Jan Camp 2013

Three years ago right around this time, I took my first trip down to Granada Nicaragua with two of my teammates, Lucy and Larkin, to volunteer for FSF's January Camp 2010. The program ran out of a one floor, tiny office space. There were two long-term interns, Zoey and Kay, three Nicaraguan female leaders, Cindy Suyen and Yelba, and 8-10 teenage male coaches.  There were a jumble of girls and a few boys that showed up for soccer practice and activities that week and they were divided into two large groups- grandes and pequeñas (bigs and littles). The power in the entire city was in and out all week, Lucy and I showered with a bucket of cold water, and there were a variety of pigeons and parrots strutting around inside our house all week. It was a really fun, eye-opening week.

Larkin graduated that May and flew back down in August to work as a year-long intern. She and Lindsey (her co-intern) found a much larger, three floor office space with rooms to live in. They whittled the two large co-ed groups down to three all girls teams with identified names- Las Mariposas, Las Estrellas, y las Nicoyas (now las Veteranas). They solidified a weekly schedule, they connected with schools and other community members to reach more girls, they made the program what it is today.

That kind of progress cannot be achieved by just anybody, you have to be incredibly proactive and charismatic and focused and wonderful like Larkin and Lindsey, but it is pretty darn inspiring nonetheless. It made me think "Hey, I could be a big part of something really neat." So three years later, here I am. And by some stroke of luck, or maybe a not-so-coincidental common bond, Larkin is back here too as the program's first ever local director. Now there are four year-long interns, Mady Becca Allie and myself. There are three Nicaraguan female leaders, Flaca Helen and Hassell (two of which are past participants of the program) and three Nicaraguan male leaders, César Techo and Edén (two of which have been working with FSF since it's inception) There has been big and deliberate change and growth over the course of five years; a young organization driven by young people, making a difference for other young people. And that's really neat.

This Jan Camp was another fun and eye-opening week for me in different ways than the first time around. It was so fun to be back in Granada with five months of experience already under my belt; it was fun to recognize the strengths of the connections I have already made and know that I have more time to grow them. It was fun to feel fully capable and confident planning and leading practices and activities fully in Spanish. It was fun to see newcomers to Granada react to all the nuances and quirks of this place. It was fun to feel apart from that, as if I'm a part of this place too, not a foreigner anymore. On the other hand, it was eye-opening to see how many girls showed up to morning practice without having eaten breakfast or without the opportunity to eat breakfast and therefore either felt dizzy, or became sick to their stomachs. It was eye-opening to find many, many girls whose heads are crawling with lice and whose parents know about it but haven't bothered to take care of it. It was eye-opening to see that in 5 days of interaction with these girls, the 11 newcomers made a significant impact on the energy of the whole program. A year doesn't seem very long, but I know now that it's definitely important and impactful.

Politics aside, President Obama said in his Inauguration speech "We the people declare today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal...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." I am proud and lucky to have been born in the United States of America, but these girls are Nicaraguan and are not given an equal chance to succeed. As a global community we must strive for the same ideals and work towards making these ideals more of a reality. The camp was a great kick off to the year and we have many ideas and plans to further develop our system and curriculum to benefit these girls born into the bleakest poverty. The truth is self-evident, its time to self-execute.

     Volunteer pick up game before camp kicked off                             New FSF Granada Staff!

Maribel and Ana Paola

Partner stretching!

Amor, Paz, and Fútbol

KPope

I'm baaaaack

Por fin! After an 8 week blog break (4 weeks of which I was home) I decided to get back on the horse after an outpouring of support from dedicated followers. I apologize for such a long break and I too am excited to get back to get back to writing. It's been a great way for me to digest and eternalize all of my feelings, thoughts, and lessons that I have learned throughout this crazy journey. So while you all may enjoy reading about it too, just remember this isn't for you. This is for me ;)

Since my last post on Thanksgiving, I've had a whirlwind of two months. Connor came to visit and I was able to share my last two weeks in Nicaragua with him; I attempted (and semi-failed at) snorkeling, we did a monster hike up a volcano, took a wildlife tour of the isletas in Granada, and were also able to take a night tour of the active Volcán Masaya. It was an incredibly fun adventure, but easily the best part of all of it was being able to share with him the daily joys of this job; the people I work with, the girls, visiting schools, visiting homes, and making other community connections. He witnessed a hopping FSF fiesta, and he was appropriately initiated by the Nica staff with a one-minute fridge sit (exactly what it sounds like) and the classic moneda challenge. I learned not only how special it was to be able to share this experience with someone else, but it also hit home how special this experience has been for me.

We flew back home December 11, and while I accidentally threw my toilet paper in the trash for a few days I barely had a chance to  let the rest of the inevitable culture shock seep in. I had 28 days to try to see and spend time with a LOT of people, and though there was no rest for the weary I wouldn't have liked it any other way. I had a blast at home, at Bowdoin, in Boston, in VT, up in New Hampshire for New Year's and I couldn't believe it was already time to fly back to Granada come January 8th.

To be frank, I had mixed feelings upon my return. Yes, I love my job but it would be disingenuous to paint it in a perfect light. It's hard. It's hot. The challenges that face the girls I work with seem much bigger than anything I could solve in the one year that I am here. It is easy to feel drained and discouraged. It was great to be home. Yet, after a good night's sleep back in my bed in Granada, I felt rejuvenated, excited, capable and ready.

Ready to take full advantage of the next 6 months. I didn't leave my backpack at the airport this time. My Spanish flowed a bit easier than before. I met Allie and Rebecca, the two new interns that will be here until December. I reunited with Techo, Flaca, Helen, César, and Hassell and met Edén, our recently hired new Nicaraguan coach. I visited the Estrellas' homes to let them and their families know about January camp information and received big warm hugs that told me, "I missed you, I'm glad you're back." This job is hard, but it's well worth it for the little things like that.

This past week we had a crazy full week of camp with 11 volunteers from the United States and double sessions of activities every day with the girls. Yesterday during the soccer session in the morning, María Alejandra (the only Estrella with 100% attendance from last season) was unusually quiet and not putting any effort into the fun warm up drill. This caused a few teammates to snap at her since she essentially caused them to lose the hula hoop race. She walked away from the group and began to cry so I walked with her to a shady spot on the side of the field. She didn't want to talk at first, but then she opened up about a fight she had with her best friend Ericka. The fight seemed minor and resolvable so I talked to her about fights I've had with friends before and how she should take time to clear her head but that she would feel a lot better about it after talking it out with Ericka. She understood, I gave her a hug, and we went back to practice. She was still quiet, but joined in with the rest of the team for the next drill.

Today they seemed much better, but today I learned that María Alejandra is moving to Rivas (a town 2 hours south) tomorrow morning with her family. Yesterday I felt that I had made a strong and more meaningful connection with her and today I had to say goodbye.

This place and these people are so special to me, and now more than ever I realize my time is fleeting. My mixed feelings have vanished and I am ready to delve farther into these girls lives, attempt to grow this young program a little further, and focus on making whatever difference I can.

More camp details and pictures coming soon!

Amor, Paz, y Fútbol

KPope