No Skills For Us!

Hi! My name is Meredith and I am a sophomore studying accounting. Today we traveled to Ataco! So much happened that opened my eyes.
    For starters we met a group of scholarship students that are studying to become all sorts of different professions. It is truly inspiring. We were able to ask questions and they were so grateful in their responses, and one of the students spoke to us in English, now that was an inspiration! He loved any opportunity to use his skills, and that made me want to speak Spanish so I could just have a conversation with any of them.
 After our gathering was over we had small groups that were able to visit the houses of some of the students. I had a wonderful talk with the girl and her family while sitting in her home. Again questions were exchanged about each others lives. She is going to go to school in a couple weeks to study to be a bartender so she can provide more for her family. At the end of our talk we could walk around and see her house. She showed us her bedroom which was separated from the other room by a sheet. The room consisted of two small beds where she shared with her family members. Four people total were in a small room squished together. This made me realize what I take for granted. I have my own room at home with a queen bed and too many pillows for my own good. I am thankful, but I just don't realize everyday when I crawl into a comfortable bed, that I am blessed.
  We said our goodbyes, and took this experience as we explored more of Ataco, leading us to a beautiful church where we could see the handcrafted altar and climb up to the bell tower. It amazes me how open the strangers in Ataco were to us, compared to strangers back home.
 Walking from the church to the soccer stadium every single person in our group was welcomed by a cheering crowd of locals waiting for us to get beat in soccer! First, we enjoyed coffee straight from El Salvador, probably to give us the energy to play against the kids in Ataco. Well one thing is for sure, we do not have the skills they do! It helped to laugh because the crowd was loving every minute of it! It was entertainment for sure! Even though I speak very little Spanish, the boys on our team understood when I told them just to take the ball from me and shoot it themselves! We might not be as good, but we all had a blast!
   There is something about the laughter in the crowd that makes it that much more enjoyable to play. Even if we don't understand each other, we can laugh together!
  We ended the night with a talent show where the BC students sang, rapped, changed Frozen lyrics to fit our trip, or even impersonations of the guys. So much laughter from the staff and students! It was an inspiring day filled with lots of joy.
  Goodnight to our last night at the complex.
Buenos noches,
Meredith