Nicaragua 2016: Day 2

Day 2: Sunday, January 3, 2016

Breakfast not complete
without beans and rice

A week in a day. That is the best way to describe our experience at camp. Every single moment of the day utilized… from one activity to the next and we move at a Nicaraguan pace which is very slow and relaxed but I think it is all of the conversations and interactions from moment to moment that make it all feel so meaningful. 

We woke up this morning and had a nice relaxing breakfast with Sylvia and Carlos and then Mario and Rabin picked us up to go to the Central church. Mario is  young Reverend in the church… he seems like a quiet type personality but every now and then he will send a zinger your way which undoubtedly catches everyone off guard and results in an eruption of laughter. Rabin one of my first friends and first connection I made in Nicaragua, my sister and I stayed at his house on one trip down and Rabin has the biggest personality at camp. If you watch the Nicaragua video from 2014, it begins with him saying “Goooooaaaalll” on the microphone and extending it out for a solid 30 seconds haha. He is our resident MC. 

Sylvia and Carlos, my Nicaraguan parents

All of the youth from around the country buses into the Central church and then we load them into buses and take the group to our residential camp. So we were so excited to arrive to church and see everyone…. until we pulled up and saw a small group of 5 people standing outside the church. I looked down and my watch seeing it was 9:58am and said to Carlos, “Doesn’t church begin at 10am?” He said, “Yes,” to which I responded, “Well, where is everyone?” He shrugged and said, “We will just begin when everyone gets here… maybe 10:30.” Haha. Nicaraguan time… what a huge difference in culture from the clockwork scheduling in the United States. Luckily, the group that was there is from the town, Caraso, which is Enmanuel’s town! So we got to see Enmanuel, “Manny” (for all the kids reading who met Manny at camp) and his brother, Jordy, and friend Nancy. These are 3 of our ringers here at camp… excellent soccer players. 

Our small group sat down in the church to begin the service and 10 minutes later, when I looked behind me, I saw that the entire church was full! I couldn’t believe the amount of youth that had arrived and tip-toed into the seating! 

After the service, we loaded all of the gear, bags and youth into the buses and pick up truck and made our way to camp. Pulling into the retreat center was a little surreal. We are in the same retreat center last year and I can’t help the feeling that we were “just here”… paired with the feeling that… “everything is so different.” With the program expansion it feels like

a whole new world of possibility is at our feet.  To have more than 1 camp for only 1 week would be amazing… the possibilities are endless for what we can do here in Nicaragua. First thing is first though, we must get the support of the church and the Nicaraguans to put the plan into action. I am proposing something that sounds like a grandiose and impossible idea that requires a lot of organization, leadership, and implementation. To be honest, so much thought and work went into constructing this plan and I am super nervous to present it. I KNOW it will work but I have to make the Nicaraguans understand it, believe it, and support it… in spanish haha.

Anyways, back to the day… we went straight to eat lunch and then started handing out the room keys. Usually, I have a private room with my own bathroom and lots of space… and WiFi which helps with posting the blog daily. Kara and I were excited to stay in the Leadership quarters… neither one of us were prepared for the surprise that the retreat center was overbooked with 3 groups and we were going to have to stay in a small 3 person room in the dorms with the campers… with communal bathrooms. A sardine can… barely big enough to fit the beds. In true American style, where comfortable living is essential and settling is not an option, we knew that we could maneuver this room. Before we knew it the mattresses were off, the beds were in the hallway and we put everything back in sideways. The beds side by side trying to squeeze every last inch available space (or else we seriously would not have had space for our personal luggage) haha. You may think that was excessive but when you are an inch from insanity, every inch counts. lol. 

Next we unpacked alllllllllll of the opening ceremony! We have 12 teams, 3 more than last year and each player receives a jersey, shorts, socks, and a water bottle, thanks to all of YOUR generous donation at home. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy seeing some of your donations in the pictures from this trip! This truly would not be possible without all of your genorosity Baltimore Soccer Community! 

We have 13 communities of the church represented at camp and rather than allowing the kids to play with friends from their own community, we mix them up with new people to help cultivate fellowship and friendship and promote our theme of MORE THAN FÚTBOL! Everything was ready for the opening ceremony and we only had one more thing to do… meet with the church leadership (while the kids were partaking in another activity) to discuss the plan for the new soccer program. BREATHE. 

The first meeting was easy… Alex and Enmanuel are my buddies and I had a good inclination that they would be on board and excited. My goal was to meet with them first to explain the plan, gain their support and enthusiasm, and then include them in the meeting with Katia, the head of the church. The buck stops with her. The only way this program could possibly work is with her approval and support. I presented Alex and Enmanuel with a manual I wrote that included the plan for the league, the rules (coach conduct, player conduct), and a guide on how to teach soccer so that Alex could use it to train the coaches who will be leading their own individual communities. We brought 30 manuals with us to get them

started and prior to leaving I translated the manuals into spanish (we will use an english version in Belize) and had my friend, Eliseo Rosiles from Timonium (originally Mexico) help me make any corrections to my spanish so that it was perfect. Alex and Enmanuel could not believe the detailed manual in spanish when they saw it. They said the plan was very clear and functional for Nicaragua and were very excited to present it with me to Katia.

First… a beans and rice break. (Dinner) 

Okay, now the meeting with Katia. I. Was. So. Nervous. and thanks a lot to Enmanuel who did not sit with us and Alexander who did not say one single word and sat there like a statue. lol. I did my best taking Katia through the manual (which is all a very knew concept for her especially because she is not big into sports). I watched her read and realized after a few minutes that I could not recall taking a breath haha. Then I launched into a lengthy explanation for how the league would work and the benefits it could bring to the communities throughout Nicaragua and the great change we could see. ***Pause**** Katie Smiles, I say, “What are you thinking?” and she says that she is just imagining this great plan and all of the possibilities. She goes on to say how not only is this a great program but important that it is a program that will function well for the culture and landscape of Nicaragua. Sigghhhhhhhhh Every muscle in my body relaxed and I said, “May I have permission to move forward and work on all of the logistics this week?” YES. YES. YES. 

