The Beautiful Game

Soccer is one of my biggest interests. I play for Uni's soccer team. I follow professional soccer. I even play a soccer video game. 

I first played soccer when I was in second grade. My dad had signed me up for a local Park District team. Based on my (biased and scattered) memory, I was one of the star players and scored an impressive 5 goals. So, you could say I was a natural. Unfortunately, due to my focus on table tennis, I stopped playing soccer until my freshmen year.

Since returning to the sport, I have had dreams of becoming a professional. Every day I imagine the feeling of scoring in front of millions, hearing the crowd roar, and celebrating with my teammates. I imagine representing my nation. I imagine celebrating titles. I imagine winning the FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award.

Unfortunately, these dreams aren't very realistic. I still, however, love the game. Soccer has always been an escape for me. Playing soccer is a time where I can solely focus on something I love. There has never been a dull moment and I have enjoyed every second.

You may have heard the phrase, "the beautiful game," used when referring to soccer. Although it is quite fascinating and captivating to watch athletes kick a ball around with amazing accuracy and skill, I believe that the nickname refers to emotions that can be evoked by soccer.

As a player, there are some feelings I experience playing soccer that cannot be found anywhere else. For example, there is no feeling like scoring an exquisite goal. There is no feeling like placing a perfect pass. There is no feeling like blowing past a defender. There is no feeling like tackling an attacker. There is no feeling like lifting the Sectional title.

Unfortunately, I have experienced many sad emotions as well. Losing the ball, conceding a goal, misplacing a pass, missing the goal, and losing a game all bring their own emotions. 

Even fans can experience these emotions. I remember attending my first professional soccer match. It was an exciting game and a roller coaster of emotions. The game didn't start out great, as the team I was supporting, Chicago Fire, went down 2-0. In the second half, Chicago Fire scored three goals and took the lead. Every time the ball landed in the back of the net, the whole stadium exploded. Screams of joy, excitement, and pride rang throughout the stands. Unfortunately, the other team quickly responded and scored 2 goals within 2 minutes. The previously electric atmosphere was replaced by moans and boos. Within the 90 minutes of the game, I had experienced everything from disappointment to elation.

Soccer has become an important part of my life. Not only does the sport elicit powerful emotions, but it also brings people together. I have connected with many people due to soccer; many of my friendships, especially with people in different grade levels, have come from our mutual love for soccer. It is something we can watch together, discuss together, and play together.

Soccer truly is a beautiful game.

“Football is life in microcosm.” – Will Ahlgren

Allergies

I have allergies.

I hate them.

The thing is, I don't even know what I'm allergic to. A few years ago, I asked my doctor if there was a way to identify what caused my allergies, and to possibly become immune to it. She told me that the technology existed, but the process was very tedious and unnecessary. In other words, she just told me to deal with it.

I do have a few suspicions about what I'm allergic to. Looking at my past sneezing fits, most of the evidence points to dust. For example, whenever I clean my room, I always start sneezing, sometimes for the rest of the day. In fact, this Tuesday, I wore a sweater that I had hung in the (dusty) corner of my room. The instant I put the sweater over my head, my nose started to itch and eventually, I started sneezing. If you saw me during school, you'd probably think that I was sick.

Another possibility is pollen. Although it does not have as much support as dust, there are still events where I can identify pollen as the culprit. Whenever I stand in a large field, especially one with flowers, I sometimes undergo a sneeze attack.

My final suspect is school. This theory may sound silly but hear me out. This past summer, I was allergy free, so was my winter break earlier in the school year. I mean, is it a coincidence that once school stops, my allergies go away?

You might be wondering. "Jeez David, it's just a few sneezes. Grow up already." Well, these "sneezing fits" that I go through are very, VERY painful and annoying. Often, I sneeze two or three times in succession, being barely able to catch my breath. My nose gets really itchy and feels weird. I also sniffle a lot. Basically, it looks like I'm really sick. To illustrate this agony, I will describe one of my most scarring allergy attacks.

