Volleyball Superstardom

So the latest ridiculous thing from over here: I've joined Mamou's official volleyball team.



Yes, I was baffled to learn there was an organized league over here, but there's actually something with some relative sense of order here. There's a girls team and a guys team, they practice 6 days a week. I'm kind of on both teams. And beyond belief exhausted (this week concludes week 1 of practice). Volleyball is fun, but if anyone tells you they remember my all-star skills from my high school days they'd be lying- because I don't have any. But my coach seems to think otherwise. You see, I told him I didn't know how to play (I conveniently left out the fact I played a few season in HS) so when I'm serving and hitting during practice, the teams, and the coach, think this is my first time touching a volleyball in my life. They think I'm what's come to win Mamou national championships. I don't have the heart (or will, to be honest) to tell them otherwise. Who knows ... maybe this the part of my life where I really do become a volleyball superstar. On a concrete court in scorching sun with some of the scariest ball-spiking 7 foot dudes I've ever seen in my life.



So, although week one of practice was fun, it really wore me out. I've also been sick, some kind of parasite, so in addition to puking all week my entire body aches from the new sport, my knees are black and blue from some spectacular ball saves (on concrete, without knee pads...) and my arms are red and bruised from 4 hours of practice a day. Basically, I'm hot. And I don't really have the time to play all day every day ... but I'm going to stick it out. You see, I feel like I have a chance to build relationships with some of these girls, and do something positive, or at least show them something positive in their lives. A 17 year old was crying the other day during practice on the sidelines into the shoulder of our coach. "KIKI! COME HERE!" coach screamed. "This girl, she's crying because she doesn't have a husband." I almost bust out laughing. Seriously? You're 17 ... and here I was pitying these girls getting married off at these young ages, but I never for a second even thought they WANTED to get married at such young ages. And then the next day this other 18 yr old girl was like "Kiki ... me? I'm looking for a husband right now." Again ... I was shocked. I tried to explain to her that I wasn't looking to get married for a long time ... wanted to do my thing, go to more school, and then settle down. Let her know that the "American" way (which they idolize) isn't swapping vows at 18. But these girls ... I can't understand why ANY woman would want to get married in this country! Marriage is an immediate call to waking up early, caring for 19 kids and spending all day cooking the same god-awful rice and sauce for your husband and his other 2 wives. Our coach seems like this special guy, working 6 days a week (I can guarantee Guinea isn't paying him) with these girls (who, unfortunately, are far worse at vball than I am and don't take practice seriously) seems to have this vision for the team, where it's "school first, then come to practice so you're not chasing boys and getting into trouble." I feel like we have this common goal between us ... in trying to show these girls there more to life than making rice and sauce with a baby tied on your back. So I'm going to stick this volleyball gig out for a little while longer. Maybe this could be a good gateway to do some kind of Peace Corps project. We'll see. In the mean time, I'll be in training to play on Guinea's first olympic volleyball team.