming to Nicaragua, I spent two weeks in Paraguay, both in the capital, Asuncion and also on a reserve called Mbaracayú, where the Nike Girl Effect movement is in action at an all- girls school that is designed to reach sustainability within five years. It was an amazing trip, and I learned so much by seeing the Girl Effect components first hand, speaking with the different directors, listening in on conversations with heads of foundations, and especially hearing the stories of the girls who were so proud to be the first class of the new school. It was also my first experience in a “developing” country, and it honestly helped me prepare for my trip to Nicaragua.

In order to reflect on my many experiences here, I am going to focus on three events/experiences that have left a great impression on me. The first is last Wednesday’s event in which we all decided to focus on teaching the girls more about Futbol Sin Fronteras, in terms of its mission, its history, its goals, and its worldwide locations. I think that it was very intriguing for the older girls because I think they are the ones who are able to think more outside the box, and particularly at their age, are the ones who are able to get the most out of this organization. Girls in developing countries from the ages of 10-15 are often the invisible sector of societies and it is inspiring to see that FSF is already reaching this group, and that it has the potential to really help in their development. We also noticed on this night, that a lot of the girls in both groups have a lot of difficulty with writing and spelling and that if we want to talk about development, then that would be what we should really address. I think that Suyen did a great job on this night of really explaining to the girls that this is their organization, that they are the ones who are getting the most out of it, that this organization is an example to other organizations worldwide, and that they are also part of the FSF family. We now are focusing more on gathering information on each girl that enters this safe space, because we realize that it will help FSF’s mission to use soccer as a tool for development. It is important to realize that we are the ones who need to constantly take note of the positive changes we see in these girls.

Another event that I want to focus on was my second Saturday practice, and my first with the older girls. In general, it is a lot easier for all of the volunteers here to get to know the younger girls; they are the first to run up and hug you, ask you your name, what you are doing, and are not hesitant in the least bit, which also makes it easier to test out your Spanish skills with them. So, I have been more hesitant with the older group but after this practice, I feel like I am more comfortable conversing with many of the girls. I think that a big part of their hesitance is their age, and I understand now that not all of them know each other that well, where as with the younger girls it seems like the girls are more energetic and animated. However, I like to think that the older girls first need to gain more confidence and trust with the volunteers before they are willing to open up more, which when it happens, I know that a new level of conversation and understanding will regularly take place. Their hesitance also appears on the field when they are playing, because you can see it in some of them that they want to show more and want to try harder, but it seems to me that what matters more at this age is the opinion of the group. I think once we can get this energy out of the girls then practices will be more competitive and everyone will get a lot more out of the time we are at the field. At the end of practice, after doing a couple sessions focused on passing, it was time for the girls to play. It was also starting to rain and the girls were at water break, and I asked them after looking up at the dark clouds above, if they wanted to play, and they all were like “ si, vamos a jugar”. It was a great end to the practice, seeing the excitement in their faces to end the practice with the scrimmage despite the weather conditions.

My last experience that I want to touch upon was the last weekend’s event with Hotel Corazon. It was inspiring to see the coaches preparing for the arrival of the chicos/chicas. They were ready and organized when the students arrived, and what was really amazing was when the students got off the bus(many of them looked like they were in some of their best clothes, some girls even with heels) they all looked at the streets with the Pugg goals, and right away wanted to play. It was amazing to see them running around kicking each other, the ball, stubbing their toes on the street pavement, running through puddles, and simply enjoying every moment of the game. I realized then, that when you have this excitement for a sport and desire to play with a team, then it can most certainly be used to translate into other parts of one’s development. I know that many of the girls here will not go on to become collegiate soccer players, or use soccer as a way to escape their conditions, but it can be used to teach them life skills, confidence, and can certainly help them improve in other spheres of their lives, particularly in the classroom.

There are certainly so many great things going on within the walls of Futbol Sin Fronteras, and at the fields as well. I think that from what I have seen, that Zoey and Kay are ready to take things to a new level, they are ready to focus here on the organization with long-term goals and visions. I think it is really exciting time for FSF because of their duration of their internship and their focus on education, life skills, and specifically literacy. I am thrilled to have been a part of this organization, and within the next week before I leave, I hope to help out as much as possible. Tomorrow night I think we will focus on The Girl Effect, because we found the video with Spanish subtitles, and hopefully we can get the girls intrigued in this amazing movement.

