Hope Floats

So being in the Peace Corps has made me realize alot about myself, and more importantly, what I want to do later in life. I work at an organization called the "Sport and Culture Progress of Sisian" Non-Governmental Organization, and I have officially changed me Peace Corps Assignment from Community Health Extension, to Community Outreach Generalist. This means that I am switching from a Health Sector Volunteer to a Community & Business Development Volunteer. This is because they stopped the Health Sector here in Armenia with Peace Corps.

This happening has made me branch out and do other things that I have never done. Luckily, my situation keeps me involved with sports, which I have always loved. And after doing a few different things, I realized Sports is what I want to do. And not just coaching or working, but Sports Development. And for this I would like to stay in the international setting and do International Sports Development. Maybe not living abroad forever, but maybe working with an Organization that is based in the US but travels abroad to do Sports Development. I really enjoy giving other people the opportunity to play organized sports, and get everything that I got out of it. I think it is very important what you can learn through sports: Teamwork, Confidence, Self-Worth, Decision Making Skills, the Obvious Physical Benefits, etc. These things cannot always be picked up in the classroom. Im excited about this because it feels good to know what I want to do.

As I was reading some Sports News on the Internet, I read an article called "Hope Floats." This article, posted here, is about a small fishing island in Thailand that the entire village is made of houses and walkways on stilts. They have no actual soil. And the local children watched soccer but had never played it. So they made a floating field out of old fishing boats, wood, and nails. They went on to become the champions of the Southern Thailand Soccer League in 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, and 2010. And they never got an actual field.

This is the type of stuff that motivates me, it shows me that sports can not only change an individual, but an entire community. The power of sports is generally not realized and not many see the potential it can have.

I'll post the article again. Click to Read the article, and watch the video.