Belize 2015: Day 5

Unlike yesterday, today we woke up to some BEAUTIFUL weather. We were so happy that after a morning of rain, we could have some nice, hot, sunny weather during our morning down time. Some of the TEAM went out to breakfast while others ate in and then we all relaxed at the tables in the Palapa, by the pool, out on the pier, etc. This morning, Luke woke up very sick with food poisoning. I didn't realize just how sick he was until he told me he couldn't coach today. Coach Luke is beloved by all of the campers and he loves them all back. If Luke is not able to coach then he is VERY sick. Still, Luke did not fuss very much, just laid down for the day and tried to let it pass.

For the rest of the group, it was a nice and relaxing morning... Until SUDDENLY and seemingly out of nowhere, it was a torrential downpour. Nooooo! We were supposed to leave for camp in less than an hour! Even though island rain is supposed to be quick-passing, the 11 hours of rain Monday night worried me that it could repeat today. 30 minutes passed, still raining. I told the volunteers that we would go rain or shine to at least tell the kids that we WANT to have practice even if we can't. Then right before we were about to leave, the sky cleared up and the sun came out. From then on out, it was a BEAUTIFUL DAY! 

We arrived at the school and a RUSH of Infant 1 and Infant 2 students came running over to us. Immediately, we got into the groove with the entire coaching staff. 30 kids is a lot different than the 10 kids we had yesterday. All of the coaches grabbed 2 or 3 kids and started passing with them, teaching them moves, and having fun in small groups before we played any type of larger game.Very small groups with each coach is so great for the kids to get a lot of attention and for the coaches to get an opportunity to make some special connections with the kids. What these kids really need is someone to believe in them, to encourage them, to love on them. When we have 2 or 3 kids to each coach, they really get some great attention and individual care. As always we ended the little ones with a big scrimmage and at the end we tell them, "If it's okay with your parents, you can come over to the field with us to play more futbol!"

Several of the kids have been taking us up on our offer this week. Enough, that they get their own age group with about 10-15 kids! One of the kids that never misses the opportunity for more soccer is Jose... if you've seen any of the promotional videos for More Than Futbol: Belize, then you know Jose- he is the one that blows you kisses! We love him :-) Another child that has been coming over every day (first to arrive, last to leave style), is Chloe. Chloe is a very special child with a huge light inside of her. She loves coming to play and seems to really need the extra love and attention. I talked to her about "More Than Futbol" and why we named the camp that. We took a small interview in this video where she lists "getting a drink of water" and "using the bathroom" as exciting parts of Futbol Camp. The circumstances that our kids are coming from are tough and camp becomes a fun place where they are loved and cared for, even in small ways that we would typically take for granted. 

We made our chain of coaches all the way over to the field and I went ahead with a few coaches to set up and greet the kids as they arrived. When I looked up and saw a big group walking in all together it  really caught my attention. Usually as they walk over they are more dispersed... whats going on here. As the kids got closer I saw a SNAKE. They were holding a snake and walking right towards me. Well, I am terrified of snakes so I said, "Stay away from me with that snake" which only made them speed up. This turned into a "Chase Coach Ali with the snake." All I could think was that, at the very least, I could outrun these kids... and I would if they kept chasing me! I'd run all the way back to town if I needed to! I yelled, "Coach Kevin, do something!" If any of the coaches are willing to pick up a snake, its Coach Kevin. So he stopped the kids, grabbed the snake and, with a mob of kids following him, he carried it far away to the bushes and let it go. Shew!!!! From this point on I really watched where I walked. Apparently, there are some snake holes in the bushes by the field? :-/

Once all of the kids settled down, we brought them in, divided into groups by age and got started with FUTBOL camp! We kept the same theme with all of the stations. Coach Nikki took the girls group on the side. Coach Scott did trapping out of the air. Coach Phil and Mel did shooting. Coach Dave did small-sided. Kevin and I did crossing and finishing. During the start of our drill, Kevin was standing behind the goal helping with the balls right next to all of the bushes. After about 10 minutes, Kevin came running out with bites all over his legs yelling, "The Ants are killing me over there! They're all over me!" Turns out that by cutting the field yesterday, we really disturbed the homes of MANY FIRE ANTS! Kevin had them even coming out of his shoes! Aside from Kevin freaking out, the kids were so cute- they came over to Kevin in a small group and started killing all of the ants on his legs and feet squishing them on his legs! The fire ants continued to be a problem for the coaches and the kids all day. We tried to keep them away from the bushes as much as we could. 

If it wasn't the fire ants then it was the burrs! You know those things that you occasionally step on at the beach and they hurt so bad! Well, the kids would step on a burr, reach down and pull it out like nothing, and keep running around in bare feet. It is crazy how tough these kids are!

All of the stations went very well and when it was time to break up the teams for scrimmaging, I was back in charge. When the boys took charge yesterday, they were all complaining after camp that the teams were not fair. Oh boys...     So I evened out the teams and the scrimmage went very well and was very fair. No complaints. We started the game a little earlier today so we got to play a longer scrimmage, which the kids really enjoyed. 
On the way back from camp we stopped and Robin's and I got some food. I was so hungry, I knew I couldn't wait until everyone showered and left for dinner. Robin's is a traditional Belizean chichen, beans, and rice. Robin's has a secret sauce that is incredible and his famous on the island for their flavorful chicken! You can get a whole meal at Robins for $8.00! 

When we arrived back, Dave and I decided to try Find My iPhone to see if anyone tried to use it. As soon as they do the phone locks and a message comes up asking them to return the phone. We were excited to see that someone had tried to use it and we could see exactly where they lost it. At this point, we didn't know if it was stolen but I had already mentally committed myself to the thought that my iPhone was gone forever. The one positive thing was that the place someone tried to use this phone was even farther out of town than we already were. This means it was likely someone staying at or working at a resort. So we called the South island security and they took us to the place on the map where the phone popped up and after a little CSI work, we found the caretaker for a property who had it! His son had found it on the road between 2 large puddles! I was so excited, I could not believe at all that my phone was found! Yay! 

After our phone excursion through Crocodile Country, we all showered up and headed into town. At this point, the town was all closed up and the only place we found open to eat was a pizza place. Lucky for us, this pizza was the real deal. Incredible! The boys wanted to hop around town so the girls took a separate golf cart and had a really nice dinner together. It was fun to have a girls night out- the only one of the week! After pizza, we headed home and turned in early. We need to get a lot of rest because when we wake up tomorrow at 7am we are going snorkeling with SHARKS!!!! 

Good night from Belize!