I was so overwhelmingly happy… our program will go from 1 week of camp to a program that runs throughout the year providing soccer to kids from 5-18 years old generating so many amazing benefits. 

We also got the go-ahead to announce the league during the opening ceremony for the camp soccer tournament. After welcoming everyone, announcing the teams, and handing out

uniforms we made a big announcement for the league and everyone was so excited. No one was allowed to cheer or clap because at this point it was already 10:00 at night and we
didn’t want to wake anyone up so everyone did a “jazz fingers” kind of thing with huge smiles. A great way to end the day and an exciting topic for everyone to take back to their rooms as they prepare for bed.

Lucky for us, Nicaraguans have a belief that it is unhealthy to shower at night. Showering at night will make you sick. Well, showering was our first priority and there was no competition for the communal showers. :-) We showered up and bunkered down in our Sardine Can for the night and fell right asleep. Of course, by this time we are pushing midnight and feeling like our morning with Sylvia and Carlos was days ago. Needless to say, as soon as we laid down, we passed right out. I can’t believe how exhausted we were considering we haven’t really been in the full sun or actually playing soccer yet. 

Tomorrow, the tournament begins! We will have morning exercise session for anyone who would like to learn some healthy exercises (this is a problem in Nicaragua with unhealthy diet and lack of exercise), the kids will take a class in Gender Equality, AIDS, or another other world issue and then after lunch the tournament will begin! Check out the girl’s First Impressions below! 

Also, here is a funny video of our Nicaraguan Presentation (every community, including the USA girls have to do a performance to introduce themselves to the camp)!

First Impressions

1) What was the first thing that really caught your attention? 

Maya: The amount of “domestic” wild animals wandering around. 

Kara: First thing is the roosters, I am extremely sensitive to noise and even the heaviest of sleepers could hear them. Did you know that roosters crow all night not just at dawn? 

Ariel: Arriving at daytime was great so we could see everything. 

2) Have you made any fast friends? 

Maya: Yeah, I think :-) :-/ haha

Kara: Yes, one that stands out is Nancy because we both studied Psychology and I had a

great time talking with her.

Ariel: It was fun to make friends with people from different countries. Katia’s dad is from Brazil and my roommate is from Germany! 

3) How has the communication been? 

Maya: Difficult, I have things I want to say but I can’t find the words to say it. I really want to communicate more but my grammar and vocabulary are too elementary. 

Kara: My spanish is much better than I anticipated. The key is to not be shy because they are very patient with the language barrier and really enjoy speaking with us. 

Ariel: It’s interesting that some people are much better at slowing down their speech in a way we can understand. 

4) What is the country like? 

Maya: Very colorful and hot. 

Kara: Extremely different on many levels. They have no road signs and everywhere we go is 1,000 turns and its impressive they know where they are going haha. 

Ariel: Interesting to learn more about the history than I knew last year. 

5) What is the poverty like? 

Maya: In the houses the roof is the ceiling and the walls don’t always connect. 

Kara: It’s very unimaginable to the typical American eye… adjusting to it is difficult but I cannot imagine it as a daily reality. 

Ariel: I’m amazed by their creativity like the glass shards cemented to the top of the roofs to protect the houses… the same effect as barbed wire. 

6) What are some things that are different from what you initially expected? 

Maya: It’s not that green. 

Kara: The food has more flavor than I thought it would and there are TONS of stray dogs but they don’t come up to greet you. 

Ariel: It’s cool to see how strong the faith of the country is. 

7) What is your favorite part so far? 

Maya: Eating with everyone and trying to talk in spanish. 

Kara: Hanging with the Nicaraguans, especially seeing Alex and Enmanuel who had come up to the US for Coach training. They are so relaxed and happy. 

Ariel: Reconnecting with old friends but having deeper and more meaningful conversations because my spanish is better. 

8) What is the hardest part so far? 

Maya: Trying to communicate with everyone. 

Kara: Adjusting to sanitation differences, especially in bathrooms, water and food. 

Ariel: Battling the long Nicaraguan days with its heavy heat, lots of spanish, and activity. 

Nicaragua 2016 Day 1

I have been writing in journals since my Dad first encouraged me to start at age 14… a brown leather one to start and now an entire shelf of journals. Over the holidays when I was organizing my office and my journals, I did a little light reading from years past. As luck would have it, I came across my first journal entry from my first non-soccer related mission trip to Nicaragua over 10 years ago. The journal entry was comprised entirely of questions like … what will it be like? what will the people be like? will they like us? what will the food be like? … and on and on. I could tell I was very nervous and did not even have a guess of what to expect. The last question of my journal entry was, “Will they want to play soccer with me?” 

Little did I know that, in this first trip, God was planting a seed for an incredible relationship to develop. I suppose you can attribute my nostalgia in this first 2016 blog entry to the fact that the program is about to take an enormous step forward. More on that later… 

Day 1: Saturday, January 2, 2016

6:00am came too soon this morning and although we set out to leave at 6:30am for Dulles airport, we did not get on the road until 7am! Thanks to the lead foot of our driver, Kara and I still made it on time 2 hours before our flight. Kara is a coach for Champions soccer and a friend, of course. She has wanted to travel down on this trip for years and is finally getting her wish! Meeting us at the airport are 2 of my U17 players, Ariel Barbosa and Maya Hohman. This will be Ariel’s second year and after being crowned the “Queen of Camp” last year, she will be able to pass her crown onto the next queen. Maya will be traveling for the first time and will be the first goalkeeper ever to attend any More Than Fútbol trip! Unfortunately, she injured her hand prior to the trip and will have to stick to her field skills. Upon meeting at the airport, everyone seemed very excited and relaxed. I have to admit, I was expecting a little apprehension from the parents or some nerves from the new volunteers, but nothing but chillaxed excitement. Check-in and security were a breeze and we even had time to get some Starbucks!

