IST and Terrero

I have really gotten myself into a pickle. I have been slacking and there is a lot to report since I last wrote in my blog. I finally had my in-service training (IST) and I had another soccer game with my youth group. Not to mention that I have been traveling this weekend with Stella and our friend John.

Ok, let's start from square one: IST. Even though it is just another training event it is monumental in the fact that it was scheduled months in advance and never seemed like it was going to happen. I remember still being a trainee and our director mentioning IST, like I was going to pay attention that was six months in the future. Well it came and it went. That means I am a significant chunk into my training and the freakiest part is that Env 48 was with us and they were given COS (close-of-service) charlas. Wow, in one year I too will be learning about my COS and will be getting ready to head back to the States. Well, that is still 18 months away and I can't dwell on it too much, but IST was a lot of fun. I got to meet up with all 17 other volunteers at Selva Negra, a beautiful resort farm just outside of Matagalpa. It is significantly cooler than anywhere else I have been in Nicaragua and green. So as we get to IST there is of course all the general questions about how is site, what have you done, are you happy and it it both helped me relax and feel more anxious. I learned I have a lot of work still to do and that I can't rest now. I am always trying to compare my work to others and still can't kick the habit. I need to realize there is nothing to gain by constantly worrying what others think of my work or what others are doing. Each site is so different and we cannot all be expected to complete the same tasks.

The best part of IST was after IST. A group of us headed into Matagalpa city after training to spend the night. The last winners of our trivia night were in charge of organizing a new trivia game for us in Matagalpa. I was very hesitant to participate, but a little nagging voice, in the form of my mother was invading my ear saying I would regret missing the opportunity. Well I formed a team of three other guys and we were definitely the black horse. It started off fairly well, we got every question right in geography and political events. We did fairly well in sports, but we started our downward spiral in pop-culture and "The Office". Luckily, we did well enough and we won by a commanding lead. I was shocked and we were bestowed/burdened with the responsibility of organizing the next trivia night some time in July.

The second part of this was my time with my youth group. Surprisingly we are still going strong and I can usually call up a group of 6-10 kids for practice. This last Sunday we met out on the campo and practiced form 9-12:30 and I got about 10 kids out on the fields. Needless to say I did not wear sunscreen and burnt to an absolute crisp. It was a lot of fun but I was paying for it that night. It doesn't stop there, the following day I found out classes were cancelled and I was able to solicit a truck and get gas to take us out to a town called Terrero to play. It is about 40 minutes away between San Dionisio and Esquipulas. It was a complete desert. As we roll up in our truck I kept wondering where the field was. It was a rock ridden field with prickers on either side and two sticks stuck in the ground at either end for goals. Even with these dire conditions it was a blast. Did I mention that there was not a tree for miles around and we decided to play from 10-2pm? I figured I burned once, I might as well keep the tradition going.

My team played great and we looked so professional showing up in our uniforms. There were about 14 players and each had their jersey and team shorts. We did organized drills to warm up and all stretched together. I am positive we psyched out the other team who were all just standing around watching us in a mix of hodge-podge shirts. We dominated, we won 5-0! After we decided to have a mixed aged game and they convinced me to play. I admit, I didn't do half bad. I like to think I am better because I don't give into just swarming the ball and I believe in spreading the field. I stayed in my position and as a defender I successfully shut their offense down. One funny moment was I absolutely leveled another player. Don't worry he was my age, we were playing against other adults so settle down. It was my first game of not picking on the little kids and I liked it. I can keep pace with these people.

So after 6hrs in the sun you would figure I would be done for the day... nope! I figured I was close to Esquipulas so I should go on over and interview the director about their library. After IST I have gotten motivated and want to build one in my own town. I had our truck drop me off on the highway and I realized that the next bus wouldn't be passing for 2hrs. Disaster; so rather than wait I just started to walk. It only took me about 40 minutes but the sun was still pretty damn strong. I did make it, get the interview, and I got to stay at my friends house for the night. Not bad for a day's worth of activities.