Sports mean everything to me. Ever since I was a little girl, it has shaped my personal and academic life in so many ways. I personally experienced how sports could really transcend so many barriers: language, culture, and religion. It is an important tool for cross-cultural understanding. When you are on the court, it really doesn’t matter which language you speak. The common language of sports is the most important one of them all. I have been running and playing volleyball since the age of 6. Being involved with both an individual and a team sport gave me the opportunity to improve myself in different areas. For instance, running is much more of an individual sport and requires you to take a great deal of personal responsibility. If you lose, the only person you can blame is yourself. It taught me that if I fail, it is not necessarily because of someone else. It made me look at myself before trying to blame someone else for my failings. I remember the first time I officially participated in a running race; my heart was beating out of my chest. I couldn’t stop staring at the finish line, 100 meters have never seemed so far away. My coach and my parents watching me in the tribune, I walked down to the starting line. As me and the other athletes were set in position, the starting commands were heard: ‘‘on your marks’’ and ‘’set’’. Right after the starter’s gun was fired, I started running. Even from the beginning I didn’t believe in myself and I ended up losing the race. Dealing with defeat for the first time was challenging; however, over the time I learned to accept the fact that losing is a part of playing sports. I have learned confidence, as well as tolerance, through running. I used to get nervous to compete with strangers, because I thought they were all better than me and that I wouldn’t stand a chance against them. There are good days and bad days; an athlete cannot win all the time. Winning isnâ€