Darfur United Coach Ambassador Margo Baker on her flight to Paris. Photo: Margo/i-ACT
As I sit on my flight from Los Angeles to Paris I am sitting, waiting, and wondering what the next few weeks will bring. Tomorrow I will arrive in N’Djamena where I will be picked up at the airport, then taken to the hotel where I will meet up with Sara-Christine and Gabriel who have already been there for a week. From there the three of us will go on to Camp Djabal but until I meet up with them I am full of wonder.
Wonder for what the new Darfur United team is going to like, wonder if they will be able to adapt the style and drills Mark and I have planned for them, and lastly wonder about what this experience is going to bring. So as I sit on this flight I am full of nervous energy, excitement, and a longing to get out on the pitch with these men.
Editor’s note: Margo landed safely in Paris and was successfully united with Gabriel and Sara-Christine in N’Djamena. Here are her first impressions.
“What!? Coffee anytime! If I would have known, I could have had coffee all day, not just my one cup….”
Hey y’all. I finally made it to Chad! It’s about 6:00pm here in N’Djamena and I’m wrapping up my first full day. Since not much has happened, I leave you with a few of my first impressions….
- It’s not as muggy/hot here as I expected (I am a Tennessee/Louisiana girl after all)
- The lizards are huge. Like, life size. (I’m sort of joking here)
- A double shot espresso was definitely needed this morning (thanks SC for figuring out the hotel had these!)
- Jet lag is a real thing
- Flexibility here is a must
- Gabriel took us to lunch at a French restaurant. I ordered fish. I then couldn’t eat my fish because I saw a little boy on the street scaling one earlier. Apparently I have some food issues
- I absolutely can’t wait to get on the pitch with the all the guys who are traveling near and far for tryouts at Camp Djabal
Until I write again….
A guarantee in this life: Change. Flexibility is better than predictability!