Morning soon came around and we headed off to our first school. A short drive across town, with a huge amount of reality driving past shanty houses, peering into homes without doors. Numbers of people moving around within shoebox size rooms, not enough food or water..
We arrived at the school early and so had a tour around and met the kids. It brings a smile to my face thinking about it, shaking hands, fist pumps, high fives, hugs and communicating with the children. The way they reacted to us, shows what happens when you invest your time in people, seeing their reactions were priceless. As we moved away from the school and back down the hill we got caught up in break time. Hand shakes galore! Lauren got mobbed by tens of children all wanting a piece of her. Kids amazed by our cameras, they just wanted to meet us and touch us, so overwhelming.
After peeling away we made it to our 'pitch.' Another sand and concrete surface with grass marking the perimeter. I was incredibly pleased to see my group setting up for the game with very little instruction from myself. But my back up plans were soon to be used. We started off we a 10v10, I tried to question my young leaders as to how we could change the game so that the players could be more involved. We managed to get to a point where we had 4 teams all moving around with a football per team, but it took a long time. I really didn't want to have to step in, but for this I needed to. I did my best to persevere and be patient, trying to tease answers from my young leaders, but at times I had to do what was best for everyone and get the kids playing.
By the end of the morning we finished with 4 teams, and 2 mini matches going on.. much better than the 10v10 we started with. Not perfect, but a work in progress. We had a brief reflection on the session, my young leaders said they enjoyed the festival aspect but couldn't understand why there wasn't any competition at the start of the session. It seemed that competition on meant playing a match, not scoring points and then comparing them with another team. I had my work cut out trying to convince them. The tasks for the next day were to read up on our new game and to think about talk time.. moving away from 5 minutes of talking.
We all witnessed an unreal sight at the end of the morning festivals, with minutes left until finishing the school finished for the day and all of the school kids poured out of classrooms and descended down the hill towards us. What a sight! However, this turned into another slot of reality, they all came clambering through the boxes of water bottles which were out for those taking part in the session. All empty bottles were snapped up by the kids in seconds. Another showcasing of the real problems out there, not the pitches without grass, those without phones.. but those without water.
Back to the hotel for lunch and to ponder over the morning's action, I was struggling to comprehend with the fact that developments were small. Without thinking properly, I just got into a spin of thoughts that I wasn't doing things properly, or that I had missed something and that's why we weren't progressing.. when really the difference from the first to the last morning sessions were huge.
The afternoon provided me with an eye opening opportunity as we headed across to the University of Rwanda. We delivered a workshop around small sided football and how to run different types of tournaments. From the conversations I had, it is clear how high the level of intellect is at the university, how much knowledge the students had was far and above what I expected.
We looked at league systems and knock out tournaments, how they worked and what a world cup tournament would look like. This after a brief session around the 4 corner model. We soon headed outside to put on our own World Cup. I spent time showing some of the students how to run the scoreboard, how to put in scores and then work out the winners.
It was an eventful afternoon which passed very quickly. I really enjoyed taking hold of discussions with my group and having fun with the tasks. Hopefully more small sided football will be played at the University, but only time will tell.
At the hotel we had Jacques and some of the Dream Academy join us for tea. I had a quiet evening, listening to conversations and going over my thoughts for the day. I had a chat with Pete and had a bit of a wobble, relaying my thoughts around slow developers, worrying that I was letting the team down - I expected a mini wobble, but I'm glad to have had such high support from the team around me. Pete was class, pointed out the facts that without us there wouldn't be any progress at all. Explaining how his group were doing and the problems he was facing with his group. A proper heart to heart which put me at ease.
I enjoyed being a spectator at dinner, Jacques noticed my quiet side, but I was listening to everything. It was interesting to hear that mini soccer in Rwanda is 5-a-side. This shows how things translate across the world, but don't always have the same meaning. Unfortunately this is the point at which I look back on and wish I hadn't have followed suit and had a burger for tea.. more on this to come.
No video diary that night, straight into the sack to sleep.
Thursday morning swung round, so did my first bout of illness. My tender stomach was greeted with a slab of toast and multiple tablets.
I had a deep conversation with Steve, going over the previous days' action. I was given the do what you enjoy speech and we moved on. My task was to ask better questions which were though provoking, not closed.
