Exchange Does Lead to Empathy

Steve and Bachir at a recent Sounders game.

A pick-up soccer game one spring weekend where Bachir joined in.

It was February 24, 2024, in Benaroya Hall where I met Steve. It was my first day representing my country in front of such a mass of people in the United States. It was while talking with the visitors that Steve approached me because he wanted to know more about my country Niger and explained to me that he is a fan of music, especially that of Mali and also that of my country Niger.
We exchanged business cards and then one day he contacted me so we could meet up for coffee. When we met, we talked about our work, our experiences and our interests. During this conversation we all noticed that we have one thing in common, which is playing Soccer and he let me know that they have a team and that they play every Thursday evening and Sunday morning.
Each time, he drove me from the house to the field and from the field back to the house and I played Soccer with them on my first day.
From that day we became friends and their team let me know that I really fit their game, until one of them surprised me and gave me new shoes, and since that day I became friends with the whole team, all the teammates want to play with me.
I understood that there are still good people in this world. Steve really put himself in my place to feel what a person like me coming from a country 7,031 miles away is experiencing because Steve was in my situation when he lived in Europe. He understood what it's like to live in a country to which we don't belong. It really pushes me to open my heart more and to keep a value which is empathy wherever I go.

Bachir Laouali Ousmane
Community Engagement Exchange Fellow