By Jordan Cameron
What’s up everyone?
What an amazing time I have had in Istanbul, Turkey on my second-year with AFWB International trip. It has been a nice distraction as I head into my free agency campaign.
I have really enjoyed getting to know the Istanbul people, their culture, and helping them learn the game of football.
It was really cool to see how much passion the women have for the game. On day 2 of our camp we had about 50 women – many who started the Turkey flag football leagues – attend our camp. These women were really good and have created a nice foundation for future generations to come. Also, they are breaking down many cultural walls that previously existed with women playing sports. The Huffington Post wrote a nice article that sums up what we are doing here in Istanbul as well as how women playing sports is impacting the culture. You can read the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/women-football-turkey-_n_6781756.html
Also, here is a great picture of me getting photo bombed by one of the players:
Today we had the opportunity to work with the children from Darüşşafaka Schools. Kids that attend Darüşşafaka Schools have lost either one or both of their parents. These kids were great and had a lot of natural talent. The Darüşşafaka kids soccer team showed up too – many around twelve years old – and they were fast with great football moves. It was the first time many of them had ever seen a football and at first they thought it was for juggling. I quickly corrected them and taught them how to run pass patterns. They caught on quick and loved just having catch. It was a great experience for them as well as me. I cannot imagine growing up without parents; however the joy these children had in their eyes truly was a great lesson in overcoming adversity.
Camps are now over and it is off to sightseeing the last few days and then for me off to figure out where I will be playing next year.
Thanks for reading.
Jordan
