Back to School. Back to School.

As August nears its end, a number of things cross through my mind; my father's birthday is in less than a week; I can not believe it is already September!; I am already at my half way point!; I can't believe I am only at my half way point!; and of course; I'm hungry. 

This past week has seen a lot of developments here in Limbe.  Last Friday August 24th, our third volunteer arrived!  His name is John and he is from Ireland and is an ex-professional coach and player.  He is large and in charge!  He is loud and hilarious.  He is extremely knowledgable about football and amazing with the kids!  He has taught me more about the things that I want to do than he knows.  His drills are great and his coaching points are great; and it got me thinking about the things that I came here to work with the kids on and up until yesterday I thought that you could only coach the kids on either life OR football and not both simultaneously.  I was wrong.  Simply getting the kids running around and having fun and playing the game that they love is enough to put smiles on their faces.  From my instilling of values perspective I can sit back to John's football-intensive technical program and facilitate life lessons by pointing out scenarios on the football field that require proper communication or supporting of teammates, or trusting that their teammates are going to be where they need to be to provide proper support. 

My realization here was that in classic Josh fashion, I was over thinking it.  KISS, no not the awesome band, the acronym.  Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS).  I am learning a lot from working with John not only as a coach but also as a player (I am getting so good!).

Moving on from that point I am very excited about moving forward with my plans to work with a local Limbe school.  I met with the president of the school this morning and will be going back tomorrow morning to have an informal chat with some of the teachers about my experiences working with kids at Summer Camp and how we use physical activity to promote teamwork, team building, trust, inclusion and so on.  I am also going to get an opportunity to come to the school wide physical education class Friday morning to get an idea of how school programs run here in Limbe!  So excited!  I am really looking forward to seeing how schools run here! 

ALSO, on a separate backpacking adventurous note, Andy and I booked our ascent up Mount Cameroon!  Next week, Tuesday September 4 and Wednesday September 5 we will be climbing up Mount Cameroon to its 4090 metre Summit and back down.  Not to mention spending a night in Hut 2!  Pictures of this mountain paradise to come.  It will be an interesting evening to say the least! 

That is about it for now!  Things are going well here, I am comfortable in my surroundings and happy with the opportunities I have made for myself.  Still battling some homesickness, but let's blame that on the inherent awesomeness of my family.

I hope all is well with all of you! 

If I may end this entry with something I learned very early on in this adventure and have applied pretty much every second of every day so far;

take every experience thrown at you, good or bad, and learn what you can from it.  Take every opportunity to make the best of your situation.  Most things in life do not go according to plan and if you shut down at every obstacle, you are going to have a very, very difficult life. 

Much love,

Josh