12/29 - I realize the last post on here was incredibly negative, and I feel bad about that. It may sound like I wasn't happy to be back in California for Christmas, but I guess I just wanted to go back home, which is in the UK. I had a good time seeing my parents again and an old friend. Now if only they would make the trip overseas to see me here! That's what would really make me happy.
The journey back to Poole was simply easy. The trek to California last week was as bad as it could have been. This time was the complete opposite, as it was incredibly smooth, like sailing on water in the early morning with no wind or choppy seas. It definitely helps when you have something to read, such as 50 Shades of Grey (nothing like reading smut while flying).
I got back to London at about 7 a.m. I've only been away for a week, but it's suddenly winter in England. I came back to frost. But there were no clouds today. When the sun is out in England, it's absolutely stunning. So riding the bus and train back to Poole was so incredibly enjoyable because of the fact sitting in the sun on the train makes you just a little bit warm, thus making it much too easy to sleep, even with music blaring in your ears. The train is my favorite way to travel.
30/12 - Uh oh.
Walking around town today, I realized things are no longer new. Everything is familiar, and gone is the novelty of living in a new country. I barely hear the accent anymore too, but I don't want to say that's a bad thing though. It could be me just wanting to move on and go to a new place and do something different. Could it be the feeling of being static? Like I've stood still lately, not accomplishing a lot? But really, I need to step back and keep sight of what I'm doing and where I am, which is exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be.
31/12 - It's New Years Eve, so I'm going to take a look back at the year I've had. This was the year I did something about what I wanted to do. I took action, and it paid off well.
I started off the year fresh off a terrible experience renting out a room in the Central Valley and scrambling to find a temporary place to stay. Most of this year saw me working an awesome job covering high school sports for a newspaper in Porterville. It was fun, and I found out I can handle that job by myself over the summer. I met some awesome people in that city, and it was tough to leave. I remember how I left the paper just as people in the community were getting to know who I was. I left right when I started to feel comfortable with my role, and sometimes I wonder what it would have been like had I stayed.
I talked to some professional athletes, including the captain of the U.S. water polo team and the winner of the 2014 Women's British Open. I participated in a mud run, drove a race car in an actual race and moved to another country. This time last year, basketball season in Porterville was just beginning. Now I'm living in Poole, England back in school and struggling to focus on these assignments. It's like two different lives I've lived.
Sometimes I miss Porterville, and that includes CrossFit 559. But there's pretty much nothing similar to my life here compared to Porterville. I took my old life, ripped it up and uprooted myself. The result has been me getting established in a new community with new friends, though I won't ever forget my friends in the states.
There's too much to write here about what I did over the year, but I'll say this: I'm proud of myself for doing what I did. It took guts and it was a massive change. But I've realized I don't want to get comfortable in one place for too long. Otherwise I'll just feel the need to move on.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Travel from hell
12/24 - I've had some bad travel experiences, like missing my flight back to London from Barcelona or breaking down in a car. But Tuesday was hands down the worst experience I've ever had traveling, or will ever have the rest of my life. Just think how you'd feel if you were forced to withstand the combination of cold weather, trains and buses in England, long walks through airports and 12 hours of flying, all while struggling through sickness.
Because I had a headache, a cough that made it worse, weakness and lack of energy I was generally angry on Tuesday, and I was saturated with negative thoughts. Here I'll give some examples.
-The flight from Heathrow was delayed 20 minutes. The pilot apologized to everyone over the loudspeaker.
"Oh, fuck off. You suck."
-An hour into the flight, over Ireland:
"I'm completely miserable. Can this flight just end? Can I jump out and hang glide back to America?"
-I was sitting next to a couple Asian women, who were talking:
"Shut the hell up. Your language isn't pretty."
-At customs in Chicago, where the officer asked me where I've been, I said I was at school, but I thought:
"None of your fucking business."
-Going through security again in Chicago, putting my hands up in that machine, taking my shoes off and getting frisked afterwards:
"You all are useless, power-tripping dickheads. Don't touch me. I've been flying for more than eight hours today. Don't fucking test me."
Add in the fact both my ears plugged up landing in Chicago so I felt like I was underwater, and this all added up to a delicious mixture of misery, annoyance, savage rudeness, aches and endurance. It was totally, completely awful; a real nightmare. But the most important thing I can take away is the fact the journey back across America and the pond to Europe will be far better because I've nearly recovered. I can also use that day as a frame of reference as to what rock bottom feels like while traveling. I made it through that, so anything else can and will be bearable.
12/27 - Christmas, in hindsight, was very mellow and relaxed. I was able to see an old friend and meet a new one in Sacramento. But four days home went by very quickly and now it's time to go back to the UK. This is the time of year for family, what Christmas should ultimately be about.
I'll be flying back completely healthy this time, and I'm looking forward to the flight. See you in England.
Because I had a headache, a cough that made it worse, weakness and lack of energy I was generally angry on Tuesday, and I was saturated with negative thoughts. Here I'll give some examples.
-The flight from Heathrow was delayed 20 minutes. The pilot apologized to everyone over the loudspeaker.
"Oh, fuck off. You suck."
-An hour into the flight, over Ireland:
"I'm completely miserable. Can this flight just end? Can I jump out and hang glide back to America?"
-I was sitting next to a couple Asian women, who were talking:
"Shut the hell up. Your language isn't pretty."
-At customs in Chicago, where the officer asked me where I've been, I said I was at school, but I thought:
"None of your fucking business."
-Going through security again in Chicago, putting my hands up in that machine, taking my shoes off and getting frisked afterwards:
"You all are useless, power-tripping dickheads. Don't touch me. I've been flying for more than eight hours today. Don't fucking test me."
Add in the fact both my ears plugged up landing in Chicago so I felt like I was underwater, and this all added up to a delicious mixture of misery, annoyance, savage rudeness, aches and endurance. It was totally, completely awful; a real nightmare. But the most important thing I can take away is the fact the journey back across America and the pond to Europe will be far better because I've nearly recovered. I can also use that day as a frame of reference as to what rock bottom feels like while traveling. I made it through that, so anything else can and will be bearable.
12/27 - Christmas, in hindsight, was very mellow and relaxed. I was able to see an old friend and meet a new one in Sacramento. But four days home went by very quickly and now it's time to go back to the UK. This is the time of year for family, what Christmas should ultimately be about.
I'll be flying back completely healthy this time, and I'm looking forward to the flight. See you in England.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sick, but thankful
I'm getting sick again. Always at the perfect time! I have chills, a headache and a cough. It started after I finished at Charlotte's house digging up the dead tree and mowing more grass. As a result of this, I missed both shows today because I fell asleep on my bed. I had a chance to walk up the hill, but I had no energy to do so. So I stayed inside away from cold weather.
But with that being said, I can't complain; I landed an awesome opportunity here. If I was religious, this would be that much more fantastic because once you walk around the estate you see figures and statues of Christ everywhere. There are a few picturesque ponds around the grounds as well; in fact Charlotte's daughter was married here this past summer.
12/21 - I'm at the point where I'm just sleeping, trying to get rid of this cold. This sucks because I feel like a useless burden. I rested most of the day yesterday after getting some material ready for the torches. Tonight is the cast party, since this is the final night of the play. I hope I'm a bit better for that.
On another note, Christmas is exhausting. It has become the holiday where you can only show how much you care for others based on how much money you spend. It's the advertisements that scream at you to buy things at a reduced cost. It's the Christmas songs that strongly encourage you to buy stuff to get into the holiday spirit. And Black Friday? Disgusting. It's another one of those American things that has come to the UK, and there are Brits who hate it. It's the holiday where people spend too much money they don't have on things no one really needs. How did it devolve into materialistic greed? It's shallow.
22/12 - I'm leaving Wintershall Estate having been sick since Friday and essentially confined to the bed a lot of the time. This morning I felt well enough to offer my help to Duncan, but after about an hour of disassembling the car park, I could tell I shouldn't have been exerting myself like that. So I shut it down. I did make it to the final show of the week but I had a massive headache afterward.
Though I was sick for half the time I was here, I was still able to have a great experience. I'm so thankful these people took in a total stranger and gave me a week to get a feel for the life here. It's beautiful in the winter; I can only imagine what it's like in the summer when everything is green. I've had an experience I wouldn't normally have if I was doing the normal tourist thing. Just visiting a big city for a few days doesn't give you the feel of the people. I think coming to Wintershall was incredibly meaningful, and I feel lucky to have found it.
But with that being said, I can't complain; I landed an awesome opportunity here. If I was religious, this would be that much more fantastic because once you walk around the estate you see figures and statues of Christ everywhere. There are a few picturesque ponds around the grounds as well; in fact Charlotte's daughter was married here this past summer.
12/21 - I'm at the point where I'm just sleeping, trying to get rid of this cold. This sucks because I feel like a useless burden. I rested most of the day yesterday after getting some material ready for the torches. Tonight is the cast party, since this is the final night of the play. I hope I'm a bit better for that.
On another note, Christmas is exhausting. It has become the holiday where you can only show how much you care for others based on how much money you spend. It's the advertisements that scream at you to buy things at a reduced cost. It's the Christmas songs that strongly encourage you to buy stuff to get into the holiday spirit. And Black Friday? Disgusting. It's another one of those American things that has come to the UK, and there are Brits who hate it. It's the holiday where people spend too much money they don't have on things no one really needs. How did it devolve into materialistic greed? It's shallow.
22/12 - I'm leaving Wintershall Estate having been sick since Friday and essentially confined to the bed a lot of the time. This morning I felt well enough to offer my help to Duncan, but after about an hour of disassembling the car park, I could tell I shouldn't have been exerting myself like that. So I shut it down. I did make it to the final show of the week but I had a massive headache afterward.
