I'm a futbol star(ter)

Ever since I arrived in Turkey I have been looking for a physical outlet for my energy. I miss my bicycle in Philadelphia like crazy, and the roads and drivers of Istanbul are not amenable to bike traffic. I looked into joining gyms, but they are still bastions of the wealthy in Istanbul, and a membership costs upwards of $100/month for minimal facilities.

I mentioned to my housemate that I wanted to find some kind of physical activity to do here, and a few days later she told me that her co-worker gets together with friends to play soccer a couple of times per week. She gave me his number and a week later I found myself hiking downhill from Beyoğlu to Tarlabaşı where there is a rentable soccer fıeld.

Changing in the locker room, I told the other guys that I am a really bad player and they assured me that everyone was just doing it for fun. Then we went out and had a fun and exhaustıng match. Of both teams I was, indeed, the worst player. Everyone was encouraging, perhaps to a ridiculous extent. Every time I did anything remotely well, one of the players made the point of saying “Bravo!” to me. That was nice and all, but really guy... really?

I hope they invite me to the game tomorrow... Oh, and the pic is here to symbolize that I have changed my alligiance and now I am a Fenerbahçe guy.