Throughout my life, I have been grateful enough to grow up in a safe and loving environment. My parents would always try their hardest to give me the upmost attention and try to fulfill my everyday wishes. As I got older, I started to realize that not everybody is in the same situation as I am. People all around the world have things in life that are holding them back.
In 2014, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Italy to represent New York in a really big soccer tournament. I was only in 7th grade, so to have the chance to represent the state that I grew up in was crazy to think about. The flight was around 9 hours long, but it felt like an eternity because we were over water for most of the time. As soon as we got to Sicily, my perspective on many things changed. Right when we got off the bus from the airport, I was amazed by the amount of kids who were playing soccer in the streets. I just wasn’t expecting this because back in the United States, this would never happen. Before we left for the trip, we were told that we were going to be staying in a 5-star hotel, so everybody was very excited. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the hotel, everybody’s heart sank. These so called “5-star hotels,” looked like motels. We started to talk to the manager, who luckily spoke English and he said, “A 5-star hotel here is like a 2-star hotel back in the United States.” After around 30 minutes of the parents arguing, they realized that they are here for their kids to play soccer, and not a luxurious vacation.
The first 3 days we were there, we did not have any games, just had some training sessions. We finally get the chance to play our first game and we all are extremely excited and nervous. Before we take the pitch, the referee comes over to check if we have shin guards on and to make sure we aren’t wearing any metal studs. After that we get on the field and the referee blows the whistle. The first thing I realized was that, half the kids on the other team wasn’t wearing any shin guards. As soon as we took the lead, the Italian fans start chanting, “Screw the Americans!” This didn’t faze any of us, it just really changed our perspective of the way the game of soccer is played over here. After we won the game 5-0, we were faced with boos and hurtful chants. Right after we left the locker room, kids were running up to us, trying to steal our soccer balls and cleats. This just motivated us more, and we ended up placing 3rd out of 56 teams.
This trip was one of the most impractical trips I have ever been on. I made some unforgettable memories during this trip and I don’t regret anything that happened on it. Everything that happened was a learning experience, and now I know what to expect.
