We met all of the youth kids on Sunday morning and packed 2 buses of 70 people to head out to the camp located on Mt. Sinai in Rivas, Nicaragua. I was really excited to see There was a lot of buzz in the air as we traveled to the retreat center. No one had been there before and no one knew what to expect. When we pulled up I was amazed at how beautiful the locations was. We were pretty high up so we had an amazing view over the land which included an active volcano that had a constant white cloud right over the top of the volcano. The retreat center had 4 dormitory buildings, a main hall, and each room had two beds and a bathroom. It beyond exceeded my expectations. Usually at camp we are sharing communal bathrooms at the dorms and the dorms are a ton of bunk beds. This was very very nice. On the center quad area between all of the buildings there were papaya trees, banana trees, and behind one of the buildings there was even an orange tree! 
Once we got settled it was time to eat and organize all of the soccer equipment. So what was on the menu? Well, they might vary it up with some chicken or veggies now and then but what is consistent about the meals we ate at the retreat center... every single meal had rice and beans. rice and beans. rice and beans. i'm going to turn into a bean. 
So for lunch we had some rice and beans and then we wrote down everyone's name who wanted to participate in the soccer tournament which was almost everyone. In the past everyone has been on teams with their friends from their communities but in this camp we decided to mix the teams up so that the youth had the opportunity to make new friends. As you can imagine, they were a little resistant to this in the beginning because, of course, everyone wants to play with their friends, but we stuck to the plan and after the first day it was like the whole camp became a more cohesive unit. People were making friends with people outside of their own communities and had the opportunity to play with other players that they don't get the opportunity to play with. It worked out very well.
So we set up the uniforms on display with the shoes and the trophies and invited everyone down to the main hall and announced the teams for the tournament and had them come up and get their uniforms.
Announcing the teams was fun because all of the players got really excited when their name was called and everyone cheered for them. Then they had to meet with their team and come up with a team name for the tournament. We set up the tournament chart on a huge dry erase board and left it up for display throughout the week so people could see the standings.
Finally, after the tournament was ready it was time for dinner. Rice and Beans.
I crashed hard and woke up Monday morning starving. After my rice and beans for breakfast we went got a post digger and dug the post wholes and then cut some long sticks up with machetes and put them into the holes for our soccer goals! It was quite difficult between the Nicaragua dirt and large rocks in the ground. Good thing I have some Nicaraguan friends willing to help me out! Then we stuck a cone on top of each stick and we were set!
We had some downtime before lunch because the campers were in class. In the morning they took a class on a topic to learn information on a world issue like Gender Equality or HIV and AIDS to take back to their communities. So Danny and I decided to do a little work out on the steps of the main hall. Felt great to work out after all of the traveling- my legs were heavy and tight and it really loosened me back up! … and to get ready to referee the tournament in the afternoon. We still had a few minutes so Danny and I grabbed a couple of brooms and went into the dorms to sweep out the hallways. Everyone pitches in to keep the camp nice and with all of the loose dirt in the air things can get pretty dirty pretty fast if you don't stay on top of it. Here the bigger problem is the sugar cane. After they strip off the sugar they burn the rest of the plant here so there is a lot of black sugar cane ash in the air which is all over the place and covers the floors.
After we showered we met back for lunch. Rice and beans haha. and then we got everything prepared for the tournament, set up the field, and then convened the whole camp. Once everyone met in the main hall we went over the rules of the tournament: no profanity, listen to the referees, no arguing. The spirit of the camp is to create fellowship and friendship and enjoy ourselves playing soccer. While we want it to be competitive, we need remember that soccer is our fun way of bonding and building the community! 
The first day was a lot of fun. The format of the tournament is there are 5 guys teams and 4 girls teams and each team has 5-7 players on it. Each team plays each other once (boys vs. boys only and girls vs. girls) and then based on points they advance to the play off semi finals (1st place vs. 4th place and 2nd place vs. 3rd place) and then the winners play in the championship. All of the championship games are on Wednesday. Each game is 20 minutes long and the championship round games are 25 minutes long with 5 min overtime then PKs if necessary. 
It was fun watching everyone play and all of the youth had a really good time. I was happy to see the teams gel pretty quickly since they did not get to play with their friends. High fiving after goals, team huddles before games and at half time with their arms around each other in the huddle. It was awesome to see the bonding going on which was the whole purpose of mixing everything up! 
