Volleyball and soccer are hands-down the most popular sports here in Peru. Nearly every girl in town plays a mean game of volleyball, and the boys all play soccer whenever they have a chance. Ask any Peruvian youth what their favorite hobby is, and the answer is “jugar voley” or “jugar futbol” at least 99% of the time. I’ve been practicing my volleyball skills and slowly progressing, but I still can’t really compete with the majority of the 10-16 year old girls in my town, which is somewhat embarrassing. My favorite new phrase the girls taught me is “con mucha yucca!” which means “put some force into it!” Although my actual volleyball skills leave a lot to be desired, I do enjoy watching both sports and the school has recently begun school-wide tournaments every Friday. I played the part of cheerleader today as I watched about 6 different games of soccer. Although several hours of watching soccer became somewhat monotonous, I did get a manicure in the bleachers from some of the girls who were waiting to play.