ESPN

Check out a feature on espn.com about the Granada site!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=4493986

It's a very exciting time, as a new set of volunteers has arrived or is about to arrive in Granada. Marisa, Kay, and Zoe are taking over volunteer duties,and we are looking forward to finishing out 2009 on a great note!

Summer fun at home- Mary

The blog has been on hiatus for a little bit but that doesn't mean that things haven't been rolling! Stay tuned for a final update from Carly in the near future!

In addition, there has been a lot of outreach going on stateside, and some really impressive efforts by different groups. Recently, the CPU girls soccer team from State College, PA hosted a SWB car wash to support their two favorite former Penn State players, Zoe Bouchelle and Kay Adami, in their trip to Granada this fall.

A special thanks goes out to all of the girls, and especially to Eve Beaury for doing a lot of the legwork to make the car wash happen. Advance Auto Parts (specifically Gary Gotalt) weas also a key player and deserves a big thank you for letting the girls use their site and for donating the use of supplies!

The CPU girls had earlier set a goal of raising $500 in support of SWB, and did a tremendous job working in the hot sun to not only meet but surpass it! A big thanks from SWB to:

Mikala Hursh
Colby Sinclair
Katie Walsh
Brianna Bevan
Taylor Webster
Megan Ritchey
Morgan Rohrbach
Rebecca Whitney
Ginger Woolridge
Eve Beaury

and to Patty Beaury for helping to organize the girls and liaise with SWB.
Great job and best of luck with your fall seasons girls!

English class with Hailey

For the month of July, we've been fortunate enough to have Hailey, a Teach for America Teacher in Texas, as our most recent volunteer. Hailey has helped transform "Homework night" (Thursday nights at the office) into Clase de Ingles. Kids can still come with their homework, but the appeal of learning English seems far more popular. Homework night has been difficult to nail down, as it seems the kids don't have much homework at all. In a city full of tourists, that imports a lot of its pop culture from the US, learning English is a valuable skill both professionally and in order to under a lot of the music and movies that surround them. Hailey has put her classroom teaching skills to work as the class has averaged over 30 girls the last few weeks!

Hotel Con Corazon! from Carly and Cesar

On July 3, four of the coaches from Futbol Sin Fronteras went and helped out another Non-Profit organization here in Granada, named Hotel Con Corazon. Hotel Con Corazon is a hotel founded by two dutch gentleman who wanted to help out the people of Granada. All of the profits of the hotel go to the Hotel Con Corazopn foundation which is involved in numerous activities in and around Granada. To name a few: they employ a hotel staff of solely Nicaraguans, purchase only local products from local suppliers, provide small loans for Nicaraguan entrepreneruers, help their staff and suppliers to finish their educations, and work with many of the surrounding campesinos (small towns in the country) to provide further educational opportunities, supplies for schools, and education to improve their town infrastructures. It is a really cool program and we were very excited to collaborate with them and hope to do so more in the future.

http://www.hotelconcorazon.com/

Below is a blog post from Cesar describing the event that he was able to help with. He wrote it in Spanish and we translated it together into English.

On July 3, Soccer Without Borders and Hotel Con Corazon had a Super Event in the Region Lagoon II in the School Bertha Gutiérrez. The event consisted of donating material of studies (books, school supplies, pamphlets, and guides), sport materials (balls, cones...donations from Soccer Without Borders). The event started a little behind schedule becasue so many more poeple came than expected. We had a schedule packed full of fun events, many national games, traditional dances, popular dances, competitions and other forms of entertainment. There were approximately 300 people, among them the majority were little girls and boys. The region Lagoon II is located approximately to 10 km outside of the city of Granada and it is a zone very little populated and their inhabitants are of few economic resources, in spite of that the people are very affectionate, amiable, and the many desire to surpass themselves and to continue their educations beyond that of their families. The team of Soccer Without Borders was comprised of Allan, David, Chepe, and Cesar. We were responsible for entertaining the children and teaching them soccer skilles. We played many games and the kids showed much interest and a very good level of play. It was the first tome that many of the girls had ever played soccer, and we had to teach them the objective and the rules. Despite not knowing much about soccer, they played very well and many had great athletic ability. Soccer is usually played by boys throughout much of Nicaragua. At the end, some of the boys challenged us to a game and of course we won! But we were very surprised by their level of futbol.
It was a great event and we were very happy to be involved and look forward to working in future events. It felt good to help out those less fortunate. It was also a good experience to make us appreciate the opportunities we have here in Granada with our families, our schooling, and the available sports we have.

