(Zach writing)
Lately I have been trying to improve my futbol (soccer) skills by bringing the futbol every where I go. We just got back from eating at a reasturant but while we were walking through an alley a middle-aged man walks right up to me and kicks the futbol out from under my feet. I thought it was a little rude and weird but then after another 5 minutes another middle-aged man comes up to me and kicks it again right out of my feet, this time with a little smile. I've now figured out that they don't think it's rude and it's just part of the way people act here. I tell my dad and he thinks it's pretty funny/weird too! When we arrive at the door of the resturant the manager there see's the futbol and say's "for me, for me?" obviously kidding but still it's funny. When we're done we stop into the bar to watch a few minutes of a basketball game. While we're there a waiter comes up, takes the ball and does 8 tap-up's easily. Then he tries to balance the futbol on his foot. He does it for a few seconds but sloppily and then it falls. Then a waitress walks in and see's him trying to blance it and says give it here to the guy (in Turkish of course). She kicks it up and balances it on her foot perfectly for at least 8 or 9 seconds.
All in all my dad says taking the futbol to dinner is like taking a puppy through the streets of New York and having everyone come pet the dog. If we had started this when we came we probably would have at least 5 friends just from playing futbol in the streets.
Huge insight from a friend about strangers kicking the futbol:
ReplyDeleteA soccer ball, why do strangers feel they have some physical right to it? (Incidentally, the coach of Darian's soccer team explained that one to me...his nationality is German but his heritage is Turkish...he explained that in both Turkey and Germany, there is a coaching technique whereby coaches tell their kids to keep the ball with them at all times so it feels natural on or near their foot...and the role of strangers is to try to separate the ball from the kid's foot as a way to get the kid used to protecting the ball at all times...basically the strangers are playing along with a traditional coaching technique...apparently the "system" started in Holland and to this day Dutch players are known for their ball handling skills and it all stems from this social coaching system).