Upon arriving to the elementary school in the morning on Wednesday, we realized we had no access to a field, and instead used a tiny courtyard. We divided the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, taking a class for twenty minutes at a time. The boys went with Chepe and David, while Posk and I took the girls. The mini-practice went well despite the small space we had to work with. The twenty minutes allowed us just enough time to introduce ourselves, talk to the girls about Saturday practice, and play some fun games. We left the school hopeful that our numbers would be a bit higher on Saturday.
Our visit to the high school English class was moved to Thursday, so we used this time to bring Yelba to the doctor’s office for an EKG. Before making it to the doctor’s, we stopped in to see Yelba’s sister at the orphanage. It was great to finally meet her sister (who was ADORABLE). After the doctor’s office, Posky, My, and I rushed home for lunch at Chepe’s, where our food was waiting for us. We had a few minutes to rest after lunch before heading to school again. Myra and Suyen were with us this time (Suyen explained Saturday practices and the games in half the time that Posk and I had in the morning, and Myra’s presence was obviously a bonus). The girls in the afternoon class seemed just as excited about Saturday practice as the morning crew had, so hopefully we have some newcomers!
On Wednesday night we christened the office with our first group of girls for our first LifeSkills workshop. It was a success. Thirteen girls, one of our dedicated girl’s mom (Fernanda’s mom), Suyen, Yelba, Becky, Myra and I were in attendance. We brought cookies and soda for everyone, and led a few games that emphasized the importance of teamwork. After the games, we sat in a circle (cookies and soda in hand) for a discussion. It was so touching to see these girls speak up about why it’s important to work together, and how they felt when they were forced to figure things out on their own. We tried to apply the concepts they learned from these games to soccer and (most importantly) their lives. I hope the girls got as much out of the session as I did, because I left feeling pretty good, not to mention extremely excited for next Wednesday night.
On Thursday, we made it back to the high school English class (2nd year class and a third year class). Becky suggested that we write out a schedule of a typical day at our college for the English class on the board in the front of their classroom. This idea was great, as we were able to teach the class names of foods we eat during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, different classes we take at school, and the names of sports that are played and their practice times. Next to the English words were the same words in Spanish, allowing the class to understand everything a bit better. We all spoke at different times, and had the class repeat back to us the words we wrote on the board. Myra transformed into an all-star teacher mode and gave a grammar lesson on past and present tense. The class was having trouble with the difference between “I eat” and “I ate,” so Myra drew out a chart on the board to help the class out. I think the teacher even learned a thing or two. We were only able to introduce ourselves in the second class we visited before the time ran out. I was a little upset, because I wrote out breakfast, lunch, and dinner food combinations, ready to share some of my favorites to the class. Leave it to talking about food to get me up in front of a class of students that hardly understand what I’m saying…and I wonder why I’ve been given the nickname “gordita” during my time here (gorda=fat, “ita” at the end of a word makes it fitting for a little kid…sorry I love food and I’m 5’3”).
We all left the school feeling great, ready to conquer some office-supply shopping. We met up with Suyen and Chepe and bought a curtain for the doorway separating the front and back rooms of the office, wood to construct a closet for our equipment, a trash bin, broom, mop, and we put in an order for two desk chairs. We’re so close to being done with the office, and could not be more excited for the final product. Thursday night we made a trip to Managua to pick up Becky’s boyfriend (Lucas!). Along with him came more supplies for the office and some food that we’ve been craving: peanut butter, parmesan cheese, and starbursts, to name a few. I hope he realizes how much we appreciate his presence and presents!:)
Today (Friday), we visited a gym class in the morning and the afternoon. It was my morning off, but the session was said to be extremely fun, with a big group of students. This afternoon, Lucas worked with Chepe, David, and Techo, while Myra, Becky, and I worked with the girls. Again, the girls seemed excited about tomorrow’s practice. Hopefully they are at the field tomorrow morning! We have a big day tomorrow, and we’re eager to see if our gym class visits increase the number of girls at practice.
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