Though I was sick for half the time I was here, I was still able to have a great experience. I'm so thankful these people took in a total stranger and gave me a week to get a feel for the life here. It's beautiful in the winter; I can only imagine what it's like in the summer when everything is green. I've had an experience I wouldn't normally have if I was doing the normal tourist thing. Just visiting a big city for a few days doesn't give you the feel of the people. I think coming to Wintershall was incredibly meaningful, and I feel lucky to have found it.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
London and a dark walk through the woods
17/12 - There's no such thing as a quick trip to London.
I went with everyone involved in the play to London, where I helped set up props, move chairs and anything else needed of me. It was good to get some heavy lifting done before vanishing in a city of 15 million people.
In my few hours to run around, I specifically chose to go back to Waterloo Station and walk down Stamford Street, and it was great how familiar it was. However, I did see our local pub from three years ago, the Stamford Arms, is no longer there. It's now the The Thirsty Bear. I also spent at least an hour in Tate Modern, but the rest of the time was spent getting lost in neighborhoods and riding the Tube.
And while I was walking down Oxford Street and attempting to dodge bulky Christmas shoppers while looking in stores, I had a thought come to me. If I was given £1,000 just to buy clothes in Oxford Street, I don't know what I'd do. I have a feeling I'd just browse like I always do and not spend anything without feeling guilty. I hate clothes shopping, especially for new clothes. That's because I feel like it's wasteful in part of my mind. There's plenty of awesome used clothes out there, and it's more fun to find something that looks great for cheap.
I also lost my key to the main house here at the Estate, so I rode back from London with Duncan and Chris. It's fun to ride in a lorey (cargo truck) with an impatient British guy at the wheel.
18/12 - Staying at the estate is great. It's silent most of the time, with the occasional airplane overhead, wind rustling trees in the distance and periodic outbreaks of gunfire which comes from hunting pheasant (which sort of sounds like a chicken itself). I spent probably three hours working today in preparation for the play in the barn at the top of the hill. It's tradition to place torches along the trail to the barn, and I made 15 torches from scratch. I also spread out numerous bails of straw (at the expense of my eyes and nose).
I met Charlotte's husband, Rupert today. We sat down at the kitchen table and had lunch together, and I'm starting to realize how much fun it is to sit down with people you like and just eat together. Rupert lives in Scotland, sometimes works in East London and is perpetually stressed. We had a good discussion about how Scotland is riding England's coat tails in terms of economic success (he is actually Scottish but has an English accent because he was educated in England). This is another great benefit of traveling this way; you get to meet local people and learn about regional dynamics.
But Charlotte showed me the path to her house through the woods. In daylight it's simple. But at night it's much different. I walked here through the dark so I can cook myself something (Charlotte is off to London). Just imagine walking through the woods with no light. The crunch of gravel underfoot, the unstable step and squelch through unforeseen muddy grass and your night vision coming in gradually. Eventually you can see things close by or in light colors, such as a stick from a birch tree. Though you have some sight, it doesn't change how menacing gnarled trees look around you or how foreboding the inky black path ahead looks. And every second you walk you expect to hear something else besides the whisper of the wind, like the chirp of an animal, snapping twigs, rustling leaves on the ground, or freakiest of all, a voice. (I should say the walk was just 10 minutes and I had a flashlight on my iPhone, but I didn't use it because I'm just too hardcore.)
I went with everyone involved in the play to London, where I helped set up props, move chairs and anything else needed of me. It was good to get some heavy lifting done before vanishing in a city of 15 million people.
In my few hours to run around, I specifically chose to go back to Waterloo Station and walk down Stamford Street, and it was great how familiar it was. However, I did see our local pub from three years ago, the Stamford Arms, is no longer there. It's now the The Thirsty Bear. I also spent at least an hour in Tate Modern, but the rest of the time was spent getting lost in neighborhoods and riding the Tube.
First floor of Tate Modern
Kings College at Stamford Street where I first stayed in London
All Souls Church
And while I was walking down Oxford Street and attempting to dodge bulky Christmas shoppers while looking in stores, I had a thought come to me. If I was given £1,000 just to buy clothes in Oxford Street, I don't know what I'd do. I have a feeling I'd just browse like I always do and not spend anything without feeling guilty. I hate clothes shopping, especially for new clothes. That's because I feel like it's wasteful in part of my mind. There's plenty of awesome used clothes out there, and it's more fun to find something that looks great for cheap.
I also lost my key to the main house here at the Estate, so I rode back from London with Duncan and Chris. It's fun to ride in a lorey (cargo truck) with an impatient British guy at the wheel.
18/12 - Staying at the estate is great. It's silent most of the time, with the occasional airplane overhead, wind rustling trees in the distance and periodic outbreaks of gunfire which comes from hunting pheasant (which sort of sounds like a chicken itself). I spent probably three hours working today in preparation for the play in the barn at the top of the hill. It's tradition to place torches along the trail to the barn, and I made 15 torches from scratch. I also spread out numerous bails of straw (at the expense of my eyes and nose).
I met Charlotte's husband, Rupert today. We sat down at the kitchen table and had lunch together, and I'm starting to realize how much fun it is to sit down with people you like and just eat together. Rupert lives in Scotland, sometimes works in East London and is perpetually stressed. We had a good discussion about how Scotland is riding England's coat tails in terms of economic success (he is actually Scottish but has an English accent because he was educated in England). This is another great benefit of traveling this way; you get to meet local people and learn about regional dynamics.
But Charlotte showed me the path to her house through the woods. In daylight it's simple. But at night it's much different. I walked here through the dark so I can cook myself something (Charlotte is off to London). Just imagine walking through the woods with no light. The crunch of gravel underfoot, the unstable step and squelch through unforeseen muddy grass and your night vision coming in gradually. Eventually you can see things close by or in light colors, such as a stick from a birch tree. Though you have some sight, it doesn't change how menacing gnarled trees look around you or how foreboding the inky black path ahead looks. And every second you walk you expect to hear something else besides the whisper of the wind, like the chirp of an animal, snapping twigs, rustling leaves on the ground, or freakiest of all, a voice. (I should say the walk was just 10 minutes and I had a flashlight on my iPhone, but I didn't use it because I'm just too hardcore.)
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Wintershall Estate
16/12 - On Sunday I skyped with a family from La Almunia, Spain. The man I've been in contact with, Felix, has a wife and two children, both of whom are younger than 10 years old. They all seemed very friendly. Felix has been learning English for a couple years for his work, but he's still a bit limited. He wants his children to learn the language early in life because younger people have minds like a sponge; it's easier for them. He said he wanted to move to England to be more immersed in the language, but it's too expensive.
He and his family have hosted two volunteers before. Felix said he usually hosts volunteers for longer amounts of time, like six, seven weeks because not only is it good for his family to have a native English speaker in the house consistently, it's also good for the other person to be immersed in the language as well, so there's benefits to both parties. I also demonstrated I have a basic understanding of Spanish, so that was a plus for them. I learned his son is very shy, but play soccer with him and he quickly opens up.
So essentially I was invited to come to their place over the summer. After I finished speaking to them, I felt a very nice buzz. They were very nice, and I'll try to stay in contact with them. Now, about this WorkAway...
I've been dropped into an episode of Downton Abbey.
Charlotte, the woman I got in contact with, lives on Wintershall Estate (Google it!) in Guildford. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hutley (NOT Peter and Anne) own the property. It's 1,000 acres, complete with donkeys that nay early in the morning (like a rooster), horses, thousands of sheep, pheasants and other animals. There's Duncan the groundskeeper slash maintenance guy I follow around most of the time, Chris, an extra hand from Poland and various other office workers I've met. Charlotte has a brother-in-law here who is a famous sculptor and has statues in London, Hong Kong, the hill on the estate and other places. Apparently he's world famous.
I arrived on Monday in the middle of a stressful time for everyone because they're just about to show a large and elaborate play about the Nativity Scene and the birth of Christ on the property, so the theater at the top of the hill and the surrounding area have to be prepped. The whole group will be performing the play at the BBC in London today, and I'll join them, but not before I get to wander around on my own in Central London again, this time visiting Tate Modern. The play will take place at Wintershall twice a day starting on Thursday and ending on Sunday. I saw the play Monday night, and it's very elaborate. It should be great to see on Thursday.
But yesterday was mostly Charlotte and I cleaning up her garden. She has an awesome little cottage at Wintershall that is surrounded by an overgrown and gnarly garden (which is what I think a garden/yard should look like). We spent the afternoon mowing the lawns, pruning trees and shrubs and digging up a dead tree. By the time we had no more light at 4:30 p.m., the yard actually looked bigger. Duncan loaned me a pair of galoshes and a big luminescent safety jacket so my feet won't get soaked and I won't freeze, because I didn't exactly come prepared for work.
Charlotte has cooked for me the whole time I've been here. In fact she was waiting for me in the train station with a baked potato and tuna salad for me. The first night I had pheasant (hunted right here on the Estate), potatoes and peas. Then tonight she made some sort of fish cake, potatoes, spinach and Brussels sprouts. Both times were delicious. Everyone has been super friendly so far; just from the time I've spent here I've learned three things:
-I love being spontaneous. This time last week I didn't know I'd be here.
-I'm incredibly lucky to be here.
-This is way better than doing the tourist thing in some random city. It's a much better experience and infinitely more rewarding.
Oh, and my bathroom is bigger than my whole dorm room, so that's definitely cool.
He and his family have hosted two volunteers before. Felix said he usually hosts volunteers for longer amounts of time, like six, seven weeks because not only is it good for his family to have a native English speaker in the house consistently, it's also good for the other person to be immersed in the language as well, so there's benefits to both parties. I also demonstrated I have a basic understanding of Spanish, so that was a plus for them. I learned his son is very shy, but play soccer with him and he quickly opens up.
So essentially I was invited to come to their place over the summer. After I finished speaking to them, I felt a very nice buzz. They were very nice, and I'll try to stay in contact with them. Now, about this WorkAway...
