THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Arriving in Trondheim City

Tuesday, 17 August 2010.

Zachary checked the time on his watch. It was 10 p.m.

[Traveling is difficult.] He sighed.

Along with Kasongo and two Norwegians, Zachary made an early morning flight from Lubumbashi to Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. It was the first stop on their twenty-two-hour trip to Trondheim, Norway. After a four-hour break at the airport, they joined the boarding queue of an Ethiopian airline flight to Amsterdam. Because their documents are well organized, they face no challenges through customs. They then board an airport bus that transports them to a plane that will fly them to Amsterdam all night.

Zachary turned his attention to the plane he could see passing through the window. Men and women with reflector jackets moved around them, pulling loads of cargo or shouting instructions. Several airport vehicles, which Zachary could not identify, were also parked next to the plane.

"Are you both nervous?" Mr. Stein, to his left, examined. On his back lay a gigantic backpack that should not be carried by a man his age. Zachary had offered to help her with her luggage, but the old man refused.

"No," Kasongo, who was standing across from them, replied. He wears designer clothes and shoes that make him look like a rapper rather than a football player. His white jungle boots are particularly eye-catching on a dimly lit bus.

"Traveling by plane is much more convenient than taking a bus. I enjoyed the flight from Lubumbashi to Addis-Ababa. The food's good." He added with a smile.

"Have you flown a lot before?" Kristin asked from beside him.

"Well, only once a year. My dad takes us on vacation every festive season. Last year we were in France. But this is my first time to Norway." Kasongo replied with a smile.

Zachary chose not to engage in the discussion. She was a little embarrassed to express her fears to the group, especially with the presence of Miss Kristin. The truth is he's afraid of planes. No matter how fancy the furniture is in the plane, it will never be more than a metal tube flying into Zachary. The fact that this was his first trip out of DR Congo reinforced his fears. He was afraid to think of being more than 30,000 feet off the ground. There are so many things that can go wrong at that height.

Despite this, he was eager to reach Trondheim City. There, he would eventually begin his journey to become a professional soccer player on the European scene. That was the only thing he dreamed of about his entire past life, and now everything has finally come true. That was the only thought that made him brave enough to endure the long journey.

"What about you, Zak?" Mr. Stein asked, turning towards him. "You nervous?"

"Well, I don't like planes" Zachary replied honestly. "I just want this trip to end as soon as possible."

"We'll get there. Don't worry." Mr. Stein patted his back.

They spent the rest of their short journey on the bus in silence before boarding the plane. At 22:30, the plane took off. They are in the sky.

Zachary sat next to Kasongo in a 2-seat chair in the row closest to the window. Norwegians are behind them in the economic class section.

Zachary felt better knowing that he was on a Boeing-747, a jumbo jet. He had never heard of one, on a trip to Europe, falling in 2010 from a previous life. He ignored Kasongo who was watching a movie and forced himself to sleep. Zachary woke up the next morning as the plane descended on Amsterdam.

They do not spend much time at Amsterdam airport. With Mr. Stein's help, the two boys quickly passed through customs and immigration procedures at the airport. In a short time, they were allowed to board another plane to Trondheim, Norway.

Zachary sighed as the plane landed on the runway at Vearnes Airport in Trondheim after a two-hour flight.

"Welcome to Trondheim." Mr. Stein smiled at the two African boys as he got up from his seat. "How's the flight?" She asked.

"Okay," replied Zakaria.

"Fun," Kasongo laughed.

"That's cool." Mr. Stein smiled. "We have to get you settled in during the day. Let's go to customs soon."

The two boys followed the Norwegians and got off the plane.

"It's cold" Zachary commented as soon as they came out into the open air.

"Don't mind the weather" Mr. Stein entertains. "You'll get used to it soon." He led the way down the flight of stairs.

"I heard that in winter, the temperature can drop to a minimum of - 4 Degrees Celsius" Kasongo commented as he draped his scarf tightly around his neck.

