Hi everyone, me again and it is time for a new post. Ok, so this post will be a general intro to how I survived my first year overseas, trying to play football.
Ok, well first of all has anyone been away from their home before? 26 years old and I thought that I knew it all. Obviously, I was seriously mistaken. Travelling overseas and living in a different country from your own is one of the most liberating and challenging experiences that you will encounter. When I moved from Christchurch to Auckland, I grew, emotionally, physically but for me the most powerful change was in my soul. To some people this will not make sense but to spiritual people, these buzz words will get you going. To most people it did not make sense. Why was I giving up my fruitful career in teaching? Why was I moving cities when I had everything? A partner, my family. And I was leaving it for the unknown. Nothing, no job, no security, no friends, no family. I was leaving it for myself. Well looking back at it now. I have to say “Who says that I had anything?” To society I had success, but society has created such a dull reality to life that now thinking about it. I was playing safe and although I lived life to my fullest in Christchurch with what I had, life is this moment, no matter what it looks like, in the end I guess this journey and the unknown is the most beautiful thing I even OWN apart from the strengthened relationships with my beautiful family of course. To live with no regrets, no matter what the outcome, I did it for me. And although sometimes I question this decision and wonder what my life would be now if I was teaching in Christchurch and in the leadership roles that I always dreamed of. I certainly as hell would not be the person I am today without it. So I will trust in what the universe has in store for me.
I was ready to leave New Zealand, I had an offer to go to Germany and I did not take it. I chose to stay and finish my Masters, gain some financial stability for once and tick off the boxes that I needed. There were many reasons, you know, my football life may have been very different with this decision and as well as my academic life but I stick with my decisions and what my heart said and the journey I am on now. With football, it is so hard or anything to know what to do. I have spent millions of conversations with friends, going back and forth with not knowing what to do. In this situation all I can say is DO WHAT YOU WANT… AND THEN OWN IT. YOU HAVE TO. We are fortunate to have choice whereas others do not. In January, it was time to leave. I said to myself “whatever team that wants me”, I will take it. So long story short, I went to Serbia. Now, stop there for one second and shut the front door, before you go to Serbia I really hope that you think about this decision and your own safety. I was really busting to go overseas and I guess that is what I did.
Next blog, when I stepped into Serbia.
I’ve learnt a lot this year, maybe 6 years of learning in the period of 1 year…I have been in situations that no person should ever be in and I hope to God that you are not…I have kept a lot to myself and battled on, I have sacrificed maybe nearly every part of myself for the game but do not regret it at all, I have become such a better player because of it and so many more things that have happened but this post is derailing from the main purpose so I will stop… but th