Day 4: The Ring of Fire

The next few blog entries were typed the day of on the computer but since we did not have access to internet, I wasn't able to post them.


How did I oversleep this morning? We had an early start and my alarm was set to go off but the rooster started crowing at 4:30am and so I put my headphones in and then didn't hear my alarm go off! After a quick shower I packed my bag and jumped in the car headed for Somotillo. Somotillo is a town 3 1/2 hours away from Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. IN the truck we had 5 people- 3 across the back, 2 up front. In the back of the truck we had 5 people! I was worried about them being in bed of the truck for so long but they said they were used to traveling around Nicaragua this way. The ride was a lot of fun- talking and looking at all of the different things along the streets that we aren't used to; like, horse and buggys, a man walking his bull, another man guiding his cows along the side of the road, the area where Nicaragua flooded 4 feet of water during the last rainy season, and many volcanos.

This is where we learned that Nicaragua is situated in what is called the "Ring of Fire." An area with a lot of

volcanos and volcanic activities because of the plates in the pacific ocean (or something, Mike can explain it). The Ring of Fire can also refer to the temperature in Nicaragua- as the Nicaraguans say, there are only two temperatures: hot and hotter. We experienced that first hand in the car and then later on the soccer field. One less sip of water and I probably would have passed out... a lot of the Nicaraguans were drinking soda! They are tough in this heat! The funny part is that in the evening the temperature sometimes drops to cool enough where you may or may not need a light sweathshirt or long sleeve shirt. This is just about the time where you jump into the very cold shower, once you cool off! Phil and I have been joking that, if only the shower water was as warm as the water we've been drinking all day!

When we arrived in Somotillo all of los jovenes (the youth) were waiting for us! The youth soccer camp is being held Somotillo since it is a central location for 15 church communities that are located in a different part of the country from the central chuch in Managua.

Somotillo is a small town where not very much is going on. Unlike Managua, where there are people everywhere- walking around, hanging out, at all hours and are very noisy- Somotillo is a quiet town without much action. This is a part of the reason why Somotillo is a great place to hold the camp, because there is not much for the youth to do. We have obtained the stadium to use for the camp- not a stadium to our standards but a baseball field with walls that enclose it and a big enough outfield to fit 2 or 3 soccer fields. When we arrived Phil and I set up the two soccer fields and then assembled all of the youth and had a prayer and two songs before we began the soccer.

The Nicaraguans are not used to much of the structure that is part of American culture so trying to organize a fun game like "World cup" was quite a challenge! Once we finally got all 60-70 Nicaraguans together to play the game was a little chaotic but a great way to start the day together in a fun game. Everyone enjoyed it very much and then after the game we began the tournament. This, of course, is the highlight. We have 6 boys teams and 2 girls teams and everyone worked so hard together in each game and had a blast playing. It was pretty awesome to see all of the kids running aorund in shirts blasting LTRC and Champions Soccer Camp.

When the games ended for the day Phil and i were covered in a sheet of dirt from head to toe and were absolutely exhausted- it was quite a sight. I wore 50 sunscreen today and still got burnt. The sun really takes it out of you. Especially here. When we finished we went and grabbed dinner with the youth leaders and discussed the day and how to improve it for tomorrow. One problem was that other neighborhood children were jumping the 12 foot stadium wall coming in, punting a ball over the wall, and then hopping the wall never to be seen again. So, tomorrow we have to make sure that we keep track of the balls and the thieves! Phil saw it happen with one boy but said he was long gone before he could get there. We also discussed the plan for tomorrow and Wednesday so that the leaders are ready to help and keep all of the youth organized.
When we finished up eating we went to spend some time with the youth and ended trying to help Esme, our new friend, learn some english. Phil is really doing well picking up spanish. It's amazing how fast you learn when you are immersed in the culture. Finally, we went back to our hotel. The are staying in Don Francisco's home, which is beautiful. He rents out rooms to members of the church that come into town. It is great here. I just finished a 30 minute shower in exactly what Phil and I have been hoping for- not warm necessarily but not freezing cold either, pretty perfect. Not such a long shower just because it felt amazing but also because it took 2 or 3 solid washes to get all of the dirt off of my body. This field had some grass too! Tomorrow we are out there from 9am-5pm and we are playing on a completley dirt field. The dirt is similar to a very dry baseball field where the loose dirt just flies up. I wonder if I felt pretty dirty today, how dirty am I going to feel tomorrow.
Today was amazing. The youth loved the soccer and have really seemed to embrace Phil and I. They are enjoying their jerseys (thank you for all of the donations). Another amazing day in Nicaragua. Can't wait for the camp to continue tomorrow!
Ali