If you ever fly to Central or South America, I highly recommend a non-American airline. We flew Avianca and had professional service, a very clean plane, a library of movies, USB charger, and a tasty (for plane standards) meal. This has been my experience on Avianca, Taca, and every foreign airline I have traveled… a huge upgrade in experience and comfort. A quick layover in El Salvador and before we knew it we were already in Nicaragua! The girls completed their "What to expect" questionire on the plane and it was so interesting to hear all of their thoughts on what Nicaragua is like. (I will share their stories tomorrow) 

As soon as we walked into the airport to go through customs we were confronted by a woman who said to me, “Do you have a fever and diarrhea?” I gasped and blurted out, “Noooooo!” only realizing in the middle of my “Noo-oooo” that this was part of the airport medical staff checking for people bringing viruses into the country. Whoops :-/

After we made it through customs and obtained our temporary visas we turned the corner into the baggage claim which has a big glass wall into the waiting room. Our Nicaraguan friends did not disappoint… lined up against the other side of the glass, ready to greet us, was a huge group of people waving and smiling! I ran up to the glass waving and smiling back and threw a big hug into the glass. We grabbed our luggage and the gear bags for camp, cleared security, and after a long series of hugs and a little catching up, we loaded the bus. 

Tonight we are staying in homes of people from the church. It is a great cultural experience to stay with the people and it also gave us the opportunity to catch up with some very old friends. I am staying with Sylvia and Carlos, the parents of my dear friends Sergio and Hellen. Sergio and Hellen have left their parents empty nesters and Sergio actually left this morning for a Masters program in Theology in Brazil! I joked with Sylvia that she could not even make it one day without kids in her house, that is why she had us stay here! haha. A wonderful family, I feel very fortunate to stay here this first time, even though it is the only night we will be here.

We had an hour of down time which filled up very fast with good conversation and then we went over to Alex’s mother's small restaurant for dinner! Of all the times I have been here, we have never eaten at Alex’s family’s restaurant so this was a huge treat and a great opportunity to spend time with his family. Family is VERY important here, the most important thing and as Alex was accepted in as an honorary member of my family this past summer during his time in the US, we were very welcomed and accepted into his family tonight. 

After dinner, Alex surprised us with a drive down the central street of Managua that is the BIGGEST Christmas light show you have ever seen. We toured around Managua a bit giving the girls an opportunity to see the city and then went to a historical park that replicates the city before the disasterous earth quake that demolished the city and killed over 10,000 people 30 years ago. Throughout the whole evening the girls sat in the back of the pick up truck and had faces of awe on as they witnessed an entirely new culture for the first time. On my first trip to Nicaragua I was completely shocked by the culture and poverty. To be honest, it was a tough adjustment for me. Now, it has been so many trips down, my spanish has improved and it feels like a second home. Seeing the girls reactions was a good reminder of just the magnitude of difference between Nicaragua and the US.

As the girls sat in the back of the truck taking in the sights, I was catching up with my old friend and one of the Pastor's of the church, Mario in the truck. One of my major concerns for the trip are the mosquitos. Chikungunya and Dengue fever have been occurring throughout Nicaragua in the past few years and both cause you to be violently ill. Mario reassured me that as long as we keep our bug spray on we should be fine. "Did you put your bug spray on?" is quickly becoming the most commonly used expression on the trip. 

Tomorrow all of the youth of Nicaragua attending the camp will bus into the central church and then we will load up the buses and take them to residential camp for the next 4 days. Then the action really begins. I’m very happy for camp and very excited to take some big steps forward with the program this year.

It takes time and consistency to earn the respect and trust of a community, build a relationship and then create a sustainable program. On this trip, we will be hosting our annual soccer camp and I will be working with the leadership in Nicaragua to develop a training program for coaches, a league that spans all 40 church communities for ages 13-18, and a clinic offered to all youth players 5-12 years of age. Alex Garcia is our selected representative in Nicaragua and he completed a 4-week training course with Champions Soccer over the summer. I will spend this week preparing him to do more than coach, but to teach others how to coach, how to oversee a program spanning 40 communities over hundreds of miles, and to prepare all of the logistics (field rentals, uniforms, etc.). Can we get it all finished in a week? Say a prayer for us… The best work in Nicaragua and Belize is completed IN PERSON. This is the best shot at getting this program expansion off the ground. 

Never a dull moment... traveling all day and hitting the ground running upon arrival. I cannot believe that just this morning I was in Baltimore, we have already done so much and spent so much quality time with so many Nicaraguan friends. Take away cell phones, electronics and all of the distractions and the amount you really start to experience is astonishing. We have already lived a week in a day... That being said I’m about 2 words away from falling asleep on the computer and waking up with a keyboard impression on the side of my face. Tomorrow begins camp and my first meeting with Katia about the expansion plans. Wish us luck! The action begins tomorrow! Good night from Nicaragua! 

More Than Futbol Belize: Day 7, Luke to Hospital and Last Day of Camp!

Kevin is always the first one up… a VERY early riser. We are talking “watch the sunrise” early. This morning, while the rest of us were still sleeping, Kevin woke up, made some coffee and then eventually when Luke woke up, Kevin was up for a big surprise. Luke said, “I need to go to the clinic.” Still feeling very sick, Luke knew that something was wrong, very wrong. By the time I woke up, Kevin had just arrived back to the condo and said that Luke was still feeling sick and he took him to the clinic. Now, the clinic had him on fluids and were treating him for being severely dehydrated as a result of his food poisoning. The plan was to get Luke hydrated while we ate breakfast, got ready for camp, and then when we headed into camp we would drop Luke a golf cart so that after he got patched up at the clinic he could stop into camp to at least say by to the kids. 

