There are lots of opportunities for remaining active on my college campus here in Shanghai. I have been playing soccer since I was four years old and was thrilled to join the campus soccer club. This club has players from all over the world who love the sport, just like me! We like to get together to play games for fun and, even though we don’t all speak the same language, we manage to understand each other as a team. I even play with a group of older locals sometimes. It's been amazing to see so many people participate in an activity they love despite cultural and language barriers. We just know what people mean when they call out for a pass or yell to cheer everyone on. At times, I have faced challenges on the soccer field due to my gender. For instance, a few guys have told me that girls aren’t supposed to play on that field so I should go find another spot. Maybe this is why I don’t see many girls there. I get a lot of attention from people on the sidelines and that makes me nervous about messing up. Occasionally, people make remarks to other players when I take the ball away from a guy because they think guys should be better at the game than a girl is. This feels strange as I have been raised to think that I could play a sport as well as any guy could.