Interview with Allan- from Carly

Todays interview is with Allan. Allan is not only a great and fun coach, but also a great student. He is currently going to University in Managua (2 hours each day on the bus!) studying International Business and Supply Chains. He and Cesar are also participating in a Youth Leadership Program that they both won a scholarship for. A busy guy!

1) What is your name? Allan David Baltodano Arguello

2) How old are you? I’m 20 years old.

3) What is your favorite food and why? My favorite food is “Pollo en Vino” (chicken in wine sauce) because it is delicious.

4) What is your favorite place in Nicaragua? Why? My favorite place in Nicaragua is San Juan Del Sur because it is fun to play futbol on the beach with my friends.

5) Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes, I have four sisters and two brothers and I have one twin sister.

6) How long have you been involved with Futbol Sin Fronteras? 5 months.

7) What do you like most about Futbol Sin Fronteras? I get to share my ideas with my teammates and I get to help the girls develop their soccer skills.

8) What do you want to do when you grow up? First, I want to finish university and then I would like to find a job working for an organization that helps the poor. I would also like to own my own business.

10) What have you learned working with Futbol Sin Fronteras? I have learned that we can learn more and accomplish more working as a team. I’ve also learned how to teach and share my experiences with the girls.

11) What is your favorite class in school and why? My favorite class is international trade, because it interests to me learn how everything is mobilized by what we use on a daily basis.

12) What is your fave hobby? I like to listen to music and play soccer. When I do both of these things I am relaxed.

13) Do you like soccer? Why? Yes, I love it. It is the sport that I practiced from a very young age. It is exciting and fun.

14) Who is your favorite volunteer? Carly, Myra, Allison and Hailey.

15) What would you like to say to people that have helped Futbol Sin Fronteras? All of your help, donations, and work is going to a great cause. I hope we all can continue to grow as a family and help more people.

16) What is your favorite soccer team? Why? And favorite player? Why? My favorite team is Real Madrid because of its great history and grand players. My favorite player is Zinedine Zidane because he plays with elegance and peace.

17) Vigoron o Pizza? (Vigoron is a National Dish here…fried pork skins and yuca served with vinegar in a banana leaf? Both are delicious.

18) Pele or Maradona? Maradona because he had some of the best goals in the world in the biggest competitions. He is a legend.

Interview with Cesar- From Carly

1) What is your name? Cesar Augusto Morales Rivera

2) How old are you? 23

3) What is your favorite food and why? Gallopinto (a mix of beans and rice with a little bit of crunch), queso frito (fried cheese), and tajadas (fried sweet plantains)

4) What is your favorite place in Nicaragua? Why? Granada y Las Islettas (From Carly: there are 365 little islands surrounding the peninsula near Granada. They are gorgeous!) because it is a beautiful and tranquil place.

5) Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes, I have 4. Claudia, Luis, Ronald, y Carlos.

6) How long have you been involved with Futbol Sin Fronteras? 1 year

7) What do you like most about Futbol Sin Fronteras? I like to help the girls and I like the opportunities it has provided me. Alan (another coach) and I are currently taking part in a special university course for young leaders because of the help of Futbol Sin Fronteras.

8) What have you learned from Futbol Sin Fronteras? I’ve learned to work as a team and that by working together you can accomplish more. I've also met many good people through Futbol Sin Fronteras.

9) What is your favorite class in school and why? Psychology, Civics, and Political Science, because it is interesting to learn how nations are formed and how people have changed.

10) What is your fave hobby? I like to have fun, be happy, and help people.

