Grassroot Soccer: Thanksgiving '09 and VCT

So, the VCT. We had our tournament on the 28th of November, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Another intern came down for the week to help us finish preparing for the big day. We decided to do a full-on Thanksgiving also, so that added a bit to the craziness of the week. Sarah and I took most of Thursday off to cook. We found a frozen turkey at Woolworth’s, and realized that morning that we were supposed to defrost it overnight in the fridge. Whoops. We filled the sink with cold water and threw the bird in, hoping it would thaw out in a few hours.

We had to run into the office quickly, and grab some last minute supplies, and then we rushed back to the house to start the bird. I can definitely say putting my hand into that turkey is one of the grosser things I’ve done, though essential to pulling off the day. We got the turkey into the oven, and then proceeded to make all the sides. I was nervous all afternoon that I was going to screw up cooking the bird, especially when I couldn’t find a baster. We found a rubber brush that ended up as a good substitute, so crisis averted.

We knew we were on the right track when the boys walked in the door and we could hear their excited voices exclaiming how wonderful everything smelled. At that point Sarah and I were collapsed on the couch, watching Love Actually, completely wiped out. The turkey came out brown and crispy, and we had a pretty good crowd for the evening: an intern from last year was here visiting his girlfriend, so we had them come, as well as another American we’ve met here, and the staff from our office. Our supervisor, Mpumi, and two of our Head Coaches, Titie and Ngwenya, had never had Thanksgiving before, so it was fun to share our favorite eating holiday with them.

On Saturday we were up early to get to the VCT venue to set everything up. We had 12 teams participate in the tournament, 8 boys’ teams and 4 girls’ teams. Teams were assigned to two of our coaches for the day, who acted as chaperones to lead them to and from matches and Skillz activities. They would compete in a match, and then move onto an activity from our curriculum. They were also given an opportunity to test. At one point I walked back to the classrooms being used as testing rooms, and lines were out the door.

Nurses from the Ministry of Health, as well as a testing van from a local organization, came to test participants as well as community members who came to the event. In total we were able to test 188 people, including the teams who played in the tournament and many of our coaches and staff. I tested for the second time since being in South Africa. My first time was in Cape Town, and it was a nerve-racking experience. Even if you’re sure you’re negative, having someone sit you down, take a blood sample, and actually perform the test makes you question yourself. It had been three months since my test in Cape Town. This is considered the “window period,” meaning if you test negative, and then negative again in three months, you are definitely HIV-negative. The antibodies that are measured by the test take some time to be produced once the virus infects an individual. A person may test negative when in fact he or she is infected, and hasn’t produced a measurable amount of antibodies. The window period of three months allows time for measurable antibody levels to be produced if an individual is infected.

The day was a big success. All of the teams showed up to play, which is unheard of, and we managed to test just under 200 people, our goal for the event. We had a great time hanging with our coaches for the day. We rarely get to spend time with them outside of the office, on the weekends, so it was a good day for some GRS bonding. The people we work with are incredible individuals, and they help keep me centered when I get overwhelmed by this place.