Watch out World Cup…

Oh yeah! Who’s the best soccer player you know? That’s right, the one the only, James Louis Williams. I can actually hear the crowd chanting. Oh wait, that’s just cow waiting for its turn at the butcher shop. Then again it might be a rooster or a dog or a donkey. Btw, I live in a city.
Though it might be slightly premature to say that I am the best soccer player you know, I did better than I expected today at impromptu futbol camp. I was very recreationally active this afternoon. It was quite nice. We went down to the field by the river and threw the disc, aka Frisbee but I think that’s trademarked so I don’t want to run the risk of getting sued. I did all right on my hammer throw and the awkward reverse discus (is that how the word is spelled?) as I have named it. Oh and I had a major break through on my forward flick. The trick is to overcompensate by forcing a low starting point. Got it? Do you care? Anyway back to futbol camp. There was a practice/pickup game going on in the adjacent field. When they finished, a couple came over and we showed them how to throw the Frisbee. Then they showed me the proper method for kicking a soccer ball. I was a born natural  Nah, but I did all right. It was good times. They even tried to teach me a fancy trick where I kinda kick the ball back and then over my head. I never quite got the “over my head” part, but I made a valiant effort.
Prior to rec time, we had a very large and rather pricey lunch. We had chicken, rice, salad, and drinks. Oh and they threw in dessert for free. Wahoo. That’s the large part. The price… $14. Ok, my price expectations/standards have changed a little. If I spend more than $4 including drink, I think it’s a little expensive. Basically it’s comparable to double or triple the price for an equivalent meal in the States. At first I was thinking everything was so cheap but I’ve already made the transition to broke volunteer thinking. You might be wondering why I spent so much on lunch. That’d be cuz we didn’t know the price. There was a little misunderstanding regarding the price of the chicken. We were expecting $3 and it turned out to be $10. No worries it was good chicken.
Now I am resting before my busy night of ping-pong and billiards. I know, I know, it’s a tough life. Don’t worry, I’ll be strong. I need my rest and determination. I have found a worthy opponent. In all honesty, he is WAY better than I am. Hopefully I can play him some more to step up my game. Then I can shift my focus to billiards, I mean language, definitely language. That’s what’s important. Man does my pool game need some help.
Today was also exciting because of the observance of Hero’s Day, similar to Veterans’ Day. Granted, we did not understand the speeches that were made as everyone crowded into the street. All the rowdiness of the kids wasn’t very conducive to hearing and interpretation. The kids here behave a little differently than in the States. Bluntly, they’re obnoxious, spoiled, brats. I’ve rationalized it nicely though. You see, they are less strict with the kids because when they grow up, they have so many family obligations that the parents are trying to balance it out. It’s either that or I am just trying to hard.
Anything else exciting? Nah, not for today. I think I covered ALL of it.
Yesterday we went to the fortress in the nearby big city. It’s cool and it’s old. Romans built it, Turks rebuilt it. We walked along a Roman road that led from the sea here all the way to Istanbul. Very cool. We ascended the stairs, dodging a power line, to the top of the fortress wall and walked along. No bars, no gates, no warning signs. So sweet.
Wow. I wrote a lot. I need a nap now.