11) Do you like soccer? Why? Yes, because I like to run and I enjoy the adrenaline.

12) What do you want to do when you grow up? I try to persevere and each day I want to improve and help other people.

13) What would you like to say to people that have helped Futbol Sin Fronteras? Thank you for your help and for all of the work that you have done. I hope you know how much we appreciate your help. This program is important to many people.

14) Who is your favorite team and player? Real Madrid FC and Cesar Morales

14) Vigoron o Pizza? (Vigoron is a National Dish here…fried pork skins and yuca served with vinegar in a banana leaf) Vigoron! Claro!

15) Pele or Maradona? Pele.

Bailamos! Y adios! -from Carly

Unfortunately there are many sad faces down here in Granada because our beloved Boston has left us. Boston has been an awesome volunteer for the past three months and he will certainly be missed. He had a ton of enthusiasm for futbol, helping people, and for having fun. A great mix to say the least!

To send him off in style, we had dance night of epic porportions last Friday night. With the DJ (ya, we have a DJ!) pumping a solid mix of Nicaraugua faves and American dance classics, we gave Boston a send off to remember. It was awesome!

Suyen is our dance leader and provided the core instruction, but make no mistake, these chicas can dance!...check out the pics!

Boston, we'll miss ya!

New video compilation- from Mary

Care of Catherine P., who is working to link her Central Park Rangers team with SWB. Catherine, Dani, and Lea play for CPR in New York City and have been working to set up a fundraiser tournament in the city this fall. Stay tuned for details!

Las Campeonatas! Ole ole ole! -from Carly

This Saturday marked the official end to the first ever girls soccer
league here in Granada, Nicaragua. And boy what a finish we had! We
had a great turn out of over sixty girls who came ready and fighting
for the championship. The coaches, Boston and I had been preparing all
week for the finals and we were just as excited as the girls. Besides
painting the field and making team flags and miniflags for the
championship teams, on game day the coaches wanted to go all out so we
decorated the field with balloons, made yellow cards for the refs, and
one coach even brought homemade confetti. We do it right!

In the younger girls division, Cesar and Las Azules were victorious
over the much bigger Barcelona team, coached by Kevin, who were
heavily favored in the coaches pool. In the second game of the day
Techo's team, Real Madrid, handed Barcelona another loss. For the
third game of the day, Techo's Real faced Cesar's Las Azules in the
final. Real had the match in hand from start to end and pulled off an
easy 4-0 victory. The celebrations were huge and the medal ceremony
was nothing less than Rad. Each team ran through the confetti tunnel
and were then handed their much worked for prize...bomboms!
(Lollypops!) And afterward the winning team posed for pictures.

In the older division because David's team, Los Galacticos, have held
almost a perfect record all season, we had the two other teams play in
a semifinal playoff to reach the final vs. Los Galacticos. Team Tico,
Coach Tico's team, and Futbol Sin Fronteritas coached by Allan, faced
off in a very close match in which Team Tico finished a goal in the
last minute to bring home the victory. It was a tough battle and there
were some upset players for sure. Luckily, while the final was
underway we had a co-ed pick up game on the adjacent field and the
Futbol Sin Fronteritas team were able to take their frustrations out
on the boys. As the final creeped on and the thirty nine of the forty
minutes went scoreless, the fans began to cheer for the tie so we
could watch penalties. And penalties we got! Los Galacticos slotted
each of their penalties so well that if I didn't know better I would
have guessed they practiced the night before. Los Galacticos brought
the Championship home in style with a 4-2 penalty victory.

Championship day was a total success and we all can't wait for the
start of the next season. Check out our photos of the days
celebrations.

Preparations! from Carly

Tomorrow is the semifinals and finals of our first ever Futbol Sin Fronteras league. The girls are pumped! To make the day even more special, Chepe, Cesar, Boston, Cindy and I have been hard at working on last minute preparations. We spent the last two mornings painting "the Cage" (the field for the younger girls that is used everyday by the community for futsol). The field was painted last year by Futbol Sin Fronteras volunteers and was in need of a fresh coat. The four of us had a great time painting despite breaking a few rollers and getting paint all over ourselves. We've all had smurf hands the last two days.

