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There are few languages in this world that can defy cultural boundaries. The language of human suffering or happiness are ones that instantly pop to mind. No matter who you are or where you're from, the sight of a crying woman or laughing baby invokes a certain understanding about that person that is solid and definable. An Indian, Chinese, Australian, American, Iraqi, Mexican, Greek or Ethiopian will all understand the same thing in the same instant. It is a language that is completely human, and we all grow up speaking it.

Yesterday I discovered another international language in which I am quite fluent--the language of soccer.

Inspired by yesterdays unseasonably warm sun and clear sky, my flatmates and I headed for Hyde Park with a soccer ball and sense of ambition -- what can I say, we pack light. We found a sunny patch of grass in the middle of the park that was just begging for some company and began to play. We started out with some awkward passes before moving into a game of keep away. A few minutes later we were approached by a collection of characters from all over the world. Really, it was like the cast of It's A Small World from Disney-- several Australians, a Greek, two Indians, a Russian and then our squadron of five Americans. They were looking for some people to assemble a pick-up game, and we were just crazy enough to agree.

After the teams were divided up our game began. Though nobody had introduced names we were able to communicate nonetheless. "Hey, hey, hey" means "give me the ball" in every language. A knowing look before a throw-in means "this ball is coming to you." And my favorite, "AIEAH" means "Oh Shit! They scored!"

Though we were all strangers from different lands, an hour and a half under the warming London sun with a soccer ball was enough to make us friends. I headed home with dirt smeared calves, a slight pull in my thigh and a powdery face from where the sweat had dried. Never in my time here have I felt so whole and satisfied. Getting back on a soccer field was in a way like finding a home here -- albeit in the center of Hyde Park!