Spain 2022
In being a part of the Muhlenberg football program, team members are invited every 3 years to embark on a trip to Europe to get a taste of what life is like in other parts of the world. In 2022, following my freshman year, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a trip to Spain, including destinations such as Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and Sitges. This trip was an eye-opening experience for me, as I had never been to any place where life was like Europe.
We were able to play a football game against the Argentona Bocs of Spain, a team derived of Spanish men playing in an American football league. One thing I immeditaely took away from warming up across the field from those men is how special American football is to them. While going through normal, pregame warmup routines, I frequently noticed players from Argentona stopping and staring at us, seeming to be in awe of our size, as well as ability to play football. For me, this has been something I have taken for granted my whole life. People in Europe and from many other countries across teh world do not get to experience some of the things we Americans believe are “normal”. I have never seen that type of appreciation for something while being here in the states. I learned that moments and periods of life should be cherished to the best of your ability, and that sometimes, you need to stop and smell the roses, appreciating what you have right now.
Our team ate dinner with a few of the Argentona Bocs players after the game, making conversation with them and finding many more similarities in our interests that anyone would have ever expected. This goes to show you how little you know about someone walking on the street passed you, and how judgements and stereotypes in your mind often turn out to be very far from the truth. Without getting to know a person at the individual level, there is likely no sufficient way to judge that person’s attitude, character, or motivations.
I am forever grateful to have this opportunity to see the world from a different perspective, and very grateful for the lessons in which I am able to bring back to the United States.
