Location: La Finca, Piedades Soccer Field
Day 13 ” The restful night of sleep got all of us ready for one of the most memorable days of the trip. We woke up to the accustomed breakfast of Gallo Pinto (rice with black beans and a pinch of oregano), eggs, and ham. This filled us with enough energy to take care of our next task: play day with La Carpio youngins at La Finca. This is the last time we would see these kids so all of were sure to enjoy every minute with them. Upon arrival, we were greeted to the La Carpio youngins who already arrived, excited and ready for the eventful day ahead. We started out by dividing into groups: pool and nature walk. Half the kids would go to the pool first and then after their snack, they would switch with the nature walk group. The pool youngins had a great time as each of us would give them piggy-back rides into the deep end and individualized, novice level swimming lessons. These kids were all smiles throughout this time and then scrumptiously chowed down their snacks. After filling their stomachs, we went on a little nature walk throughout La Finca. We showed them the indigenous-made hut, various flowers, small wildlife including ants and butterflies, and a minute view of Gael’s farm from all the way up her hill. Finally, exhausted from two and a half hours of activities, the kids were very excited when moment of truth came to make their day: homemade sandwiches courtesy of the Life Works crew. After finishing lunch and having a short amount of time for arts and crafts, it was time for the to go: a sad realization that we won’t see them again. All of us created unbreakable bonds with these youngins. Spanish speaking or not, all of us connected with them in our own unique way which gave them a glimpse about the how a few people can impact a group of kids.
We returned early to our host families and packed for the excursion the next day, caught up on our journals, and prepared for the big game. Game time was at 7 but after some technical difficulties with turning on the field lights, we began around 7:30. It was Lifeworks versus the family team and we were heavily out-skilled. But our determination to get the W is what pushed all of us to work as a team and consolidate the bond we created on this trip to form a team chemistry while we played that has never been seen before. By the end of the first half of 45 minutes, all of us were extremely tired and I realized my physical condition needs improvement. The high scoring game nearly doubled by the end of of regulation with the game winning goal scored by Ethan Cohen, which was followed up by an outstanding defensive shutdown in the back and being distributed up top for Ethan to get us the W with the final score of 11-10. The memorable game taught us the importance of working as a team and the value of trust in one another. This game brought us closer together as it was the supreme subject to talk about all week and most of us were eager for one more game before we leave but the answer to that will soon be revealed.