Cerritos College tennis player Nathan Eshmade is adjusting to life in the United States after coming from Australia and being here for three weeks.
“I haven’t been here very long, so far it’s really enjoyable,” Eshmade said.
Eshmade was hesitant at first to come to the United States, but decided that he could not turn down such an opportunity.
“I was offered a scholarship when I was 17. But I was young and didn’t want to go,” Eshmade added.
“A year later they asked me again and I thought, I had nothing to lose and I might as well try something new. I thought it was a fantastic opportunity.”
Eshmade had many choices on what school he would attend, but he chose to play at Cerritos College.
“When I was talking to different coaches they introduced me to Alvin (Kim, head coach) who had been fantastic,” Eshmade said.
“My parents had been really happy with him.”
Eshmade added, “This is all just a learning experience for me being in a JC. When I transfer, I want to make sure that it’s a great school.”
Eshmade has had to adjust to the different culture, in addition to leaving family and friends behind.
“Missing family and friends is the hardest thing for me as well as getting used to all the different culture. Tennis here is more serious and structured compared to where I come (from). It’s taken seriously but we are more social. I liked that aspect about it.”
Despite being here a short amount of time, Eshmade is meshing well with his new teammates.
“It’s different having an Australian player on the team,” said teammate Mathew Espiritu.
“His choice of words are very different. He’s showed us a lot of things from Australia. He gets along with us very easily and he’s a very friendly guy. He likes it here.”
Eshmade’s playing style is also different compared to the rest of the team.
“He’s more of an attacker. He goes to the net a lot more,” said coach Kim.
“We attribute it to the Australian way of playing which is a lot of certain ball movements.”
Espiritu added, “He’s more consistent with his play, He’s very patient.”
Eshmade had always had aspirations to attend the University of Southern California. However, he is leaving his options open as his major is still undecided.
He is searching for a good school, with a good community and a good tennis program.
“The idea is to study, get used to the environment and keep training for tennis. Depending on all the results if I can keep going like this, more doors are going to open for me.”
Whether or not Eshmade will make the decision to go back to Australia after finishing school is still up in the air.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to go back at the moment. There’s not a night that goes by that I don’t miss my friends and my family. All my friends and my teammates here have made it really easy for me with texting and talking to me. It’s been really comfortable for me so far. It’s very good.”
