The answer would be at least eighteen guys. I thought that I had rode in tightly packed cars, but nothing comes close to this. Sixteen of the travelers made up the Eloolo boys soccer team. When a school has little money, the coach’s truck serves as the bus to get to and from games. Even more, the budget is so tight that the principal struggled with paying the $250 tournament reservation fee (equivalent to $50). It’s amazing the things I took and take for granted, especially when it comes to sports or any extracurricular activity. But that is not to say the tournament wasn’t a great time and success.
I spent my weekend about thirty/forty kilometers away from Eloolo CS in the next region outside Oshana. The boys soccer team and girls netball team (imagine basketball where the hoops have no backboard and the players cannot move with the ball or touch each other, only pass) competed against about ten other schools from around the neighboring regions. Eloolo came into the tournament realistically expecting to be beaten, as the other teams are better funded and have larger schools. But, the girls netball team beat another neighboring school and the boys soccer team took third place overall within the tournament! Safe to say both teams left in high spirits.
The grassy white-lined fields and polished wooden courts that I know were replaced by sand. Sand, trash, rocks, and sprawling weeds combine to provide a playing field for the kids and this school had a “nice” sporting area. Situated in between long grey and green classroom buildings, the fields dominate much of the school grounds. During the tournament, vendors dispersed themselves around the buildings and paths, selling sweets, fruits, and a new favorite, sugar cane. I saw one of our boys munching, rather, tearing on a purplish bamboo like stick. He told me it was sugar cane and I had to try some. For those of you who have never tried it, if you do happen to come across it, take the chance and buy some. One two-foot shoot of cane cost one dollar. I was instructed to tear the dull purple bark off with my teeth (which was hard to do) to get to sweet pale green insides. The sweet insides were juicy but tough and you only suck and chew the fiber until there is no taste left. After, you spit out the excess fiber, adding more turf and variables to the playing fields.
I think I was quite a sight when I ate my sugar cane or sat and had lunch (beer and porridge/oshithima) with my unusual methods of ripping through the sugar cane or not understanding how to attack my porridge without utensils. Even when not eating, people stared, pointed, and watched. Imagine seeing a bear in your backyard. You know they are around, but when it is right there sitting on your porch, you can’t help but be fascinated, curious, and scared. I can tell that whenever I am spotted, excitement builds throughout the community. It is a very unusual feeling being on this end, being the extreme minority.
But back to the car ride. After the two-day tournament (sunrise to sunset) we made our final trip back home. I crouched on the side of the truck as some boys sat on the roof or stood in the bed, each holding each other’s shoulders for balance. We were jostled and bumped around as the truck made it’s way through the sandy roads, kicking up dust on our bodies. But the boys were happy and I was too. They sang the entire way back, the same song, for thirty minutes, and they never got tired of it (sounded like a pump up song). I enjoyed the gorgeous sunset and reminded myself how lucky I am to be here.
This was just my weekend, I know it is already Tuesday, but I wanted to catch you all up with what went on in the few days before. I’ll hopefully post about my first day teaching soon (imagine a bear in a classroom).
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