Luckily, we have an app called WhatsApp that allows us all to communicate with each other wherever we have wifi and makes it easy to stay in touch with family and friends from home. Hooked up to the wifi at our condo, my phone dinged with a message. You can imagine my absolute shock when I got a text from my father back in the US saying, “Luke is being flown to the mainland. You guys need to get to the clinic and figure out wants going on.” This is at the same time that we planned to leave for camp. So, my other brother, Scott, went with Dr. Carol and Kevin to the clinic while the rest of us went to get camp started. It being our last day, we were expecting our largest showing of kids and thats exactly what we got- thirty 5 and 6 year olds and 70 older kids. 

On our way into town Phil and I talked about the situation with Luke for a little and then I tried to make some light conversation. This may have been one of the most difficult experiences ever for me. I was tearing up under my sunglasses so worried about my brother, not being at the clinic or in Belize City with him was eating me alive. Instead, I was going to run the last day of camp and depending on Scott to get all of the information we needed and make the right decisions for Luke. I don’t know if I have ever felt that scared- my baby brother gets flown to the mainland hospital? *Deep Breath*

Once Phil and I pulled up to the school, I asked him to get the little ones started in their small groups with the other coaches while I ran into the school to call the clinic. They put Scott on the phone who did not have any new information. I ran back out to the field, put my coaching face on, and got ready to have the most fantastic last day possible for these kids.

We played a few different types of tag to encourage "working together." We played chain tag and under the bridge (freeze tag although you crawl under the frozen person's legs to unfreeze them. Finally, we broke the kids up and played a fun scrimmage at the end. As we were wrapping up the younger kids, Scott, Kevin, and Dr. Carol pulled up to the field and we all headed over to the main field immediately while the other coaches formed the coaching chain. This gave Scott and I a few minutes to mobilize and form a plan. We called my father back in the states and planned that while I finished out the last day of camp, Scott and Kevin would leave early and get the last ferry out to the main land. 

When the kids arrived there was a buzz in the air. They knew they were getting trophies and everyone was talking about it. Trophies and Soccer balls and what they might get to take home. We brought the kids together, divided them up into groups, and then sent them out to the field. Today each group got to play 2 stations. The small-sided scrimmage station and World Cup. These are the two most popular stations from camp this year and we wanted the kids to get plenty of chance to play their favorite games on the last day! The kids had such a blast, they were cheering, laughing, working hard, and working together! It was so great to see everyone having so much fun on the last day. After the stations, we brought the kids in to make teams for the scrimmage and Kevin and Scott said goodbye. The kids were so sad because everyone wants to be on coach Scott's team for the scrimmage and everyone loves playing with coach Kevin- there's always a good chance he will hoist someone up on his shoulders! Lots of hugs and goodbyes and one big group photo and off went Coach Scott and Kevin. 

Jose (We call him Ronaldo)- MVP

We split the kids up into 3 teams and started the scrimmage- first to score a goal wins. We played for a about 30 minutes and the kids had a fantastic time. At the end of the scrimmage, we brought the group in for trophies and they were so excited. We gave an MVP out for the boys and girls and a most improved player award. Arzenia worked hard all week long and was especially intent on learning and understanding new moves from the Coach Mel and Nikki. Jose was the best in camp last year but due to his attitude we could not give him the award last year. This year he was a great camper. He focused, always paid attention, even helped the coaches get the rest of the group settled at times. Not only did he deserve this award, but we were especially excited to give it to him after the huge improvement he made from the year before. Finally, Joseph won the most improved player award. 3 years ago he was one of the worst behaved kids in camp. He was throwing rocks at other kids, starting fights, using profanity, even hanging out with a drug dealer that was looming around camp that year. I really feared for his future. We were so proud to see such a positive change in him in the past 3 years. He listened well, worked hard, and had a bright smile on his face all week! 

We all said our goodbyes and I was very sad that Hosan did not come to the field today. He had been bothering me all week long to have some of my peanuts and, of course, I did not give him any. You can't just treat one camper without treating them all. So we had bought him some surprise peanuts but then he never came :-( I know that he wanted to be there so whatever kept him must have been important. I just hope that everything was ok! 

Saying goodbye is so hard. We have such a positive impact on the kids during the week and I know that if we had soccer every day after school all year long, they would be there. They get attached to us and we get attached to them and then we have to leave them to whatever situations they are facing. It's heart-breaking. Leaving the field on that last day was heart-breaking. 

As soon as we pulled away there was this terrible feeling of having to leave the kids then coupled with worrying about my brother. Luckily, we had heard back from the hospital that all of his bloodwork came back OKAY! Even though they wanted to keep him overnight for observation, it looked like he was going to be okay. 

Next on the agenda, my meeting with Mr. Coba. We found Mr. Coba back at the school and we talked at length about a league for the kids on the island, what that would look like, how it would run. There is always the temptation to start big because you know there is enough interest but it's so important to start small and have a very WELL RUN league and build from there. So we decided to start with 1 girls bracket and 2 boys brackets, each with 4 teams for a total of 12 teams. We will start the league just for Holy Cross students and the 12 teams will field about 100 players. If the first year goes well, we will look to add another school in and double the size. If the second year goes well, we will add the third school on the island. From there we can add high school division, adult division, even a little kickers division some time in the future. How exciting! So we are aiming for 500 kids in the league in 5 years and to have a full blown soccer program for all ages with different program options within 10 years. If all goes well, the sky is the limit and I am so excited to be on this journey! 

Phil has been around LTRC soccer for years and it was very helpful to have him in the meeting with Mr. Coba. Phil was able to offer information about how the leagues run at home and support me in my proposal to Mr. Coba- that the league I presented and the starting size, was appropriate for the beginning of this. 

