Add it as World Race Surreal
Experience # 312. Teaching a class, literally a class, on Ultimate Frisbee. Call me stoked.
I went with a couple of the
Child Voice interns next door to the primary school, beautiful African children
dressed in pink shirted uniforms met us as we rounded the 6th
graders into a classroom. The headmaster wrote ‘Ulitmate Prisbee’ on the
chalkboard (the Acholi people do not have the letter ‘f’ in their alphabet) and
proceeded to get a notebook and start taking notes on this very important topic.
The 6th graders looked
hesitant as we drew out a field on the board and started explaining the
objective of the game. But the headmaster could not be more interested. Other
classes of smaller children looked in through the glassless windows. We talked
about guarding, team size, scoring, and traveling. We walk outside with the 6th
graders (but the younger kids sneak into the drills too) and started putting
them in groups to practice basic throwing and catching. These kids have never
seen, touched, used, thrown a Frisbee before and they are freaking NATURALS. The
Acholi people should start a league.
Even without electricity or
running water and with the fact that we are always required to wear skirts and
that we’ve eaten beans and rice for the last 9 meals (9 meals? Yes, 9 meals), I
consider us very lucky. I am one of 4 people who gets to play disc with these
kids. One life to live, and I want it to be spent right here, right now, a
bunch of mzungus tossing a disc with those who will inherit the kingdom.