I've been dropped into an episode of Downton Abbey.
Charlotte, the woman I got in contact with, lives on Wintershall Estate (Google it!) in Guildford. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hutley (NOT Peter and Anne) own the property. It's 1,000 acres, complete with donkeys that nay early in the morning (like a rooster), horses, thousands of sheep, pheasants and other animals. There's Duncan the groundskeeper slash maintenance guy I follow around most of the time, Chris, an extra hand from Poland and various other office workers I've met. Charlotte has a brother-in-law here who is a famous sculptor and has statues in London, Hong Kong, the hill on the estate and other places. Apparently he's world famous.
This is where I'm sleeping.
I arrived on Monday in the middle of a stressful time for everyone because they're just about to show a large and elaborate play about the Nativity Scene and the birth of Christ on the property, so the theater at the top of the hill and the surrounding area have to be prepped. The whole group will be performing the play at the BBC in London today, and I'll join them, but not before I get to wander around on my own in Central London again, this time visiting Tate Modern. The play will take place at Wintershall twice a day starting on Thursday and ending on Sunday. I saw the play Monday night, and it's very elaborate. It should be great to see on Thursday.
But yesterday was mostly Charlotte and I cleaning up her garden. She has an awesome little cottage at Wintershall that is surrounded by an overgrown and gnarly garden (which is what I think a garden/yard should look like). We spent the afternoon mowing the lawns, pruning trees and shrubs and digging up a dead tree. By the time we had no more light at 4:30 p.m., the yard actually looked bigger. Duncan loaned me a pair of galoshes and a big luminescent safety jacket so my feet won't get soaked and I won't freeze, because I didn't exactly come prepared for work.
Charlotte has cooked for me the whole time I've been here. In fact she was waiting for me in the train station with a baked potato and tuna salad for me. The first night I had pheasant (hunted right here on the Estate), potatoes and peas. Then tonight she made some sort of fish cake, potatoes, spinach and Brussels sprouts. Both times were delicious. Everyone has been super friendly so far; just from the time I've spent here I've learned three things:
-I love being spontaneous. This time last week I didn't know I'd be here.
-I'm incredibly lucky to be here.
-This is way better than doing the tourist thing in some random city. It's a much better experience and infinitely more rewarding.
Oh, and my bathroom is bigger than my whole dorm room, so that's definitely cool.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
WorkAway for a week and Crystal Palace
13/12 - The past couple days have been very slow, but I have made some progress on one of my remaining assignments. I think there's too much time between now and the hand-in date in the middle of January.
I saw a stand-up comedian with Bill Thursday night named Mark Steel at the Lighthouse. There were a few references I didn't understand because I'm not British, but for the most part it was great. The guy went on for three hours and the ticket was just £13. Steel was good because he was engaging with the audience, and at one point he spent five whole minutes making fun of someone who actually got up in the middle of the act to go to the bathroom. And when the guy came back with a beer, Steel saw him and shouted, "you cheeky fucker!"
Yesterday was similarly as slow, but I met some of my football teammates and played some soccer on campus on the artificial turf. It was a fantastic way to end the week. But now I've tracked piles of those little black rubber chunks into my room.
But I've been looking forward to today since at least October. I'm going to London to see Crystal Palace play Stoke City at Selhurst Park with Bill. We're being given rides by a couple of his friends. This'll be great because I think Crystal Palace has some of the best fans in the Premier League, and also because I really don't like Stoke City so I'll try to find a way to shout insults at the players.
--Later--
Driving around London is excruciating. It's making me want to live there less and less. It's essentially one big maze that takes hours to get across, fighting through holiday traffic and navigating never-ending neighborhoods. Selhurst Park is in South London, and since there's no Tube station nearby (there's so many more Tube stations in North London compared to the South) driving is the only way there. But the stadium is cut into the side of a hill that overlooks a large part of the city, and it reminded me a little bit of San Francisco with the houses tiered going up the hill.
And of course, there's the obligatory trek through the neighborhood to the park. On the way there I was told by Bill and his friends to not really expect anything with Crystal Palace, otherwise you'll just be disappointed. But I wanted Palace to beat Stoke, because I really don't like Stoke City for what they always do to Arsenal and the fact their fans are tongue-chewing trolls.
I saw a stand-up comedian with Bill Thursday night named Mark Steel at the Lighthouse. There were a few references I didn't understand because I'm not British, but for the most part it was great. The guy went on for three hours and the ticket was just £13. Steel was good because he was engaging with the audience, and at one point he spent five whole minutes making fun of someone who actually got up in the middle of the act to go to the bathroom. And when the guy came back with a beer, Steel saw him and shouted, "you cheeky fucker!"
Yesterday was similarly as slow, but I met some of my football teammates and played some soccer on campus on the artificial turf. It was a fantastic way to end the week. But now I've tracked piles of those little black rubber chunks into my room.
But I've been looking forward to today since at least October. I'm going to London to see Crystal Palace play Stoke City at Selhurst Park with Bill. We're being given rides by a couple of his friends. This'll be great because I think Crystal Palace has some of the best fans in the Premier League, and also because I really don't like Stoke City so I'll try to find a way to shout insults at the players.
--Later--
Driving around London is excruciating. It's making me want to live there less and less. It's essentially one big maze that takes hours to get across, fighting through holiday traffic and navigating never-ending neighborhoods. Selhurst Park is in South London, and since there's no Tube station nearby (there's so many more Tube stations in North London compared to the South) driving is the only way there. But the stadium is cut into the side of a hill that overlooks a large part of the city, and it reminded me a little bit of San Francisco with the houses tiered going up the hill.
And of course, there's the obligatory trek through the neighborhood to the park. On the way there I was told by Bill and his friends to not really expect anything with Crystal Palace, otherwise you'll just be disappointed. But I wanted Palace to beat Stoke, because I really don't like Stoke City for what they always do to Arsenal and the fact their fans are tongue-chewing trolls.
That's Peter Crouch (I believe) of Stoke City heading the ball. Perfect timing.
I like "Super Selhurst." Palace fans say it's a hole, but there's something great about it. It's very loud and cozy, and to be honest I prefer this stadium, which had about 23,000 people in the seats today, to Arsenal's stadium, which can hold 60,000 people, because the atmosphere is much better. And the toilets? It's just one long line of people peeing in one big trench below the stand, so I got four out of the five senses involved today! Palace drew 1-1 with Stoke City, which was a little disappointing because I wanted Stoke to lose. Badly. But the day was still great and it was a completely different experience to the Barcelona game (mostly due to the fact Barcelona has the best player in the world and is one of the three best teams in the world). I will most definitely go to another Palace game
There's one thing I noticed today. Driving on the left side of the road, the accents, everything that used to be different...just isn't anymore.
There's one more thing to report. WorkAway has come through. In an act of total spontaneity, a woman agreed to host me for a week in Guildford (on the south west outskirts of London) beginning Monday. There I'll help with yardwork and with logistics for a play she's producing in London. I'll have a room to my own, I won't have to buy food and hopefully it turns out great, which it should. Her name is Charlotte. This is her first experience with a volunteer through WorkAway as well, so we're both WorkAway virgins. She did say she wished she asked for references, but I think she'll be just fine with me. And as you all, especially Brent, can attest to, inviting me, a total stranger, over to your place to help with chores and labor isn't a particularly bad idea.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
End of term
7/12 - We lost 28-0 at Southampton today. Again, it wasn't the best performance from the whole team, but we held the Stags to just one score in the second half.
Today was the first day I've felt confident playing linebacker in a game. I also realized the kind of mindset you should have to be successful is this: nothing or no one will get in my way to the runner with the ball. Don't be afraid of contact. Hustle to the ball. Play without fear. Play like you're having fun. Have a desire to be the first person to reach the runner. Be violent. It takes a while to grow into that mindset, but I'm finally understanding it.
I'm enjoying the violent aspect of the game. During certain plays I find myself in a physical battle with another player on the offensive line. We come in contact once, but then the play extends down the field, so we get a couple more shots at each other, complete with lowered shoulders, grunts and jarring change of direction. And when the play is over, we pat each other on the helmet to say "good job."
If I connected a microphone to myself, I think I'd hear growling and guttural sounds during plays, curse words and screams of frustration. It's like my inner caveman is being released during this game and I turn into some humanoid creature that doesn't belong in modern society. In this state I don't fully register getting a facemask to the forearm or other impacts to my arms that create bruises. But at other times, like right now, I quite like the fact I have bruises, a lump on my right forearm from contact with a facemask, two sore hip flexors, a hip and a thigh. I'm exhausted and sore, but it makes me feel like I'm getting the full experience of playing real American football.
This is the perfect sport for someone to use as either an outlet for excess aggression, or for someone looking to get more aggressive or assertive. It's essentially war, modern day gladiators. Drive your shoulder into someone. Punch those blocks away. Hit anything that comes your way. It's barbaric, but I like it.
9/12 - I completed my speech today. Again, there were a few things that have never happened to me before. The first of which is the fact I volunteered to go first, and also the fact I actually practiced the speech the night before. I felt nervous, but I kept reminding myself that English is my first language, unlike four of my classmates, and that calmed me down a bit. And really, if I can be totally comfortable during a nude photoshoot, I can stand in front of eight people fully clothed and make a speech.
It was such a relief to be finished with the speech. I felt exactly as how I predicted I'd feel, which is incredibly relieved. I also noticed I began to feel more comfortable near the end of the speech, though my mouth was still dry and my voice shook a bit. I've noticed as I get older things don't seem to be as big a deal. Just relax.
One last thing: next term doesn't begin until February. So I'll finish my three essays and go travel somewhere. I have plenty of time. It's almost too much time. I'm thinking about going to Amsterdam, Paris, Germany or Scotland...or Hadrian's Wall. So many choices. And recently I've thought about going to Finland or Norway to try to see the Northern Lights.
