I had not yet acquired sunscreen in Kenya as the grocery store did not take my US dollars yesterday evening. The oppressive heat stays with you through the night as our air conditioning unit does not seem to work. After taking breakfast of ndizi (plaintains) and two hard-boiled eggs with Nestle instant coffee around 6:30 am In the morning, we road on the motor bike once again to the coaching course. At arrival, Davis initiated the session by asking for a coach to run a comprehension check with the group. We tossed around a Kenyan soccer ball to each student as they recalled the previous day’s work. I was amazed…

Today we ran day one of the coaching education course that we are offering in the Manyatta Slums of Kisumu, Kenya. I did not get much sleep, arriving in late at night, working on preparations until 12:30 am, being awaken by a large group entering my few hour stop-off at a Hotel 67 in Nairobi, then waking up and falling to sleep once more before finally rising around 3:15 am. I resumed working on preparations until 4:15 am when I headed down to the lobby to proceed to the airport for the 6:15 am flight to Kisumu. On the way to the airport, my driver, Samson, and I were talking…

After ~20 of the last 24 hours were spent in the seated position aboard three separate flights, it was nice to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Long flights (those in the 6-10 hour range) give you a great appreciation for the freedom we have to move about in our every day lives. As I felt all of the blood pooled at the bottom of my legs by the second half of the second long flight of the day, I recalled in my mind a story of torture from long ago. There was a very tall man confined to a tiny cage that made it impossible for him…

Sisi Tuko Pamoja (See-see two-co pa-muoy-ya) was the catch-phrase of our last adventure in Kisumu, Kenya.  This is a powerful, simple phrase that has changed my life in many ways.  It is a battle cry and yet a reedification of our call back to community, our connection to that which is great.  It means “We are together, we are one.”  It is usually followed immediately after by the word “brother.”  Ringing in as “We are together, we are one, brother!” Coaching soccer around the world, I have seen first-hand how “the beautiful game” can serve as a language of communion. A simple game that involves any rounded object as a…