Photo provided to Hangzhoufeel
By Kabanyana Mellisa Muvunyi
I'm a sophomore at the Hangzhou Normal University. I come from Rwanda. At a very young age I was taught to play 4 different sports including swimming, which might have been a reason for me to be so athletic. Sports taught me the importance of teamwork and friendship, but most importantly, sports have been the only way to discover myself daily.
I had no idea of how I was going to figure things out when I came to China 3 months ago.
"Great moments come with great opportunities," that's what I kept telling myself when I flew all the way from Africa to China. I had millions of expectations of whether or not anyone would notice me or if I would be able to eat Chinese food and survive. To my profound realization, Hangzhou changed my worries and doubts into a whole new experience which has been overall fun. Chinese people are welcoming. I had people coming up to me and helping me figure things out, even if all I could say is "nihao" and "zaijian". Hangzhou people introduced me to new games that I haven't been able to see before, and again through sports I met new friends, from different parts of China.
Hearing that Hangzhou is going to host the next Asian Games, I have boosted my growing love for it and now I crave to be part of it.
As a foreigner I have been excited to explore new games that I haven't seen back in Africa. More innovatively this year there will be E-sports, which is a whole new concept to me. I'm so much looking forward to sharing with other natives who are miles away in Africa and so much interested to know all about sports on the other side of the world. This won't be a worry since the event will be broadcasted. I'd love to end my writing by saying again, "Great moments come with great opportunities", and I see mine right in front of me, right into the 19th Asian Games event.