One day, I decided to clean my extremely messy room. I was feeling extra responsible that day, so I tried to do a thorough job. In order to do so, I crawled under my desk and enter other dust-infested areas. After cleaning my room, I headed off to my violin lesson. As soon as my lesson started, I was hit with a fit of sneezes, a sign for worse to come. My nose was runny, so I was sniffling the whole lesson. My eyes were watering. My nose was super irritated and itchy. I would sneeze every other minute. Not to mention I was trying to play the violin while undergoing all this physical pain. It was the WORST thirty minutes of my life.

When I was in elementary school, I used to wake up and immediately start sneezing. I'm talking about 6-7 sneezes here, not my average 2-3. Although this phenomenon has not happened to me in a long time, I still sneeze everyday. I feel like my sneeze has become iconic in some way. Many of my classmates think my sneeze is funny (you know who you are). Even my teachers have noticed. Once Mr. Bergandine asked me: "Do you only sneeze in my class?" That wasn't it though. A few weeks later, he provided me with some life advice: "David, you shouldn't be a spy when you grow up. Your sneeze would instantly blow your cover."

My allergies have been with me all my life. In fact, I have started to accept my sneeze as a part of me. If I was offered the option to get rid of my allergies, I really don't know if I would take it.

Jk. I definitely would.

Mountains

Foreign language trips are great. At least, the German one is.

I went on the German trip during the summer of 2017 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Amongst all the beautiful sights we saw, I would have to say one of my favorite places was the mountains. 

Before we even arrived, I knew that I was going to enjoy visiting Garmisch Partenkirchen. Near the end of the train ride (our main mode of transportation) to Garmisch, the view outside the big glass windows became marvelous. Giant mountains stood everywhere, demanding the attention of my mind. The music I was listening to made the view even more captivating (Nights by Avicii). It was a truly glorious moment.

After arriving, we dropped off our luggage at our hotel and began our first hike. We took the bus through the winding streets of the town and arrived at the base of a tall mountain. Herr W and Mr. Bergandine led us into a small building and gave us all tickets. Confused, I asked why we needed these random slips of paper. My question was answered as we turned the corner and arrived at a docking bay for cable cars.

My friend and I climbed into a cable car. Having never ridden a cable car, we both believed that the trip up did not look super safe. As the cable car began its climb, our worries were not greeted well. A violent shaking of the cable car had us both gripping to the edges, clinging for our lives. Soon, we realized that the shaking was a regular occurrence and we calmed down.

The view was quite spectacular. To our left and right stood giant mountains whose white peaks disappeared into the clouds. Behind us, the small, beautiful town slowly shrank. It was not everyday when one got a view like that. Especially if one lived in Urbana, Illinois.
After arriving at the top of the mountain, we took a group photo and enjoyed the view. Then, we set off on our journey back down. The hike down was very peaceful. We talked, took photos, and saw amazing views. After what seemed like many hours, we finally reached the bottom of the mountain.

We were greeted with a small, shallow river. However, it would not stay that way for long. To get back to our starting point, we had to walk through a small tunnel through the side of the mountain. The tunnel was dark, cool, and moist. Every so often, the left side of the tunnel would open up, allowing us to look out. Besides us, the once calm river had become roaring and violent. Above us was the side of the mountain and trees from the forest. Sadly, our hike could not last forever and we eventually reached the end of the tunnel.

However, those beautiful sights would be topped by the ones we would see the next day.

In the morning, we took a small train up the tallest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. When the train halted to a stop, we all quickly rushed out. A cold breeze greeted us at the door. There was a huge sledding slope (which we obviously rode multiple times). However, the main attraction was the view. The sky was a perfect blue, free of clouds. You could see for hundred of miles in all directions. I will forever remember the beautiful sight and feeling of being on top of the world.

It was a once in a lifetime experience.