12.04.2011 Boarding houses sports weekend 2011

In the weekend of 9 April the VPSI association (association of private social institutions) organised a boarding houses sports weekend.
On Saturday we got out of our beds very early to get ready to go to the sports grounds. The girls had formed a softball team, while the boys joined in a football team together with the Elisabethshof boarding house. This boarding house is home to two ex NATSJ home students, Remes Jabini en Sunny Kachora.

The day started with a good deal of sunshine which meant some hot matches.
In the past year aunt Ingrid contacted a young local coach. With his help a softball team was formed comprised of girls from the NATSH home, a few local girls and youth members from the church. For the freshly formed softball team, the sports weekend was a kind of baptism of fire; a chance to find out if the training sessions had paid off.
On Saturday the team played two softball matches, although the second match turned into what must have seemed like a water polo match due to the unrelenting rain. Fortunately, the other side had difficulties with the rain too. Both Saturday games were wins for us!
Once home, aunt Ingrid treated the girls to some Teloh and chicken. Coach Roberto was happy with the result as well.
On Sunday afternoon, in the final softball match, our team was up against a team that was much more professional than the others. This was a bit too much for us and so we lost this game, which was once again played in the rain.

The boys played some nice football games in the weekend. They were unable to win, but they did put up a good fight.

The weekend turned out great.
On Saturday one of the girls even spotted a Surinam celebrity. Damaru, who is known in both Surinam and the Netherlands for his song Ik heb een tuintje in mijn hart, had come to view some of the matches.
This was a moment to remember and some of the girls didn't wash their hands for several days…….
They dreamed away about having their pictures taken with Damaru and getting his signature.

Marc Lucas