At one point I turned to Mr. Coba and said, "We would like the name of the league to me 'More Than Futbol.'" If you ever have the opportunity to meet Mr. Coba, you will learn that he has the best poker face I've ever seen. So when I said this to him it was impossible to gauge his reaction. He just sat quietly for a moment and then said, "I'm starting to feel it!.... we can make a banner that says More Than Futbol and put two soccer balls on it with kids playing soccer and we can hang it up for the start of the league." I was over the moon when Mr. Coba showed this enthusiasm! We wrote a schedule for the league... one that would last 8 weeks and include quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a Championship/Third place game. Mr. Coba said that with our trophy donations we had enough for second and third place but we should get first place trophies. Phil stepped in and said that he would donate the trophies! Wow, thanks Phil! 

This is the start of something big. I can feel it! 

By the time we started heading back, it was almost 7:30. We pulled up to find Scott and Kevin still at the condo. Turns out they weren't able to make the last ferry and instead had been on the phone for hours with American Airlines trying to switch Luke's flights so he could leave tomorrow. We showered up and after 4 hours on the phone with the Airlines, Luke was set to go with the latest time out and earliest arrival- only 7 hours of total travel time. They planned to head out on the first ferry in the morning to get Luke from the hospital to the airport and on his flight home. Luke was doing much better at this point, still very sick, still not feeling well but thanks to the good care he got at the Belize City hospital, Luke was improving. 

Everyone was tuckered out by a long, mentally exhausting day. The group was still in great spirits, but with the amount of drama we had experienced this day, it may as well been 3 days in one. We decided to keep it low key and went to Lone Star, our neighborhood restaurant. Great food and great people. Marc, the owner, has been very supportive of the program and has kept in touch via Facebook through the year. At dinner, we even convinced Heimy, the restaurant manager, to coach one of the teams in our league! That's 1 coach down and 11 more volunteers to go! Dinner was fantastic and such a great opportunity to reminisce about the week... there were so many stories to tell and we loved hearing everyone's stories. We even figured out the "Air Drop" on iPhones and spent a lot of time sharing pictures of each other that we had all taken. 

Painted on with many other 
murals at Holy Cross School

We had a really phenomenal coaching staff this week. We really were a "TEAM" and the team spirit in the coaching staff was present all week long. Every person was such a great Ambassador for More Than Futbol. Often times, I overheard someone from the coaching staff talking to the locals about what we were doing there. It was great to see the enthusiasm and all of the coaches promoting the program! Thank you for being awesome Coaches! ... Zach, Katie, Phil, Dave, Mel, Nikki, Kevin, Luke, and Scott! Thank you also to Krista who traveled down with Dr. Carol to focus on medical work but did come many times to soccer camp and help us work with the kids! Thank you also to Dr. Carol for the great work that you do when you come down to Belize! 

Tomorrow, we have the day off to recuperate. Kevin and Scott will be taking care of Luke and then we will all fly out on Sunday. One more blog to come on our last couple of days and then I'm going to write a BLOOPERS blog! I can't wait... we are even going to have a "Nikki Moments" section.... dun dun dun. 

Thanks for following the blog! 

Good night from Belize! 

Belize 2015: Day 6... Swimming with sharks! 2 days of camp left!

Early morning wake up call today to go Snorkeling! This morning we headed out to Hol Chen and Shark-Ray Alley- 2 of the best snorkeling spots in Belize! We walked over to the tour offices and got fit for our fins and masks. Once everyone had their gear we walked to dock and boarded the boat with our Captain, Gavino! Gavino is both our captain and tour guide on this excursion. First, we went to Hol Chen. Holy Chen, is a marine reserve with all kinds of coral, and different kinds of fish. We all got in the water and although Zach gave it a real chance, he did not feel comfortable in the water and swallowed a little sea water right away so we loaded him back up on the boat and started on the snorkeling tour. Gavino showed us all kinds of fish, live conch, a huge green moray eel, and a ton more. It was really fun to see all of the life on the coral reef! 

Next stop: Shark-Ray Alley. Okay, this is my spot. I love Shark Ray Alley- before we even got there I already had my fins back on and ready to go! I jumped in as soon as Gavino gave us the go ahead and I landed right into a group of maybe 10 sharks. SO COOL! These are only nurse sharks- pretty docile. Everyone jumped into the water and we swam along side a ton of sharks and giant sting rays. So fun. Gavino came in last and then took us on a little shark tour. I couldn’t believe it when he actually let us pet one of the sharks! It felt kind of like wet sand paper? I guess that’s a good way to describe it. The shark was kind of thrashing around a little bit, clearly ready to say goodbye. We swam on and then Gavino grabbed another shark! We all started petting it again... then, I couldn’t believe it when Gavino asked if I wanted to hold the shark! This shark was maybe 4 or 5 feet long and Gavino handed him right over telling me to hold the shark’s top fin and then hug it with my other arm. It was so cool! I held the shark for only a moment before it really started wiggling. Then it started to swim away…. but I didn’t quite let go of the fin right away so I got a short little ride…. which was so cool. I’ve always wanted to take a ride on a shark! 

Snorkeling was awesome today and it was all over by 11am, which still gave us a couple of hours to relax before we had to head to camp. Everyone got back, some hit the pool, some showered- those seem to have been the 2 preferred methods of body cleansing this week. haha. Almost everyone in the group bypassed a shower at some point and just jumped in the pool. Phil, Zach, Katie, and I, decided to go into town a little earlier to pick up some lunch on the way. We stopped at My Secret Deli and got the stewed chicken, rice and beans and smoothies! It was delicious…. the perfect meal after snorkeling and before a big day at camp! We spent lunch telling ghost stories… Phil had one of the best ghost stories I’ve heard. Those paranormal shows have nothing on his friend! 

After lunch, we headed over to the field for camp. The whole group ended up doing different things for lunch and we all met at the school. Today we are down a coach again! :-(  When we woke up this morning Luke was still feeling pretty sick. What a bummer for him and a bummer for the kids. Looks like he was out for the entire day again. Even though he was still feeling pretty sick it looked like it was at least working its way through his system. 