11/12 - I'm getting sick. It happened at most opportune time, too, as there was a Christmas social with the football team last night. I had the chills, a headache, stuffy sinuses and felt a bit dizzy, but I told people I was going to be there. I stayed for less than an hour I think, just to say hi and show off my Christmas sweater, which was easily the best and most unique.
Today was the first day I've felt confident playing linebacker in a game. I also realized the kind of mindset you should have to be successful is this: nothing or no one will get in my way to the runner with the ball. Don't be afraid of contact. Hustle to the ball. Play without fear. Play like you're having fun. Have a desire to be the first person to reach the runner. Be violent. It takes a while to grow into that mindset, but I'm finally understanding it.
I'm enjoying the violent aspect of the game. During certain plays I find myself in a physical battle with another player on the offensive line. We come in contact once, but then the play extends down the field, so we get a couple more shots at each other, complete with lowered shoulders, grunts and jarring change of direction. And when the play is over, we pat each other on the helmet to say "good job."
If I connected a microphone to myself, I think I'd hear growling and guttural sounds during plays, curse words and screams of frustration. It's like my inner caveman is being released during this game and I turn into some humanoid creature that doesn't belong in modern society. In this state I don't fully register getting a facemask to the forearm or other impacts to my arms that create bruises. But at other times, like right now, I quite like the fact I have bruises, a lump on my right forearm from contact with a facemask, two sore hip flexors, a hip and a thigh. I'm exhausted and sore, but it makes me feel like I'm getting the full experience of playing real American football.
This is the perfect sport for someone to use as either an outlet for excess aggression, or for someone looking to get more aggressive or assertive. It's essentially war, modern day gladiators. Drive your shoulder into someone. Punch those blocks away. Hit anything that comes your way. It's barbaric, but I like it.
9/12 - I completed my speech today. Again, there were a few things that have never happened to me before. The first of which is the fact I volunteered to go first, and also the fact I actually practiced the speech the night before. I felt nervous, but I kept reminding myself that English is my first language, unlike four of my classmates, and that calmed me down a bit. And really, if I can be totally comfortable during a nude photoshoot, I can stand in front of eight people fully clothed and make a speech.
It was such a relief to be finished with the speech. I felt exactly as how I predicted I'd feel, which is incredibly relieved. I also noticed I began to feel more comfortable near the end of the speech, though my mouth was still dry and my voice shook a bit. I've noticed as I get older things don't seem to be as big a deal. Just relax.
One last thing: next term doesn't begin until February. So I'll finish my three essays and go travel somewhere. I have plenty of time. It's almost too much time. I'm thinking about going to Amsterdam, Paris, Germany or Scotland...or Hadrian's Wall. So many choices. And recently I've thought about going to Finland or Norway to try to see the Northern Lights.
11/12 - I'm getting sick. It happened at most opportune time, too, as there was a Christmas social with the football team last night. I had the chills, a headache, stuffy sinuses and felt a bit dizzy, but I told people I was going to be there. I stayed for less than an hour I think, just to say hi and show off my Christmas sweater, which was easily the best and most unique.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Naked on camera
12/2 - The end of the semester is almost over. Wow. That went quickly. My last lecture is next week, and that's the one where I give an oral presentation/speech. I'm looking forward to it, and I volunteered to go first (and then I explained to my classmates me going first would lower the bar for them, thus making them look good). It feels like I've been here for a long time, but the crazy thing is, I've still got so much more to go. I'll be here for a while.
At chalkboard, the football team was disappointed in itself as a whole. We did some great things on both sides of the ball, such as racking up more than 300 yards of offense and getting eight sacks on defense, but we also recorded 12 missed tackles, three fumbles and two interceptions. We made too many mistakes to win. So when Coach Charlie began the meeting, he gave us all flowers to signify the fact we all screwed ourselves over during that game. So the least we can do is give ourselves flowers. He used much more colorful sentence enhancers during the meeting, which aren't appropriate for this blog.
We saw our game film. Charlie pulled a 7-second clip which turned out to be my pass deflection, and he showed it to the whole defense. I know I got a hand on the ball, but until seeing the video, I didn't realize the opposing receiver had the ball in his hands before I knocked it out. I thought I got to it before it even touched his hands. That was surprising. (The video below is obviously much higher quality on my computer, but it got all grainy when I put it here. Oh, well. You can still see what happens.)
12/3 - Today was another day of firsts for me. I woke up very early and got to campus for 8 a.m. football practice to work on coverage on passing situations. It was a good way to start the day, though it was frigidly cold. It got me awake and prepared to get naked on camera later.
That's right. I can now say I've been naked on camera.
I was helping a German girl named Amelie with her photo project (something that is due on Friday, so she left it to the last minute), which involved photographing people shedding a second skin and showing vulnerability. It was an artistic shoot, and I worked with a flesh-colored sheet, so I did poses where I curled into a ball or draped the sheet across my shoulders or around my body. There was another guy named Allan who volunteered himself, and I waited outside until they finished. I think he was a little nervous.
Kate said I was mad to do it, but I honestly felt very comfortable. There was a point where I didn't care if Amelie saw more than necessary; it was liberating, and I found I would much rather do a nude photo shoot than do public speaking. I'd definitely do it again if I had the chance. Now I kind of know what it's like to be photographed for the Body Issue of ESPN the Magazine.
In hindsight, I realized this was another one of those things you don't know if you'll like unless you try it, like eating snails or listening to a different genre of music. It was another chance to grow; I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Plus, it's a great story!
Hopefully I get to see the pictures next week.
At chalkboard, the football team was disappointed in itself as a whole. We did some great things on both sides of the ball, such as racking up more than 300 yards of offense and getting eight sacks on defense, but we also recorded 12 missed tackles, three fumbles and two interceptions. We made too many mistakes to win. So when Coach Charlie began the meeting, he gave us all flowers to signify the fact we all screwed ourselves over during that game. So the least we can do is give ourselves flowers. He used much more colorful sentence enhancers during the meeting, which aren't appropriate for this blog.
We saw our game film. Charlie pulled a 7-second clip which turned out to be my pass deflection, and he showed it to the whole defense. I know I got a hand on the ball, but until seeing the video, I didn't realize the opposing receiver had the ball in his hands before I knocked it out. I thought I got to it before it even touched his hands. That was surprising. (The video below is obviously much higher quality on my computer, but it got all grainy when I put it here. Oh, well. You can still see what happens.)
The guy I knocked the ball away from is the guy who was talking so much trash. I think he ran his mouth after this play, and one of my teammates, Tom, another linebacker, yelled at me to talk back. I told him no, because that's what the other guy wants me to do.
That's right. I can now say I've been naked on camera.
I was helping a German girl named Amelie with her photo project (something that is due on Friday, so she left it to the last minute), which involved photographing people shedding a second skin and showing vulnerability. It was an artistic shoot, and I worked with a flesh-colored sheet, so I did poses where I curled into a ball or draped the sheet across my shoulders or around my body. There was another guy named Allan who volunteered himself, and I waited outside until they finished. I think he was a little nervous.
Kate said I was mad to do it, but I honestly felt very comfortable. There was a point where I didn't care if Amelie saw more than necessary; it was liberating, and I found I would much rather do a nude photo shoot than do public speaking. I'd definitely do it again if I had the chance. Now I kind of know what it's like to be photographed for the Body Issue of ESPN the Magazine.
In hindsight, I realized this was another one of those things you don't know if you'll like unless you try it, like eating snails or listening to a different genre of music. It was another chance to grow; I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Plus, it's a great story!
Hopefully I get to see the pictures next week.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Train of adventures keeps rolling
30/11 - I got a reply from a family near Zaragoza, Spain. They basically asked (in Spanish, but I understood) when I'm free and if we can Skype. This is a family I would stay with in exchange for English lessons, and hopefully Spanish lessons as well. I want to go to Spain sometime in the spring or early summer; that way I can spend a few weeks there, and it doesn't have to be just this one. But it's a positive.
My football team played the University of Chichester today, at their place. It was their first game as a new program, and they weren't that bad, honestly. The quarterback was accurate, and we just couldn't defend their passes. The day ended in a frustrating 28-28 draw, partly because there was just a few minutes of light left.
I played a lot, but I was incredibly disappointed with my own performance. Near the end of the game, after my fourth missed tackle (I missed all my tackle attempts), I got moody and felt like doing nothing but slamming my helmet down in frustration. I get in the right positions, but I can't bring the guy down. I felt that way because I absolutely despise myself for putting in a mediocre performance, and it's not limited to just football. However, there was a play where I had great coverage and batted down a pass, so it's not all bad.
The tie would have been bearable had it not been for the fact Chichester's players talked so much trash, especially their slot receiver. He had something to complain about on every play to the referees and ran his mouth when he beat you down the field but didn't catch the ball. Yes, he scored a few times, but shut your mouth! I found out when blocking him he was very soft. Even I had no trouble jamming him and driving him back. I eventually used the word "wanker" to describe him and wanted to punch him in the face. We might be awarded the win, too, because Chichester didn't have the field ready until about 30 minutes after the planned start time. But that won't feel like a win.
On the way back from Chichester, something else new happened to me: I was hazed in the coach. My train of adventures keeps on rolling. The veterans of the team call out rookies to sing something for them on the bus rides back home. They did that this time, but also called out rookies to strip down naked in their seat. I was one who was called out among at least 10 people. Looking back, I'm proud to say I did it. It wasn't traumatizing, as we only needed to strip down in our seat. It would have been a lot worse if we were forced to parade down the isle or something. I know that kind of stuff is illegal in America, but it was all fun and games. It's part of being on a team like that.
My football team played the University of Chichester today, at their place. It was their first game as a new program, and they weren't that bad, honestly. The quarterback was accurate, and we just couldn't defend their passes. The day ended in a frustrating 28-28 draw, partly because there was just a few minutes of light left.
