Rediscovering My Love for Badminton
I used to play badminton when I was in high school with my little sister at the court near our apartment every evening. However, I gave it up once I began preparing for my university entrance exam. As soon as I arrived at Troy University, the first thing that grabbed my attention was a Badminton Club poster on the wall. I couldn’t wait to join!
When I went to the Badminton Club, I felt so scared and nervous at first. There was no one that I knew at all and I was afraid to start talking with new people who do not speak my language. Many questions crossed my mind – whom should I play with? Where can I get a racket? How should I talk to them? As I was standing still with all these questions, one of the members of the club asked me, “Are you a new member? Welcome to our club.” He let me know that I can take a racket from a basket and play with three people who were warmly waving and smiling at me. Because of their warm and genuine smiles, I no longer felt shy and hesitant. I grabbed the racket and quickly ran to them. We played for one hour and it was absolutely fun.
From that day, I have attended every club meet-up. At the club, I met a lot of American and international friends from India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and China. When we are off the court, we like to chitchat and share our stories and experiences. Due to our similar mind-set, we get along and understand each other very well despite the fact that we are from different countries and diverse backgrounds.
It is really nice to take a break and go to the club after concentrating on school work all day. I can’t think of a more fantastic way to get fit while you are having fun at the same time. Badminton is one of the simplest, easiest, and most inexpensive sports. Ever since I joined the club, I stopped feeling lonely and homesick. My time in Troy University and the badminton club will be stamped in my memory forever.
Written by Yuzana Win, 2018-19 Global UGRAD student from Burma at Troy University