Soccer trip a rewarding experience Presque Isle freshman enjoys European tour

Editor’s note: Josh Allen, a 15-year-old freshman at Presque Isle High School, enjoyed a weeklong trip to Europe with the Dutch Soccer Academy in April and has written a story about the trip.

My trip to Europe with the Dutch Soccer Academy was amazing as I got the chance to see Holland, Belgium and Germany. Each of these countries has culture and lifestyles very different from our own. Of course there are the obvious differences such as language, money, clothing and personality.

When we went to Germany to play our first game, the way we were welcomed was phenomenal. It felt as though the whole town went to see us. The stands were literally packed just to watch us play. After the game the younger kids all wanted our autographs while we enjoyed a barbecue prepared especially for us. They even invited the Burgomaster of their area to watch the game.

One thing that was interesting is in almost every city they have a soccer club. Each club has a clubhouse or a canteen, as they call it. The canteen is open almost all the time for the kids; they have a place to buy drinks and food. It is the equivalent to a YMCA in the United States, except only for soccer players.

The style of soccer in the Netherlands is so much different then how we are taught to play. The Dutch use a number system in which each field player has an assigned position.

They play as one unit. When one player moves, the others move at the same time, preventing gaps from occurring. In the Netherlands they don’t play one man; they play a space, and when a man enters their space they pick him up.

In the United States we try to play man on man and don’t correspond to each other’s movements. It is a lot more individualistic than a team effort.

The tour also included a lot of sightseeing. We saw the cities of Amsterdam and Delft (both in The Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium). The old architecture in all of the cities was amazing. Even the new architecture was marvelous.

In the United States everything is built as big as possible, not to look nice. All of the newer buildings are so interesting and most of the buildings would never be seen in the U.S.

One neat thing about the Netherlands was all of the canals running through the whole country. Since most of the country is below sea level, the canals are essential to prevent flooding and ensure proper drainage. In Delft when the university students graduate, their friends throw their bikes into the canals because soon enough they should be able to afford a car. In the country, the farmers use the canals to move the excess rain water off the fields and into the canals. Without the canals the water would sit in the fields and kill the crops.

James Baldwin said it best, “I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.”

One never really knows himself until he opens himself to another’s culture. He doesn’t really enjoy the simple things that happen every day, unnoticed. He doesn’t appreciate the people in his life until he is away from them. He defiantly finds himself more respectful to the people around him, and if he doesn’t, he is in trouble.

Last off, he finds out how incredible it is to experience something new and he finds himself wanting to continue his adventure to another land different from his own.