First week in the new arena

The first week in Uganda has definitely opened my eyes to what this part of the globe has to offer. First arriving, in the nighttime on 10/17, I was greeted with a warm welcome by my roommates (Nick and Travis) at the airport. The drive back from Entebbe to Kampala was spent taking in the sights and surroundings we sped past. Walking through the gates of the compound, where my house is, there was an immediate sense of security. There was no personal feeling of discomfort walking to the compound, but the security measures taken in particular areas around Kampala, clearly manifest the division of socio economic status throughout the city.

My initial days here, time was spent getting situated with my roommates and local coaches. I toured the pitch, where the kids in the program train and play, and rode a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) around the city, stopping at the grocery store and a flea market. Everyone I have met has been very welcoming and nice, including the little kids standing on the side of the road, who always say “Mzungu, bye bye!”

Over the weekend, my roommates and I went to a neighboring village called Ndejje, where we had our first training session with the kids there and attended their school term graduation. The training session was brief and only comprised of a small scrimmage; however, the graduation ceremony was worth watching. There were three or four levels of kids that came out one class at a time, performing native dances. As the older levels of kids came out to perform, the dances became more extravagant, even though the dances the p1&p2 (kindergarten & 1^st grade) kids performed undoubtedly drew the most “awws” and smiles from the crowd.

The previous four days’ highlights contained multiple training sessions per day, a formal introduction to the kids at the youth centre, a trip to a fish market, and a very American Thanksgiving dinner. The training sessions are roughly two hours – a five-minute warm-up and an hour fifty scrimmage. Contrasting to what American football (soccer) academies try to establish (a solid hour of drills and exercises, and about an hour long scrimmage), Ugandan’s believe they are not improving their football skills by participating in drills; they must be playing the entire time they’re on the pitch. My goal for the duration of my time here is to help manifest some of the American style of training, into the daily regimen for all of the teams.

My landlord, Charlie, took me to the market that was located on Lake Victoria. The experience was something totally new to me, as we went to one of the docks to pick out and negotiate the price for our Tilapia. Once the fish has been paid for, the vendor takes the fish to a tent to fry the entire fish. After a lengthy wait, the fish comes out on a large plate, eye balls still intact, served with sliced tomatoes and chips (fries). Using my hands, I ripped apart the fillets on both sides of the fish and attempted to eat the gills, but lost my appetite when I saw Charlie eating the eyes. That fish was definitely one of the best I have ever tasted, and can count on myself making monthly trips back to the market.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, the SWB U-14 girls played a match versus an American girls team made up of college-aged students studying abroad here. Following an easy defeat of the Americans, my roommates and I introduced ourselves to the Americans and quickly received an invite to their Thanksgiving feast. The feast took place in one of their professor’s apartment on the other side of town, the wealthiest part of town. There were about 15 students and plates of stuffing, chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit salad, green beans, and bread. I was reluctant to ask where the cranberry sauce (a must at the table) was, but didn’t want to sound like the desperate American missing out on his family’s Thanksgiving back home. Everyone ate, drank, and said what they were thankful for a few hours, and then we all went out for the night at the closest bar.

My first week definitely was quite difficult to adjust to my new surroundings, but I now feel quite comfortable and very excited for what the rest of my time has in store.