The Oversea's Olympics

If I had to pick a Winter Olympic sport that best represented what life overseas looks like, I would say most people picture life like figure skating. A long smooth never ending glide. It’s beautiful, fun, entertaining, you are captivated by it and it becomes a surreal dream.



However… While there are moments of seem less ice skating is involved- we can’t all do perfect sit spins and triple toes all the time and would say the living overseas process is more accurate when including the following Olympic sports:



The first competition would be “Ski Jumping”- right before leaving home everything is going by so quickly you don’t realize what is going on. Just like the steep slide of the ski jump. Then suddenly you are launched at the end of the strip and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! You are simply hoping those small skis attached to the bottom of your feet catch you- cause you have a journey up ahead. But even when in mid air you know it’s a risk you are willing to take – you’re mid air and it’s too late to turn back or panic now. You have to believe it’s worth the fear that comes with your first jump- cause even if not at first… you’ll eventually find your perfect landing. Or almost perfect.



When you first arrive in your new home country it’s a lot like “Curling”. You landed the ski jump but now it’s take to take it slow and just get from one point to the other. Making small, but large progressions in your new area and just trying to hit the target. You are given a small push and must make lots of adjustments to make it to wherever you are trying to reach. To reach those- you really need others around you, who have been there before to help guide you to the right areas and show you a few mishaps to avoid. (Though you'll still manage to find a few on your own.)



While you are trying to hit the new cultural and living targets of curling- you enter a new Olympic sport called “Biathlon.” Apparently this sport is big here in Europe. I personally had never heard of it before, but it is quite an interesting concept. Living abroad, there can be times you think your new culture does everything wrong and only yours is right. (Cause America is perfect right?) You are trying to be two people at once, a skier and a hunter. Or An American and a Frenchie. You need to learn to bring the two worlds together. While learning the new language and culture, if you become frustrated you have to stop, look at your larger surroundings, focus remember why you are here. And hey if you are having a hard time, at least in Biathlon, you get to shoot things and break things at the same time. That’s awesome, and the perfect cure for times of cultural clashes.



During those cultural crashes you can feel all wacked out and out of control like you are racing in Apine skiing and Moguls- you know where they have to go around all those lil red markers and then hit the moguls and go uh uh uh uuh uh uh u hhhh over all those bumbs… yah there’s a lot of those uh uh uh uhhhh’s. But also times where you get to fly past amazing views and do some awesome high jumps. But the race is downhill making it quick and it’s all over before you know it.



So at the end of your journey hopefully you’ll take Gold. But just like all the training the athlete’s put into their sports, it’s all about what you put into your time abroad. There is much to be gleaned from the time. Every athlete I am sure has contemplated giving up especially when they do this…



But you have to continue to work hard and follow your dreams in order to look back one day and realize all that you have achieved when you finish the journey.