Rising junior Katie Murray has another daily Nicaragua report ready to go! Read more about her third day in Granada below.
The third day for me started when my roommate and I woke up to the sound of pouring rain hitting the rooftop of the bedroom. As much as I wanted to fall back asleep there was something about the rain that was peaceful while laying down in a home of a very caring family that makes us feel like we are family rather than strangers.
Our day kicked off with a breakfast consisting of an omelet, fruit, and of course rice at the SWB home base. Then we split into groups and made our ways toward separate soccer fields, and in some cases concrete courts to play soccer with the local girls. The soccer field I went to was called "Estadio Olympico" as it was an historic track and field stadium. Bleachers made of stone surrounded the whole stadium. The volcano in the distance peeked through the trees.
At the stadium, we interacted and played with the local girls as the Nicaraguan SWB coaches ran practice. We did passing patterns, scrimmages, and technical dribbling drills. The girls were very enthusiastic and fun to play with. One brought us flowers to put in our hair. Even just a little flower felt like the biggest and kindest gesture, and it meant more to us than these girls will know.
After about an hour of soccer we headed black for lunch. A SWB coach here with us climbed real high in the tree just so some of could have a mango to eat on our walk back. As he climbed the tree, all the local girls swarmed around him and made monkey noises- it was funny. The mangos here are delicious!
For lunch, a family across the street of the SWB home base cooked us food. It was by far one of the best meals we've had, consisting of chicken, vegetables, plantain chips, rice, and fried cheese. We are  slowly becoming huge fans of plantain chips and fried cheese.
Up next on the agenda, we headed back to the stadium where our coaches demonstrated a typical practice in the life of us Illini soccer players. While they coached and we practiced, Jen (our SWB coordinator), translated endless helpful advice that was said throughout the time there. The Nicaraguan SWB coaches listened and took notes. As usual, the practice was competitive and we took on a whole new challenge under more extreme heat and sun than what we are use to. The local girls we played with earlier in the day came to watch also and several locals filled the bleachers.
My favorite part of the day was dinner with our host family. Today was a day that the host family was scheduled to prepare us a dinner. However, ours accidentally forgot, but still managed to cook us the most delicious meal in such little time for the four of staying in their home! It is amazing how generous and hardworking our family is and we will forever be grateful to have shared this experience with them.
At dinner we shared many stories, more about ourselves, and got to know each other a lot better. We ate outside around a table they set up in the courtyard of their two-family home. Gradually, the sky turned red as a sign that it was going to rain, and we moved everything inside. Just as the night was dwindling down, the four of us girls played cards with one of the boys living in the home. However, he mentioned the rain is the best time to play street soccer. Us girls, never refusing the chance for an adventure, agreed and willingly went outside in the pouring rain. He was right - it was a great time. We juggled in a circle and played against each other using shoes and rocks as goals. We learned that he loved to "nutmeg" people just as much we do.
Having the ability to connect with people of different backgrounds using just the sport of soccer never ceases to amaze me. I'm ready for another we have another fun-filled day tomorrow. Stayed tuned for more as the Illini take on Nicaragua!