It was 9am, one of the worst times for an African to arrive in Northern Europe during the fall. Zachary is attacked by a cold wind that cuts off his heavy jacket. He started shivering even before he reached the bottom of the air stairs.

[Came from Africa and stepped into Europe like coming down from a warm oven into a freezer.] He pondered.

In the early hours of that day, the waiting room of the airport of Vearnes was very quiet. People moved easily, rivers of quiet humanity just awoke from their slumber. The floor is clean and white, reflecting early light and artificial light.

Since their entourage had already gone through European immigration procedures in Amsterdam, they did not spend much time at the airport. They showed their travel documents and exited the airport after only forty minutes.

A Rosenborg van picked them up from the airport and took them to the city. The city was not what Zachary had expected. He hopes to see skyscrapers like those in American movies around Trondheim. But medieval buildings cover most of the cityscape. Trondheim itself is beautiful and charming, with neat streets and unique urban architecture. Glorious streets in their beginnings. The pavement made of fine gray stone, was held together with such precision that the joint was barely visible. The buildings are nothing short of historical, the pride fortress of the city, branding its status as one of the eco-friendly cities on the planet. Zachary noticed that there was no trash or dirt on the streets as they traveled through the city. The city is very clean compared to Kinshasa or Lubumbashi.

"We just crossed the Nidelva River. It is the Nidaros Cathedral. There's a football field around there where you can train in the future." Miss Kristin pointed to the gray medieval church building in the distance as they crossed the bridge. He has appointed himself as the guide of two African boys.

"Miss Kristin," Zachary recited. "Where are we going to stay?" That is his main concern at the moment.

"Moholt's student village" Kristin replied with a smile. "We're almost there. You're gonna love this place."

After another twenty minutes, according to Zachary's estimation, van Rosenborg was stopped in the student village parking lot. Brown tall buildings, about six stories tall, loomed around them.

"This is the largest student village in Trondheim City" Mr. Stein after they got out of the van with their luggage. "Usually, this place is reserved for international students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology." He continued.

"However, we have agreed with the university's international relations office. They allow us to accommodate our international students here as well. You will share a four-room apartment with two of our other academy players from Sweden."

"Come on. I'll show you your apartment." The old man smiled as he led the way out of the parking lot and into one of the buildings.

Kasongo and Zachary follow while Kristin stays in the van.

A minute later, they stood in a fully furnished apartment on the fourth floor of the building. In the living room, there are two large refrigerators, a stove, a sink, furniture, and other household appliances that Zachary does not recognize. The room was well illuminated by the morning sunlight that entered through a large window overlooking the parking lot.

[It is a utopia.] Zachary concluded.

Inevitably he compared the apartment to his house in Bukavu which did not have access to electricity and plumbing water.

"Select one of the rooms to the right" ordered Mr. Steins. "The rooms 1 and 2 are already occupied by your housemates who are still going on vacation." She smiles.

Zachary chose room number four while Kasongo chose room number three.

"Alright then," Mr. Stein smiled. "This is the key to your room. You can unpack and rest today. I'll be here to take you to see your coach tomorrow morning." He handed each of them an envelope with their names.

"There's food in the fridge if you want to cook. Try not to move unless you have to. But if you need to buy something urgent, go to the supermarket right across the parking lot we are in. Sunday is also in the envelope."

"A question before I leave?" He asked, looking at Zachary and Kasongo with curiosity.

"Do we start training tomorrow?" ask Kasongo.

"The coach will decide after your medical examination tomorrow" the scout replied.

"Zach, don't you have any questions?"

"Not for now" Zachary replied with a smile. "We can talk tomorrow about everything else." The long journey made him tired. He needs to rest and prepare for meetings with the coaches. There was no need for him to worry about anything as long as he had food in the apartment. He is delighted he has arrived safely in Europe and is looking forward to starting his football training.

"OKAY. It's good that you calm down." Mr. Stein nodded. "Prepare tomorrow morning at nine. We'll go to the academy then. But don't do anything you wouldn't do if your parents were around." He warned.