A Familiar Face

Two weeks ago, we were lucky enough to be part of the Inter-American Women's Soccer Exchange in which a team of former collegiate American soccer players came down to Nicaragua to run clinics, play in several exhibition games and generally promote women's soccer in Nicaragua. The week reflected a an important development in both the acceptance and popularity of women's athletics here in Nicaragua and a growing interest among female athletes in the United States to advocate for the same athletic opportunities we all enjoyed.

One of the coolest parts for me, however, was that one of my college teammates, Kathryn Nathan, decided to be part of this Exchange. Nate is a friend of mine through soccer at Amherst, but seeing her in this totally different context was really special for me. Although I have not been here for very long myself, seeing her take in all the new sights, smells and sounds of different parts of Nicaragua for the first time was a reminder of how striking certain aspects of life are here. Further, to see her learning some Spanish and befriending locals, I felt excited and weirdly proud.

And of course, it was great to get to play together! Miss you already Nate!