Today was the first day of the soccer camp in Pillatre. Now I know why my fellow missionaries were laughing at me when I described my ideas about soccer drills and games. (I mentioned that maybe a white board with Xs and Os would help them understand since I couldn't explain in Creole.)
Here's what the layout for the day looked like:
7 am breakfast
7:30 load up on the tap-tap
8 am arrive at Pillatre, set up soccer goals, tools, T-shirts and food
9 am Group 1 Soccer Camp - preschool through 1st grade
10:30 dismiss Group 1
11 am Group 2 Soccer Camp - 2nd-6th grades
12:30 dismiss Group 2
12:40 lunch
2:30 Group 3 Soccer Camp - 7th-12th grades (plus a few even older students)
4:30 load up on the tap-tap
5 pm arrive back at Cap Haitian for clean up and dinner
7 pm devotions, team meeting
9 pm collapse exhausted after the dogs are released for the night
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When we got to Pillatre around 8 am this morning, a huge swarm of children came running out of buildings to greet us. They were shouting and waving--they were so excited! They had the biggest smiles...I took a photo of the crowd from the tap-tap (see above). It was probably the closest feeling I've had to what a celebrity must feel like. As teachers corralled the children back into their classrooms, we got out of the truck and began setting up. I examined the soccer field.
My assessment? Not good. There was a huge dirt pile at one end, and big puddles at the other. There were no out-of-bounds lines drawn. There were huge rocks scattered all over the field, and finally, the 6 inch tall weeds needed to be mowed down. "You get what you get and you don't get upset" is what I always tell my kids. So, I said that to myself and moved on. We set up the goals and nets. We used some string and stakes to mark off one large field that we would split into two halves to have two games going at once. Then, we used white spray paint to mark the lines. There were small clusters of boys following me around the field. They thought I was crazy, picking up stones and pitching them off the field. But, some of them joined in and helped.
The first group of kids assembled in the new church (Quick side story - there is a church currently in use in Pillatre, but the congregation has grown so much that a larger church is being built. It's MUCH bigger. So far, just the shell of the building is there. Everything inside still needs to be finished. Manno anticipates that it will be next January before the new church will open.). We were expecting 200 children in that first group, but there were nearly 400. Wow! I heard them singing songs and after a little while, some of them--maybe 60--emerged onto the field in their new camp T-shirts. The littlest ones were very little. I was expecting preschoolers, but not toddlers. Apparently, some younger siblings had tagged along.
I had no idea how to get soccer drills going with kids ranging from age 1 to 7. We set up large circles of kids, and had them pass soccer balls back and forth as best as we could. We realized then that we needed to separate the very little children the next day at camp. But today, we muddled through chaos until 10:30 when we dismissed them. At 11 am, Group 2 assembled in the church. They got their T-shirts, food, and sang songs. And, did I mention that at the start of each camp, someone from our group gave a brief testimony with the aid of a translator? It was so awesome to hear their child voices singing, the sound ricocheting off of the walls and carrying out the windows...I didn't recognize many of the songs they sang, but I did hear the Creole version of "Deep and Wide" and "Father Abraham."
The soccer set up for Group 2 was much more organized. We set up two fields and had the boys play a game on one and the girls on the other. It took a while for this concept to catch on. Fortunately, there was a Haitian woman who worked with me to help get the children divided into teams. One team tied their T-shirts around their waists and the other team kept their shirts on. And, they played in their school uniforms! Many of the kids wore sandals to school, but sandals don't work well for soccer. So, they just played barefoot--ouch. Well, ouch for me, but they must be used to it.
The girls were shocked by the fact that they had their own field and their own ball. Their shock quickly gave way to excitement. I have thought a lot about why the girls seemed so surprised. I don't think they get to play very often. I don't think the boys get to play very often either, but I think the girls play even less. So, when you hardly ever have a place to play soccer, much less a ball, competition gets pretty fierce. I'm guessing that the boys don't often let the girls play... Anyway, they had a ball (pun intended).
Group 2 dismissed at about 12:30. A few ladies from the house in Cap Haitian arrived with sack lunches for us. I was tired, but on a high from the first two camps. Around 2 pm, a group of about 20 high school boys showed up for the last soccer camp of the day. I could tell they were serious. A few of them even had cleats. They were ready to play. They gathered in the church and with the help of a translator, I introduced myself and prayed with them, and we headed out to the field. I decided to play the role of referee for their game, keeping time on my watch and calling fouls as needed. They called most of their own fouls and worked out the penalties themselves. They played shirts vs. skins and they were good. Very fast. It was fun just to watch. By the end of the game, they were referring to me as "coach." See above for a photo of the winning team.
It was so exciting to see all the children today. They didn't hold their distance like most of the adult Haitians I've met so far. They got up close. They talked to me (and they didn't care about our language barrier), touched me, held my hands, hugged me, and taught me clapping games like I used to do at recess in 6th grade. As I expected, they were fascinated by my blonde hair and fair skin and light eyes. They touched all of my freckles on my arms...ran their hands through my ponytail...and examined my sunburned shoulders.
The other thing I experienced that I hadn't expected was that the children wanted me to give them everything. "Give me my shoes," they'd say. Of course, they really meant to say, "give me your shoes." Or, "Give me my cap." "Give me my watch." They'd ask over and over again. I learned quickly to just say no. I had so much to give! But, not my watch, shoes, or hat. They also wanted me to take their picture. "Photograph," they'd say, and then they'd strike a pose. I'd take their photo and then, just like American kids, they'd want to see themselves on the review screen.
It rained on us yet again during our ride back to Cap Haitian in the tap-tap. We cleaned up and had a dinner of cooked cabbage and mushroom casserole and creamed corn, with pudding for dessert. What? That doesn't sound appealing? Well, let me just say that when you're tired and hungry, you eat. We had devotions and our team meeting and a big laugh when Deb said, "So, Sarah, now you understand why we thought your Xs and Os were so funny?" I am exhausted and yet already excited about another day of camp tomorrow. I love soccer. I am so thankful for this opportunity to connect with these Haitian children through our shared love of this sport. Even if they can't understand what I'm saying, they understand that I'm passionate about soccer. And, they understand that I'm here because I love them and care about them.
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