Each night there is a talent show which everyone at camp is required to participate in one night. Its fun to watch the kids go up and sing or act or whatever they come up with- they are all so creative and outgoing! I was fading fast though- almost falling asleep while watching so I was sooooo excited to put my head on the pillow once I reached my bed.
What I wasn't prepared for was the 100-BITE NIGHT. I woke up with maybe a hundred bug bites on my legs and feet. No where else, not my arms or my neck or my face or my face. Just my legs and my feet- ever get a bug bite on your feet? You know how uncomfortable that is? Well how about 30 bites on your feet? I looked like I had the chicken pox on my legs. Ahhh. We weren't sure if it was bed bugs or mosquitos or ants so just to be careful we went and bought raid and bug spray and I had to raid all of the clothes that had come in contact with my bed and my sleeping bag and then I had to put it inside a plastic bag to hold in the fumes to kill the bugs if they were in there. Since the mosquitos were becoming an issue for other people as well we think that it was more likely to have been mosquitos that got me.
After we got everything taken care of, new bed sheets from the caretakers and 2 cans of raid later, we got a quick work out in and then ate lunch. After lunch we started up with the tournament! The games were very fun and competitive and went off great with the exception of one boy hurting his knee. It is crazy how hard they play every minute of every game here. I think because it is such a rare opportunity to participate in an organized soccer event, it means a lot to them. Well, this boy came to tackle from maybe 10 yards outside of the play and when he came through he did a kind of ariel karate kick which put his knee on the underside of another players cleat. It was bad. They both ended up getting pretty hurt from the play and the boy who hurt his knee was out for the rest of the tournament. After checking out the injury it seems like it will heal and his knee seems stable- just a really bad bruise so hopefully he will be okay!
Since we hadn't had the chance to work out we did it after the tournament and then took a quick shower before dinner. It was my turn to participate in the talent show since literally everyone has to and so I went up with the guitar and sang a couple of songs, which was fun! Even though they couldn't understand it, they seemed to like it! haha. Everyone here is really supportive so there is a lotttt of cheering and encouragement for everyone who participates!
Bed time and I am terrified. Maybe that's why I was so awake because I soooo didn't want to go to bed. Argh. I sprayed myself down with bugspray and despite the heat slept in pants and socks and shockingly, did not get bit! Thank you God. I was a little sweaty when I woke up but, hey, 100 bug bites less than the night before is wellll worth it! haha.
The next morning I spent examining the boy who got hurts knee. I'm not a doctor by any means, which I told them about 10 times, but I have seen my fair share or soccer injuries as well as received them and have spent a TON of time in the training room so I did some basic tests and his knee seemed stable in the ACL and MCL and meniscus tests, I didn't to the LCL because I didn't want to put pressure where the big gash on his knee was. It was quite swollen but I think moreso because he was trying to walk around on it. Once he iced and laid down for a couple of hours the swelling went down.
Next, I met with Katia, the leader of the church here in Nicaragua to discuss the future of the soccer program. I have a huge vision for where I would love to see it go. I would always like to keep this camp because I feel like it is very special but I would love to add a program for different age groups that meets more on a regular basis throughout the year as well as a league for kids 15+. Of course, it doesn't matter what my vision is, if it doesn't fit in with the direction of the church and what they want to accomplish then it won't happen.
I was very very very encouraged and excited when Katia took my "once a week" mindset and wanted to start a program that ran on a daily basis. Not only that, but combine it with a studying program to help get kids out of the street and help educate them and provide confidence/life-skill building recreation (futbol) in a safe and encouraging environment. So I was hoping to talk her into once a week and thrilled when Katia said she wants to try and build it in as an every day program! So we discussed having age groups: 3-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-15, and a league for 15+. We discussed starting the league and the younger age groups first (3-4, 5-8) and making it a requirement for the players in the league to help with the younger kids programs as a way of giving back which is beneficial for both the younger and older players as well as the program as a whole!
So the plan is to begin planning the logistics between now and this summer. Getting people signed up to participate, location, etc. Katia will work on this in Nicaragua. Meanwhile, I will bring someone to the United States this summer from Nicarauga that will train in coaching with me and to prepare them to come back to Nicaragua to run the program for the children. So the program will begin in August/September. It will be a long time to build this up but in 5-10 years More Than Futbol could be doing something really amazing in Nicaragua. I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds! I feel like I'm finally breaking the ice. Katia knows that I'm invested and want to help that its not just a 1 time trip. This is my 6th time down and now we are really getting the ball rolling!
