Kids like to argue

This past Sunday was the first gathering of the barrio´s youth group that I´ve gotten a chance to participate in. We organized a recreational activity day. About 50 kids came and split into two teams. We then played 5 or 6 games. I competed in the bottle competition, where you have a pencil hanging from between your legs and you have to squat to get it in the bottle. There was a soccer and kickball game, where the most exciting part of the game was arguing with the referee about how he was wrong and should take back his decision. In fact, this was the most exciting part of all of the games. The last competition was a monopoly-type game testing their knowledge of issues they´d covered in workshops, from self-esteem and sex-ed to communication and leadership. My favorite part was when you could move ahead 5 spaces if you scream ¨Soy bonita!! (I´m beautiful)¨ at the top of your lungs. I was really impressed with how the girls took care of each other´s babies so they could all fully participate in the games. One of the mothers played a fierce game of kickball, while her baby was passed from one person to the next. All of the youth were really enthusiastic about all of the games, cheering on their teams and being really competitive with each other. They enjoyed being with their friends, challenging all of the authority figures, taking leadership roles on their teams and taking over as DJ. It was definitely a fun diversion from daily responsibility.