It’s not everyday that you get to play soccer with people from a country that produces some of the best footballers in the world.  In fact, I had always feared that day.  Getting embarrassed by people whose skills are far superior to mine is a situation I never want to put myself in.  But somehow I found myself doing just that. 

            We were invited by a few local students to come with them to a pickup game.  Normally I would pass, but I swore to myself that I would break out of my comfort zone on this trip.  It’s not like I don’t know how to play soccer.  Soccer was my life for 15 years. I played at a very competitive level.  But after injuring myself my senior year, I pretty much stayed away from playing.

            So now I am in Italy, about to play soccer with a bunch of kids I don’t know; barely able to communicate with them.  For me, there is nothing more intimidating.  And I know that they thought we would suck. Soccer isn’t exactly the top of the totem pole in the American sports hierarchy.  But to be honest, I think we really surprised them.  I was surprised myself.  Of the four American guys that played, I was the only one who had really played consistently at a competitive level.  So I couldn’t believe the versatility that my buddy Anthony had.  Did I mention he is a 6’2, 240 pound quarterback?

            In the end, it was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.  Two groups of complete strangers were able to bridge the language gap by sharing a common trait, sport.  Walking back to the college we all tried to get to know each other as best we could; explaining where we are from using hand gestures and broken language skills.  At that point, we were all on the same level.  We are all students interested in a culture we know very little about. 

            Because we were able to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, we were able to find friends here.  And that’s what this trip is all about, experiencing culture through little experiences just like that.  The Italians we met are just as curious.  We are trying to set up a game of American football so they can see what all the fuss is about in the U.S.. 

            Being here, meeting people, and experiencing the subtleties of being an Italian… there is no place on earth I would rather be.

La vita bella.