Three "Unique" Places, One Great Summer for Three W. Soccer Players
9/23/2009 11:52:11 AM | Women's Soccer, 'Cats in the Community
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The summer of 2009 turned out to be a very “unique” one for three Davidson women's soccer players as they used their summers to visit other countries and study aboard.
Senior Katharine Laco (Bethesda, Md.), junior Callan Elswick (Locust Grove, Va.) and sophomore Claire Naisby (The Woodlands, Texas) each spent their summer in distance countries learning, teaching and enjoying the great experiences they were able to be apart of.
Laco spent time in Guatemala, Elswick was in Zambia with a group from the college and Naisby spent some of her summer in Ecuador where she helped start a soccer program.
Below the three student-athletes' discuss their experiences and what they gained from their summer ventures…
Midfielder Katharine Laco, Sr., majoring in Economics
“I lived in Antigua, Guatemala for six weeks this summer.
Through the program Global Vision International, I taught 2nd graders in a local school in a very poor, rural community. The school was a three-sided building with a tin roof, dirt floor, and bamboo "fences" for classroom dividers. Despite the extreme poverty in which the children lived, they were so excited to come to school each day. They stampeded in every morning and I entered the room to find fourteen eager faces. I taught entirely in Spanish as the children knew no English, and I taught math, reading, science, and social studies. Thankfully my Spanish came back quickly and I was able to really connect with the kids.
Even though my time was short, I will never forget my kids. They are some of the most loving children ever!”
Forward Callan Elswick, Jr., majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies
“This past summer I had the opportunity to travel with eight other Davidson students and Professor Verna Case to Zambia with the Davidson in Mwandi program. Although we went on safari in Botswana and did some sightseeing in Livingstone, we spent the majority of our time in Mwandi, Zambia observing at the mission hospital and experiencing the local culture. In addition to going on rounds with the doctors at the hospital, I participated in the delivery of several babies, and I observed a surgery.
Through the hospital, I also engaged in several outreach programs that provided health care to Zambians who live miles away from the hospital and, consequently, do not have access to adequate health care.
While I helped administer vaccines and hand out vitamins during an antenatal clinic, I witnessed a handful of antiretroviral (ART) counseling sessions. As well as participating in the happenings of the hospital, I also aided in several community service projects including the painting of a mural in the new maternity ward that was built with the money raised by Warner House's Red and Black Ball.
In addition to experiencing a tremendous amount in the hospital and the rural health centers, traveling throughout the village of Mwandi and getting to know the Lozi people made the trip worthwhile. Whether it was playing with the local club soccer team, entertaining kids at the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) center, having an audience with the chief, or shopping at the local market, we were immersed in the culture and the lives of the villagers.
The community opened their homes, lives, and hearts to us, and I'm eternally grateful. During my time in Zambia, I learned not only about medicine but also the culture of Mwandi.”
Defender Claire Naisby, So., undeclared major
“I headed to the little town of Pucara this summer in the northern part of Ecuador. I received a grant from the community service office to fund the trip.
To get there, I had to fly from Houston to Miami and then in to Quito, take a 2 hour bus ride from Quito to Otavalo, and then take a bus or a "camioneta" (a pick-up truck with no suspension) on a unpaved,
windy mountain road to the little village in the Intag Cloud Forest.
But that adventure does not even compare to the fun I had in the village, where I stayed for a month. I learned a lot of life lessons along with practical environment knowledge working in the "eco-village". It was a work in progress though. I did all sorts of things from farming and processing organic coffee to mixing cement by hand.
One of the most memorable experiences for me was helping a fellow volunteer start up a soccer program for the kids in the village. He had balls donated from Global Football Initiative, and we played with kids from ages 4 up to their dads! We played every day from 4-6pm and sometimes the kids would just keep playing even when the clouds rolled in and you couldn't see the field anymore (and when the other volunteer and I were exhausted from playing).
It was a very humbling experience staying with my home stay family who had so little and all the people in the village too. They had enough food from subsistence farming to feed themselves but they were still poor. But despite their poverty, they were satisfied with their life and generally really happy.
The people were all so generous and they really had a sense of community and always willing to help each other out, whether it was helping build a house or share food or harvest avocadoes. So, while I was going to help a community, I personally feel like they taught and helped me a lot more.”
Laco, Elswick and Naisby along with their Wildcat teammates will next take to the soccer field this weekend when they open up Southern Conference play at Western Carolina on Friday, Sept. 25 and at Appalachian State on Sunday, Sept. 27. Game times are set for 6 and 7 p.m.
