Sports Clinics - Mt. Salem Primary

April 28, 2008 – Continued…

We arrived at Mt. Salem Primary and Secondary School and the other team was exhausted. They started to tell stories of all the kids that basically mobbed them the whole first half of the day. They were trying to run clinics and games, but it was way too hard to do short staffed… The kids were everywhere, but it was a good problem to have in a way. From what I understand, not only was it just an exciting day for the kids, but it was a good way and day to keep them off of the streets. On days when a teacher isn’t there, the kids just leave to do who knows what… Better to spend a day playing games all afternoon then anything else…

In two schools – the pattern was already forming… from what I heard at others schools – they all had similar athletic and recreation facilities… The kids ran, played, and laughed in places that people in the U.S. would deem unlivable… It’s amazing what one single day could do for your perspective… What’s even more interesting is - it’s not like I didn’t know… Almost daily, I bring to mind the posh life that American’s get to live, often at the expense of others - or at the very least – with our eyes averted in another direction. Attribute it to ‘just the way it is’ or ‘unfortunate circumstances’ or ‘the land of opportunity’ – we live the lifestyle we have, the majority of the time, in blissful ignorance – and excess… and we want more of it, never ever being satisfied… Unnecessarily large SUVs for carrying 200 lbs of groceries every day and towing huge tractors out of ditches – EVERYDAY, cuz we always need that feature… Homes with 6 bedrooms for 3 people… 50 inch TVs in 14’X10’ rooms (yah that’s me)… the most comprehensive network of recreation facilities on the planet - yet we still suffer from chronic obesity attributed to our healthy American gluttonous appetites for endless boats of food… And we still want more of it all… Oh yes I am putting us all on blast… And we all know this… we take and take, knowing full well that it may be at the expense of others in the world – and we choose the easy road… cuz it’s easier to turn the other way… I almost feel helpless where I live – I can’t really change a society bombarded daily with the message that we need more… and at the same time, I can't get mad.. because I'm just as much a part of it... It's systemic, and I'm in it... I guess all I was really feeling was frustration... you see it, but can do next to nothing - in the grand scheme of things - about it. Unless of course, our entire culture of consumerism changes. Okay - I'm off of my soapbox now...

It was beautiful to see the team and all the kids playing together where it was only about the interaction and the fun… if only we could be just as free back home – free from the chains of the slavery to ‘things’… we trudge everyday craving more… we’re conditioned and trained for hyper-consumerism… it’s a locomotive almost impossible to stop…

This guy was a former Jamaican Soccer Pro teaching kids a workshop with our team. This guy was awesome – he was playin with the soccer ball like a hacky-sack… he had no problem dribbling the ball in mid-air with his feet, rolling it across his back, over his shoulders, then effortlessly up into the air off of his head onto the next person… STUD. I’m not a big soccer fan, nor am I easily impressed in sports, but this was ridiculous… off the wall, off the floor, off the window, off the backboard – nothing but net.. that kind of ridiculous… and it was cool of him to give his time to teach the kids of the school… he actually gave his time all week with the sports team…

The day was amazing… long and exhausting, but amazing… and this wasn’t even the beginning of the stories that were going to unfold all week…