Cabo San Lucas (Part 2)
In November, we partnered with Los Cabos Missions for Christ at their main kitchen Comedor Shalom. My community contact, Brian, and I were chatting after I returned to the United States, as he had another opportunity to coordinate an Around the Worlds program, but this time at a different location. Brian continuously stressed how important programs and experiences like this were for the kids in the area, especially in 2020, amid a global pandemic when children are confined to their homes or neighborhoods.
I arrived midday and met another local contact, Andres, who has helped me facilitate many of our programs in Mexico. After making a few laps around the block, we finally found the program location, a second floor of a family home where children and families could get a warm meal.
I was welcomed by a volunteer who introduced me to her family, all extremely warm and wonderful people. Her husband helped me run this program too, and her son was a participant! It is always special to have boots on the ground working with the kids.
In the U.S., it is common to play on a grass or turf field, but the conditions abroad are not the same. Street soccer is very common, playing in the roads, on concrete or a sandy area. There wasn’t a field or court in sight, just busy streets with cars whooshing by. After scanning the area, I saw a dirt passage connecting two roads. This would have to suffice.
We set up the cones with some participants who arrived early. They also brought the equipment over from the car, a task that is usually the scut work on any soccer team. These kids were just happy to be there, something we can all learn from.
To start, we played a crowd favorite: my version of Simon says where a group of two face off against each other, then three, then five as more kids trickle in. After some laughs and smiles, we broke into relay races.
Our environment was tough during this trip, with the sun scorching everything in sight and thorn-filled bushes lining our playing surface. We would need to pause between drills sometimes to remove thorns from the balls… and sadly, my hands as well! It looked like I just wrestled a cactus.
At one point, I looked up and saw 45-50 participants, all well-behaved and patient despite the conditions we faced. After the games and fun, I pulled out the treasure chest, a suitcase full of prizes including soccer balls and jerseys from our partner Oakwood Soccer Club. To win the prizes, beneficiaries participated in mano o cabeza or head it, catch it as it is known in English. We broke into three groups of 15 circled around a coach. The kids were of course super excited but focused on winning a ball. The finalists were determined and picked their prize.
After the program, I always love chatting with the kids. Many of them were really swagged out, sporting Nike USA jerseys, Celtic FC, or Tottenham Hotspurs jerseys. I would always ask, “Do you know this team?” and if they did not I would explain. I was always met with a smile and a fist bump.
One participant had to leave early and as one of our game winners, asked to claim his prize early. More and more participants began approaching me with winners tickets that I handed out at the end of the game. Well, I was bamboozled. The kids using their street smarts would claim their prize and hand off their ticket with the slight of hand to another participant so everyone could get a ball. I had to chuckle at their brilliance!
We paid a visit back to the kitchen to thank them for their help and hospitality. I spotted a few participants walking around la colonia with their new jerseys beaming with excitement. It is customary in Mexico to mark a special occasion with a signature, so as I had done many times before, I signed t-shirts, soccer balls and other clothing. Then, I made sure to get theirs on a Mexico National jersey that I bought during a previous visit to Cáncun.
After being thoroughly exhausted from the large program and sun, I bid my farewell to the kitchen and grabbed a bite to eat with Andres. I knew I would be back playing with the kids again soon!
