A post in which I recount my failures as a person and a volunteer
*****
The football tournament is halfway over. And by half, I mean all but one game - the final one - to take care of. I would say it was a 100% success on the first day and a 27% success on the second day.
The first day we played four games. There was a bit of confusion on the game scheduling and I inevitably was blamed for everything. Again. It’s interesting how people can cause a situation and then look to you as to why things are going a certain way. One village needed to use a tractor to bring its players because its so small that it had to bring in people from the city to play on their team. Well, the kids from school didn’t have bicycles to ride the few miles and it was going to cost money for the gas for the tractor. I suggested to one guy, well, we could make both of your games in the morning and that way you would only have to come in once instead of going and coming back that afternoon to play again.
Wonderful! Great idea! Thank you so very much!
Are you sure? Your players will have to play two games back-to-back. They won’t be tired?
Oh, no - they’ll be fine. This will work wonderfully.
Five minutes after the first game: Madame? Can we postpone the second game until later? Our players are too tired….
Random people coming up to me: Oh, madame, why have you made the games like this? Can’t you see that the players are tired - the sun…
Ummm…I didn’t make this happen. The team wanted it because of the tractor and…you know what. It doesn’t matter. You’re right. It’s my fault and I don’t know anything about soccer. It’s not like I played in college or anything. I’ll try harder next time. Maybe try to play this thing for three months instead of two.
And so it starts. The unending round of questions to me from people who have absolutely NO stake in this entire event. They’re just wanting to spread the word to everyone else. So I have to answer the same questions no less than twenty-five times. That’s not an exaggeration. Then the irritation factor becomes key at this point, especially when combined with the rising temperatures that you were trying to avoid, so you scheduled the games incredibly early, but of course, no one showed up on time. So now it’s high noon, the second match is only halfway finished and all the players are scowling at you (you, being me) because of your horrible sense of scheduling.
MEANWHILE, the other games are now starting less than two hours away and the players won’t have a break before the second round and that just starts a whole ‘nother level of complaining.
Everyone did enjoy the condom demonstrations, however. That was a plus.
So when I say a 100% success, I mean, everything we had intended to accomplish that day was accomplished. Four games, two education sessions. w00t!
The next day, halfway into game one (of course, another hour late start time), there was a controversial call made and - wait. Let me rephrase that. A call was made the crowd for one team did not agree with. The call was a handball by the goalie and it was absolutely correct. As the goalie bent to pick up the ball I was shaking my head and hoping the ref would catch it. The sweeper accidentally played it back to the goalie, but instead of playing it with his feet, the keeper picked it up and booted it downfield - an automatic PK for the other team.
The PK never happened. The other team’s supporters stormed the field, irate over the call and about to strangle the referee (who was, subsequently, from my village). There was a bit of a melee for about thirty minutes and then it all broke up with everyone making their way home. The host village’s elders called the tournament because they didn’t want anything violent to happen. Football tournaments are a big thing here - they’re a huge cause for pride and celebration. It was very high stakes and the level of competition was at a peak.
So we got one game played instead of two and zero education done. Well, a little bit of education, but no one was listening. So that’s why I gave myself a 27%.
In the end, it was decided that my village should be the team to travel to the other village to compete in the finals because we had won both games on the first day. Another volunteer was holding a tournament on the same days as mine, doing the same education and whatnot. The idea was that we would both educate our communities on HIV/AIDS and STI preventions as well as family planning. Luckily for me, the family planning session - the one no one was listening to at my tournament - will be repeated by my friend’s community health nurse during the finals so maybe I’ll give myself a 50%.
Then again, we haven’t held the finals yet. I still need to rent a tro-tro that will be big enough to carry my team and its supporters the six hours up the road to Mamprusi-Land. Let’s not rule out any natural disasters. I still might be batting .270 by the end of this thing.
The football tournament is halfway over. And by half, I mean all but one game - the final one - to take care of. I would say it was a 100% success on the first day and a 27% success on the second day.
The first day we played four games. There was a bit of confusion on the game scheduling and I inevitably was blamed for everything. Again. It’s interesting how people can cause a situation and then look to you as to why things are going a certain way. One village needed to use a tractor to bring its players because its so small that it had to bring in people from the city to play on their team. Well, the kids from school didn’t have bicycles to ride the few miles and it was going to cost money for the gas for the tractor. I suggested to one guy, well, we could make both of your games in the morning and that way you would only have to come in once instead of going and coming back that afternoon to play again.
Wonderful! Great idea! Thank you so very much!
Are you sure? Your players will have to play two games back-to-back. They won’t be tired?
Oh, no - they’ll be fine. This will work wonderfully.
Five minutes after the first game: Madame? Can we postpone the second game until later? Our players are too tired….
Random people coming up to me: Oh, madame, why have you made the games like this? Can’t you see that the players are tired - the sun…
Ummm…I didn’t make this happen. The team wanted it because of the tractor and…you know what. It doesn’t matter. You’re right. It’s my fault and I don’t know anything about soccer. It’s not like I played in college or anything. I’ll try harder next time. Maybe try to play this thing for three months instead of two.
And so it starts. The unending round of questions to me from people who have absolutely NO stake in this entire event. They’re just wanting to spread the word to everyone else. So I have to answer the same questions no less than twenty-five times. That’s not an exaggeration. Then the irritation factor becomes key at this point, especially when combined with the rising temperatures that you were trying to avoid, so you scheduled the games incredibly early, but of course, no one showed up on time. So now it’s high noon, the second match is only halfway finished and all the players are scowling at you (you, being me) because of your horrible sense of scheduling.
MEANWHILE, the other games are now starting less than two hours away and the players won’t have a break before the second round and that just starts a whole ‘nother level of complaining.
Everyone did enjoy the condom demonstrations, however. That was a plus.
So when I say a 100% success, I mean, everything we had intended to accomplish that day was accomplished. Four games, two education sessions. w00t!
The next day, halfway into game one (of course, another hour late start time), there was a controversial call made and - wait. Let me rephrase that. A call was made the crowd for one team did not agree with. The call was a handball by the goalie and it was absolutely correct. As the goalie bent to pick up the ball I was shaking my head and hoping the ref would catch it. The sweeper accidentally played it back to the goalie, but instead of playing it with his feet, the keeper picked it up and booted it downfield - an automatic PK for the other team.
The PK never happened. The other team’s supporters stormed the field, irate over the call and about to strangle the referee (who was, subsequently, from my village). There was a bit of a melee for about thirty minutes and then it all broke up with everyone making their way home. The host village’s elders called the tournament because they didn’t want anything violent to happen. Football tournaments are a big thing here - they’re a huge cause for pride and celebration. It was very high stakes and the level of competition was at a peak.
So we got one game played instead of two and zero education done. Well, a little bit of education, but no one was listening. So that’s why I gave myself a 27%.
In the end, it was decided that my village should be the team to travel to the other village to compete in the finals because we had won both games on the first day. Another volunteer was holding a tournament on the same days as mine, doing the same education and whatnot. The idea was that we would both educate our communities on HIV/AIDS and STI preventions as well as family planning. Luckily for me, the family planning session - the one no one was listening to at my tournament - will be repeated by my friend’s community health nurse during the finals so maybe I’ll give myself a 50%.
Then again, we haven’t held the finals yet. I still need to rent a tro-tro that will be big enough to carry my team and its supporters the six hours up the road to Mamprusi-Land. Let’s not rule out any natural disasters. I still might be batting .270 by the end of this thing.