Words for the Birds

I have been looking for quotes all morning (where is Lucy Morrell when I need her?) to try to grasp a more concrete understanding of this season's theme that the coaches decided on a few weeks ago: "Inspiration." It's a nice word, with a positive implication behind it and I think it's a great theme to have the girls focus on, reflect on, and discover ways in which they can be inspirations as well as have inspirations and pursue them. Granted we are still just introducing the season and the theme to the girls, and still getting through rules and goal-setting, I feel that our activities in the past few weeks have lacked a strong connection to this greater theme. It's hard for me to pick out lessons and tangible concepts that the girls have learned through the activities. I want to change that this week, but as I sat and thought about a good activity to help them grasp "Inspiration", I realized I don't really have a good grasp of it myself. I know what inspiration is, but I am unsure what our team's concrete end goal is. 

Concreteness, or lack thereof, is something I have been grappling with for a little while now. Last week, I was assigned five girls to discuss individual goal-setting with and sign their participant agreements, which states their personal goal, team goal, and the specific steps they promise they will take to achieve those goals. (Very Maren-esque) I have done this type of goal-setting and creating a specific plan for achievement throughout my entire life. I was expecting this process to be something I was very familiar with and very capable of facilitating, but instead it was another eye-opener to the effects of the Nicaraguan educational system and another puzzling way of doing things. On Thursday night, before splitting up into smaller groups the team voted on a common goal that they wanted to achieve this season. The previous Tuesday, they had brainstormed four options for this team goal; 1. Apoyar a las compañeras (support each other) 2. Cuidar los materiales de las Estrellas (take care of the team materials) 3. Respetar a los entrenadores (respect the coaches) and 4. Inspiración para el equipo (Inspiration for the team) Options 1,2, and 3 had a few votes each but the majority of girls voted for number 4. Inspiration for the team. I wasn't even really sure what that meant, and it hadn't been fleshed out or discussed either. Similar to the decision for the season theme the Nicas opted for this fluffy, pretty-sounding theme without thinking in depth or discussing the nitty-gritty of what it actually means. I've learned that the American school system's focus on critical thinking skills and self expression is by no means a universal focus, rather a unique privilege that I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience. Nicaraguan education consists entirely of the teacher lecturing and the students recording. Memorization without question, and no space for original thought or personal opinion. No space for personal opinion to even develop. So Thursday night,  Hasly (pronounced Ashley), Margarita, María Alejandra, Vilmania, Lupe and I read through the paragraph at the top of the goals sheet that said among other things, "I promise to put my best effort forward in reaching my individual and team goals. I understand that my individual goal is something personally important to me, and it can be related to education, family, or community." I was confused when I got five blank stares. Margarita spoke up, "Qué debo escribir para mi meta personal?" (What should I write for my personal goal?) I told her again, it can be anything that you think is important to you! The others struggled with how to fill it out too, as if there were a right and wrong answer. I explained that there was no wrong answer, and finally Hasly wrote down that she wants to do well in all her classes this year in school. The other four copied her. They all wrote down the same steps to achieve that goal, and the same steps to achieve the team goal and were handing over their sheets for me to sign before I could try to stir up some discussion about what "Inspiration for the team" means to them. More than any other feeling towards the events of that night, I felt sad that they have never been given the opportunity to think for themselves, and therefore don't know how. 

As I sit here and search for quotes to help me delve into the subject further, I'm realizing that it would be silly to look for more words to fill their heads with. I have been inspired to pursue this work by the actions of others. I didn't choose to spend my first year out of college in a developing country and work for no pay because of anything that anybody said to me. I choose to be here and doing what I'm doing because of the ways that Larkin inspired me while she was my captain and mentor at Bowdoin with her ability to make everybody around her feel like an incredible human being and seeing the world of change she brought to this organization and the participants in her short year of living in Granada. I choose to be here because of the ways in which all my coaches and trainers (Maren, LG, Ash, OC, Mr. and Mrs. Kings, Boulais, McLain, Mr. Weir, Mr. Gerry, Mr. Pick, Mr. Hartnett, and more) have helped me grow as a person and realize my potential not only as an athlete but more so as a human being, with the ability to think and express myself. I choose to be here because I am inspired by the actions of my mentors to be a mentor to others, because for me there has been no greater gift. I know that if nothing else, I am good at what I'm doing because I have had such incredible people to show me the way. I don't need to find a quote to help me express that.

This week the Estrellas are going to define inspiration as a group by writing letters to the people in their lives that have inspired them, and highlight the admirable qualities and actions of these people that have sparked their inner fire and pushed them to be a better version of themselves. I think understanding what it means to be inspired is a crucial step in being able to inspire others.

Thank you for helping me understand that step so well :)

Amor, paz, y fútbol

KPope