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| "RUBBISH HERE" Just my favorite garbage can in Kimberley |
As winter quickly passes through spring into summer here in Kimberley, I continue to be seasonally challenged.
Technically it’s spring here but there has been no rain and the sun has no
intent to be mildly warm; just intensely hot. Sunscreen is generally a must if
I plan to spend more than 20 minutes outside. And my seasonal clock is confused
because it’s supposed to be spring here and it’s fall in the states but it’s
really neither. I’m following the college soccer season and playoff baseball,
seeing pictures of apple picking on facebook, preparing my Halloween costume,
and making thanksgiving plans, all while it continues to get hotter and hotter.
And then I’m reconciling with the fact that September and October is spring. My
internal Doppler radar is going haywire.
The dry
heat isn’t too bad though and I’m getting more used to it. I’ve been able to
lay out in the yard in our compound on the weekends and bask in the hot sun.
Great nap weather. September hasn’t been entirely a spring fling, though. Work
has been busy and demanding, but rewarding. And in our time off we’ve had some
time to do a little traveling the country.
It’s been two months now. I’ve been
exposed to so many new things already and I’ve settled into my life here, but
there is still so much that I am learning every day. I spent 20 years of my
life pursuing education but there are so many things that I learn from the
people that I work with, people that I meet in passing, and even people that
I’ve known for years. When I talk to different people, perspective is
constantly variable. Even my own perspective changes almost on a day-to-day
basis.
A couple of weeks ago, a Grassroot
Soccer coach told me about the term “Ubuntu.” It literally translates to
something like “humanity” or “human kindness” which this coach explained as, “I
can’t be me, without you.” It’s a simple idea that relates to every aspect of
our lives. The more we think about how we relate to the world and other people,
the more we are truly being ourselves. This is a perspective, or a way of life,
that I am trying to incorporate more and more on a daily basis.
But that’s enough philosophical
musing for one blog post. We’ve been doing too much stuff for me to fill this
blog with just my thoughts. I need to include more ACTIVITY and stuff to keep
you engaged.
September was especially eventful
because we were finally able to successfully plan an HCT (HIV Counseling and
Testing soccer tournament). We had been trying, to no avail, to plan several
HCT’s at schools on the outskirts of Kimberley at the end of August. The
Department of Education was helping us work with these schools but then pulled
the plug on the HCT’s last minute. (We’re now running Grassroot Soccer programs
at these schools instead). This was an unfortunate setback but we continued to
push for an HCT in September. I was delegated to take the lead on the HCT
planning along with our Community Programs Coordinator, Coach K. We decided on
a location in the Kimberley Township that had two full-size soccer pitches. The
surface of the pitches was hard red dirt. The goals were just goalposts, no
nets. There were no distinct lines on the fields. Some played in cleats, some
in old flats. When Coach K first showed me the site of the pitches, it looked
pretty bleak. There was broken glass in some of the surrounding areas and piles
of fresh and burned trash. The bleak image I had of the pitches was completely
changed on the day of the tournament.
The tournament was on Saturday
after a week of long days planning for the tournament. On Friday we had walked
through the town surrounding the site of the tournament and hung up posters,
handed out fliers and invited people to come to the tournament and get tested.
A process we call “mobilization.” It was a humbling experience walking through
the town talking to different families and groups of friends. Most of the
houses were shacks with tin walls and roofs, and dirt floors. I was certainly
outside of my usual comfort zone but the GRS coaches were constantly yelling,
talking and laughing. Even though they were speaking in other languages for
much of the time, they brought a light-hearted energy that made it all a great
experience.
The day of the tournament started
early and after picking up other staff members and gathering up the equipment
for the tournament, we arrived at the site at around 8AM. The first match was
to be held at 9 but teams arrived late (expected delays). The first game
started at 9:30 and the second around 10:30 when the other team finally showed
up. It was a frenzied atmosphere trying to get games started as quick as
possible, monitor the ongoing games and keep the tournament running smoothly.
Thanks to a long lunch break, we were able to catch up with our schedule and
ACTUALLY finish the tournament on time. Apparently this is a feat that is not
often achieved at GRS HCT’s. There were 8 boys’ teams and 4 girls’. (Women’s
soccer in Kimberley is still lacking much of the support it needs, but we were
happy to at least have a girls bracket in our tournament). Time only allowed
for a single-elimination bracket-style tournament. Unfortunate but necessary.
Throughout the course of the day, I ran back and forth between the two pitches
– about fifty yards apart – dozens of times to make sure we had referees,
balls, the right teams and GRS coaches with each team.