I played a lot, but I was incredibly disappointed with my own performance. Near the end of the game, after my fourth missed tackle (I missed all my tackle attempts), I got moody and felt like doing nothing but slamming my helmet down in frustration. I get in the right positions, but I can't bring the guy down. I felt that way because I absolutely despise myself for putting in a mediocre performance, and it's not limited to just football. However, there was a play where I had great coverage and batted down a pass, so it's not all bad.
The tie would have been bearable had it not been for the fact Chichester's players talked so much trash, especially their slot receiver. He had something to complain about on every play to the referees and ran his mouth when he beat you down the field but didn't catch the ball. Yes, he scored a few times, but shut your mouth! I found out when blocking him he was very soft. Even I had no trouble jamming him and driving him back. I eventually used the word "wanker" to describe him and wanted to punch him in the face. We might be awarded the win, too, because Chichester didn't have the field ready until about 30 minutes after the planned start time. But that won't feel like a win.
On the way back from Chichester, something else new happened to me: I was hazed in the coach. My train of adventures keeps on rolling. The veterans of the team call out rookies to sing something for them on the bus rides back home. They did that this time, but also called out rookies to strip down naked in their seat. I was one who was called out among at least 10 people. Looking back, I'm proud to say I did it. It wasn't traumatizing, as we only needed to strip down in our seat. It would have been a lot worse if we were forced to parade down the isle or something. I know that kind of stuff is illegal in America, but it was all fun and games. It's part of being on a team like that.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Looking for volunteering opportunities in Spain
25/11 - I've been told several times by different people that I look British. Perhaps it's the short hair and full beard flaked with red. Not sure how I feel about that.
More good news: I've finally registered for WorkAway.com and sent an email to a couple living in Torrox, Spain. They have several acres of land and farm their own food, so they would need help with keeping up this eco project of theirs. The couple is British, but I hope they're fluent with Spanish, as that's my main focus for going on a trip like this. This is the start of something special.
28/11 - It turns out it'll be a search with WorkAway. It's got to be a perfect fit. I've sent a couple emails, but because I'm looking to be immersed in Spanish, the date is too far away or I don't have the right skills, I've been turned away. But like Dory in Finding Nemo says, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..."
So I've reached out to a few more people today, including someone from Madrid who wants to learn about other cultures and cooking and a person from northern Spain who wants English help and has four dogs. It looks like I'm committed to this, so that means only one thing: I'll find something eventually and will actually go to Spain. That's how this whole England move happened after all.
But I remember first learning about this website, aching with desire to go to another country, help someone out, learn a language. I remember it was so bad I had to stay away from the site because it was just make me feel I-want-to-do-this-so-bad anxious. But now, after spending a bit of time searching and having registered, it kind of feels like work to search, send emails and make myself seem like a nice person to be around for a week or two. After all, these people, as well as me, are putting a lot of trust into each other to accept a total stranger into their lives. It's definitely risky.
I celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, and I didn't think I would. It was much different to what I'm used to, which is having to visit family in a stuffy atmosphere. We had music, were loud, had lots of food and drink and were relaxed and had a good time. We baked a couple chickens and also had some Chinese and Lebanese food, so there was a great mix. Even Bill joined us and had his first drink (or six) in the past three weeks (he eventually sang karaoke in our flat until 2 a.m., stomping his feet, yelling and having a great time. He was incredibly happy the next day and thanked me for inviting him).
Earlier this week all of us in flat 705 went out for a drink. That's the first time it's happened, and it was really fun. I'm glad I've been placed into such an awesome situation.
29/11 - Thanksgiving leftovers are great. They are just great. MMmmm...
Football practice yesterday was productive, though very rainy and wet, as I spent time at both weakside and strongside linebacker. I like how I get more comfortable the longer I do it. That's how I learn. I can't wait for our game at Chichester tomorrow too. It's their first game of the season, and they're like us in that this is their first season as an actual program. We can't uderestimate them. I want to play a lot, get a few bumps and bruises and hopefully get a couple tackles to my name.
Today's weather was warm for this time of year so Kate and I walked around the harbor and park for a few hours.
More good news: I've finally registered for WorkAway.com and sent an email to a couple living in Torrox, Spain. They have several acres of land and farm their own food, so they would need help with keeping up this eco project of theirs. The couple is British, but I hope they're fluent with Spanish, as that's my main focus for going on a trip like this. This is the start of something special.
28/11 - It turns out it'll be a search with WorkAway. It's got to be a perfect fit. I've sent a couple emails, but because I'm looking to be immersed in Spanish, the date is too far away or I don't have the right skills, I've been turned away. But like Dory in Finding Nemo says, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..."
So I've reached out to a few more people today, including someone from Madrid who wants to learn about other cultures and cooking and a person from northern Spain who wants English help and has four dogs. It looks like I'm committed to this, so that means only one thing: I'll find something eventually and will actually go to Spain. That's how this whole England move happened after all.
But I remember first learning about this website, aching with desire to go to another country, help someone out, learn a language. I remember it was so bad I had to stay away from the site because it was just make me feel I-want-to-do-this-so-bad anxious. But now, after spending a bit of time searching and having registered, it kind of feels like work to search, send emails and make myself seem like a nice person to be around for a week or two. After all, these people, as well as me, are putting a lot of trust into each other to accept a total stranger into their lives. It's definitely risky.
I celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, and I didn't think I would. It was much different to what I'm used to, which is having to visit family in a stuffy atmosphere. We had music, were loud, had lots of food and drink and were relaxed and had a good time. We baked a couple chickens and also had some Chinese and Lebanese food, so there was a great mix. Even Bill joined us and had his first drink (or six) in the past three weeks (he eventually sang karaoke in our flat until 2 a.m., stomping his feet, yelling and having a great time. He was incredibly happy the next day and thanked me for inviting him).
Earlier this week all of us in flat 705 went out for a drink. That's the first time it's happened, and it was really fun. I'm glad I've been placed into such an awesome situation.
29/11 - Thanksgiving leftovers are great. They are just great. MMmmm...
Football practice yesterday was productive, though very rainy and wet, as I spent time at both weakside and strongside linebacker. I like how I get more comfortable the longer I do it. That's how I learn. I can't wait for our game at Chichester tomorrow too. It's their first game of the season, and they're like us in that this is their first season as an actual program. We can't uderestimate them. I want to play a lot, get a few bumps and bruises and hopefully get a couple tackles to my name.
Today's weather was warm for this time of year so Kate and I walked around the harbor and park for a few hours.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Lionel Messi's greatness and the feeling of ecstasy in London
20/11 - My sport class was fascinating today because it was all about having an identity through sport. Plus, Richard Shipway came back for the first time in a while, and he typically speaks quickly and enthusiastically and goes off on tangents. But the best part about him is his ability to engage everybody in the class.
I went back to the Spanish conversation group after it was postponed last week. I'm happy to say there were no feelings of shame and embarrassment this time around. I spoke Spanish freely and didn't blank out. I think it helps when you're a little familiar with the people in the group as well; it's good to break the ice a bit. Plus you don't need to put pressure on yourself in that situation. Just speak. But I like that group because it evolves into an hour of everyone just speaking Spanish organically to each other. It begins with the leader asking people questions, but then it becomes more friendly.
And another thing I like about that session is the fact the language of Spanish is like a mask. We all sound similar when speaking that language, but then when we revert back to English, that's when I can tell where everyone is from. There are a couple British people in there, a German, a Finnish girl and an Italian, plus the leader who is from Sevilla, Spain. Plus, I told Tim about the group and he seemed very interested, partly because he lived in Spain for 10 years and also because there are women to hit on there. Good man.
23/11 - Compared to three years ago, I had a better time in Barcelona because my Spanish has improved. I could communicate. However, Barcelona is in a province of Spain called Catalonia, so the primary language is Catalan, though Spanish is spoken too. They're different languages, and I couldn't understand anything the announcer said at the FC Barcelona game because everything there was in Catalan, even the people sitting around us. It's something that is learned just walking around the city. There are Catalonia flags everywhere, and I saw just a handful of Spain flags all Saturday. That's because Catalonia wants to separate from Spain and become its own country and there's animosity with Catalans and other parts of Spain. So essentially, I've visited Catalonia twice and Spain zero times.
Barcelona is a beautiful city. It has a unique personality when you consider all the narrow passages between large buildings that hide tiny shops and restaurants. We visited the cramped farmers market off La Rambla where there's fresh fruit, vegetables and meat all in one tiny, enclosed space. Then we scoped out Barcelona Cathedral, which is very old and very beautiful.
The Barcelona game was fantastic. There were about 75,000 people in Camp Nou and we had seats in the lower level in one of the corners. Just think about the crowd and fan section at Sacramento Republic FC games and multiply that a million times. We got to see Lionel Messi play, and he broke the La Liga scoring record with a hat trick against Sevilla (three goals in a game). He now has 253 Liga goals during his Barcelona career, so it was cool to be there for that accomplishment. That man is great, and so is his teammate Neymar. It was a joy to watch those guys play. And afterwards we walked through the streets with 70,000 other people and got some pizza and beers.
But Sunday morning things got off to a crap start. I ended up missing my flight back to London because I arrived less than 30 minutes before takeoff, so that means I had to buy a ticket at the airport and figure out a way to get back to Poole from Stansted Airport, which is, I just found out, is north of London, probably 20 miles away. That was about as enjoyable as any of my Business Strategy and Finance lectures. BUT...This abrupt and financially painful change of plan also brought with it an unforeseen trip into Central London, but not before my coach got into a small accident and the driver harassed by the man who definitely came away worse from contact with a large bus. Driving in London in a car is horrendous. Driving a large bus in London is a stress-producing nightmare. But we got to the Victoria coach station a little more than an hour before the next bus for Poole left, so that gave me a little time to get lost in my favorite place in the world. Though the day was a bit expensive, everything turned out just fine.
