12/14/09

We have recently received some valuable feedback about our blog. There have been numerous messages expressing sympathy because of the various obstacles encountered here in Ecuador. This feedback has been both heartwarming and surprising, because Becca and I are really having an incredible journey up to this point. I then read over the various entries over the past month and realized your reactions have something to do with the blog’s content. It seems that many of the highlighted moments have portrayed quite a bleak picture, and we want to set the record straight with this next post.

But before that, I must tell you briefly about my experience playing soccer. My friend Jose Luis graciously invited me to a weekly soccer game where he plays with some friends. I rejected the first time, citing my lack of experience and skill, but when he asked again, I decided to go along for the ride. Prior to the game, I made sure to ask several critical questions, such as: ‘Is this a serious game,’ and ‘Is it okay for somebody who isn´t very good?’ I have only been here a month, but that has been plenty of time to understand that Ecuadorians take their soccer very seriously. Fortunately, all of his responses eased my anxiety, and I became genuinely excited for the game.

When we first arrived at the site, I was struck by the official synthetic turf of the field and the opposing team’s uniforms. We arrived just before game time, and there were no introductions to my 6 fellow team members. The game simply started, and I barely had enough time to ask Jose in broken Spanish what position I should play. Within 30 seconds two harsh realities became clear: I was by far the worst player on the field, and this was not okay with my teammates. After I botched a simple pass, one of them raised up his arms in fury, and they began to limit my access to the ball. In less than ten minutes and two goals behind, players were calling for a replacement, and a man from the bleachers ran onto the field as a substitute. I watched the rest of the hour long game from the sidelines and was not asked to return.

For those of you who are into statistics, here is my unofficial stat line for the evening:

Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Minutes of Play: 6
Goals Scored by the Other Team for which I was Directly Responsible: 1, arguably 2
Times I was Given Homicidal Looks by My Teammates: between 5 and 7

The moments sandwiching this traumatic evening have been exciting and expanding. We have the freedom to experiment with new activities that busy life in the U.S. did not allow. Becca starts a woodworking class tomorrow, and I learned how to make fried plaintains that just might blow your mind. I have a new basketball friend who incidentally has the best name in history: Clever. Our sense of community is growing here, and people have been very gracious with their invitations for holiday festivities. The only blatant hole is not being able to share any of this so far with you, our family and friends. But for now, this blog will have to do.

Much love from the middle of the globe,
G & B