Before long, the kids came running out of school and over to the field and the coaches did a great job of getting everyone organized quickly into small groups for passing, playing small games, learning moves, and getting some great individual attention. Today we did some soccer relay races and all of the kids really enjoyed them. After the first round of relay races we asked the kids, “What is Teamwork?” “How can we be a good teammate?” We encouraged the kids to cheer for each other and give high fives. We told the kids we wanted to see which team could win the relay and which team could cheer the loudest! Before the next round we had each team huddle up and come up with a super-cool team cheer! After all of the teams did their cheers, we had one final race. It was good to see the kids working together. We really want to encourage them to be good teammates and learn how to work together. Finally, we split the kids up into 2 teams and played a big game at the end. They love the big game at the end because they get to run around all together and because the coaches play! 

As the little kids ended, we made the coaching chain and prepared for the older kids. We had a huge turn out today and being 1 coach down was definitely a concern as we went out to the field. Luckily, everything went really well. We had a shooting station, small-sided station, world cup station, and I did a skills station. We also separated the boys and girls again today. 

I knew the skills station would be tough because the kids want to just play but it is important that we teach them some skills and, especially, the discipline to pay attention, work hard, and receive the benefit in the big fun game of knowing some new moves. The older boys did pretty well listening, the middle-aged group did a good job listening, and then once the little kids got to me, chaos erupted at my station. I knew they wouldn’t be able to do a dribbling skills today so I played Head-It, Catch-It, which is a game that all of the kids enjoy. I told one of the boys that he was “being a VERY good boy” because the rest of the boys were so rambunctious. After they overheard me saying it they all started running up and saying, “Coach Ali, am I a good boy?!?!?!” They all wanted an answer so I went around as they asked and said, “Yes, you are a good boy!”or “You are MOSTLY good” and then to a couple of the boys I said, “No, you have not been a good boy... but will you try to be a good boy for the rest of today and tomorrow?”... and they said yes! and it actually worked! They tried for the rest of the time to get along and work together! After about 20 minutes with these crazy kids I ended the stations and we set up the big game! Because it was pretty hot today and the kids took a long water break so it took a little longer to break the kids into teams, we did not start the big game until 4:50, only 10 minutes before camp is supposed to end!  Camp is supposed to end at 5:00 so the kids have plenty of time to walk home before it gets dark at 5:30. I let the kids play until 5:10… the latest possible time and even that is pushing it.  

It’s hard to believe that there is only one more day of camp left. Many of the kids were asking if tomorrow was the last day, if we would be back next week, and when we were leaving. We told the kids that we would be leaving on Sunday but that we would be back next year for another camp! Then the kids started asking if we were going to have camp on Saturday. I felt guilty saying no even though we would still be here. Saturday is a rest day for the coaches after the week of camp before the travel day on Sunday. We even had some of the group heading out on Saturday. I could sense that the kids were beginning to get sad that we were leaving soon... and this started to make me sad as well :-( 

We said our goodbyes and went back to shower up. Today, the plan is to shower quickly and head back in town so that we can check out the different street vendors that sell all kinds of cool jewelry and hand-crafted wood carvings, etc. We had fun walking around… I spent some time with my dear friend Paulina. Paulina is such a gentle soul and so tiny (I'm only 5'6"). She had a son at Holy Cross when we first started doing our camps up there. I have kept in touch with her via Facebook since I first came down to Belize and each year. Over time, we have formed a really nice friendship. I also had the chance to see one of the original campers, Rafael. His mother runs a jewelry store in town and I always stop by and buy a few things from her each year. As I started to catch up with Rafael, I asked him, “Are you still in school?” I was disappointed to find out that he had an incident in the high school and they would no longer allow him to attend. The next option is for Rafael to attend high school in Belize City (90 minute ferry ride) which means he would likely live in Belize City with family or friends while he finished school.
His Mom really wants him to do this but the problem is, Rafael wants to help his mother and help take care of his 6-year-old brother. His mother has a ton of jewelry that she needs to cart into town every day for her jewelry stand where she works from 7am-9pm at a table in the town center. After we talked about it for a little bit, Rafael promised me that he would go back to school, shook my hand, and I told him that when he graduated I would take him out for a Lobster Dinner. Rafael is one of my favorite players from our first camp and it’s been so great to be able to see him each year when we travel back… we have stayed in touch with a few of our high school players from the first year but Rafael is particularly easy to track down since his Mom is always working in the center of town. I really want to see him succeed. I believe that he can. We are Facebook friends now and I’m going to keep tabs on him (and he knows it)! I bought a necklace and matching earrings from his mother and then asked, "Could you make me a bracelet that matches?" Rafael said he would make me one as a gift! Very touching. 

We walked around town for a bit and then we headed over to Waraguma for dinner. Waraguma has two things that has made it a hot spot on the island. #1 they sell papusas. If you’ve never had one, you have to try one. It’s an El Salvadorian dish- basically, it’s like the dough of a tortilla (like what your Chipotle Burrito is in) and then they take whatever you want (chicken, cheese, octopus, lobster, etc. etc.) and they put it in the center of the dough and then form the dough over it so all it looks like is a pancake, then they cook it. #2 they have the lobster burrito! It cost $13.50 and has a whole lobster tail inside of it along with beans, rice, and stewed cabbage (?). It’s very good. I have to say that on this particular night it was okay… but we still enjoyed the dinner! For almost everyone at the table, it was their first papusa! Someone ought to start a papusa restaurant in Baltimore… if you read this and steal my idea, I  want a cut! 

One thing that has been unique and neat about this trip is that we have eaten the majority of our meals together as one big group. Usually, when dinner rolls around everyone is on a different schedule… some want to go into town, some want to eat at the condo, some want to go out to eat nearby. This time, everyone was on the same page most nights of the trip. We often spent a good portion of the dinners reminiscing about our day at camp, our favorite campers, crazy and funny things that happened, etc. It was fun to hear everyone’s stories every night. During camp, we are all in charge of different stations and we all have different experiences with different kids. 

