I have love and respect for every sport, but boy do Londoners love football! And by football I mean soccer. The sports culture of London is centered around football- from local to national and professional league, it is a sport that pretty much everyone has played or watched- either way they know the game. You can be sure to walk into a pub or sports bar and find groups gathered around watching a match.Football in London is such a universal sport played by every age anywhere. However, this was at first a hard thing for me to deal with because I don’t play nor watch football, basketball is my sport that I play recreationally everyday back home- but in London I thought that seemed to be impossible.
After settling into London for over a month, I’ve finished pretty much all the touristy stuff and explored various parts of London…that’s when I started feeling homesick and was ready to go home to my family. When studying abroad I’ve learned that no matter how much fun and how busy I would get with classes, exploring, and working at my internship, I’ d miss home every once in a while…and sometimes A LOT. Everything was starting to be a routine because outside of the fun adventurous part of studying abroad, you are pretty much living a normal life just in another country and it can get pretty boring. I wanted to get into doing things that made me feel more at home and fill that void, for me that was finding a place to play basketball.
I searched up to find some courts in London, (which was a pain because there weren’t many) and eventually found one. I bought a basketball and it was the best thing ever. I met a lot of locals my age who gave me contact to other courts and gyms where sessions were held. The basketball community in London is small but it has been really nice to meet up with people who share the same love of the game as me in this country . I’ve met so many locals from London and even people from other countries including the U.S.! I now have been going to open gyms and sessions every Wednesday and Sunday. It’s been really fun and I’ve met so many cool people and even made some new friends that live around the area.
Overall, when studying and living abroad I recommend trying to find ways to make the foreign place feel like home as if you’re living there…because you are! Aside from the spontaneous adventures- find a local gym, meet locals, play your favorite recreational sport, go out with friends, read, cook a homemade dinner instead of going out every night- just because you’re abroad doesn’t mean your routines back home have to be stalled. Make where you live abroad feel like your second home. Finding a local basketball community made me feel less homesick. I think doing this not only makes you feel at home but helps you to immerse yourself in the daily life of your country- you’ll feel more like a local than a tourist.
P.S. Even though football isn’t my cup of tea, I’ve gone by my own word to play a match with the kids at my internship which ended up being really fun!