Tuesday, January 22, 2013

La Libertad


Yesterday morning I was lucky enough to catch President Obama's Inaugural Address. When our shotty wifi at Tres Pisos failed us, we sprinted to one of our favorite little cafes, Euro Cafe, and huddled around a computer, glued to the screen. I have never been particularly politically minded and always felt I could pay better attention to current events, but being removed from the US while I watched and listened, I felt a complicated swelling of emotion.
I got goosebumps when Obama said: "We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth." This last part was especially moving to me. I felt that Obama's references to freedom were the most touching part of his speech.
Throughout his oration I felt proud and patriotic, which I wouldn't say I am generally more than the average person. I also felt an overwhelming sense of good fortune that I am an American. My good fortune sentiments were tempered however with strange pangs of guilt and cloudy confusion. Only having been in Granada for three weeks, I am only very beginning to digest the situation here: the poverty, the lack of schooling opportunities, the few good jobs that are reserved for the wealthy and connected. I think my guilt and confusion were (and are) tied together. In many ways, simply because of where I was born, my life has and will have countless more opportunities than the people and specifically girls who live here. Why do I deserve a chance at a better life than anyone here? The truth is I don't. But the reasons for the realities of life here in Nica and the realities of life in the US are varied, complex, intertwined, long-standing and ever-changing. One of my goals for the coming months is to learn everything I can about the "why" in order to better understand a "how" for improvement. 
I know there is so much that the people of this country and of the world need, but Obama's reference to freedom is one that is particularly lacking here and in the world at large. Freedom of choices, freedom of religion, sexual freedom, political freedom, freedom of expression, and maybe most of all freedom to succeed are things all people deserve but very few possess. I'm not at all making a commentary on prescription to the American brand of democracy, but rather revealing my thoughts (however scattered) on what it means to have personal and real agency. I think every person on this earth is born with the right to be free and a right to dream.

Obama proclaimed "We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal not just in the eyes of God but also in our own."  How far we have to go, not just as Americans but as a global community, to make that dream a reality. 

Friday, January 18, 2013



Hello!!

Just about done with FSF January Camp! The week was busy and hectic and tons of fun. We spent our mornings playing soccer in the back part of Mulitestadio, a baseball complex. We also held a variety of activities for the girls in the afternoon and spent lots of good time, particularly eating, with the 11 volunteers. For the first time, I spent a lot of time both during soccer and activities with my team; the Estrellas Seniors who range from 12-16. Yesterday I had a pretty long conversation with one of my players, which was exciting especially given my terrible Spanish. Speaking slowly so I could understand, she told me a little about her family, what she wants to be when she grows up, her desire to learn English, and how much she loves FSF. This first connection felt special and very cool. It also served to further add fuel to the fire in terms of my desire to improve my Spanish.


This morning was especially fun. The last day of camp culminated in Las Olympias (the Olympics), which included a variety of competitions at different stations. I helped run the obstacle course. The girls seemed to have a blast and earned some fun prizes at the end including shorts and bracelets. And now  we have the afternoon off! It’s a beautiful day and we may pay 5 cords to go swim in a hotel pool nearby.

Yesterday evening we climbed up La Merced and got a great view of the city! I’m excited to explore beyond the 6 blocks between the field, Tres Pisos and the Calzada (a street where we have had several meals). Hopefully I can do some of that this weekend!

The view from atop La Merced of Granada and Mombacha 


That’s all for now!

Allie

Hola from Granada!

What a whirlwind this week has been! There are so many things I could say about my first week here!! Granada is unlike any place I have ever been. There are countless new sights, sounds and smells from the dogs sleeping on the sidewalks, to the clopping of the horse drawn carts, to the aroma of delicious pico (a sweet bread) and sizzling tortillas that contrasts the occasional odor of rotting garbage. Car horns beep frequently, vendors chirp constantly selling everything from meats to sunglasses to mops, and music blares from the open doorways of houses. School is still out for winter break and kids of all ages linger on stoops and in streets, playing soccer and baseball and sitting around talking.

Tres Pisos: Fùtbol Sin Fronteras Office and our Home


Despite the beautiful weather and friendly environment, Granada has many less sunny qualities and heartbreaking realities. In my first house visits with my two Nicaraguan co-coaches, Flaca and Techo, we visited homes with only dirt for floors and only tin roofs. “Water” that is an opaque bluish green courses down the edges of the roads and trash litters the parks and wooded areas.  A child selling goods and a person sleeping outdoors are far from uncommon sights. I knew of many of the societal issues here in Nica before I came down here, but actually seeing how that manifests in the day to day is very different.

El Centro: The Center Square in Granada


My first week also consisted of many, many highlights! Some of these include:
Juggling and playing soccer in the square on our first night.
Eating and drinking the most amazing Calala (similar to a papaya) juice at Claudia’s.
Walking the 10 km to La Laguna where we set out to teach a clinic at the Peace Project but arrived two hours late. It immediately started to rain when we arrived.
Meeting the Veteranas, FSF’s alumni/oldest team.
Eating tons of Gallo Pinto.
Making dinner at Tres Pisos with the other interns and the five Nicaraguan coaches. (Struggling big time with my Spanish understanding!)
Getting a fan in my room.
Enjoying the more leisurely pace of life. Many jokes have already been made about “Nica time” vs. “US time.”

Anyways, off to my first Spanish class!

Hasta luego!

Allie



Sunday, January 6, 2013

¡Mañana!

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”- Nelson Mandela

Tomorrow I begin a new adventure! I can't believe it has come so soon! I start a year-long internship in Granada, Nicaragua with a non-profit called Soccer Without Borders. Fútbol sin Fronteras (en español) uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change at several sites both in the US and abroad. In Granada, SWB works to empower girls in particular.

Many of us have been incredibly fortunate to reap the countless benefits of participating in sports. We have learned hard work and accountability, teamwork and unity, communication and confidence. Soccer, “the beautiful game,” the world’s most popular sport, has a unique ability to reach people from all walks of life, to unify a group, a family, a team and a community to achieve the aforementioned qualities and much more.

Soccer Without Borders uses team play and instruction, team building, off the field lessons and workshops as steps toward positive change. SWB inspires the girls of Granada, Nicaragua to believe in themselves, to set goals and to dream big both on and off the soccer pitch. And starting tomorrow, I will be a new member of the Soccer Without Borders team and the Granada community.

I am very lucky to have kind and generous people in my life. Thank you so much to all my friends and family who contributed to my fundraising efforts. I also want to especially thank the athletic community at Amherst College for all of your continued support. I hope to bring a little piece of all of you to my efforts in Nica!

¡Hasta luego!

Allie