I've never been in love with a person, but I think I have that feeling with the city of London. Walking around Victoria Station, and later around Parliament and Big Ben, I found myself smiling and I had to stop myself from giggling too loudly so as not to alarm passerby too much. Three years later, I was back where my greatest memories were made. A tingling sensation began at the top of my head and traveled down my body, like the chills, though it was totally separate from the chilly, wet and rainy weather. And when I came within sight of the clocktower at Parliament, and later on Westminster Bridge where I could clearly see the London eye, River Thames and the rest of that familiar city landscape in that area, I felt a feeling of euphoria. Nothing has felt as good as that moment since I came back to the United Kingdom. Standing there for those five minutes with light rain pelting my face looking at the glowing clocktower and other places along the river was three years in the making. It was...glorious, like seeing the sun rise. I felt a bit emotional too. And to complete the experience, I rode the tube back to Victoria Station.
That one hour in Central London was the highlight of the weekend. I have no photos of that because my phone died right when I tried to take a picture, but that's OK. The memory is in my head, and that is the most important part. But really, I'm so incredibly lucky and fortunate to be here and have that experience. I'm also thankful for my great friends who do things like that for me. I'm going to live my life with the purpose of collecting meaningful memories so I'll die one day knowing I lived a great life, and this weekend was an example of that.
I went back to the Spanish conversation group after it was postponed last week. I'm happy to say there were no feelings of shame and embarrassment this time around. I spoke Spanish freely and didn't blank out. I think it helps when you're a little familiar with the people in the group as well; it's good to break the ice a bit. Plus you don't need to put pressure on yourself in that situation. Just speak. But I like that group because it evolves into an hour of everyone just speaking Spanish organically to each other. It begins with the leader asking people questions, but then it becomes more friendly.
And another thing I like about that session is the fact the language of Spanish is like a mask. We all sound similar when speaking that language, but then when we revert back to English, that's when I can tell where everyone is from. There are a couple British people in there, a German, a Finnish girl and an Italian, plus the leader who is from Sevilla, Spain. Plus, I told Tim about the group and he seemed very interested, partly because he lived in Spain for 10 years and also because there are women to hit on there. Good man.
23/11 - Compared to three years ago, I had a better time in Barcelona because my Spanish has improved. I could communicate. However, Barcelona is in a province of Spain called Catalonia, so the primary language is Catalan, though Spanish is spoken too. They're different languages, and I couldn't understand anything the announcer said at the FC Barcelona game because everything there was in Catalan, even the people sitting around us. It's something that is learned just walking around the city. There are Catalonia flags everywhere, and I saw just a handful of Spain flags all Saturday. That's because Catalonia wants to separate from Spain and become its own country and there's animosity with Catalans and other parts of Spain. So essentially, I've visited Catalonia twice and Spain zero times.
Barcelona is a beautiful city. It has a unique personality when you consider all the narrow passages between large buildings that hide tiny shops and restaurants. We visited the cramped farmers market off La Rambla where there's fresh fruit, vegetables and meat all in one tiny, enclosed space. Then we scoped out Barcelona Cathedral, which is very old and very beautiful.
The Barcelona game was fantastic. There were about 75,000 people in Camp Nou and we had seats in the lower level in one of the corners. Just think about the crowd and fan section at Sacramento Republic FC games and multiply that a million times. We got to see Lionel Messi play, and he broke the La Liga scoring record with a hat trick against Sevilla (three goals in a game). He now has 253 Liga goals during his Barcelona career, so it was cool to be there for that accomplishment. That man is great, and so is his teammate Neymar. It was a joy to watch those guys play. And afterwards we walked through the streets with 70,000 other people and got some pizza and beers.
But Sunday morning things got off to a crap start. I ended up missing my flight back to London because I arrived less than 30 minutes before takeoff, so that means I had to buy a ticket at the airport and figure out a way to get back to Poole from Stansted Airport, which is, I just found out, is north of London, probably 20 miles away. That was about as enjoyable as any of my Business Strategy and Finance lectures. BUT...This abrupt and financially painful change of plan also brought with it an unforeseen trip into Central London, but not before my coach got into a small accident and the driver harassed by the man who definitely came away worse from contact with a large bus. Driving in London in a car is horrendous. Driving a large bus in London is a stress-producing nightmare. But we got to the Victoria coach station a little more than an hour before the next bus for Poole left, so that gave me a little time to get lost in my favorite place in the world. Though the day was a bit expensive, everything turned out just fine.
I've never been in love with a person, but I think I have that feeling with the city of London. Walking around Victoria Station, and later around Parliament and Big Ben, I found myself smiling and I had to stop myself from giggling too loudly so as not to alarm passerby too much. Three years later, I was back where my greatest memories were made. A tingling sensation began at the top of my head and traveled down my body, like the chills, though it was totally separate from the chilly, wet and rainy weather. And when I came within sight of the clocktower at Parliament, and later on Westminster Bridge where I could clearly see the London eye, River Thames and the rest of that familiar city landscape in that area, I felt a feeling of euphoria. Nothing has felt as good as that moment since I came back to the United Kingdom. Standing there for those five minutes with light rain pelting my face looking at the glowing clocktower and other places along the river was three years in the making. It was...glorious, like seeing the sun rise. I felt a bit emotional too. And to complete the experience, I rode the tube back to Victoria Station.
That one hour in Central London was the highlight of the weekend. I have no photos of that because my phone died right when I tried to take a picture, but that's OK. The memory is in my head, and that is the most important part. But really, I'm so incredibly lucky and fortunate to be here and have that experience. I'm also thankful for my great friends who do things like that for me. I'm going to live my life with the purpose of collecting meaningful memories so I'll die one day knowing I lived a great life, and this weekend was an example of that.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Spontaneous trip to Barcelona
18/11 - Bill has stepped away from drinking because it was starting to become a problem. Though alcohol was the reason we spent time together in the beginning of our friendship, it wasn't the only reason we're friends. If it was, that would be pretty unhealthy and not a very good friendship. It's fun now to go and visit him in his room, have some tea and biscuits and play some Playstation or watch a movie. We've watched the past couple English national soccer team's games on television too, and it's a blast.
I just found out my friend Tamara (enthusiastic nod to you, Tamara, if you're reading) has invited me to a Barcelona FC game on Saturday. If I can get myself to the airport, I'll have a free flight to Barcelona and free tickets to see the best player on the planet in action at Camp Nou: Lionel Messi. I do have plans for Saturday, most notably tickets to an AFC Bournemouth game, but I can go to those games anytime I want. This is a rare opportunity. I gotta take it, even though it means I'll probably miss a football practice or two. (Update: I'll make Friday night's practice no problem, but I'll probably miss Sunday's practice. It'll be one of those whirlwind weekends where I get no sleep because I'm running around a big city in a limited amount of time [going to Los Angeles earlier this year, for example]. Those are the most fun trips).
My cousin Steve (another nod to you, if you're reading) also got in contact with me to say this blog has inspired him to take the leap and make a trip overseas. It was flattering, and it's good to know the blog is being read and making a positive impact on others. Sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything special here because it's so familiar now, but when I really think about it, I'm still stunned I'm living in England, playing American football and basically doing what I've always wanted. It's an excellent adventure. If my awesome luck can inspire others to try for the same experiences, that's an added bonus.
Lastly, here's the video of our football game from Sunday. I'm No. 48, and my tackle comes around the 25:00 mark. It looks like I shed a block (don't remember that) and wrapped the guy up and began to bring him down when my teammates came in and helped finish it.
I just found out my friend Tamara (enthusiastic nod to you, Tamara, if you're reading) has invited me to a Barcelona FC game on Saturday. If I can get myself to the airport, I'll have a free flight to Barcelona and free tickets to see the best player on the planet in action at Camp Nou: Lionel Messi. I do have plans for Saturday, most notably tickets to an AFC Bournemouth game, but I can go to those games anytime I want. This is a rare opportunity. I gotta take it, even though it means I'll probably miss a football practice or two. (Update: I'll make Friday night's practice no problem, but I'll probably miss Sunday's practice. It'll be one of those whirlwind weekends where I get no sleep because I'm running around a big city in a limited amount of time [going to Los Angeles earlier this year, for example]. Those are the most fun trips).
My cousin Steve (another nod to you, if you're reading) also got in contact with me to say this blog has inspired him to take the leap and make a trip overseas. It was flattering, and it's good to know the blog is being read and making a positive impact on others. Sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything special here because it's so familiar now, but when I really think about it, I'm still stunned I'm living in England, playing American football and basically doing what I've always wanted. It's an excellent adventure. If my awesome luck can inspire others to try for the same experiences, that's an added bonus.
Lastly, here's the video of our football game from Sunday. I'm No. 48, and my tackle comes around the 25:00 mark. It looks like I shed a block (don't remember that) and wrapped the guy up and began to bring him down when my teammates came in and helped finish it.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Bobcats get their first win
16/11 - This week was pretty ordinary besides the fact I keep learning about British words, like chav (white trash), bracket (parentheses), full stop (period) and indicators (turn signal).
My hip flexor is all better, but now the outside of my hip is bothering me a little bit, but not nearly as bad as the hip flexor was. It's still a bit frustrating though. We also had professional team photos done for the football team, as well as a silly one. It was just like high school! The only downside was the fact one picture cost 20 pounds. No thanks.
I feel like a jock when I wear the blue jersey, to the point where I kind of hate myself for having it on. But hey, I gotta try that once in my life, right?
This Saturday was the highlight of the week by far. It started off with breakfast with Tim and Kate, followed by ice cream on the Quay with Kate. I then did some work on essays before I watched the England national soccer team play with Bill. He cooked some pasta and sausages and then broke out an old Playstation 1. After that we watched Ted. Then after I left his place, Naomi and I went to The Winchester in Bournemouth, where there was a house DJ playing for the club. It was so good I danced pretty much completely sober. It was just a super chill day and evening.
