June 8-14: A week dominated by sports

This was certainly a week which was dominated by sports. The World Cup kicked off on Thursday and it set the tone for my entire schedule. In fact, I’m writing this blog from home in Missouri as I prepare to attend a World Cup match in Kansas City on Tuesday.

At both the escuela and colegio, I similarly leaned into sports. For PE classes, I continued with soccer (because of the World Cup) and at the colegio, I continued to organize and track community service hours and activities for my students. (I also attended a couple of basketball games at the colegio as they are in the midst of a tournament). 

On Thursday, as I mentioned, the 2026 World Cup started in Mexico. The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) actually encouraged Costa Rican academic institutions to lean into this. So, the entire day, normal classes were suspended in lieu of games and activities related to the World Cup (think trivia, juggling competitions, and watching the game itself). It was a fun day, but unfortunately it required me suspending both of my clubs and all of my PE classes for that day. (I'll host them next week). However, as a sports fan and someone who really appreciates how much sports can bring people from all over the world together, I love that the school leaned into this so much. 

On Friday night, I took off for home. Although my flight wasn’t until midnight, I left my community at around 3:00 so I could make sure I was in front of a screen at the airport to watch the US Men’s National team thrash Paraguay in their opening game. After a brutal redeye itinerary, I finally rolled into Springfield on Saturday morning. Having just slept a couple of hours on the plane, I didn't leave home the rest of the day, preferring to lounge on the couch watching soccer while the rest of the family attended a wedding. Today, on Sunday, I grabbed some Springfield-style Cashew Chicken with family in town and later tonight will go to a baseball game for the first time in 2 years, which I'm pumped about. 

Finally, outside of my Peace Corps duties, I have to give a special shoutout to my favorite reader of my blog, my girlfriend Keily. As of today, I have been together with for 9 months. She has been my rock in Costa Rica, and although we grabbed some tacos on Tuesday, I can't wait to get back to Costa Rica and celebrate more formally next week. I love you!!