Steph and Suyen
Making bracelets at Chepe's house
The group at the church bell tower
The time I spent in Nicaragua during this year’s spring break was truly amazing. From the moment of our arrival the community of Granada was so warm and excited to welcome our group into their community. We spent the first afternoon running around in the streets in a hysterically funny (and surprisingly competitive!) scavenger hunt. Despite the sweltering heat it was a great way to get to know the Soccer Without Borders staff, especially the Nicaraguan youth leaders. The day ended with a party in the streets to celebrate Cesar’s birthday and a night of dancing and hanging out in Granada.
Monday began the week of soccer practices and various activities for the young girls of the community. Every morning the staff met in the SWB office to discuss the day’s plan over coffee, fresh mangos, and pico (a delicious breakfast bread that is dangerously addictive). From there we would split up into groups and head to our various soccer sites. My favorite days were Tuesday and Thursday, because we traveled to local schools in order to run their gym classes. In addition to soccer we played fun games like “cabeza-mano” (the Nicaraguan version of head-catch) and different versions of tag. The kids were so excited to play and kick the ball around; it was such a great feeling to see their overjoyed faces when we pulled out the soccer balls and gear.
In addition to running soccer practices, the SWB staff was in charge of putting on various activities for the girls at nighttime in the oficina. We had a “fiesta de salud,” or “health party” that was set up to teach the girls about very basic health care topics such as hand-washing and drinking plenty of water. My station was the face-painting station—designed to teach the girls about the benefits of using sunscreen. Over the course of two hours I drew LOTS of “mariposas” and “corazones rosados” on their faces. It was so much fun, and the girls are absolutely adorable. Other nights of the week included Reading/Writing night and Girls Night.
I definitely can’t pretend that the week was all work, either. Suyen, a friend of the SWB staff and the best tour guide you could ever find, showed us all the sites of the city. We ate true Nicaraguan food at the local mercado, climbed up to the roof of a beautiful church, went shopping for souvenirs, and even hung out at a gorgeous laguna on our last day, swimming and relaxing in hammocks on the beach. It was a perfect mix of volunteering, playing soccer, and really experiencing the Nicaraguan culture in its fullest.
One of my favorite parts of the week was the “Potluck” night, during which us gringas (white girls) learned how to cook a Nicaraguan dish from the youth leaders. Rachel and I went to Chepe’s house and learned how to make gallo pinto (a rice and beans dish) and also some salsa. Let’s just say that Chepe, Mexico, and Techo had me cutting onions and tomatos for at least a solid hour. At the end of the day all of the groups met up and shared the various dishes we made. We listened to music and hung out with the staff all night. We even made bracelets together that night. I truly felt like the group had come together, and that these amazing Nicaraguan youth leaders had become my friends. They are some of the most genuine people I have met, and I really learned a lot from them.
The worst part of the week was leaving—no one in our group wanted to go back to the states! I didn’t know what to expect when heading down there, but it ended up being even more amazing than anything I could anticipate. I really hope that I can return to Granada to work with Soccer Without Borders again in the future.
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