England: Liam Grabel (Interact)

Program: UW Global Launch in London

This year I made a plan to stay active by joining an intramural sport, and I decided to try out for the Imperial College soccer team. It turned out to be one of the best choices I’ve made so far. From the very beginning, the team created a welcoming environment. Before the other first-years even arrived, I met the captains, who were incredibly accepting and inclusive. They still greet me by name, which made me feel like I belonged from the start.

One of the things I enjoy most is how international the team is. I’ve met people from all sorts of nationalities, which has made for some fun conversations about the differences between Wisconsin, China and the UK. The conversations on the pitch are always lively but in honesty I don’t fully understand the banter, this combined with the folks who have heavier English accents can be rough. In response all I can do is smile and enjoy being part of it as everyone is still friendly and its easy to feel included.

A standout interaction for me was meeting George, a third-year who also plays center back. After my first game, we ended up taking the Tube home together and made plans to meet up at a football social event after which turned into a genuine friendship. I’ve also made quite a few friends on other teams, primarily the 5s team who we played in a friendly match and then met up with after for a social event at the student union. Overall soccer has been a great experience and way to make friends with my highlight being that when I go to the student union I am starting to know some of the people there.