Just Go With the Flow

Now the whole week is basically full of teaching experiences and me visiting different schools. However, there is a parallel story to this week. I somehow took on the task of forming an infantil futbol equipo. It seemed like such a good idea, and with my boss visiting later that week what better way to show off all my “work”. So, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was busy each afternoon prepping for my soccer team and finding a place to play. The back story to this is that I met a Nicaraguan in town who already had a town and I was just going to shadow him and slowly take a more prominent role. Supposedly he had different plans and expected me to be the head honcho. Together we wrote up a letter to the Alcalde soliciting the use of the town’s truck to bring our 20 member team to Matagalpa to play against 7 other teams from the region. We luckily got them to supply gas as well and we got a local NGO to give us money to buy water for all the kids. Mission complete and it was only Monday. On Tuesday afternoon I walked the whole town to talk with all the parents of the players to introduce myself and get written permission that the kids could go with me. It is overkill for Nicaragua but I wanted to expose myself and show that I was committed to the team. So far so good right? Nope, by Wednesday the plan was unraveling at the seams. Apparently the teams in Matagalpa were actually in Guatemala and my so called partner switched the site to Muy Muy another town about 2 hours away. I was of course perplexed and less than pleased, but he said there was no reason to notify the parents. Ok, I was willing to go with it. Now the big drama happened on Friday when I discover that the NGO fell through on giving us money for the conductor and water. My partner in crime refused to fork over $1 to help me pay the driver and I snapped on him calling him pinche. To top it all off, I learned that there was no team in Muy Muy and that he now wanted us to go to Matiguas, even further away. At this point I was becoming apathetic and my cheap ass partner was saying how I had to pay for the letters and also use my phone saldo to call the professor in Muy Muy. I reluctantly obliged because I was just so fed up at this point and heard that the professor now wanted us to go to Rio Blanco. Now it is just getting ridiculous. I had permission and enough gas to go to Matagalpa and later Muy Muy, but to go even further without talking to the Alcalde or the parents was just too much. So on Saturday, at 6 am in the morning, I met with all the kids and learned that indeed the only team was in Matiguas. I made a hasty decision to cancel the game. I felt it improper to go somewhere without the consent of the parents and I felt that nothing good could come from switching locales so often. I decided solo because my oh so mighty partner slept in and didn’t wake up until 6:30. When he finally sauntered over at 7:10 I asked him where he was and he nonchalantly said that he had to shower. That is it; I am never working with this chump again. I told him I cancelled the whole event and I headed back up to my house to make breakfast and cool off.

Ok, already it is a pretty ridiculous story and shows how a weeks worth of work can go down the tubes in about 5 minutes. I was pretty upset since I tried so hard to get this work. I admit I was probably a little too stern and stubborn, but I was responsible for 20 kids. I was not willing to risk my name or the safety of the kids for a soccer game that might exist. I guess it is just Nicaraguan culture to be more whimsical, but I need structure and I am much more anal than the average American.

Here is the kicker. I was back in my house by 8 am and I was trying to think what I could do for the rest of the day. I was going to hunting for cow pies for my compost and dig a second compost pit when a kid passed by my door. He told me that we were going to go to Muy Muy after all. I was of course confused because I had already cancelled the truck, but I guess the professor was able to get Matiguas to come to Muy Muy to play. Well isn’t that dandy. All I could imagine was that the parents would think I was crazy for changing the itinerary so much and the logistical nightmare of rounding up all the kids again. What the hell, I figured I would give it a go. I got my gear repacked and walked out the door. Whoops, I locked my keys in the house. (A little prep, that week I tried several times to meet up with my landlady who lives 20 minutes from my house and each time the house was locked up tight like she was out of town). Shit, what was I going to do, I had no keys it was still early in the morning and I knew we wouldn’t get back until late. I had to think quickly, and perhaps in retrospect I realized I thought too quickly. I did what I have always wanted to and have until now only seen in the movies. I looked to my left, then my right, and kicked in my own front door. I know what you are thinking, but hear me out. I knew that the front lock was shit and figured the force would just pop the lock open. Nope, I bashed in the whole damn doorframe. Once I got over the shock, it was pretty cool. I mean I can cross that off the to-do list. However, that also sealed my fate about whether or not I was going to Muy Muy.

Thanks to my testosterone driven decision I was barraged by phone calls asking where I was or if the rumors were true about the game. I was visited by 3 panting kids who hiked all the way up to my house to get me and I had to break the news that somehow my door magically broke. Of course I lied and told them that the wood just gave way with age and mold. Another miracle was that I got the professor to supervise them and they did manage to go to Muy Muy. I am pretty bummed that I missed it, but at the same time I don’t really care. I was so upset with my partner and getting dicked around that I wanted to be free of the responsibility. Yet, I realize that this isn’t America and things work differently here and perhaps I need to be more flexible or in this case more like rubber.

Well I waited around the rest of the day for a guy down the street to come fix my door. It took him about two and a half hours of work to finally replace the wood and secure it to the concrete. I did however get to dig my second compost pit and fill up my first one with cow manure. Not the most exciting accomplishments, but it will pay off since my soil is currently horrid and can’t plant anything. I also reorganized my house and cleaned the whole yard by raking up the leaves and dead grass. Yet, to just put the final nail in the coffin around 5pm I heard shouting from town and learned that my youth group won in shoot-outs and that they had a great time. Damn Nicaraguans…they always get the last laugh.

So I learned a lot from my week of work and my final escapade on Saturday. It does not pay to be overly organized in Nicaragua. I guess the saying of going with the flow is applicable here and I need to heed the advice. I just pray I didn’t burn too many bridges by showing my disapproval of the situation prior to them leaving.