In addition to painting the field, we decided that instead of having generic trophies and medals for the girls, we should make something even cooler. I'm going to do a little bragging here because I'm extremely excited about our new Futbol Sin Fronteras flags! Cindy and I got together all of the materials and did the decorations while her brother (extremely talented brother might I add!) made 25 little team flags and two big flags for prizes for the winning teams. The players of the winning teams will each get a little flag and then we are planning on hanging the big flags with the team names in the office. I hope the girls are half as excited about the flags and field as we are!

Interview with Tatiana

1) What is your name? Tatiana Isamar Blanco Valverde

2) How old are you? 15

3) What is your favorite food and why? I like fruit and vegetables because they are healthy and have lots of vitamins.

4) What is your favorite place in Nicaragua? Why? Granada because it has a rich history and a beautiful lake front.

5) Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes.

6) How long have you been involved with Futbol Sin Fronteras? 5 months.

7) What do you like most about Futbol Sin Fronteras? I like it because all of the things we do, we are treated with respect. I get to work with my friends and we collaborate as a team. We can get help for things we don’t understand and get attention from the coaches and volunteers.

8) What have you learned from Futbol Sin Fronteras? I’ve learned to play soccer and that I can do anything I try. I’ve met many new friends and we learn how to play as a team.

9) What is your favorite class in school and why? I like math and English.

10) What is your fave hobby? I like to play soccer, dance, and hang out with my girl friends.

11) Do you like soccer? Why? Yes, because it is fun!

12) What do you want to do when you grow up? I think I want to be a good soccer player and a lawyer.

13) ¿Who is your favorite coach? My favorite coach is Boston because he gives me much attention and he has helped me learn a lot these last three months. I want to thank him because he is great.

14) ¿Vigoron o Pizza? (Vigoron is a National Dish here…fried pork skins and yuca served with vinegar in a banana leaf) Vigoron!

Guerra de poppas! -from Carly

One thing extremely cool about the Futbol Sin Fronteras program is that the volunteers working here get to live with a local family. I have been very lucky to live with Dona Chilo and her big family who have taken me in with open arms. Our barrio is a very close knit group who really do enjoy each other as well as take care of each other. It is a really great community. This last weekend I had the great opportunity to take part in Dia de las Madres (Mother's Day) which is a very big holiday here. Families get together for a big meal, music, dancing, piñatas, and more in front of their houses. It is really neat to see how each family gets together and how important family is here. It was a really great day and it made me miss my family a lot. But I felt lucky to be celebrating with my Nica family.

To show my appreciation and thanks to mi familia, the barrio, and the coaches who have taken me in as one of their own, I planned a big water fight in the street complete with team head bands, face paint, water balloons, and hot dogs after. As word spread that we were closing down the street for a water balloon fight, the party grew bigger and bigger. By 3:00 pm on Sunday, we were ready to party! And boy did we do it right! I think I must have spent 2 hours of straight laughing, yelling, and smiling! These guys really do know how to enjoy themselves and each other. Take a look at a few pics of the day’s festivities. It was awesome! My favorite part was that there were people of all ages participating and even my Nica Grandma was wearing a team head band! And the sack races...they were hysterical.

Meet the Team: Adrianna- From Carly

Adrianna in goal!

Adrianna playing the knee game

Adrianna with Alison and Anna Cocina



In our second edition of Meet the Futbol Sin Fronteras Team we have Adrianna. Adrianna lives in our barrio and is a Futbol Sin Fronteras faithful. She is at every event, early in fact, and is always smiling, even while playing goalkeeper in the cage! She is awesome!

