Being an international student-athlete sounds like a perfect life.
When I told my friends that I was going to the U.S with a scholarship they all said, “I want to be in your shoes.”
Obviously, it is amazing to be here.
We are changing our lives and the future for our families.
When you have a scholarship, you enjoy certain privileges.
When you travel, you sleep in the best hotels.
Most of the people at the university know you and you play on amazing fields, which you share with other international students.
The professors are more flexible when you can’t attend exams or when you submit late assignments because you are traveling, or you are playing a match.
Also, many of the teams are composed of international students so you learn more about different cultures because you spend a lot of time with your teammates.
You can enjoy the different events that the athletic department prepares for the community, and you are a vital part of the happiness of many people.
You feel like a professional in the sport that you have played since you were child.
But, it is not “paradise.”
It is difficult to enter a new culture, eat different foods and speak a different language.
Most of us need to work because our family can’t send us money.
Several nights, you only sit on your bed and think, “I really made a good decision.”
“I really need to experience these things.”
“In my country at this hour, I’m eating my food, or going to a party, going to the cinema.”
The weekends are different here. You log on to Instagram, and all your friends are at parties or at concerts enjoying their lives.
You talk with your family via videocalls.
Some of us stay at the university during breaks because we don’t have a car or enough money to travel to another city.
While it is a really good experience, you need to know how difficult it is, and be prepared for these things.
But, with that said, if people can go to another country and study, I would tell them to do it. I do not regret this decision, and if I had to go back in time, I would make it again without a doubt.
