There were a lot of experiences during my time in Germany that I know I will remember for the rest of my life. If I had to choose one moment that meant the most to me personally, however, it would easily be the visit to Bayern Munich’s soccer stadium, Allianz Arena. Germany had been on my bucket list since I was young because of my family heritage, but soccer gave me an entirely different reason to dream about visiting the country one day.
Soccer has been a major part of my identity since I was about three years old. I grew up playing the sport, watching games, and constantly being around soccer in one way or another. As long as I can remember, Bayern Munich has been my favorite club to watch. Growing up in the United States, Munich and the Allianz Arena always seemed so far away. Like a dream that would never come true. I had watched countless Bayern games on TV, so actually standing inside the stadium was something that has been difficult to put into words.
One of the players who made me such a huge Bayern fan was Thomas Muller. He was my idol growing up on the soccer field. Even though we did not play the same position, he was always my favorite player to watch. I loved the way he played the game, and he was one of those players I associated with Bayern Munich throughout my childhood. Being inside the same stadium where I had watched him and so many other Bayern players compete for years made the experience even more meaningful.
Unfortunately, we did not get the opportunity to attend an actual Bayern game, but touring the Allianz Arena was still everything I could have hoped for. We were able to see the locker room, walk through all the areas of the stadium that the players did, get on the sidelines of the field, and even sit on the team’s bench. One of the moments that hit me the hardest was hearing Bayern’s walkout music while walking out onto the field as the players would do during gameday. It was so surreal to hear in person it may have brought a tear or two to my eyes.
For a few moments, I felt like a little kid in a candy store, especially when we actually got to go shopping in the club store. Admittedly, I did spend way more money than I should have there, but seriously how could I not. I wanted to take in everything and take in every detail because it felt like I was fulfilling that “impossible” dream that I had at such a young age. It was one of those rare experiences where the reality of something actually lived up to the expectations I had built up over years.
Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to learn about German engineering, experience a different culture, meet new people, and see places I had never been before. All of those experiences made the trip worthwhile, but visiting the Allianz Arena was easily my favorite part of my entire time in Germany.
I definitely plan to return someday, and next time, I want to experience the one thing that was missing: watching Bayern Munich play a match. Touring the stadium allowed me to live out one of my childhood dreams. Hopefully the next trip will allow me to complete it.
Swanson School of Engineering 