My Summer Adventure
BY MICHAEL MILLER, GRADE 8
It was finally the day that I had been waiting for – the day I fly to Portugal. I woke up early on the morning of August 20th and leaped out of bed with excitement. Even though my flight wasn’t departing until 11 o’clock pm, I had to patiently wait ALL day before I actually left. I started the day off right by having a good breakfast. Right after, I start packing my suitcase full with everything I would need. The reason why I was going to Portugal was because I was asked to try out for a position for a professional soccer team’s youth academy.
This was a dream come true! This was truly going to be the BEST experience of MY life! Unfortunately, only one other member of my family could come with me, but the fact I was chosen to go was still amazing. When I arrived at the airport, I had my passport checked, got my plane ticket, and went through security before saying ‘good-bye’ to the rest of my family. I boarded my flight which was delayed until 12:05 am. Despite my excitement, I fell asleep almost right after the plane took off.
We landed in Portugal at the Lisbon Airport. After clearing customs, we took a shuttle to the Sporting CP Academy. Here I met 7 other children who were also trying out for a position on the team. Seven other children who I did not know so, with the exception of my family member, I was alone and on my own when I was there. During the week we trained twice a day for six days, but thankfully we had two days off to tour and rest.
On the first day off, we had a tour of the Sporting CP Stadium and Museum. On the second day, we watched a home game of the Sporting CP team. It was fun to see my favourite team play in their home stadium surrounded and cheered on by their fans.
It was Monday, August 28th now – our last day in Portugal. While I did not get selected for the Youth Academy, I had enjoyed every minute while I was there. I made new friends. I learned that I can do well when I am out of my comfort zone. Most importantly, I hope someday that I can do this again.