Onto the school, we set up, sorted everything out. I set my challenges for the day, we were ready to go.. then a few hundred kids came around the corner! Unbelievable scenes! We were given a huge welcome by the children who sang to us, their head teacher cancelled their morning lessons so that they could watch us deliver. Wow, that was overwhelming. Lessons being cancelled because of our visit.
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| What a welcome! |
My teams sessions started well, less talk time and straight into the warm up. We split into 2 pitches and had small sided games. Much better than the previous session. We moved across to a new game which turned into a bit of a problem with people not knowing where they were going, then we had extra children running off the bank to join in, by the time we got playing that session was over! We went back to our original game, 2 pitches, 2 young leaders on each. Everyone was playing and the problems surrounding competition had been resolved.
By the festival my young leaders were running things by themselves. I was able to take a back seat and watch the football being played. There was me worrying about the small amounts of development, when really it was the tip of the iceberg.
We had a reflection session inside with John where I gave my young leaders 2 positives and 2 areas for development. The 2 areas for development were to spend less time talking and to split the players into teams quicker. Goals to think about over lunch before the afternoon session.
We arrived at the Dream Academy, there was so much space! I set up our session just so that we could get playing quickly. I set out bibs into lines so that players could just pick them up instead of being passed out from a massive bundle.
Before the kids arrived, me and my young leaders had a conversation about the development areas and any changes which they wanted to make. It was a fantastic conversation which led to a new warm up and a very structured way of delivery. 2 young leaders per pitch, 2 mini sessions. I was able to walk around and question my young leaders, what was going on, what were they seeing and thinking. I was able to find ways to communicate with all of my young leaders. Even better, none of them were stood right in the middle of the game. I had managed to get across the 'let them play' point. I reinforced the need to observe and step in when necessary.
We moved session and played Diamonds are Forever. Again 2 pitches and then games were started straight away, very little talk time - Brilliant! Again I took a back seat, watching what was going on and asking questions as we went along. The only time I stepped in was when we needed to stop! I was so chuffed with how things ended up and we still had the festival to go.
I taught a new set of young leader the Target game, showing them pictures of what the game looked like before they delivered it.
We started our festivals, but the excitement soon ended. Match abandoned as the rain fell. Day over, but what a way to finish! With so much of a buzz I sat next to Steve on the ride home telling him how the day had gone. We had a good conversation about reflections and why things had changed, thought provoking as always.
I couldn't wait until the morning for the final festival, waiting to see if I could push my young leaders any further. I wanted to see if they could completely run the festival without any of my help! However, remember that poor meal choice? Well it came back to haunt me, I went back to the room to sleep, awoke at 8pm for tea and couldn't face it. Most of the team went out for an evening with the Rwandan FA, but myself Pete, Dom and Sharon stayed at the hotel.
I had a horrible night with minimal sleep and a lot of bathroom action. I woke up pale and weak, unable to pack my bags let alone do anything else. My Rwandan Journey was over. Myself and Dom stayed at the hotel whilst the others went to enjoy their final day. A doctor was called but to no answer, we ended up in a Rwandan hospital being treated for food poisoning. I was hooked up to a drip whilst Dom got fed antibiotics before heading back to the hotel bed. Not the ending I was hoping for, but there was nothing I could do.
There were positives, news had spread about the success of the morning. I had massages of love passed on and John told me how well my group of young leaders did. I was as happy as I could be, wish I could have seen them - but knowledge of their achievements filled me up. Knowing that what I had gone over there to do, deliver and develop young leaders, had been done felt amazing! I may have gotten stressed over the week, but that's because I care. I wanted to do the best job I could and I believe I did just that.. well that's what the results say to me.
I had a difficult journey back to England, a long flight feeling terrible, struggling to sleep and just craving my bed.
We arrived back in England and said our goodbyes. I couldn't believe how quickly the week had come and gone. I've got some friends for life, people who I cant wait to meet up with again and I look forwards to reminiscing with them in the near future.
I'm going to use a separate blog post for my reflections, but I've come home a better person. I had my mid week wobble, but I expected it. What an experience which now feels surreal, so many laughs and smiling kids, conversations and peer development. A week I wont ever forget because of the personal journey I was on.
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