After Waraguma, we headed over to the chicken drop. There is a bar that has a big fenced in gambling board. The board has a grid of squares with numbers inside and you can bet on a number. They drop a chicken into the cage and the first number to get pooped on wins! As we walked up they had JUST finished the chicken drop. What a bummer! Carol, Phil, and the kids went back to the condo while the rest of us followed the music down the beach! As we walked up to this beach bar that looked like a crazy dance party, we were surprised to find that it was completely filled with Holy Cross volunteers. haha. Volunteers unite! Another group of college-aged students was at Holy Cross working with the kids in the classrooms this week and they were having a good ole time at Señor Marlins! We danced around a little bit but faded fast. We made it back to the condo by 11:00 and I crashed so hard. I think the early morning snorkeling trip really tired us out!

Tomorrow is the last day of camp :-( 

Good night from Belize!  

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!

Belize 2015: Day 4

The first day is the most difficult day of the week because we have to create boundaries for the kids. Because they are not used to organized sports and stringent rules, the kids tend to retaliate a little bit. Once we get through the first day, the kids acclimate to the program and things begin to run smoother. After a night of howling wind and rain that would rival a small hurricane, we weren't surprised to wake up to a steady downpour. We don't want to lose any day of the week but if we had to lose one day of the week, the worst day to lose would be the second day. We would lose our "creating boundaries" momentum and then have the struggle all over again on Wednesday. I was so thankful when the rain started to dissipate around 11am. 

We had a nice lazy morning hanging out inside but now all of the volunteers got a little outdoor downtime (pool, pier, etc) before we went to the school. At 1:10 we loaded up the carts and headed to the school to begin our program with the youngest aged kids: Infant 1 and Infant 2- equivalent of 1st and 2nd grade in the US. I ran into the school to use the bathroom before we started and on my way out the kids started asking, "Is there futbol again today?!?!" ... "Of Course there is," I responded, "we have it all week after school!" A couple of minutes later the bell rang to end school and the kids started running over to the field. Due to the rain, the bad puddle on the field (that never seems to evaporate), turned into more of a small lake, making it impossible for the kids to cross. Coach Phil started collecting whatever drift wood he could find to make a bridge for the kids to cross! It was a little improvisation, but it worked! Here in Belize, if you can't improvise, you are not gonna make it. Life is "go with the flow" so if you want to introduce any type of organized activity the key is to go in with a plan and then roll with the punches and improvise. 

Lydia told us that a lot of kids didn't come to school today. Because the majority of kids walk considerable distance from home to school, it's difficult for them to attend when the rain is really bad because they would be completely drenched by the time they got to school only to sit in soaking wet clothes all day. This actually ended up working out really well for the little ones. Usually we have up to 30 kids but with only a small group of 10 today we were able to play games with the little ones where they all get their own ball. The favorite game of the day for them was "Musical Soccer Balls." The coaches formed a circle that the kids had to stay inside of and then we played music- during the music the kids have to dribble around but as soon as the music stops they have to sit on their ball. The last one to sit on his or her ball has to give their ball to one of the coaches in the circle and then join the circle. It worked out great, the kids had a lot of fun and we were able to play a few rounds!
After the little games, we broke up the kids into 2 teams and set the field up for a scrimmage. This is the time for the kids to go crazy, run around, and have fun. We have the coaches playing on the teams with the kids to help keep the game under control and protect the exterior edges of the field where there are several of puddles from the rain. These puddles are not as dangerous as the puddles back in the San Mateo neighborhood, but we are close enough to the neighborhood to still be pretty dirty/bacteria-filled. We try to keep the kids out of them as much as possible but sometimes as soon as the ball goes in there the kids go diving in after the ball before we get a chance to slow them down.
Before we knew it, the 1-hour sesh with the little ones was over and we created the coaching chain all the way to the field to make sure the kids got their safely and to create a presence for them right after they came out of school to say, "We are here and ready to play FUTBOL with you!"
They came running out of the school and were so excited to see that a lot of the kids who were not able to attend school, still came to play soccer. We had a great turn out for camp and after setting up the stations on the big field we were ready to rock! Dave was doing the "Steal the Bacon" Station, Phil and Luke had shooting, Kevin and I ran a station where the kids had to pass 3 times before they could shoot (with 2 defenders and a keeper) , and Mel and Nikki worked with the girls. We kept the girls completely separate from all of the boys and the stations. They were much more comfortable and content to have their own area and own drills with the female coaches.
Before we could start we had to break up all of the kids into teams for the day. This is usually the toughest part of the day. We have a lot of kids that pay very good attention but there are plenty that want to go with their friends or prefer one group over another. We simply divide them up into groups by age: Infant 1 and 2, Standard 1 and 2, Standard 3 and 4, and Standard 5 and 6). After sending them to their coaches I began to hear kids saying complaining that kids were sneaking into different age groups. Eventually I sort it out and had all of the kids in the correct group. This is something that will become easier for me during the week once I get more familiar with which kids are in which grades.
Once we got the stations started, they went great!  We spent a lot of time encouraging the kids and promoting the theme of camp "Teamwork!" "Work together!" Time flew by today- the kids' behavior was fantastic and the stations went smoothly.

A few minutes after we started we were so excited to see Mr. Coba show up with a weed-whacker! The field was so overgrown with weeds (knee-high in some parts) that sometimes in the scrimmage yesterday we could not even see the ball! Mr. Coba went to town and spent almost an hour clearing off a HUGE part of the field. This was fantastic. The kids were so happy! We had so much more space to work with! Mr. Coba is the Director of Athletics for the school. He was there on my first trip in 2012 but has not been there since because he has been studying on the mainland to further his teaching career. Mr. Coba is very involved in all of the school's sports team (voluntarily) and loves futbol! We were so grateful that he volunteered his time to come out and help us clear the field for camp. This is a mark of how much we have progressed with people on the island. The first year of camp, we had very little interest from the teaching staff at school, but now that we have forged a relationship over time, people seem much more willing to get involved and help out.