One important aspect of our
tournaments is the life skills coaching that our GRS coaches provide for each
team. Our coaches are paired with teams and they discuss the importance of
“knowing your status” in order to live healthy lives. “Knowing your status”
means getting tested for HIV. Our coaches engage with participants in
discussions about healthy living. The coaches encourage participants to get
tested so that they can go on living healthy lives and encourage others to do
the same. The importance of being tested for HIV in South Africa relates to the
tightknit communities. Community is built on trust and the “Ubuntu” idea that I
talked about. To “Know your status” means to care about your community. HIV is
not always a sexually transmitted disease.
Overcoming the stigma of the epidemic is a major part of the battle.
“Knowing your status” means challenging the stigma by educating one’s self and
the community about the importance of healthy living. This isn’t just about
being sexually responsible, it is about resisting alcohol and drug abuse,
resisting gender norms and their resulting violence, and being an overall
positive influence on one’s community. This is what our coaches discuss with
participants.
This is
also the focus of the HCT. The HCT targets the GRS slogan, “Educate. Inspire.
Mobilize. Stop the spread of HIV.” HCT’s foster a great community environment
that brings people together around soccer, but focuses on larger community
issues and life skills. While the coaches are with the teams, I’m making sure
that everything runs smoothly and that the community is getting the most from
the tournament. I was busy running around for most of the day (ref’d one game)
but by the time the finals rolled around I was able to sit and enjoy the games.
There were several very talented players, in both the boys and girls divisions.
I’ve
witnessed different styles of the game in Brazil, Bolivia, Belize even
Kazakhstan (although it’s tough to remember) and of course America. South
Africa has its own style and I’ve seen it in the professional games I’ve been
able to watch. It’s quick, aggressive, and very technical. It can be pretty
hectic tactically. The good players have a sense for the ball that is tough to
find in America. It reminds me of Brazil in the way that the ball just seems to
move fluidly with the feet. The best players seem to move more naturally with
the ball at their feet than without. It’s fun to watch.
At the end
of it all, we tested over 200 individuals, a good number for a small town in
Kimberley. Just last night we had a focus group with participants and coaches
from the tournament to evaluate what went will and what we need to improve
moving forward. This is the first time GRS has done an HCT focus group with
participants and coaches (I’ve been told) and I think it is a great reflective
process for us to make sure that our programs are as effective as possible. We
are hoping that the next HCT will be even bigger and more successful. I’ve
included a video slideshow recap of the HCT at the top, enjoy.
There’s
really just way too much to share in one blog post. I need to increase my
turnover on blog posts if I actually want to keep up. So here is a quick picture
HCT and Focus Groups  Awards ceremony  Focus Group with local team coaches  Focus group with participants from the teams Soweto Derby in Johannesburg  |
Soweto Derby: Pirates v Chiefs at Soccer City in Johannesburg with the Joburg interns. |
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| Celebrating the Pirates victory |
Griquas!!
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Griquas Rugby Game. The Griquas are the professional rugby team from Kimberley. They're not very good (worst in the league currently) but we still had a great time at the game. |
Diamond Cup and Big Hole
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Kimberley Diamond Cup and Big Hole weekend with Joburg interns. International skateboarding event that brings together the best skateboarders from all over the world. Why is it in Kimberley? Who knows, but I’m happy about it. Joburg came from the weekend and enjoyed the festivities with us. |
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| At the diamond cup supporting the American Skaters |
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| The Big Hole. And the not so big Kimberley skyline. |
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| One day, this will all be yours Simba. |
Rockin' the Daisies
Cape Town trip/Rocking the Daisies. This past weekend we went to an amazing music festival in Darling, Western Cape (about an hour outside of Cape Town). It was a bit chilly but it was an incredibly beautiful place with an amazing variety of music. We camped outside with some of the Cape Town interns as well as Liza Lepage (that’s James Lepage’s (college roommate and best friend) twin sister)! We also spent a bit of time in Cape Town and got to play 5v5 pickup on turf fields! A true blessing for my mind and body.
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| Showing some American and Christmas Spirit. Cause why not? |
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| Tents on Tents on Tents. This state of the art tent happens to belong to Liza Lepage and the Bowdoin Crew. |
And of Course...
The Cardinals winning the NLDS game 5
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| I've recruited some fans in the office. This is Community Programs Coordinator, Coach K, rockin' the birds hat. |
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| A great moment that I enjoyed by myself at 4:30AM |
