Saturday 23rd July 2022

 Written by Anouk.

Today we had a massive tournament.  The biggest tournament they have ever organised, with around 670 children.  It went really well, although after we set up 6 pitches (we normally do 4), 3 of the pitches were too far into the long grass so we had to move them, but then we made all 3 too narrow - so had to make them wider.  That was the worst part and after that it got extremely busy, but it was a good busy.

I was a school manager which meant I looked after all 3 Blessed Hopes teams, they were all super sweet although they weren't the best at Tag Rugby.  What made my day was children I had coached earlier in the week remembered my name and came over to say hi and see how I was.  

After the tournament we took a photo with all the Young Leaders as they are not coming with us to Livingstone.  Then Mr Horrod got us all to line up and take our shoes and socks off (on the pitch) as lots of children do not wear shoes, so we went on a 30 second run in bare feet.  Most people put their shoes and socks back on, but some chose not to so they came back on the minibus with no shoes - a little bit disgusting,

We came back and packed as we are leaving tomorrow morning.

Missing everyone and love you lots....and Dad have you finished your lego?


Written by Flo.

Today was off to a chaotic start, instead of the regular 6am wake up, me and my roommates all got up at 6.40am almost missing our breakfast.  After this, we stayed behind so everyone could get the minibus and we got the later one.  Finally at 8am we arrived at Musamba School to referee the biggest tournament we have ever held.  There was over 600 children, along with their 60 plus teams.  I refereed for the under 1.50 category today and managed to complete 15 out of 30 games played on our pitch.  It was my first time refereeing the tournament so I had Laila, Maria and Harry P helping out. It is so stressful trying to get everything right and you always want to please everyone!  As there were so many schools participating we ended up finishing at 4pm and I helped hand out the awards with Isaac, Laila and Harry P.
The winners get decided through a big final refereed by students who have shown confidence in refereeing the final.  Todays was Isaac and Laila.

After the crazy day we had, we finished the tournament with photos with our amazing Young Leaders and even ran on stones and sand bare foot to experience what some of the young children have to go through during our games.

Coming here has made me appreciate the little things; like clean clothes, a bed, food on a regular basis and many more.  

Tips for anyone who wants to go to Zambia; bring layers! It is very chilly in the mornings and layer up sunscreen!

I am really looking forward to Livingstone tomorrow and excited to see what it will bring.
P.S. Mum please tell Elsie Happy Birthday and that I love and miss her. 💓
Family - I miss you all more than you'll ever imagine, I can't wait to see you and thanks for labelling my socks mum!










Comments

  1. Anonymous23 July 2022 at 13:33

    Thank you for the great posts/pictures today, 670 kids wow , you should all be proud, looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip Dean

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  2. Anonymous23 July 2022 at 13:48

    Wow! You should all be really proud of yourselves!! Well done Isaac-we miss you!! Your rugby league team unfortunately had a narrow loss in the final today! Love Mum, Dad and Daniel xxx

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  3. Anonymous23 July 2022 at 14:08

    Flo, my heart is bursting reading your post! We are so proud of you and we can tell how humbled you are already. I can only imagine the chaos and randomness you are bringing to Zambia - poor Mr Horrod 😂😂 But Flo you are one of a kind, I bet you are making everyone laugh as always! Thank you to your friends for helping you today, that’s no mean feat referring all those games - well done! We miss you so much, even Beau! I’ve text Elsie, I knew you wouldn’t forget her birthday, she says COYI ⚒️❤️ Go smash it darling, we are super proud!

    Team Zambia enjoy every moment, you are all brilliant x x

    Becky (Flo’s mum)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous24 July 2022 at 00:23

      Great blog Flo and we’ll done to be chosen as a referee.It’s hard to imagine being barefoot and playing rugby as well!What a fantastic ,life changing experience you’re all having.Cherish every moment and please tell Scarlett how much I love and miss her.
      XXX(Scarlett’s grandma)

      Delete
  4. Anonymous23 July 2022 at 14:35

    Anouk, amazing to read your post and all that you are getting up to. We're so proud of what you're doing. Was great to see some photo's of you a couple of days ago. I can see you as a manager in the future organising lots of other people. We're missing you lots - even you sister has admitted it. I haven't finished the Lego yet but getting close.

    Richard (Anouk's dad)

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  5. Ada Rugg23 July 2022 at 14:40

    Loved reading your blog posts today, what an incredible achievement to run such a big tournament, you guys are amazing 🤩 Anouk, we are so proud of you my wonderful superstar. We are missing you lots, in particular Goosey and your sister don’t quite know what to do with themselves. Stay safe and enjoy every minute! ❤️

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  6. Anonymous23 July 2022 at 22:17

    Team Zambia well done xx Enjoy every moment of it Sophie's mum xx

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  7. Jennie24 July 2022 at 00:16

    Great blogs girls. What a crazy, busy day. Well done all of you- an amazing achievement! Nice to hear from you Anouk. Safe travels and enjoy every moment of the next part of your adventure! X

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  8. Anonymous24 July 2022 at 00:42

    Great Blogs, We are so very proud of you all, amazing photo's and amazing smiles from everyone, enjoy the next part of this great journey x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous24 July 2022 at 01:57

    Mr Horrod & teachers - thank you. The experiences and way in which you are teaching the kids about leadership, humility and empathy will remain with them for life. Blows me away. Hope they’re all behaving for you!

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  10. Harry P's Mum24 July 2022 at 04:57

    Well done guys, great photo's. What fantastic memories you are making and how lucky are we to have socks and shoes! Looking forward to the next blog xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous24 July 2022 at 07:48

    What lovely blogs and photos yet again with such amazing numbers, 670 kids, wow, so well done all!! Save trip to you all tomorrow. Edgar ( Nathan’s dad)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous24 July 2022 at 07:51

    @ NATHAN: French F1 results: 1) Ver; 2) Ham; 3) Rus ; 4) Per ; Leclerc out on throttle issues halfway . Safe trip tomorrow to Livingstone and keep enjoying all new experiences son. We love you all .Dad

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  13. Alex Hasan25 July 2022 at 13:49

    How amazing! Well done to all of you. And what a humbling moment to have run without shoes so that you know just a little portion of what some of the children experience all the time. We are all so proud of you. x

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jackie Heath25 July 2022 at 23:32

    Really love yes these blogs today. Great write up of the different experiences from refereeing and managing a large group of kids to running in bare feet. I am really enjoying all the photo’s too. Great pic of Evie H in action. We have shared it Grandma and Granddad!

    ReplyDelete

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