17/11 - We got our first win yesterday, 14-3 over BNU. I was involved more and recorded a tackle. It was a great feeling, and I can't wait until our next game in two weeks at Chichester. And of course, we celebrated the win at Walkabout later that night. It was a fantastic weekend.
I've been in the UK for two months now, and it's basically home. It feels normal.
My hip flexor is all better, but now the outside of my hip is bothering me a little bit, but not nearly as bad as the hip flexor was. It's still a bit frustrating though. We also had professional team photos done for the football team, as well as a silly one. It was just like high school! The only downside was the fact one picture cost 20 pounds. No thanks.
I feel like a jock when I wear the blue jersey, to the point where I kind of hate myself for having it on. But hey, I gotta try that once in my life, right?
This Saturday was the highlight of the week by far. It started off with breakfast with Tim and Kate, followed by ice cream on the Quay with Kate. I then did some work on essays before I watched the England national soccer team play with Bill. He cooked some pasta and sausages and then broke out an old Playstation 1. After that we watched Ted. Then after I left his place, Naomi and I went to The Winchester in Bournemouth, where there was a house DJ playing for the club. It was so good I danced pretty much completely sober. It was just a super chill day and evening.
17/11 - We got our first win yesterday, 14-3 over BNU. I was involved more and recorded a tackle. It was a great feeling, and I can't wait until our next game in two weeks at Chichester. And of course, we celebrated the win at Walkabout later that night. It was a fantastic weekend.
I've been in the UK for two months now, and it's basically home. It feels normal.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
First Bournemouth Bobcats football game
11/3 - Another great weekend which concluded with the strangest night I've experienced in my university career. And of course, it was with Bill as my partner in crime. I won't say every detail about the night, but I did win 101 quid (another term for pounds, like saying bucks for dollars) playing blackjack. I was introduced to chips (fries) and mayonnaise and found a burger restaurant that probably rivals Burgers and Brew. It was Stella's birthday celebration on Saturday and that was loud and late. Her Kenyan friends are also a pleasure to meet.
It's kind of frustrating to have a lingering injury like the one in my hip flexor. I want to be able to put pads on and go get roughed up while also delivering a couple hits myself, but I'm relegated to standing on the sideline with the other few people who have knocks. I can feel my hip a little bit during warmups, but it's fine right now. I just need to keep stretching it. Hopefully I'll be good to go for Saturday's game vs. Surrey, and it sounds like I'll be in pads and available to play.
I've held myself back in the name of full recovery, and that's something a couple other guys need to do. I know a couple guys keep pulling the same groin muscle or hip flexor every week and just refuse to take themselves out. It's a pride thing, but if it's going to make things worse, what's the point?
11/6 - Bonfire Night was yesterday and it was kind of underwhelming. Anyway, it's strange to go to a fireworks show in November in the cold.
But today ended in shame and embarrassment. I went to a Spanish conversation class in the evening at Talbot campus. It was intermediate level, and I could understand some of what the leader was talking about. But when she turned to me and asked a question, I didn't understand completely and my mind melted down. I stuttered and couldn't think of a word to say. I chose to shrug and not say anything. From what Julia told me, you could see my face going red. Speaking in Spanish is what I'm definitely not comfortable with.
Julia and I rode the bus back to Corfe, and it was much easier to talk to her one on one in Spanish. It's a no-pressure situation. In the class there were five other people, not including the leader. I'm not afraid of anything in this world, except for speaking in front of people. It was shameful to fall apart like that. But I'll go again next week and hopefully be more comfortable with speaking my second language.
11/8 - We had our first game today against the University of Surrey. The weather was complete crap, as it was windy, rainy and cold. We lost 35-0, and the game was called early in the fourth quarter, mostly because one of our veterans, Adam, had a serious injury and was down on the field for a long time. He eventually was taken away in an ambulance. But here's the team picture. I'm in the back row to the left:
I was involved in one play, and that was the second-half kickoff. I actually don't blame coach Charlie (the guy on the left wearing shorts) for not putting me in because I've taken the last two weeks off practice because of my hip. I don't know the play calls well yet and am not comfortable tackling yet. So I feel like if I go out there I'll be hurting the team because I don't know what's going on. But give me a few more practice sessions and I'll feel more comfortable in an actual game, and next week I'll be able to give Gideon (No. 56) a breather at one of the linebacker spots. However, it was still great to be involved in the first real game this club has ever competed in.
I've written about this before, but it's such a trip to be playing on an American football team in England. It's like things are kind of backwards from what they were in the states, and I love it. A couple years ago I wanted to be a football referee when I went to England. I'm not doing that, but that's totally fine.
Now I just need to decide what to do for my Sunday evening, but I'll probably go to Bournemouth.
It's kind of frustrating to have a lingering injury like the one in my hip flexor. I want to be able to put pads on and go get roughed up while also delivering a couple hits myself, but I'm relegated to standing on the sideline with the other few people who have knocks. I can feel my hip a little bit during warmups, but it's fine right now. I just need to keep stretching it. Hopefully I'll be good to go for Saturday's game vs. Surrey, and it sounds like I'll be in pads and available to play.
I've held myself back in the name of full recovery, and that's something a couple other guys need to do. I know a couple guys keep pulling the same groin muscle or hip flexor every week and just refuse to take themselves out. It's a pride thing, but if it's going to make things worse, what's the point?
11/6 - Bonfire Night was yesterday and it was kind of underwhelming. Anyway, it's strange to go to a fireworks show in November in the cold.
But today ended in shame and embarrassment. I went to a Spanish conversation class in the evening at Talbot campus. It was intermediate level, and I could understand some of what the leader was talking about. But when she turned to me and asked a question, I didn't understand completely and my mind melted down. I stuttered and couldn't think of a word to say. I chose to shrug and not say anything. From what Julia told me, you could see my face going red. Speaking in Spanish is what I'm definitely not comfortable with.
Julia and I rode the bus back to Corfe, and it was much easier to talk to her one on one in Spanish. It's a no-pressure situation. In the class there were five other people, not including the leader. I'm not afraid of anything in this world, except for speaking in front of people. It was shameful to fall apart like that. But I'll go again next week and hopefully be more comfortable with speaking my second language.
11/8 - We had our first game today against the University of Surrey. The weather was complete crap, as it was windy, rainy and cold. We lost 35-0, and the game was called early in the fourth quarter, mostly because one of our veterans, Adam, had a serious injury and was down on the field for a long time. He eventually was taken away in an ambulance. But here's the team picture. I'm in the back row to the left:
I was involved in one play, and that was the second-half kickoff. I actually don't blame coach Charlie (the guy on the left wearing shorts) for not putting me in because I've taken the last two weeks off practice because of my hip. I don't know the play calls well yet and am not comfortable tackling yet. So I feel like if I go out there I'll be hurting the team because I don't know what's going on. But give me a few more practice sessions and I'll feel more comfortable in an actual game, and next week I'll be able to give Gideon (No. 56) a breather at one of the linebacker spots. However, it was still great to be involved in the first real game this club has ever competed in.
I've written about this before, but it's such a trip to be playing on an American football team in England. It's like things are kind of backwards from what they were in the states, and I love it. A couple years ago I wanted to be a football referee when I went to England. I'm not doing that, but that's totally fine.
Now I just need to decide what to do for my Sunday evening, but I'll probably go to Bournemouth.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Other cultures, German and my brain
10-26 - I sat out of practice today because my right hip flexor keeps getting sore. I need to find out what's wrong and then do something about it, like get treatment at sportBU. So I spent my time filming practice today.
Being around so many people from all over the world is a learning experience. Just from talking to Stella yesterday, I learned to not trust Nigerians because they tend to lie a lot to get what they want, there are cannibals in Congo and Africans practice witchcraft. Stella told me about how she saw a woman turned into a snake, and it seemed to freak her out just talking about it. African countries seem to have massively different cultures, and it kind of makes me nervous to visit. But again, if I respect people, nothing bad should happen.
Last night I went out with a couple Finnish people, and I learned there's some tension between Finns and Swedish people. For example, in Finland many places speak Finnish and Swedish, and it's like the Latino presence in the states.
30/10 - Yesterday morning I told myself "I'll be super productive today." Unfortunately, I got as far as completing part of my grocery shopping. What happened? Alcohol happened. Stella went with me to the grocery store, but not before we stopped for some coffee with a shot of Jameson because it was raining.
I then went to campus to watch the BU basketball team play Bristol with some of my course mates. We were there to see Alexandros play. It was also a chance to talk to Nico and Freida more, and the more I listen to them speak German, the more of it that comes back to me. And afterwards Krasimir and I had a beer at the bar inside the student union, where Alexandros joined up with us later. (On a side note, it's a little strange to have an actual bar on campus; I'm not used to that!) (And another side note, Krasimir has been speaking English for only a few months, which is impressive because he can communicate and get his ideas across even though he does struggle to find the right words sometimes.)
After the beer with Krasimir, I got on the bus fully intending to go back to the dorm and eat a homecooked meal with Stella, Kate and Tim. But I met Bill on the bus and we went on a spontaneous pub crawl in Ashley Cross/Lower Parkstone, so that means I never met up with the aforementioned three. However, I did let them know what was happening, so no one was upset. I'm just glad they saved me some food, which was awesome.
The point is, as much as I enjoyed yesterday, I'm still disappointed I didn't get anything done. I didn't work more on my essay or study Spanish. Oh well. That's life. You plan to do something, but other unforeseen things interrupt. Life is unpredictable. Especially yesterday.
And, I just realized today that I have the perfect opportunity to go on a WorkAway somewhere. I'm so much closer to everything. I'd like to go help on a farm for a few weeks in Spain. I'm so close! I just need to figure out when I have enough time to actually do this. It makes me very excited. I showed the site to Anna, my Finnish classmate who's also in Corfe House, and she looked very excited to find it. It's something she'd love to do too.
