Assignment Three: Charlie Boone

I have only been out of the country twice. The first time I left the country, I was around the age of ten. During Spring Break, my family and some friends took a cruise to Jamaica, Haiti, and Mexico. I remember the cruise ship itself being extremely fun, especially for my younger self. Jamaica, Haiti, and Mexico were all unique, but one thing I distinctly remember was the amount of people trying to sell me something at every corner. I learned that people there were really eager to get money due to a number of circumstances that we do not have to deal with in America and that makes me grateful. I took one other trip abroad, and it was over this spring break to England. I went on a soccer trip with the Kentucky State ODP team. This trip was a wonderful experience. On this trip, I learned a lot about English culture. I took away that America has great food, great road systems, cleaner cities, and more sympathetic people. However, I also learned that the youth development for soccer In America is far behind England's. The English culture is a much more straight forward approach. Coaches and most regular people are not afraid to tell you like it is whether it's a coach telling you to pick up chess, or a cashier bluntly asking if they teach kids how to count In America. These cultural differences made me realize two things. One, English people might just not like Americans, and two, it is expected that you can handle some light hearted joking.

Another shocking difference I noticed in England was that women's soccer is completely neglected there. Many large clubs including Liverpool (where we trained) do not have a women's professional team. Liverpool did recently announce the formation of a team, but it is very different from a more gender equal America.

These experiences will help me better relate to more people in the world, and could help my academic career in that I may go to college in England!