The Finale

I am on my last flight before I arrive in Vancouver. I have been travelling now for about 15 hours, and I still have almost 4 hours left before I get home. It has been an exhausting day and I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.

This was a very difficult trip for me, although I must admit, it definitely got better in the second week. It is always hard to be away from home, but it is even more difficult when you are in an environment that is so drastically different from your everyday life and you don’t have your usual support network with you. I like to think that I am a pretty strong person, but it is amazing to realize how much of your strength comes from the people in your life. Fortunately, in the second week I was able to make some very good friends, friends that will be friends for life, and this gave me a huge boost.

Since the reason I was in Serbia, in the first place, was to referee, I guess it is important that I talk about that aspect of my trip. The caliber of soccer was not as high as it was at the U17 World Cup, but there were definitely some very good teams there. Overall, I was happy with my performance in the 3 games that I refereed. I feel that I showed what I was capable of, and the feedback that I finally got, although only in the last 2 days, was that all of my match observers were very happy with me. I also got, and only the last 2 days, some very positive compliments from the assistants that I worked with. As for my appointments, you never really have any control over what matches you are assigned to, but being appointed as the 4th official on the final match is something that I am proud of. It is always a great experience to be part of a final game. The game itself wasn’t very interesting as Korea beat Japan 4-1 and they pretty much dominated the game. The referee was from France, and she did a very good job.

As for the rest of my trip, it was a humbling experience. I have to admit, that when it comes to world events and politics, I’m kind of a bonehead, so going to Serbia, I wasn’t really current on the past events. I had heard bits and pieces of the problems that this country faced but nothing prepared me for seeing it first hand. In the first week, before I really knew any of the locals, I could only make an opinion based on what I saw with my own eyes, and it was sad. There were many buildings that had been destroyed by the bombings and many of them were still standing, in some state or another. Once we started to become friends with the local referees, we began to hear the stories of that it was like from their firsthand experiences. It must have been absolutely awful to be a young child growing up in the middle of a war that you can’t understand. To be playing at the park with sirens and bombs and gunfire going off all around you. I can’t imagine…really I can’t. When they first began to talk, I felt so sorry for them, so sad, but as you listen, you realize…that is exactly the opposite of what they want you to feel. They don’t want your pity, or your sympathy, because they aren’t ashamed. Never before have a meet people who are so proud. They have no hatred in their hearts, they have no resentment, they only want to live their lives to the fullest to enjoy the time they have with their friends and family. They live a very hard life, and money is very very sparse in Serbia, but they are not embarrassed of their situations, it is simply the way it must be, and they don’t complain. Jokingly, one night, I was making fun of a couple of the guys who were 30 and still living at home, but the reality of the situation is that it is simply impossible for them to move out. They don’t make enough to support themselves. The cost of living is very similar to Vancouver, but their salary is less that ¼ of what we make. I can’t imagine, truly, I can’t. The whole time we were there, they insisted on paying for everything…food, drinks, gifts, and I can’t imagine what a financial stress that would have been on them, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Their one and only goal was to ensure that we all had a good time, that we saw their country in a positive light, and that they were great hosts. I would have to say that they did all of that and more.

At the beginning of this trip I was counting down the days until I would get to come home, and I am still happy to be going home, but I am so glad that I had this experience. Not only did I gain more international experience for my refereeing career, but I learned about a nation of people who are so amazing. They should all be so proud of who they are, and if I am able to live my life, even half as well as they do, I will be a much better person. I am humbled. Thank you to the entire Serbian Football Association and especially to those from Belgrade who gave up their lives to be the best hosts a visitor could have! You should all be so proud of yourselves