Janneke in Saint Lucia

My story

After a 28-hour journey I finally arrived, in the dark, 7000km from home. The next day I couldn’t believe my eyes: a dream island, and I was going to live and do my internship there for 5 months. The first week was mainly an introduction week, with lots of new impressions, and this is where I got to know the island, the people and the children I would be working with. Thanks to the openness of the organisation and the people on the island, I soon felt at home. My name soon changed to Yan or Janne or coachy Yanna.  I’m not exaggerating when I say I had the time of my life. The longer I was there, the more people I knew and the more I felt like a “local”, and was treated like one too. The island is incredibly beautiful, and once you’ve got a bit used to the heat, it’s wonderful.  The accommodation was in a lovely spot, 10 minutes from the beach, where I spent many of my days off. Blown away every single day by a beautiful sunset, or by the thought of sitting on the bus and (almost) always seeing the blue sea. The trips, street parties and meals out with the others were always great fun, and even though I saw most people come and go, there was always a great atmosphere in the house! The number of people we lived with changed every week, so sometimes you had the bathroom to yourself and other times you were getting ready with 6 girls at once.

I’ve truly met people I will never lose touch with. I could also always knock on the door of my supervisors Joël and Evan, even on sleepless nights, for a good chat under the incredibly beautiful starry sky with a cup of tea.

The island is incredibly beautiful, and once you’ve got a bit used to the heat, it’s wonderful.

The longer I was on the island, the more responsibilities I got. For example, I often took other coaches to their sessions and knew the children in the programmes, I talked on the sidelines with children who weren’t following the rules, or dealt with other situations that came up. But above all I tried to make sure the sessions stayed fun and that there was plenty of enjoyment. In my opinion this went well, whether I was leading the sessions myself or supporting. Or helping to set up sessions or thinking along with that.
Behind the scenes I also helped a bit with organising activities, birthdays and trips, but also just sessions and briefing new coaches on the sessions I ran. Lots of volunteers could also come to me to get things off their chest, so that was a role I filled within the team too.  There was also a nice whiteboard where I posted the schedule for everyone every day. That also involved helping a bit with the admin. I also really enjoy photography and was often able to do that, at great locations but mostly during training sessions.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I had the time of my life

The different projects:

REELA
There were several projects I helped with, starting with REELA, which was also the programme for my dissertation: a programme for young people who want a chance at a scholarship through sport. They were all a bit older, and here I could put my own sport, powerlifting/strength training, to use. I built a good relationship with the fairly small team and the coach. Once again I really enjoyed working together and learnt a lot myself too. About how schools and education work on this island, which was very interesting for my dissertation, but also about rugby and working with fewer materials and in unexpected circumstances. The group wasn’t very big, so I could often give the participants in the programme personal attention.
I’m still in touch now and then with some of the team (half a year later), and it’s great to see them making progress, and that I was able to contribute to that.

Vide Boutille football
Football at Vide Boutille: this was an after-school group of children from a primary school who we played football with 2 to 3 times a week. Although I don’t know much about football, I sometimes led a short training session and wasn’t above joining in a match now and then, even though the boys in the team laughed at me, always fun.  

National Ruby Team
The national rugby team: I didn’t coach here, but I did get to train with them myself! I loved that, especially as I had only started rugby when I arrived in Saint Lucia. The head coach of this team also worked with me on the REELA programme, and that’s how I ended up joining in the training sessions. I’d always thought rugby was a cool sport, but now that I had the chance to take part at this level, I couldn’t let it pass. Here too I definitely made friends I’m still in touch with, and I also gained lots of experience by playing in the team.

I learnt an enormous amount, not only in my own field but also so much about culture and people.

Sports camp
During the holidays we held a week-long sports camp at a nearby sports field. It lasted most of the day and all the coaches came along. We spread all the sports across the whole day, and the turnout varied a bit. Some days the nursery school/day care joined in too. Then we were a big group. I mainly coached the swimming lessons. I knew most of the children from other projects we ran. 

Marchand primary school
I also went along to Marchand primary school twice a week. At this mixed primary school I was greeted every time by children running up to me and jumping on me while shouting my name. The children were all just as lovely as each other, if you took the time to really get to know them. Here we ran after-school programmes, and I mainly went along to support the other coaches, who were only there for a few weeks. Mostly to make sure the children listened, but also to be a listening ear during the sessions. For a while I also helped with a swimming project at this school, where we took the children to the beach and taught them to swim. I really enjoyed seeing the children listen to me better and better. During sessions my straight blonde hair was often an attraction for children who weren’t taking part, and I made sure arguments were resolved and the sessions could run smoothly. I noticed a bit of respect starting to grow during the sessions, among the children and towards the coaches. My biggest confirmation of this came when one of the other coaches asked the children “who is your favourite coach?” and (even though I hadn’t been able to go for 2 weeks) they answered “Coach Yan”, “because she always makes sure I calm down again when I’m arguing or something bad happens”. This was towards the end of my internship, and I was so happy that I had become this person for the children!

Aunty Pinky’s preschool
I’ve saved the best until last: Aunty Pinky’s preschool. A nursery school project that I coached together with Valerie, another Dutch Sporthogeschool student. This was truly our little project, our children. We did sport with the children for about an hour almost every day and went swimming once a week. This made me happy every single morning! Arriving and waiting at the door until it was opened while hearing your name being called, and the growth of the little ones (on average 2-3 years old), was incredible. Toddlers who didn’t listen at first were soon climbing onto your lap as fast as they could. I also saw the children improve their motor skills and get better at certain sport-related skills. These children really stole a piece of my heart, every single one of them. In the group of toddlers there was also a boy with Down’s syndrome. At first he hardly joined in and was very quiet. Over time he joined in more and more often and came out of his shell a bit. He only said a few words, until suddenly, on the last day, he called out “yan, come”. I couldn’t believe my ears. I think you could compare it to the feeling parents get when their child says daddy or mummy for the first time. I left with tears in my eyes, perhaps even the whole last week, knowing those were the last few times. I felt so loved by these children and really felt that I could make a difference for them too. Simply by doing sport with them and having fun. A big card with photos and handprints was the best present I received to take home. I hope these children remember me, because they will always stay with me! Every time I talk about it with someone, they tell me: I can see in your eyes how much you loved it. That’s hard to put into words on paper, of course, but that’s how it is. This group of children made me shine!

A big card with photos and handprints was the best present I received to take home.

Finally
I can’t say I always found it easy, being so far from home or always speaking a different language. But I learnt an enormous amount, not only in my own field but also so much about culture and people. I’m so glad I took on this adventure. I got to meet so many wonderful people who made my time in Saint Lucia the best time of my life. Especially Valerie, Joel and Evan, who I spent my whole stay with. I really recommend it. I’m also really happy that I did a fundraiser together with Valerie (with which we raised much more than expected) and so could leave something lasting behind. Suitcases packed, braids in my hair, a heart full of warm memories and tears in my eyes that kept rolling for the first hour on the plane, I flew back home. Of course I was homesick at times, but I had such a great time that now, back in Holland, I’m homesick for Saint Lucia too!  Thank you so much, The Power of Sports | United Through Sport, for making this experience possible!