Monsoon

Monsoon.  That’s how I’d describe it.  Soccer in a monsoon.

A few weeks ago I didn’t know hardly any of the elementary school kids, but now I have a whole team of 8-11 year old friends..  This U-11 girls soccer team is adorable.  I’ve never coached little girls before and it is a stark contrast to the middle school boys I coached last semester.  I really enjoyed them too, but they are very different.  These sweet little girls I can hug and squeeze them and they somehow seem to like me anyway. 

They were troopers last week for their first game.  Up until about an hour before kick-off the lines hadn’t been drawn for our field.  Being that this is the first time many of them have played, many had never been on a field with lines before.  The first goal kick the defender was confused as to where to put the ball, but quickly recovered after some assistance from the sideline.  This also, somehow, greatly confused our goalie who, instead of punting it as she’d done in practice, kept kicking a goal kick every time she got the ball.   They were just starting to get the first game jitters out and get comfortable with the game when   … the heavens opened.  Not just some rain, a downpour.  With thunder.  Did we stop?  No.  Here, unless there is lightening very close to the field, you keep playing.  All 7 girls on the bench were huddled under one sweet mom’s umbrella and were not overly thrilled to leave their dry sanctuary to go out into the monsoon.  Still, they played with tons of spunk and I was really proud of them.  We ended up losing 3-0, but the score really doesn’t reflect how closely the game was played. 

After the game a few big sisters (who are my students) came up and were helping their little sisters (my players) get their sweatshirts on and wet clothes off.  So sweet to see the littlest of my students all of a sudden being the big sister and playing mama to their little siblings.  One of the blessings here is to see everyone is so many different angles.  I see whole families of kids and connect the dots in those relationships.  I work, worship, work-out , and hang out with a lot of the same teachers.  Several students are the kids of my friends and I see students everywhere I go- out to eat, to church, shopping.  There’s not the wall there that usually exists between home and work.  As for the moment, I’m grateful that wall doesn’t exist here- or at least that its as low as I feel like making it.