Beautiful Colors of EKAT 2023

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

People will always say that the goal is to die with memories not dreams, yet there are lots of imaginations, goals, dreams and memories to accomplish. This is a wonderful world filled with fun and excitement and only those whom it matters to would take the tip and have the experience.

To me, yesterday was a dream and today is reality. Even when I never dreamt of this particular place, it happened that I woke up there for breakfast. Eyes have so many sights to see, nose; so many scents to smell and tongue couldn't wait to taste the difference. At first, I was like wow! It's happening with a little glimpse of the question "is it going to happen?". This time around it's no longer "let's see as things unfold" but rather "wake up to reality". EKAT 2023 sports festival was a bae

The invitation came as the worst unexpected surprise but turned out to be the best ever. At first, I wasn't convinced this was news. I had thought it was another rumor that flies around as always. This happened until the first official meeting and even as that, the imagination still wasn't clear. "These are trusted bodies and personalities of the university, there's no way they would be playing a prank on us". This line of thought changed my mind straight away and I began reasoning like a student. I took my research and was convinced that it is time to live it. That was how I started my preparations.

After informing my family, they were happy and welcomed the idea. What a great opportunity and coming for the first time. At first, my parents were skeptical about Russia because of the so called media reports about war with ukraine. What I saw was an opportunity that I have made up my mind to grab with everything in me. It wasn't just an opportunity but a colorful one.

Time came and went until the day of departure finally came. Before that, I had seen myself in an imaginary Ekaterinburg. In my mind, I was already there living the reality but there we were boarding a plane at the start of our journey. My taste buds couldn't wait to taste some Russian foods and cuisine which really were amazing as I had checked them out on the internet. I will come to that anyways.

My coach will always say that "worth doing is worth doing well". He often mentions this in training and that has got stuck in my head. I'm from a not so rich family and I know what it would cost us to sponsor one person abroad. Today, I am happy to be counted in the history of those that have gone to Asia through sports in my university and town as well. Since my early years I picked interest in sports, I have given my best to my knowledge and experience. Having gone for so many domestic championships and won medals for the university, I have been told several times by friends and family to stop spending/wasting my time with sports but I never listen to them. Today my history in sports has changed for good and everyone is proud of me"

This journey was so significant because this is the first of its kind. As happy and curious as I was , we finally made it to Ekaterinburg after a very long journey. The reality just came true.

First impression

The view from air tells the difference between home and away. Ekaterinburg has a beautiful view from air and one thing I noticed more was the green vegetation in the whole city unlike other countries I have visited. It was a nice flight from Moscow to the ever loving city of Ekaterinburg. Finally I set my foot on the soil and felt the weather and time difference.

Initially, we were told that it's summer in Russia before we set for the journey and with all my imaginations and summer clothing preparation, I experienced what I would say is a totally different thing in mind. Yes, it was summer but my expectations for the warm sun never came to reality and the unbelievable experience was the cold. I couldn't even relate to that cold weather happening in a supposed summer. For more than a hundred times I asked myself how it's +10 degrees in the summer. I'm still wondering how and why. The weather was so cold that I never experienced it.

Meanwhile, I loved the cold weather indoors because that has always been my favorite but I couldn't imagine myself outside. It was just the most difficult thing for me to do. With summer in mind, I didn't travel with my warm jacket. Although I had socks and gloves with me by luck, I needed a jacket (chinchilla) as the situation demanded. It was going to be a one week stay and I was forced to believe I would deal with it myself. After all, it went nice.

Ekaterinburg is beautiful. We were welcomed so well with happiness. The big event was planned carefully so that everything was smooth and smart. Every visiting country has volunteers assigned to guide them. That was very nice. The volunteers were so nice and good looking with smiles all over. Their English accent was so good and easy to understand making communication with them so good. They did a wonderful job with their post.

Food

One of the exciting reasons for travelling is to taste different varieties of food especially in another country. I had since gotten my taste buds ready for some cuisine and couldn't wait to get into action. It was a totally different experience as expected. The only universal food I thought to see were rice and pasta which I indeed were on the menu.

At first, I reminded myself of my task ahead (my sports) and I needed to maintain my body weight, so I decided to go for light food without drinks except for only water. For the first four days, I was watching my diet because of my sport. I had fun and tasty food experiences during these days. The kitchen staff were amazing with their style of service and delicious food. Without control, one could eat everything because everything tasted so good from fries, bakery and cooked food. Let's see some dishes in pictures.

Aren't they amazing? Yes, they are. I met this beautiful lady that works in the kitchen and as we spoke, she told me so many things about the kitchen cuisine. I also learnt from her that all those volunteers and kitchen staff are all students. This lady was so good with her job, serving food with an appetizing smile. Her name is Veda and she was amazing, friendly, lively, loving and just wonderful. She probably added more color to the buffet. Her colleagues were nice and one of them would always say "bon appetit". That's exactly how to do your job and I learnt a strong lesson from them.

My stay in Ekaterinburg Russia was filled with excess love and memories. Me and my teammates had fun to the fullest. Right now, I'm missing those memories and I wish to go back anytime soon if not sooner. We had the opportunity to explore the city and took some photos that will last forever.

We visited the gigantic city mall where we saw so many beautiful arts and cultures. It was such a nice view and thanks to the volunteer who took us around.

My stay in Ekaterinburg was more than a sports festival, it was a life experience. I love Russia and I love Russians. You made my life colorful indeed and I owe you one. To all the friends from around the world, it was nice meeting you and to the rarest personality; Veda, I adore you.

It was an international university sports festival! It was so much fun!! It was lively!! It was lovely!! It was filled with memories!! It was an experience!!

Thanks for your time dearly, until we meet again.

Image credit: all pictures belong to me