Jampot for Jess: Learning Between the Lines

When I arrived at Sujatha Vidyalaya last week to teach, I was greeted with a pleasant surprise: this month is the school’s sports meet, thus… practice and matches everyday at school! The school has 4 houses that compete against each other in each sport to become the year’s champions. Girls of all ages compete in a multitude of sports, including: volleyball, basketball, cricket, elé (kind of like softball J), net ball, squad (basically marching in lines), karate, and badminton. I went after school to lend a hand, and before I knew it, I was the head coach of basketball. 40 girls, 2 balls, one very old court. Go.

Like many challenging experiences, this one has been rewarding. Because there are only 2 girls out of 40 who speak English well, I have been practicing my Singhala a lot. Although each word I speak is followed by a procession of giggles, my players have become more comfortable around me after hearing me struggle with their language at such a basic level. Also, I have reverted to acting out most of my instructions, something that is also followed by giggles.

I have had a difficult time finding the right amount of intensity to enforce during drills. Because I have played competitive sports all my life, I am accustomed to working hard every practice and focusing all of my attention on the present drill. However, most of my players have never played organized sports competitively, and are just out to have fun, hang with their friends, and learn a little something. It is also difficult to keep the girls focused at practice because there are only 2 balls for so many girls. There is a lot of time for standing around and talking. Also, a lot of time is lost when I cannot explain my instructions in a way that they understand. Every day I see miscommunication at it’s finest.

However, despite so many complications, in just 1 and a half short weeks I have seen girls who have never played basketball in their lives master the defensive position, make lay-ups, and score in a game situation. I feel like a proud mama.

Lastly, as with all of my teaching experiences, I find that I am learning just as much from my kids as they are learning from me. Every day at practice I am learning new Singhala words and phrases, I am learning about the intricacies of social life in a culture different than my own, and I have been reminded that the most talented are not always the most passionate. Despite our language barrier, we have managed to have conversations about religion, family, food, education, music, movies, and sports. Amen for intercultural exchange.

The basketball matches are all day Friday. GOOOOO SUJATHA!!