Submitted by Jane Gosling on the 2016 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
One free afternoon last week, some of our group decided to kill some free time by playing soccer on a local field. There was a young group of boys practicing on most of the field, so we messed around for a little on a back corner of the field. When they were done, they wandered over, clearly intrigued by tourists playing on their field and we started a large game. With about 50 of these little boys, and 10 of our students, we got a huge game of soccer going. I have never played soccer in my life, and I was beyond horrible, but it was the most fun I have had on the program thus far.
The whole time we were playing this 12-year-old boy, Malik, stayed by my side. He attempted to teach me how to play, but actually showed me up for at least an hour. When we were done, I shared some of my water with him and sat and talked for a little before we headed back to our hotel. With no shoes and clearly tattered clothes, it became evident that he was extremely poor. As we packed up and left, he asked me if I had any money to buy him a snack and it became evident that so many of these boys came from homes struggling to put food on the table. It was amazing to me how much carefree fun this group of boys could have when they had so little. It showed us all how life on this island might be simpler and less developed, but you don’t need much to be happy. We have spent almost a month now seeing much of the island, but it’s the people I’ll remember the most. These little boys embodied everything I love about this relaxed lifestyle. Malik ended up teaching me so much more than how to play soccer.