SOCCER

I brought three pairs of shoes with me when I moved to Thailand. Well, actually two pairs of shoes and a pair of flip flops. I knew that I wanted to play soccer when I got here so one of the pairs I brought was my turf shoes, which are ideal for playing on hard, dry surfaces. For some reason I pictured myself playing on dirt soccer fields, with clumps of grass here and there and gravel and rocks scattered about. Little did I know I would be playing on concrete. So instead I wear the only other pair of shoes that I brought, a pair of Vans, which are now practically destroyed. My turf shoes sit in my apartment collecting dust.

During our first week of school Mac and I were invited to play soccer by a couple of teachers we work with, Oh and Lec. Oh is a computer teacher and Lec teaches math. Everyday a bunch of guys gather at the schools courtyard around 5:30 or 6:00 to play ball. We use small goals and play with a futsal ball, which is smaller and heavier than a regular soccer ball, and has a lower bounce so it's ideal for playing on hard surfaces. Sometimes it gets pretty crowded out there with eleven or more on a side. The game is very fast-paced and competitive, but always a lot of fun, people joke and laugh and smile a lot, just what I like. We don't call it quits until it's too dark to see, and by that time I'm drenched in sweat and ready for dinner. The only time we don't play is when it rains, which it's been doing a lot of lately. The picture is actually of a little 5 on 5 tournament that was organized for a few days last week, usually it's shirts versus skins and there's like twice as many guys. We quit for the evening soon after I snapped these photos, the dark clouds on the horizon brought on a downpour. I'm really glad I found some soccer out here.