Freedom is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my ACE in Panama experience. The freedom we were given as volunteers by the ACE and AMIGOS staff during our time in Panama allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in a new culture, foster a connection with the students far beyond volleyball, and create a bond amongst one another that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. For example, each morning after our workouts, we had two free hours to do as we pleased. The first morning, Delaney and I ran through the town to explore the local markets and architecture with the Valle de Anton. Other mornings, our crew ventured to a little coffee shop in the forest where we would sip vanilla lattes and talk about our lives back home. From a volleyball perspective, we were also given complete freedom to do whatever activities we wanted with the students during our three hours with them which enabled us to form deeper bonds. We spent the majority of our playing volleyball with them, but we also shared laughs playing freeze tag, duck duck goose, sharks, and minnows, and even taught them how to play mafia when a lightning storm forced us to relocate indoors.
However, beyond just appreciating the freedom we were given during our time in Panama, I also gained a new appreciation for freedoms in my daily life that I take for granted. For example, on the final day, the school where I had been working (El Potrero) was hosting a volleyball match against El Tambo, where the other six Duke volunteers had been coaching. When the other six volunteers saw El Portrero for the first time, they made a joking comment like, “Oh your school is so boujee.” When we asked what they meant, they pointed to the outdoor sink and exclaimed, “You guys have running water. We didn’t have this for the kids to wash their hands over at El Tambo. That’s boujee.” It took me a couple of seconds to fully take that in, as I realized I have the freedom to not just wash my hands at El Potrero but I also have access to clean drinking water at home whenever I please.
The freedom we were given as volunteers by the ACE and AMIGOS staff during our time in Panama allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in a new culture, foster a connection with the students far beyond volleyball, and create a bond amongst one another that will undoubtedly last a lifetime.
Furthermore, my Panama endeavors reminded me of another freedom – the freedom to be able to play my sport. At Duke, whenever I want to play some volleyball with friends or get extra reps, I can walk into Brodie and set up the net. In contrast to this, in Panama, we had been practicing volleyball on a net that was so low, it was closer to tennis. To prepare to host the big game, the men of El Potrero mowed a rectangular dirt match out of a grassy field to use as our court. They also chopped down two trees, stripped them of their extra branches so only the trunks remained, and planted the tree trunks into the ground to create two volleyball poles for the net. This kind of innovation reminds me of the freedom I have to be able to train hard in my sport whenever I wish – I always have the freedom to head to a gym and pick up some dumbbells or set up a net with two metal poles instead of needing to grab my axe and hunt down two perfect trees.
Ultimately, the freedom we were given on the program allowed us to bond with each other and the kids in unparalleled ways; likewise, the experiences of the experience also gave me a new appreciation for the freedoms I take for granted every day back home.