Soccer Practice in Samoa

I am attempting to keep Emma busy over the summer break. Thankfully, she already has her swimming lessons twice a week. I heard that the Parks and Recreation Dept. offers free sports over the summer so yesterday Emma and I went to check it out. The office is located in a weird spot in the industrial area of the island. A friend said to “go down a dirt road that feels like you shouldn’t be on it.” Oddly, this all made sense as I turned onto a dirt road behind a warehouse. We found the office and were pleasantly surprised that someone was working during the lunch hour. Even more surprisingly, the person working had the information we needed. It all seemed pretty official and organized as I filled out some forms. There was quite the list of sports being offered, from soccer to archery to outrigger canoeing. Emma really wanted to play soccer so we signed her up. Given the efficiency of the sign-up process, I really had high hopes for the class. Then, the lady told us that the class was taking place in the field in front of NAPA. Yes, that’s NAPA – the car parts store. I’ve seen kids playing various games there before and always felt sorry for them. The “field” is more of a “marsh.” But as it hadn’t rained lately, it was looking good for this afternoon’s class.

We arrived at NAPA and saw a couple kids kicking a soccer ball around. I wasn’t sure who was in charge so we stood around for a minute and then we heard a lady call out. At first I didn’t see her, but then I noticed her in the shade of a banana tree. We went over and she told Emma to go join the kids. Given that Em is the outgoing girl that she is, this wasn’t a problem and she became part of a 4-person game. The lady claimed to be the coach and we talked for a bit, all the while I was wondering when the class was going to start. She kept mentioning how tired and hot she was and before long the “coach” was lying in the grass, taking a nap with a t-shirt covering her face. The kids played for about a half hour before some of them decided they would rather get a soda at the nearby gas station. At this point, Emma and I quietly made our departure. It’s still up for debate on whether we go back for Friday’s class.