Okay, back to futbol... wait not yet... another tangent: We missed Scott for part of camp because he had to get a couple of the girls to their ferry home. Apparently, there are some kids who take a boat into the island for school every day! They must be coming from a nearby island that doesn't have a school. A couple of the kids came to play futbol with us and then lost track of time and missed their boat home. Luckily, Scott figured it out in time because if they missed their second boat, there would be no way off the island for them to get home.

Scott made it back for the scrimmage which was good because it seems that all of the kids want to be on his team! The  guys did a great job rallying their teams- we had Dave and Phil coach one, Scott
coach another, and Luke and Kevin coach the third. Katie and Zach (the two Junior coaches), also participated in the scrimmages. Katie with the girls scrimmage and Zach jumped on one of the boys teams. With 3 teams we have 2 play until one scores or the game exceeds 8 minutes and then we rotate teams. The kids love this and today was very special because we had a huge field cleared to play on! Prior to the game starting up and Mr. Coba was cooling down from all of the hard weed-whacking work, I had an opportunity to talk to him for a bit about the futbol program. I asked the coaches to organize the scrimmage so I could continue the conversation.

Here on the island, anything that you want to get done (for the most part) needs to be face-to-face. Which means I have a small window each year to network and make strides forward for More Than Futbol. Mr. Coba was very interested in getting involved and I told him my vision for a league on the island to help give the kids more organized and more consistent sport presence in their lives on the island. The majority of sports programs available on the island are 1-day events. A 1-day futbol tournament, a 1-day basketball tournament. There is nothing in the form of a league where the kids get to play 1 game every weekend. With volunteer coaches, we have an incredible opportunity to have weekly interaction with the kids where they get to check-in with their coach (mentor), play futbol, and learn valuable life lessons with the game that we all love. To have a consistent presence, over time, with these kids would make an incredible difference in their lives. Mr. Coba seemed to like the idea. He said that he has a lot of connections and would like to help take charge of the league on the island. He asked if I would be able to meet with him on Friday to discuss the organization of this league after camp was over and I was over the moon to accept. I knew that, with patience, God would point me in the right direction to run this league on the island. It's been in the plan since we started and officially in the works for over a year. I'm just so thankful that I now have this connection to make it possible. Mr. Coba knows the town council, he can get us a field for free. He knows all of the kids and can organize the teams fairly and promote the league at the school!

We wrapped up camp for the day. Very smooth, very fun, and an enormous improvement from the first day in behavior and boundaries. The kids were on the track now. I know that the first day is hard and I expect, like every year, we will have the kids settled and doing well by the second-to-third day. BUT,  I have to admit, even though this is a pretty dependable pattern, I was still worried that it would be a struggle through the week with this large and rowdy camp. I was so happy to see today be so mellow and fun and easy. Yay!

I was also very excited to see Hosan come to camp today. He was one of our most poorly behaved kids in the first year and now he is one of my favorite campers! He is facing a tough life... I won't expand on that, but when it comes to tough, his is about as tough as it gets. Yet, he came to camp with a HUGE smile on his face, happy to see me and the rest of the coaches. I have particularly taken a special interest in him over the past few years so having him come out to camp today was very exciting... especially, after I did not see him yesterday.

After camp, we all came back to the condo and hung out around the pool, eventually showered, and headed back into town to Caramba. Today is my Mom's birthday and I have to miss it every year as it always falls on the week in Belize. For anyone who doesn't know my mother is known to me as "Mama Bear" and we are super-close so I am always missing her and thinking of her on this day. With the Caramba WiFi, Scott, Luke and I FaceTimed Mama Bear, sang happy birthday and took turns talking to her. Even though we are missing her birthday, we still have something special planned for when we get back :-). It was fun to have 3 of her 4 kids here facetiming together. Technology is truly amazing! :-)
Caramba is one of my favorite restaurants and a must-stop at least once during the week because they serve their seafood with the option of a Mayan/Native-Belizean sauce. It's spicy and nothing like anything we have at home. I look forward to it every year and it absolutely did not disappoint. We had a great "team"-dinner tonight. It's been really cool to see all o the coaches get on board with the concept of "Teamwork" this week. So much, in fact, that we started calling the coaching staff a team and whenever we are doing anything, even dishes or carrying equipment, we call it "teamwork." We have an awesome coaching staff this week and its been really cool to see everyone, despite being on the #1 ranked island in the world, still be all about the kids and the camp- MORE THAN FUTBOL!

After dinner, Carol and Phil went back to the condo with the kids while the rest of the group headed over to Fido's for... KARAOKE night! The DJ was so excited to see such a big group of people walk in for Karaoke in a relatively dead bar. After we took over and sang maybe 15 songs, I don't think the DJ was enjoying it as much anymore. LOL. Nikki started the night off and even though she does not have a voice that some might call "Pleasing to the ear", she definitely has the loudest. What she lacked in traditional vocal skill, she made up for with pure positive energy. haha. And boy did she use it for multiple songs. Between all of us we covered the spectrum from Sonny and Cher to Beastie Boys, to Queen, 311 and Whitney Houston. I went up second and sang "Whoomp there it is." Most people don't know that I can rap. While it might not sound like the "traditional" sort of rap that you are used to, the important thing is that I can say all of the words to the beat of the song. Add some dancing in and I was pretty out of breath by the 3rd verse. Great night, fun memories, good bonding experience for the TEAM! :-)

I was worried that I had dropped my phone somewhere earlier in the night but it wasn't until I got back that I was absolutely sure that my phone was gone. We looked everywhere, no luck. I was so bummed out. Dave was very helpful in looking for it, as was the rest of the group. Eventually, Dave and I used the Find My iPhone app to lock my phone in case anyone found it and to post on my phone a message on how to get it back to us to receive a reward. What a bummer. Oh well, it's just a phone. Nothing we can do about it now unless the Find My iPhone app works.

Good Night from Belize!