What is your name? Adrianna Aux Dairla
How old are you? 12
What is your favorite food and why? Chicken because it is delicious.
What is your favorite place in Nicaragua? Why? The park because it is fun.
Do you have brothers and sisters? No.
How long have you been involved with Futbol Sin Fronteras? 5 months
What do you like most about Futbol Sin Fronteras? I like playing soccer.
What have you learned from Futbol Sin Fronteras? To respect my teammates.
What is your favorite class in school and why? English, because I like to practice with my friends.
What is your fave hobby? Playing soccer.
Do you like soccer? Why? Yes, because I learn a lot. I dream big things.
What do you want to do when you grow up? I want to be a professional and be a professional women’s soccer player.
Who is your favorite coach? Cesar and Carly.
Have you gotten any gear from the bodega? I just got a pair of red shorts. To match my Saturday team. :)
Vigoron o Pizza? (Vigoron is a National Dish of Nicaragua. It consists of cabbage; tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro pickled in lime juice; yucca and chicharrones (thickly cut fried pork skins) Vigoron!
Dora la Exploradora o Garfield? Both!

Meet the Futbol Sin Fronteras team! from Carly

Hi everyone. I´ve decided to start a new weekly post called ¨Meet the team!¨ Each week I´m going to do a special one on one interview with one of the youth coaches or one the Futbol Sin Fronteras girls so the world can get to enjoy these guys as much as we do. While coaching and playing soccer is lots of hard work, especially in this sun, we are constantly laughing, smiling, and having a great time.

This week, we are featuring Kevin. Posted are two photos of Kevin...one with his teams Mascot for the day, the Scorpion caught at the lake ten minutes earlier, and the other of him posing with his team Los Azules. Los Azules are the smallest but fiercest team in the group. What they lack in size they make up for in energy, noise, and team spirit. So, on to the interview!

What is your name? Kevin Cristo Vega Rivera

How old are you? 16

Do you have any brothers or sisters? Yes, I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

What is your favorite food? And why? Spaghetti. Because it is delicious and ready fast.

What is your favorite place in Granada? Playa de Granada because I like to go there and play with my friends.

How long have you been a part of the Futbol Sin Fronteras team? 6 months

Why do you work with Futbol Sin Fronteras? What do you do? I work with FSF to learn new techniques and skills. I also like to help the the girls. FSF gives the girls opportunities to develop, to have confidence, and to do things without fear. But most of all, it is fun.

What is your favorite team? And why? Barcelona, because of the programs and opportunities that they give young players. Just like Futbol Sin Fronteras here in Granada.

Who is your favorite player? And why? Messi, because he is awesome and he plays well with his teammates.

Why is Futbol Sin Fronteras important to you? To the girls? To the community? It is important because we give opportunities, a place to play soccer, and a safe place to be for anyone who wants to join.

Do you want to say anything to the people who have helped Futbol Sin Fronteras? Thank you for all of the help. Especially for the girls. Thank you for remembering Nicaragua.

Have you gotten any gear from the Bodega? Not yet. I have thirteen points and am saving up for a pair of cleats.

What do you want to do when you are older? I want to play futbol in a professional league and start an institution in Nicaragua to help poor girls and boys.

Liga, Limpieza, y Fiesta! Oh my!

This last week was a very exciting week here in Granada for the Futbol Sin Fronteras team as we had a ton of really great activities happening and some great photos to go along with all of them. On Saturday, week four of our league action continued and man was it a blast. It was extremely hot on Saturday morning and we had a lot planned for the rest of the day, so we decided to break the girls up in to just two teams with subs for the younger age group and three teams for the older girls. The "cage" (the fenced in field where the younger girls play) was as lively as ever because the substitutes doubled as cheerleaders/coaches/band/crowd/futbol fanatics to make a very exciting and LOUD game. I don't know where these guys get all of the energy but I'm going to look into bottling it ASAP.

The older girls had a new, competitive team enter their division who definitely have had a few months of practicing as a team. Tico, a local futboler and coach with quite a few boys teams and one girls team, brought his team to play and they were well prepared, playing very organized futbol. In both games Tico's team went up early, but the Futbol Sin Fronteras teams fought hard to even both games and bring home one victory. It is very rewarding to see new girls teams popping up and joining the league as it proves that not only is there a need for a league and it will definitely have the numbers to carry on in the future, but people have already been working toward this goal on their own. Team sports is such a valuable part of growing leadership skills, responsibility, and self worth. And now these things that I've taken so much for granted in my own life are quickly becoming a reality for the girls here. It is awesome.

