Melbourne, Here we come!
Posted by France - 25/11/2008
Today, the atmosphere has changed, I feel great relief, great joy and the pressure is off. Because it’s done; and above all, we’re all on our way to The 2008 Melbourne Homeless World Cup.
After four months of effort, the visas seemed to have fallen from the heavens. The situation that at times seemed hopeless is now optimistic and our tenacity rewarded. Be confident; never lose hope. Really, we had to earn this trip; it most certainly did not fall from the heavens!
A small departure celebration was held in the Mexico House at La Cité Universitaire, where we had been welcomed to train since the beginning of September. We also trained on the synthetic Urban Football fields at Puteaux; then on the more challenging fields of La Cité.
Now, difficulties, setbacks and doubts are transformed into hopes, the hope of winning the World Cup. This hope inhabits us all, as it does in all the teams. “We’re going to return with the cup, you’ll see….”
Already, training sessions have become moments to understand others, to exceed one’s own expectations, both physically and mentally. The team is established around the capabilities of each player. All of the preparatory work is already an accomplishment for each of us; space-time forever written in the future.
But the true adventure still awaits us, that of competition and of meeting others, of the trip and of the discovery. In ten days, we will be on the other side of the world, meeting all the other teams and people alike. Travelling 1,618KM to the other side of the world; it’s the French team on their way to Melbourne. Departure is on 26 November at 1:30PM. Look at the sky; maybe you’ll see a star.
A meeting in another world, of which we all dream.
By Christophe
