Former soccer star, Kavita Battan, took her talents to the next level this summer, competing with Team USA at the 2017 World University Games.
 
I've only been out of the country on trips to Canada and Mexico – typical places for Americans to visit. So it was a bit crazy to find out I was going to represent the United States at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan last month.
It didn't help I only had three weeks to get into shape and pack my bags.
I got an email from Derek a while ago saying he had nominated me for this event and I should finish the paperwork. About two weeks after I submitted everything, I got an email saying,

"HEY, YOU'RE ON THE ROSTER." The official list was supposed to come out a few days later, but I hadn't heard anything. I emailed the coach asking when the roster would be released, and she sent it to me.
I was with two former Vandal players, Torell Stewart and Elexis Schlossarek, when I got the notification. I was so nervous I put my phone down. I didn't even want to look.
I flipped over my phone, thinking "Screw it." I scrolled through the list and my name was on it. I freaked out and so did Elexis and Torrell. I was a little shocked I made it but it was such a surreal feeling.  My next thought was,

"I NEED TO START WORKING OUT."

I want to continue playing soccer, I've always wanted to work my way to the professional level. Now that I've graduated, not playing is so weird. Every summer for the past four years has ended with coming back to Moscow to play soccer. Don't get me wrong – I'm thrilled to not wake up at 6 a.m. and do sprints. But to be able to end my summer with such an amazing soccer experience, I feel so blessed.
As soon as I got home, I started training with a former coach. I worked with him for two weeks, then came back to Moscow to move my stuff into my new apartment. I ended up staying a bit longer and working out with the team, which was great preparation. I had been working out on my own, so it felt good to get my foot on the ball with other players around me.
To prepare for the language barrier, the event organizers gave us a list of phrases and words to learn. I was a little nervous about the food through. I love Asian food, but I had never tried authentic Taiwanese food. One of the first meals we had was soup and it was unbelievably tasty.
My favorite off-field experience was definitely the night markets. It was complete sensory overload in the best way. Blocks and blocks of the city were shut down for tents and vendors selling everything imaginable. People sold crafts, things they make at home, other booths had Nike and adidas merchandise for sale. There's food and animals too, kind of like a fair in America – but every night.
Food vendors make the food right in front of you, and sometimes it is still alive. One vendor was selling octopus, and the tentacle was still ringling when he shoved a skewer through it. He set it on fire, cooked it, and then handed it to you. There are steroids in the meat so we had to wait until after competition was over to try everything, but after we were done, we tried all the food. My favorite fruit is mango and they have a ton of it there, so I ate all the mango I could.
Experiencing the night markets was really profound for me. This is how the people of Taipei do things on a regular basis, this is their version of normal, however, it was such a strange and surreal experience for me. That juxtaposition of culture was incredible to experience.
We stayed in an athlete's village, kind of like the Olympics, and everything was provided for us. There was a convenience store, laundry and cafeteria, and the apartments were created brand-new for this event. Now that it's over, the buildings will be converted into low income housing.
The people of Taipei really put the experience over the top for me. They were so welcoming and respectful. Everybody wanted to give you a hug, get an autograph and say hello.

I FELT LIKE A MIN-CELEBRITY.

I didn't think people would be that excited to interact with Americans. That was a huge culture shock for me.
My teammates were college students from all over America – Pepperdine, CU Boulder, Harvard, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Pacific and Gonzaga. It was crazy though, because we had three days to practice and then we were playing games.
We played six games, and ended 4-2. We did so well for knowing each other for three days and then hitting the field. It was unfortunate, because our loss to South Africa happened after one little slip-up. But if we had won, we would have been guaranteed a medal.
Our team took fifth and won the loser bracket, which is further than any American team has gone, and we did it with just a few days of preparation.
America's first loss came to South Korea.  In the beginning, our coach had us try a formation none of us had ever done before. It ended up being an ugly game and no one really knew what was going on. I told our coach, "I feel like we'd be more comfortable in a 4-4-2 rather than a 3-5-2."  He agreed to give it a go. After that, we were on fire.  We beat South Korea for fifth place,  It was redemption for sure, because we lost to them in the frist round.

Some teams had national players on them and being able to play against girls at that level was humbling. I was like, "This girl plays for her national team and I'm marking up against her right now.

THIS IS UNREAL."

After we finished, I didn't want to leave my team. Despite the short amount of time we spent together, we really bonded. But I was also really ready to come home and be surrounded by familiar things. I missed home – plus, it's really humid in Taiwan.
 
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