Student_Voice : Playing football in Paris without my mom
Published: 19 Jan. 2026, 00:05
Ian Kim
The author is a student at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju.
When my football team got the chance to travel to Paris to play in the PSG World Cup, I pictured intense matches and incredible sights. What I didn’t imagine was how life would feel without my mom there. I had no idea how much I would miss her.
The hotel we stayed in was about 50 years old, with cracked paint on the exterior and wooden floors that creaked when we walked. We shared it with the French team while the Brazilian and Qatari teams stayed elsewhere. The night before our first match, I sat in the hotel lobby with my backpack on my lap. My mom would have asked, “Did you bring everything? Did you double-check?” I could almost hear her voice. I smiled to myself and thought, “Yeah, I did, Mom.”
![The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Academy players train during the ninth edition of the PSG Academy World Cup, which took place in Paris from May 17 to 25, 2025. [PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/19/e3498578-8396-4813-9f20-4b0810f3a114.jpg)
The next morning, one of my teammates had his wallet stolen at the subway station. I walked around the city holding my bag close to my chest, remembering my mom saying, “Be careful, okay? Keep your things where you can see them.”
A few days into the trip, something happened that perfectly showed how much I relied on my mom. I realized I had accidentally left part of my uniform — my socks and shorts — in the hotel laundry. It was the morning of an important match. Panic set in immediately. My first instinct was to run to my mom, like I always did. But of course she wasn’t there.
I nervously approached the hotel staff, trying to explain what I needed through a mix of broken French and hand gestures. “Laundry…shorts…uniform…urgent!” The lady behind the counter smiled kindly, nodded and said something in French I barely understood. After what felt like forever, she returned holding my uniform. “Merci,” I said, bowing slightly.
That moment made me realize how many quiet, behind-the-scenes things my mom does every day to make my life easier — and how little I had noticed until now. I knew that if she were here, she would have already packed my uniform, checked it twice and reminded me not to forget it.
During one of our matches that day, France beat us 3-2. I made a good defensive play, blocking a shot with my chest, but when I looked into the stands, I remembered that my mom wasn’t there to see it. In the past, I had always worked so hard to impress her. If she were here, she would be clapping and shouting “Fighting!” But there was only an empty seat.
Another day, under the hot sun, we played Brazil and lost 7-0. They were incredibly skilled and passed the ball between each other so quickly and effortlessly. Whenever I thought I could snatch the ball, they maneuvered right past me. They were so tall and strong that I wondered if we were really the same age. The sun was so hot and bright, shining in my eyes, that sometimes I couldn’t see my own teammates. At that moment, I felt like everything was too much. I was tired, nervous and missing home. I wanted to call my mom and ask her what to do. In my head, I imagined her saying, “I can help you, Ian.” But instead, I took a deep breath and told myself, “You’ve got this. Be strong on your own.”
Being fully responsible for myself, even for a short time, helped me appreciate how much my mom does for me and how strong she really is. It also showed me that I’m capable of more than I thought when I have to step up.
When the tournament finally ended and I saw my mom waiting for me at Incheon International Airport, I felt a rush of gratitude like never before. The moment I saw her, I dropped my bag and ran toward her. She hugged me tightly and whispered, “I missed you so much.” I hugged her back just as tightly and said, “I missed you, too, Mom.”
The author is a student at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju.
When my football team got the chance to travel to Paris to play in the PSG World Cup, I pictured intense matches and incredible sights. What I didn’t imagine was how life would feel without my mom there. I had no idea how much I would miss her.
The hotel we stayed in was about 50 years old, with cracked paint on the exterior and wooden floors that creaked when we walked. We shared it with the French team while the Brazilian and Qatari teams stayed elsewhere. The night before our first match, I sat in the hotel lobby with my backpack on my lap. My mom would have asked, “Did you bring everything? Did you double-check?” I could almost hear her voice. I smiled to myself and thought, “Yeah, I did, Mom.”
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Academy players train during the ninth edition of the PSG Academy World Cup, which took place in Paris from May 17 to 25, 2025. [PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN]
The next morning, one of my teammates had his wallet stolen at the subway station. I walked around the city holding my bag close to my chest, remembering my mom saying, “Be careful, okay? Keep your things where you can see them.”
A few days into the trip, something happened that perfectly showed how much I relied on my mom. I realized I had accidentally left part of my uniform — my socks and shorts — in the hotel laundry. It was the morning of an important match. Panic set in immediately. My first instinct was to run to my mom, like I always did. But of course she wasn’t there.
I nervously approached the hotel staff, trying to explain what I needed through a mix of broken French and hand gestures. “Laundry…shorts…uniform…urgent!” The lady behind the counter smiled kindly, nodded and said something in French I barely understood. After what felt like forever, she returned holding my uniform. “Merci,” I said, bowing slightly.
That moment made me realize how many quiet, behind-the-scenes things my mom does every day to make my life easier — and how little I had noticed until now. I knew that if she were here, she would have already packed my uniform, checked it twice and reminded me not to forget it.
During one of our matches that day, France beat us 3-2. I made a good defensive play, blocking a shot with my chest, but when I looked into the stands, I remembered that my mom wasn’t there to see it. In the past, I had always worked so hard to impress her. If she were here, she would be clapping and shouting “Fighting!” But there was only an empty seat.
Another day, under the hot sun, we played Brazil and lost 7-0. They were incredibly skilled and passed the ball between each other so quickly and effortlessly. Whenever I thought I could snatch the ball, they maneuvered right past me. They were so tall and strong that I wondered if we were really the same age. The sun was so hot and bright, shining in my eyes, that sometimes I couldn’t see my own teammates. At that moment, I felt like everything was too much. I was tired, nervous and missing home. I wanted to call my mom and ask her what to do. In my head, I imagined her saying, “I can help you, Ian.” But instead, I took a deep breath and told myself, “You’ve got this. Be strong on your own.”
Being fully responsible for myself, even for a short time, helped me appreciate how much my mom does for me and how strong she really is. It also showed me that I’m capable of more than I thought when I have to step up.
When the tournament finally ended and I saw my mom waiting for me at Incheon International Airport, I felt a rush of gratitude like never before. The moment I saw her, I dropped my bag and ran toward her. She hugged me tightly and whispered, “I missed you so much.” I hugged her back just as tightly and said, “I missed you, too, Mom.”
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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