GOALLLLLLLL!

As some of you may heard through the grapevine (or whatever woody-stemmed plant it is that delivers you information), I play soccer for my village. Actually, I play “fútbol” on my village's team. Not only is a good way for me to stay fit, it's also a great way for me to integrate into my community (and maybe kick a little butt while I'm at it). Anyway, two weeks ago I had my first “official” game...

Basically, we had a mini-tournament in opposition to three other quaint mountain villages in the surrounding area. The venue was here, in my site. That's right, home field advantage! I was enthusiastic to have the opportunity to showoff some skills to the onlooking patrons (about 100 people were present...that's like 1/3 of the town!). Now, our field isn't necessarily up to “par” per se. However, by its very nature, one must respect it; after all, it gets more use than any other soccer field I know of.

When the grass isn't getting trampled by athletic participants of all ages, the space is occupied by grazing cows, sheep, goats, horses and burros. In fact, they do an incredible job at maintaining the height of the grass. It would be a great way to cut down on government spending back in the US...Put up a fence and buy some sheep...they'll keep that grass in check, and maybe we can free up some money in the education budget!

The downside, though, is that the animals sometimes meander onto the field during game time. So I've learned, that doesn't allocate for a “timeout”. Play on! Additionally, the animals aren't well-mannered. Therefore, they defecate where they please. On the upside, this really restricts the likelihood that somebody will try to slide-tackle you out there...

Now, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I look pretty mean out there in the pasture. With my legs that look like milk (or, so they tell me), I tower over the opponents. I can smell their fear when I challenge them (or, maybe that's just the stinky field). More so, I am a sure bet on any header. However, appearances can be deceiving. I'll tell ya, running at 3400 meters (2.2 miles) above sea level can wear you out quick!

I was very fortunate, then, when I scored a goal within the first 15 minutes of play. That's right! I scored the first goal; and it was very pretty if I don't say so myself. It was great...We were charging down the field, my left striker crossed the ball from the sideline, I stretched out and just barely made contact with the ball; rocketing it into the back of the net. Then came the screams. Everybody went nuts.

We beat that team (our rivals who live just down the valley) 2-1. More importantly, we won the entire tournament. And for our efforts, we received a sheep. That's right, first prize was a sheep. Perfect. Now, some people think that a trophy or a medal would be an appropriate reward for such a triumph. But, really, think about it...that hunk of metal is just going loiter on an unsuspecting shelf for a couple of years. From there, it's going to be placed in a box where it will twiddle its thumbs, waiting patiently for that one courageous person to lead it to its final destination: the garbage. That just seems senseless. A sheep is much more practical, don't ya think?

Needless to say, my awe-inspiring rookie appearance has left the valley talking. I've obtained quite the reputation. Most importantly, however, I think I have fathered two very valuable lessons from this experience:
#1. Community integration and acceptance is an absolute necessity for a successful Peace Corps experience (and most groups for that matter). Participating and sharing the skills unrelated to your “authentic” job assignments and projects can often have greater advantages than anticipated. More so, such occurrences allow the community members to get to know Frank.
#2. Wear shinguards next time!