Soccer at Dawn

The players and coaches must wake before sunrise for tryouts to avoid the midday heat. Every morning there’s a stillness that seems to break all at once as the camp comes to life. Over the past few days, the Darfur United hopefuls have joined that cycle. They...
Putting Things into Perspective

Putting Things into Perspective

The Darfur United hopefuls have not ceased to amaze me. This morning we arrived at camp before sunrise so the players weren’t playing in the direct heat. While Coach Mark and I were setting up the field for try outs, we began to wonder where the players were,...
Not Even Half a Day

Not Even Half a Day

We started the day way too early, waking up at four. The roosters were upset because we disturbed them. We scheduled a car at five, so we could get to the camps before sunrise and then get in some good hours before the blistering heat becomes unbearable. We did not...
A Pair of Cleats

A Pair of Cleats

Not many people can truly appreciate 100 degree weather, tons of sand without being at the beach, living off nuts, bagged tuna, and power bars halfway across the world, but I’m finding out it’s possible. You can study and research an area to great depths...
Bumps on the Road, but Here We Go!

Bumps on the Road, but Here We Go!

Our arrival to N’Djamena (NDJ) did not start off perfectly. One bag decided not to come with us. I’m not sure if it stayed in LA or in Paris. It has soccer gear, some of our tech stuff, and some books for a special library. I am sure that it will join us...