I knew from the start of the semester that I wanted to join at least one club, something I never seemed to have time for back home. Football felt like the right fit, and it felt like a long time since I’ve played. I figured for my semester abroad in Auckland, this was my chance to hit two birds with one stone.
Before I arrived in Auckland, I knew that I wanted to get into clubs during the semester. Something that I’ve never been able to do before, because I could never create the time in my schedule. Once I figured out my schedule for the semester abroad, I knew that doing at least one was possible, and this was my best chance. I made a list of all the clubs that I would love to check out, and hoped they would work out.
Once I arrived, I made note of Club Expo Week. I kept that in mind. The first day, I didn’t look for anything particular, just saw all the clubs available for the semester. As I made my way around the sports side of clubs, I read what they offered. I didn’t take action until the next day, making sure that was what I wanted to go for. They had a Google form to sign up for tryouts in a week or two. Luckily, through Arcadia, in my program, I met two football players from the States who joined me in signing up for the football club. We got an Uber to the tryouts, where we played for 2 hours with 90 other players.
After receiving an email about confirmation that I made the team, my friends and I headed to practice the next week together. When we left practice, I felt relieved and happy for two reasons. Relieved that the players were welcoming, fun to play with, and competitive. And happy because I am once again playing football, after what felt like such a long time. It’s been about 4 and 1⁄2 years since playing football, which felt like an eternity after playing club soccer my whole life up until that point. Once I figured out how their style of play was, it helped me a bit, although I’ll admit my body was not in shape or used to playing football at a high level. Their style reminded me of playing in high school rather than playing with my club team; with strength and pace valued over tactical and finesse-like playing.
This is a broader comment on Kiwis, and it still applies to the players on the field. Most, if not all, Kiwis are friendly and nice, but content with keeping to themselves or old friend groups that they have had for a while. Meeting once a week, maybe another day for a game, means that you do not spend that much time together, and while you do, you’re playing a game. It was hard to build meaningful connections with my teammates, but the ones that did stick certainly made it worth it.
About a month into playing, we had a Saturday game, a little under 4 hours away. It was a drive up north from Auckland. My Arcadia friends and I found a ride with a teammate willing to let us join him on the journey. My phone’s receiver that works with cellular data busted 4-5 days before, so for the whole day (and rest of semester), I was unable to use data, relying on Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet and such. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for that day, specifically because I was only able to look out the window both on the way up and on the way down. It was a fun game to play, and I enjoyed those two hours. Following the game, we headed to the beach nearby, ordered fish and chips, had a quick swim, and drove back shortly after.
There are many things I will remember about playing the game, but what happened around it might last longer. So many times before practice, trying to figure out how we are going to get there. Are we going to Uber, scooter, bus, or get a ride? Taking the bus with my friends, asking how many stops are left, rushing to catch one on the way back, getting a Powerade drink on the way back, or stopping by an ice cream place to get a hot afternoon snack are all memories I will cherish moving forward.
One thing I learned about myself is not to be too hard on myself. I am still struggling with it, but awareness is the first step to going forward. There are many times while playing that I wish I was my usual self from years ago, but I have to remember in the moment that that is simply not possible. Focusing on having fun and being grateful for the opportunity to play helped me stay afloat. Friends encouraging and helping me get back into the swing of things was helpful.
Managing time is huge in college and something every student ends up working on. I had more time this
semester due to a flexible semester schedule. There were a couple of weeks when I had to decline going to
practice because I needed to focus on my studies. Figuring out that saying no to an extracurricular activity was hard, but I found out that it was necessary, and that is perfectly okay.
If I had to offer advice to other students, I would say a couple of things. First, you only live once, and that is super cliché, but when studying abroad, you know that it will be a transformative experience, so why not go deeper? Sign up for that club that you would never have done back home, or attend those weekly sessions of Pilates classes. The more you get out of your comfort zone, the quicker you will be comfortable in those situations early on. Lastly, you can always stop going, drop out, or take an alternate route. You’ll only be in this situation, abroad in college, just this one time.
Looking back, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have joined a club and played football again. Playing with Auckland FC not only helped me in playing again but also gave me a whole set of new memories surrounding playing the game. From the teammates I did get to know to the small moments like bus rides and post-game snacks, it all added up to something meaningful. I’ll always remember how getting out of my comfort zone in that way made my experience abroad feel new and exciting. If you’re ever on the fence about joining a team or trying something new during study abroad, I’d say go for it; you won’t regret it.