After the meeting I still had about an hour and a half before lunch (did I mention we wake up every morning at 6:30- we get a FULL day in every day- awesome). So since I had some time left I did some yoga, worked out on the steps and then showered up. Every shower feels like the most amazing shower of my life. There is no hot water here so it feels so refreshing.
After lunch we convened the camp once more to reiterate the tournament rules. Everything always gets more intense during the championship games!
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| Luis and Alexander |
The games were a ton of fun. Luis and Alexander are brothers who are two of the youth leaders here and they were against each other in the semifinal match which was fun to watch. All the players played their hearts out. Each game was very intense and the championships for the girls and boys were very fun to watch and ref.
Since this was our last night at camp we had a lot of closing ceremony type things going on. Everyone who had not yet participated in the talent show needed to step up and do something, there was the crowning of Mr. and Mrs. Camp (not sure exactly what they called it). They did a whole beauty pageant theme where the kids had to dress up in "pajama wear" then "sports wear" and then "formal wear" then everyone else voted for them. Then we awarded the soccer trophy and let each of the winners choose a pair of cleats to keep for themselves. The rest of the cleats we are keeping at the church so we can use them in the programs.
After the awards at least 5 of the campers stepped up to the microphone and gave very long speeches each thanking God for the opportunity to be at the camp and expressing their gratitude for us being here and how special it is to them. They said that they really value the shoes and the things we bring and they will take very good care of them. It's crazy to me because to us, its just someone's old shoes, shirt, shorts, etc. that don't fit anymore and here they are treasured. It was very touching. To anyone who donated gear- you have no idea how much it means to the people down here. Thank you. You are the ones who make all of this possible! I can tell that they enjoy the camp but to hear about how much it means to them and how special the experience was from a number of different people meant a lot.
So then I stepped up and gave a speech about how much the people in Nicaragua have a place very deep down in my heart and I feel very lucky to be able to share this with them. I talked about how the program got started originally and where our plans are for taking it and said I was happy that they could all be a part of what is hopefully the beginning something incredible!
Coming to Nicaragua gives you a completely different perspective on life and what the important things in life are. In the US we have some much opportunity that people become discontent with what they have and unsatisfied with their lives or money or relationships. Come spend one week in Nicaragua and you will realize how luck you are and that almost everything we worry about at home is completely insignificant to those things that really matter in life. Every time I come down here I grow as a person, my heart changes for the better. Its like they teach you how to live right, how to love right, and how to look at the world right. It's an amazing feeling.
After the speeches it was time for the FIESTA! They brought out all kinds of snacks and the dancing began. I danced until probably 1am but Danny was dancing his socks off until 3:30am! I went to bed at about 1:30 and crashed, another bug free night.
Even though this was the first day we could sleep in all the way to 7am, I was woken at 5:30am but a MUTANT CRICKET. Alright, it was normal size but this thing was honestly louder than my whistle and right next to my bed. I tried to sleep through it but couldn't, finally I got out of bed and found it and clocked it with my shoe. Fell back asleep only to be waken up at 6am by a ROOSTER! Right outside of our window! Oh well for sleeping in haha. So we showered had breakfast and then took some camp photos and I shot some video interviews with some of the campers talking about their experience. Freidy and Erickson were two of the best soccer players at camp and Armando is one of the younger kids but with a big personality! Then we interviewed Tony, of course, as he is the one who traveled up to Maryland this past summer!
After the interviews we said our goodbyes which was very sad but told everyone "Hasta el proximo ano" (Until next year!). Then we jumped on the bus and began the trip back home. Coming down the mountain the wind was less and boy was it hot but we finally made it back. Since we've gotten back we've had the opportunity to rest up and I finally got to blog to tell everyone about the trip! Sorry if I'm missing some of the fun little stories and anecdotes that I usually tell but this is A LOT for one blog entry. and the crazy thing? after everything we've done this week? It's not over yet! We have another meeting with Katia tonight for dinner and then tomorrow we are going to meet with a group of younger kids to demonstrate how the program might work. That will only be for a couple hours tomorrow… hmmm what to do in the rest of our free time before we leave? How about VOLCANO SURFING! Yes, we are going to surf down the inside of an inactive volcano! haha. We also may stop by the market to get some small gifts :-) After that? Part 2: Belize! A whole other adventure!
Stay tuned… and thanks for the support! More pictures up at www.facebook.com/morethanfutbol.
My Meals:
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