Team Fireproof paused for a photo during our 2 mile walk from Huaticocha to La Floresta.
A body at rest will continue to stay at rest unless acted upon by another force. I think I learned that in my physics 101 class…but then again, physics was never my favorite subject. I started pondering this theory when I was forced to rest.
The past two days, we’ve been building relationships with the community of La Floresta, about 2 miles down the road from Huaticocha. We visited a family from the church and then returned in the afternoon to play soccer. The men played each other and then the women played each other. Proud to say, Team USA kicked the Ecuadorian’s butt the first day. USA! USA!
Now, this is not your normal game of soccer. The “field” is really a concrete slab a quarter the size of a regular field. On one end there is a 2-foot drop- be careful not to fall off… The goals are smaller, as is the ball, as are the players. The halves are 15 minutes long, which really means you kick each other’s shins and feet for 30 minutes and then say “good game.” Yeah…
Not to worry, my high school basketball box out skills came in handy but I was quickly targeted as the “big gringa.” I pulled out my super stealthy ninja reflexes and quickly escaped most of the shin to shin contact but I was pretty sore at the end of the “game.” Who knew building relationships would be so painful?
We returned the next day to continue our reign but the results weren’t quite the same. It took a good 2 hours for people to slowly trickle out of their homes. While we waited, we did a small kids program with a Bible story and taught them some favorite American games- “Wing A-wound da Wosie” and “Yuck Yuck Goose” (this was the Ecuadorian pronunciation of Ring Around the Rosie and Duck Duck Goose).
After two hours of playing with kids in the boiling lava hot sun, we were pretty exhausted. And then the dreaded words, “Chicas, estan listos para jugar?” (Girls, are you ready to play?). You see, we thought we were just coming to play with kids and do the kids program…we didn’t think we were playing another “game” of “kick-each-others-legs-until-you-can’t-feel-them-any-more.” This is when we became aware that we must defend our title.
I must have muttered “…uh…si?…” And so we played. “Only 30 minutes ladies, we can do this. Choosing joy right now, choosing joy.” The first half came and went. No half time water break. No oranges or snack or team strategizing like when you were in the little kids soccer league. You just switch sides and let the game continue.
My muscles were pretty sore at this point. Working 5 days a week hauling wheelbarrows of rocks and dirt or machete-ing down the jungle definitely makes a person sore. Add on 5 or 6 miles of walking each day in rubber boots and you’ve got yourself some tightmusculos.
So it’s not surprising what happened next.
The ball came to me. I kicked it. Just like I normally kick a soccer ball. And then I felt it.
*Twing*
My right quad muscle in my leg felt like it ripped apart…probably because it did. I couldn’t move my leg. The worst part was, nobody noticed. Why should they, I just kicked the ball like a normally do. The game continued around me.
So there I was. In the middle of the jungle in Ecuador. Playing soccer. With a pulled quadricep. Not knowing what to do.
Think Emily, think. Okay, get off the field. Check. Go sit down. Check. Try to move it. No check…that hurts too much. Now what? They just keep playing; no one seems to care that the “Big Gringa” is crying in pain on the other side of the field. RICE. Isn’t that an acronym for something? R-Rest. Okay, doing that. I- Ice. There’s no ice in the jungle, much less in this small village. C…what’s C again? Calm down? I don’t remember. Move on to E. E- Elevate. I can’t really do that either. I guess I’ll just rest. 1 or the 4, that’s what I can do.
So I rested. And cried. I don’t cry often when I’m hurt. Mostly because I don’t get hurt that often. I would say I have a pretty high pain tolerance- Needles? Shots? Blood? No big deal. But I was hurting. Every time I moved, a burning sensation would spread throughout my leg.
I rested on a slab of concrete for another hour while the men played. Then the Ecuadorian women wanted a rematch…we were tied 1-1, so clearly we had to break the tie. Jamie, Sam and Ashley valiantly went back into battle. We were all a sight to see after 3 hours of the fun “game.”
Ivan called a cab to come pick us up because there was no way I was walking the 2 miles back to the house. I hobbled up the steps, brushed the dirt off my clothes and lay down in my bed. All I wanted to do was rest my leg and sleep. But we had a culto, or worship service to facilitate… one in which I do a fair amount of the translating. And church just happens to be in the basement, right below my bed. I couldn’t really escape.
I laid there for a while and just let the tears roll down my face. My teammates asked me how I was doing but I couldn’t get any words out. When they realized I was crying, they asked what they could do to help.
Ice would help but there’s no ice in the jungle. So we got the next best thing.
“Ice cream. I need ice cream. One for my leg, one for my mouth.” It was good to laugh. I knew I’d be fine; I just needed rest and some stretching. My teammates assured me they would run the service so I could rest.
And rest I did. Though the service was happening right below me, I didn’t hear a sound. I was out cold. And I knew from my physics class that a body at rest would stay at rest unless acted upon by another force…
Let’s just say, there was another force.
To be continued.
