School Visit Here In Turkey

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to this local university. As a professional athlete, doing things like this is by far the best part. Being around kids and spreading joy and sharing our experiences is awesome. And of course, they always teach us more than we teach them. This might have been the best day I’ve had here altogether.

The name of the school is OMU Vakfi Koleji, and it has a primary, secondary, and college students I believe. Of course it’s sectioned off and has different areas. We were there for the primary kids, however, I felt like they allowed some secondary kids to come through after a few hours of us being there. And I’m happy they did! 

The day started off by us (my team) first arriving at this school around 11am. Myself and a couple of other teammates arrived first, along with our driver. Our driver was the only one out of the 4 of us who spoke Turkish. When we first got there he was leading us into the building, however, I felt more than uncomfortable. 1.) Our driver was leading us around and he wasn’t really the man for the job. 2.) No one spoke English so that was nerve racking, considering we had no idea what was going on just yet. And 3.) Can we just wait for everyone else please? 

So once we had a small gathering of teachers and other school officials around us, I politely stopped everyone in their tracks and asked.. “Does anyone here speak a little bit of English?” And then a small woman in a white coat raised her hand. You should have heard our sigh of relief. I told her that we weren’t really aware of what was going on and that half of our group wasn’t there yet. She told us she was the English teacher for grades K-4thgrade, and that she had no idea what was going on either but she was there to help. They took us up to the principal’s office where we waiting for our coach and the other half of our team. While we were waiting, we took part in some small talk and had tea. 

Once the other half of our team arrived we met with them outside. Next thing I know, the principal basically emptied out all of the primary classrooms and the kids began to flood the courtyard. 

After seeing a bunch of sweet little faces, saying some quick “hellos,” and giving a few high 5s, we headed back into the building to have a conference with the principal, some leaders of the foundation that heads the university, and a few of the teachers. There was more tea to be had! 

As we all piled into this office made for a King… it was THAT nice… the principal shared a few words with us about the schedule for the day and what the expectations were for us. Simple enough....LET’S GET TO IT!

First thing on the agenda was to eat lunch with the kiddos. 

This was a great start to things with the kids. We stood in line to receive our lunches, just like the children. On the menu for the day was rice, chicken w/ veggies, a salad, some porridge of some sort, soup, and baklava. This meal actually felt like a meal that I could order at a local mom and pop restaurant here. Very different from the meals at schools in America to say the least. After getting my tray of food, I found my way to a table and sat down. We mixed in with children and had mini conversations while we ate. As soon as I was finished eating I walked around the cafeteria speaking to as kids as possible while they finished up.

There was a table of the cutest little kindergartners that I have ever seen. They were looking at me from the across the room with such curiosity, so I decided to go over and say “hello” to them. What I am have found over the years is that A LOT Europeans, but especially kids are so shy and nervous when it comes to speaking English to an American. However, I love that they can speak multiple languages at all. They have no idea just how much of a good job they are actually doing. I appreciate them just trying. So anyways, the kindergartners were super shy at first, but after talking to them for a few minutes, one of the kids jumped up to shake my hand and speak a little bit. After spending a few precious moments with the youngest class in the school, I went back across the cafeteria and met with some other students. 

The students pretty much sit there and eat all of their food on their plates. Once they are done eating they go and give their trays to the lunch ladies near the kitchen sinks. Then… all of sudden it seemed like every kid in the cafeteria had a piece of paper, a notebook, or a body part that they wanted signed. We were swarmed as the kids who had just finished eating were bombarding us, and the next group was coming in knowing we were already in there. It must have been 20-30min or so of just signing things before we were pulled away.

As we were being ushered through the building to go back upstairs, one of the teachers pulled me aside. We talked a bit about our love for chess, he told me he was the school’s chess coach and that he had a son in Nashville, Tennessee. He showed me his classroom where there were young students in there alone studying and playing chess amongst each other. There must have been about 7 kids, each one about 8 years old, a bunch of Bobby Fischers in the making. After my quick detour to the chess room, I met up with the rest of the crew back in the Principal’s office. 

As we gathered in this office for about the 3rdtime, we were introduced to a couple more people, brought more tea, and had a bit more small talk. During that time in the office word was spreading that we were in the building, so all the students that didn’t get to sit and be around us at lunch kept trying to come in to the office. A part of me wanted to go out and see them or at least make sure they all got an autograph. It was so cute to see their little faces peeking through the door.

It wasn’t long before it was time for us to head to the next thing. By the time we finished up in the office, all the primary and secondary students had finished their lunches. Everyone had gathered into the auditorium and were waiting for us. As we walked in they were playing a few clips from the season on the screen above the stage. We made our way through the sea of screaming children and took our seats on stage, there was an English teacher waiting on stage for us with mics and ready to translate. 

It was now time for a Q & A session with the brilliant minds of these young and impressionable students of the university. This part was certainly a highlight for me as well. We started off by going down the line and introducing ourselves 1 by 1. Then the questions came and they ranged from who our favorite athletes were, to when we first started playing, then they took off from there. I think there was about 20 questions asked, and I truly wish we would have had more time so everyone could have asked their question. But before the sessions of questions were over, one of the older kids made sure to ask us if we would engage in a game before we left.

Now when he asked this question, of course we said “Yes”…. But we weren’t fully aware of the magnitude that this “Yes” would hold. After the questions were answered and we were wrapping up, each one of us were awarded an honorary diploma from the university and the we took a few pictures on stage.

Making our way off the stage and thanking everyone as we headed out of the auditorium we could hear a bunch of cheering outside. Turns out all the kids had lined the outdoor court as a cheering section, while the kid who asked us the question about playing against him had rounded up his friends for the game. They were literally out there warming up and getting ready. The crowd had grown to a nice size, and some teachers even joined the other side to get in on the fun.  

So next thing I know I was warming up in my street clothes. It’s been so long since I did that, however I couldn’t turn down a challenge… this was going to be fun. Things like this, is why I do what I do. Trying to be the person I wish I had growing up, giving others the experiences I wish I would have had when I was their age. How cool would it have been to have Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, or Tina Thompson come to my school to personally inspire me then play a game with me??

We ran up and down the court for the better part of 20 min. There were no timeouts, no bickering, no fouls… we just played. Laughed and smiled the entire time. It was such a good time and made me feel like a kid again. I truly enjoyed that moment and look forward to doing something like that again. Hopefully sooner rather than later! 

Our day at this university came to a close when the pick-up game ended. It was like as soon as they called the game all the kids came back rushing towards us for more autographs and pictures. I did as much signing and as much picture taking as I could before the kids were dragged away by teachers. Meanwhile, my coach was trying to drag us away as well because we still had practice later, but that was a warm-up that I’d welcome any day of the week!