La cancha

San José has a court, the cancha deportiva which shortens to “la cancha.” Every weekend—and now with school out, every day—folks walk to the cancha and play soccer on this concrete court. I, embarrassingly enough, waited until I’d lived here almost 9 months to see this cancha with R. (my best bud and next-door neighbor), another neighbor and my volunteer friend Katie. We walked behind the church and down the hill and there it was, the glorious San José cancha. Everyone told me it was fea (ugly) and I can’t say I disagree. It’s a mere 5 years old but it looks centuries older, consisting of an uneven concrete slab and two rusty monstrosities on either side, which act as goalposts. We started passing the mini soccer ball, then played a round of 2 on 2, which was pretty much the first time I’d exercised in about 11 months. It was humiliating. I was obviously the worst player of them all, made even more apparent by my wearing flipflops. R. was hilarious as she let out a long scream every time the ball was passed to her. Miraculously, Katie and I were able to win the second round 5-3 (all five goals being made by Katie and not me), after which I was exhausted (again, I’m incredibly out of shape) and we headed back home. Both teams had won one round, which is just how I like games to end—with everyone a winner! I guess I’m not meant for competitive sports. All the same, it was a lovely experience, my day at la cancha.