PS. I know I shouldn't be commenting on the cuteness of our extremely serious and dedicated futbolers...but come on! How cute are these girls in their jerseys? And how awesome is it that we have full kits for the league games? Again, we can't say enough thanks to all those that have donated gear, money, time, and love to the program. It is truly appreciated.

Oh man, so much more to talk about. After the games we had a Limpieza, which is a big, giant garbage clean up of the fields. It is a very important event here, as trash doesn't always make it in the can. We had the teams compete to fill their garbage sack the fastest. Of course, David (that jokester!) had his team stuff an entire dead palm branch or two into the sack. Which was actually hilarious, despite the fact that I was on the other side of the camera half laughing, half yelling at them that it doesn't count. The coaches are all young youth leaders in the community and are really great kids. They also double as comedians which is clearer day by day as my Spanish is getting better.

Wrapping the day up we all headed back to the office for a party where Boston, Chepe, Jaime, and K (J + K our volunteers over the last two weeks) were preparing a fiesta for 50 plus crazy kids. Man was it a blast! We had the office and half the street ready for hop scotch, dancing, drinks, a balloon toss, and finally, a pinata. Of course the balloon toss turned into a water balloon fight and then just a water fight/dance party which was way more fun. But the true highlight was the pinata. Obviously, we all have an idea of what a pinata is, but you've never seen it unless you've seen it Nica style. The whole office was filled with crazy loud kids, crazy loud music, and a crazy lil' dancing nina blindfolded with a stick. And between swings at the pinata, here in Nicaragua you have to dance. It was so money! After only two girls the Pinata broke, I blinked, and then I saw twenty to thirty kids dive on to a dog pile bigger than Rudy's. It was mayhem! And all emerged with more candy in one hand than I thought was physically possibly. My next Birthday party is going to have a pinata for sure.

League Action Continues- from Carly

We are heading in to week four of the first ever Futbol Sin Fronteras league and boy do we have a lot to report about! First of all, I would like to brag about my new sweet, warm up game "Diego Dice." Although it looks like a simple game of Simon Says, we've mixed in some follow the leader and it is a pretty fun time. It's a great way to get the body moving, learn a few new body parts in Spanish, and I think I might be having more fun than the kids!

We officially have six teams (sometimes eight...we have to be a bit flexible as two of the school teams can't come every weekend) split up into two divisions. The younger girls teams are aged 5 to 12 and are jam packed with team spirit. They get to play in what we call "the cage," which is a fenced in futsol court. It makes for a great venue because the girls that are resting get to lean on the side and cheer the players on. It is riot how much energy these guys have and the coaches have taken on the energy as well. The competition is fierce as you can see by the photo of Coach Cesar lining his team up in a wall to defend his teams 2 goal lead. Las Azules have been the weekly favorite, but close to their heals are Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Deocesano Chocobananos. (Chocolate covered bananas...great name!)

The older division is made up of girls aged from 12 to 18 and these girls show up ready to compete! I'm amazed at how quickly the girls go from a cheery warm up straight to business. And the coaches are right there with them complete with pleading for injury time to even the score. The older league is comprised of Futbol Sin Fronteritas, Las Galacticas, Deocesano, and Las Campeonatas. It is pretty cool to see the girls getting to play with smaller numbers allowing them to open up the field and play organized attacking soccer.

We have great expectations for this upcoming weekend and are planning a limpieza (a big team effort to pick up garbage around the fields and park area) afterward followed by a party in the office to celebrate. Should be a ton of fun, make a difference in the community, and help remind the girls to remember to pick up trash.

A special night with Avi from the Peace Corps- from Carly

For girls night last week we had a special guest speaker come to the office and speak to the girls twelve and older in the program. Avi is a Peace Corp (El Cuerpo de Paz) worker here in Granada. Nicaragua has about 150 Peace Corp workers currently volunteering throughout the country working in one of five areas: Environment, Agriculture, Small Business Development, Youth at Risk, and Community Health. In addition to being very active in the business community, Avi teaches Small Business and Entreprenuership skills in Granada high schools and is a friend of the Futbol Sin Fronteras program and volunteers.

