This archive report was first published on 7 May 2020.
Corazone Aquino, a 21-year-old midfielder for the Kenyan national team, has been living in Ourem, Portugal, since January. She signed a year-long deal with Atletico Ouriense, a Portuguese second division team, but her experience has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 1, 2020, the Covid-19 outbreak led to a lockdown in Portugal, forcing Aquino to isolate herself from her teammates. Despite the challenges, she remains hopeful that things will get better with time.
"I had just started getting comfortable with the new teammates, and even played my debut match where we lost 2-1 but it was a good experience since I got a chance to get into rhythm with my teammates," Aquino said in a phone interview.
However, the pandemic has forced Aquino to be more disciplined in working out and keeping her body in tune while maintaining social distancing from the rest of the team. She receives workout routine videos from her coaches three times a week, which helps her stay fit and focused.
"Lack of training together as a team has obviously pulled me back in terms of staying fit. But I'm glad our coaches send us work out routine videos thrice a week keeping us on toes and also reminding us to maintain our discipline while off the pitch," Aquino added.
Before the pandemic, Aquino was already experiencing some challenges as a foreigner in Portugal. She faced a language barrier, which she is slowly overcoming by learning to speak Portuguese and incorporating English in her communication with the team.
"Aside from the language barrier problem which I'm slowly overcoming by learning to speak Portuguese and also incorporating English in our communication within the team, I'm afraid that the food and weather will take longer to get used to, especially the cold that is unbearable," Aquino said.
Now, Aquino and her teammates are facing a new challenge of financially sustaining themselves, as they are receiving half of their usual monthly salaries since the team is not making as much money.