Avi was very excited to be able to speak particularly to the girls in our program because they are at a great age to be making active choices toward improving their futures and dedicating themselves to their dreams. The focus of his talk was to get the girls talking about gender stereotypes and the ways in which they can push beyond these barriers. He had the girls do an exercise in which they brainstormed words that reflected first men and then women. Without even knowing it, the girls had split all of the jobs and characteristics up into very stereotypical groups. It was very surprising to the girls that even they put labels on males and females that fell into these gender stereotypes. After this, they then worked as a team to come up with ways in which they can work together to break these barriers as well as identify ways in which each of them can make very small changes in their lives that can help them in their future career goals.

The girls absolutely loved the time with Avi and Suyen and we literally had to promise them that we will have Avi come back and continue with a Part Two. It was very cool to see the girls so excited about thinking about themselves, their futures, and eachother.

League video- from Mary

Now that I've figured out how to be fancy and embed videos, here's another!

Video

To Emma's class:

The video was down for a couple of days but it's back up and running!

Class connection!

Hola Emma and the 7th Grade Class at TT!

We are very excited that you and your friends are thinking about donating to our program. When we told the girls about Emma and her project, they got so excited that they wanted to send on this message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3QHmpvqjRg

The Soccer Without Borders girls program here in Nicaragua aims to empower girls by providing soccer opportunities and life skills education. Through interactive teaching in a fun learning environment, girls are introduced to skills that will build their self-esteem and enable them to play more active roles in the community. We are a group of 40 to 60 young girls from ages 8 to 19 that are dedicated to soccer, each other, and making the community a better place.

Muchas Gracias!

Opening Day- from Carly

This past Saturday we had the official kick of of the first Futbol Sin Fronteras soccer league. Starting a league specifically for girls has been a goal for many months now and a lot of people have put in a ton of hard work to get it off the ground. And all I can say is SALBAJE! (COOL!)

The days events kicked off at 8 am sharp at the office where we met up with all of the youth coaches and our new youth assistant coaches. These guys were pumped to get going! We made the half mile trek to the waterfront fields picking up excited ninas along the way. While I organized a quick game of Duck Duck Goose, Boston and crew got the fields ready, the teams set up with their uniforms, and the coaches primed. It was like clock work. Did I mention we had uniforms for every team? Ya, it was pretty darn rad. The girls were pumped to be playing in not only an organized league, but with uniforms to boot. Once again we owe a big thank you to all of the many people who have donated gear along the way. The uniforms, goalkeeper jerseys and gloves, ref jerseys, cones, and Pugg Goals made the day a huge success.

But even more importantly, the girls rocked it on the pitch! With plenty of room to play and nice big fields, the girls had the opportunity to put their months of training to good use. We had four fields of girls and were able to include two teams from a local school in the league. This next weekend, we are planning on adding 2 or 3 more teams. To look out across the fields, with a volcano in one background and gorgeous palm trees and lakes as the other, and to see 50 plus girls running around doing something they truly enjoy was absolutely awesome. And the best part is that we get to do it all over again this weekend! Stay tuned for the league tables and all that jazz!

Changes- from Carly

We've been working hard around the office these last two weeks and have made a quite a few changes that we are pretty proud of. Before I arrived, Boston and team created the sign for the points system which is hung prominently inside the office. The girls check it often and it is fun to see them planning what they want to save their points for. Chepe and Boston also hung the ball from the ceiling...just high enough to only be headed by the tallest coaches and highest jumpers. I tried once to get it, but based on the laughter of my fellow Futbol Sin Fronteras coaches, I was nowhere near close and if I want to maintain any self respect I should definitely not try again. Additionally, we created a sign for outside the door announcing upcoming activities and it seems to be a hit. Especially with our little neighbor Oliver who has broken it not once, but twice!

I've also attached a picture of Gabriella getting a pair of shoes from the Bodega. Shoes cost 16 points, which is roughly eight weeks of dedicated attendance to Futbol Sin Fronteras events. She was SO excited and I was pretty darn excited myself to see my first gear exchange. Gabriella had her heart set on a pair of futsal shoes and I was so happy we were able to set her up in a sweet pair of metallic blue adidas predator turfs. Although in this picture Boston and I look more excited than Gabriella, she was stoked I assure you!