11/1 - After 24 years of experience, I still don't understand my mind. The brain of an introvert is confusing and infuriating. I think it likes to troll on me. For example, I'd like to be in a relationship. It's something I dwell on sometimes in my spare time. But when I get close to establishing that connection, this trusty brain of mine melts down and screams RUN AWAY! DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO RUIN THIS CHANCE! Every. Single. Time. It never fails.
I guess the word to describe my feelings after what I just described, school and football, I'm exasperated. Maybe I'll discuss it with Bill over a pint.
Stella brought a couple of her friends from home to Poole for the weekend. Kenyans are delightful people to be honest.
I'm going to sit out practice on Sunday as well, but I'll do conditioning. I'm not going to disappear because I'm committed to the team. I'm going to get this hip better and then practice next week.
Being around so many people from all over the world is a learning experience. Just from talking to Stella yesterday, I learned to not trust Nigerians because they tend to lie a lot to get what they want, there are cannibals in Congo and Africans practice witchcraft. Stella told me about how she saw a woman turned into a snake, and it seemed to freak her out just talking about it. African countries seem to have massively different cultures, and it kind of makes me nervous to visit. But again, if I respect people, nothing bad should happen.
Last night I went out with a couple Finnish people, and I learned there's some tension between Finns and Swedish people. For example, in Finland many places speak Finnish and Swedish, and it's like the Latino presence in the states.
30/10 - Yesterday morning I told myself "I'll be super productive today." Unfortunately, I got as far as completing part of my grocery shopping. What happened? Alcohol happened. Stella went with me to the grocery store, but not before we stopped for some coffee with a shot of Jameson because it was raining.
I then went to campus to watch the BU basketball team play Bristol with some of my course mates. We were there to see Alexandros play. It was also a chance to talk to Nico and Freida more, and the more I listen to them speak German, the more of it that comes back to me. And afterwards Krasimir and I had a beer at the bar inside the student union, where Alexandros joined up with us later. (On a side note, it's a little strange to have an actual bar on campus; I'm not used to that!) (And another side note, Krasimir has been speaking English for only a few months, which is impressive because he can communicate and get his ideas across even though he does struggle to find the right words sometimes.)
After the beer with Krasimir, I got on the bus fully intending to go back to the dorm and eat a homecooked meal with Stella, Kate and Tim. But I met Bill on the bus and we went on a spontaneous pub crawl in Ashley Cross/Lower Parkstone, so that means I never met up with the aforementioned three. However, I did let them know what was happening, so no one was upset. I'm just glad they saved me some food, which was awesome.
The point is, as much as I enjoyed yesterday, I'm still disappointed I didn't get anything done. I didn't work more on my essay or study Spanish. Oh well. That's life. You plan to do something, but other unforeseen things interrupt. Life is unpredictable. Especially yesterday.
And, I just realized today that I have the perfect opportunity to go on a WorkAway somewhere. I'm so much closer to everything. I'd like to go help on a farm for a few weeks in Spain. I'm so close! I just need to figure out when I have enough time to actually do this. It makes me very excited. I showed the site to Anna, my Finnish classmate who's also in Corfe House, and she looked very excited to find it. It's something she'd love to do too.
11/1 - After 24 years of experience, I still don't understand my mind. The brain of an introvert is confusing and infuriating. I think it likes to troll on me. For example, I'd like to be in a relationship. It's something I dwell on sometimes in my spare time. But when I get close to establishing that connection, this trusty brain of mine melts down and screams RUN AWAY! DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO RUIN THIS CHANCE! Every. Single. Time. It never fails.
I guess the word to describe my feelings after what I just described, school and football, I'm exasperated. Maybe I'll discuss it with Bill over a pint.
Stella brought a couple of her friends from home to Poole for the weekend. Kenyans are delightful people to be honest.
I'm going to sit out practice on Sunday as well, but I'll do conditioning. I'm not going to disappear because I'm committed to the team. I'm going to get this hip better and then practice next week.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Name Origins
18/10 - I went out with a group of two British people, two Kenyans, two Italians, an Indian, three Americans (including me) and a Chinese guy (Sam). It was an awesome night in Bournemouth City Center, and I rode the bus home with Sam. He taught me some Chinese and I hope I remember it in the morning. Sam was drunk, and the only thing he wanted to do was go back to his room and go to sleep. I think people feel much more comfortable when you ask them about their culture, their language. There are lots of different people here, and they all do things different ways. It's fascinating.
19/10 - Defense in football is much easier than offense; it's much easier to learn. Anyway tonight I drank way too much with Bill (again, pseudonym). I got to know him a lot better and he's my friend now. But really, what American can say they've gotten drunk with a British person in England and walked home through the neighborhood with them? I'll have memories of this forever.
And during football practice I got more comfortable with playing linebacker. Linebackers basically have to shed blocks to get to the football or cover their area in coverage, and it depends on the coverage. And since there's fewer people on that side of the ball, I'll play more. I look forward to Tuesday's meeting.
20/10 - I drank and partied too much this weekend. But I'm not ashamed of it; after all, I didn't do anything I'd regret like Bill did. Anyway, today has been spent starting an essay for my sports class. It's coming along slowly but surely. And it only needs to be 2,000 words, which is very short. But it's still a struggle do start this. I never have liked academics.
21/10 - Busy day today. I woke up at 5 a.m. thanks to the tail end of the hurricane here pounding the window. But I met a fellow American named Angel today in my business class, and it turns out I'm the first American she's met so far. So it was pretty cool meeting her and her friends.
I also met with a photography student (from Iceland) working on a project about how international students are getting along in their new life. If he chooses to focus on me, he'd come to football practice and take some photos. It seems like an interesting idea, though he's had a lot more interest than he expected since he emailed all the students.
During the chalkboard session for football, we studied film of ourselves practicing, and I saw the play where I was blown up behind the line of scrimmage. It actually felt worse than it looked. But really, you think you're running fast in real life, but on camera it only looks like you're jogging. Plus, I look pretty big in pads.
I was thinking about how things are different in this country. For example, healthcare is free (because taxes are incredibly steep) and there are strict gun laws. You can own a gun, but only if you have a permit, which is difficult to get. You can't own a heavy duty firearm like an assault rifle. Even the police don't usually carry guns. It sounds like people are against guns here, and they'll demand accountability from police officers, unlike in America where the cops can shoot someone if they feel just slightly threatened. An officer with a gun makes them drunk with power, as we've seen in the states. And another thing, there's CCTV cameras everywhere you can think of. So it's interesting to think about the different ways countries do things like this.
24/10 - I know where my name comes from now: it's Swedish. It came from Brita and Olaf Lingberg when they settled in South Dakota from Sweden. Those are the grandparents of my grandfather James Lingberg. I knew he came from South Dakota, but I didn't know anything after that. I wanted to know where my name comes from after a Finnish classmate of mine asked me where my name came from.
It's been a busy week. I cooked with Stella, which came out amazing by the way, and I'm writing for the student newspaper. It's a story about the Bobcats (I don't mention myself, of course, as it's a conflict of interest already). I'm also slowly but steadily putting essays together for my sports class. I'll focus on that and then go on to the less exciting ones for the business classes.
Now that it's getting deeper into the fall, I'm beginning to see that it's always wet here. When it rains, water usually evaporates eventually. Not here.
Tonight I have football practice. I'm looking forward to it because I'm more comfortable playing linebacker now. I won't get pushed around quite as much this time around.
19/10 - Defense in football is much easier than offense; it's much easier to learn. Anyway tonight I drank way too much with Bill (again, pseudonym). I got to know him a lot better and he's my friend now. But really, what American can say they've gotten drunk with a British person in England and walked home through the neighborhood with them? I'll have memories of this forever.
And during football practice I got more comfortable with playing linebacker. Linebackers basically have to shed blocks to get to the football or cover their area in coverage, and it depends on the coverage. And since there's fewer people on that side of the ball, I'll play more. I look forward to Tuesday's meeting.
20/10 - I drank and partied too much this weekend. But I'm not ashamed of it; after all, I didn't do anything I'd regret like Bill did. Anyway, today has been spent starting an essay for my sports class. It's coming along slowly but surely. And it only needs to be 2,000 words, which is very short. But it's still a struggle do start this. I never have liked academics.
21/10 - Busy day today. I woke up at 5 a.m. thanks to the tail end of the hurricane here pounding the window. But I met a fellow American named Angel today in my business class, and it turns out I'm the first American she's met so far. So it was pretty cool meeting her and her friends.
I also met with a photography student (from Iceland) working on a project about how international students are getting along in their new life. If he chooses to focus on me, he'd come to football practice and take some photos. It seems like an interesting idea, though he's had a lot more interest than he expected since he emailed all the students.
During the chalkboard session for football, we studied film of ourselves practicing, and I saw the play where I was blown up behind the line of scrimmage. It actually felt worse than it looked. But really, you think you're running fast in real life, but on camera it only looks like you're jogging. Plus, I look pretty big in pads.
I was thinking about how things are different in this country. For example, healthcare is free (because taxes are incredibly steep) and there are strict gun laws. You can own a gun, but only if you have a permit, which is difficult to get. You can't own a heavy duty firearm like an assault rifle. Even the police don't usually carry guns. It sounds like people are against guns here, and they'll demand accountability from police officers, unlike in America where the cops can shoot someone if they feel just slightly threatened. An officer with a gun makes them drunk with power, as we've seen in the states. And another thing, there's CCTV cameras everywhere you can think of. So it's interesting to think about the different ways countries do things like this.
24/10 - I know where my name comes from now: it's Swedish. It came from Brita and Olaf Lingberg when they settled in South Dakota from Sweden. Those are the grandparents of my grandfather James Lingberg. I knew he came from South Dakota, but I didn't know anything after that. I wanted to know where my name comes from after a Finnish classmate of mine asked me where my name came from.
It's been a busy week. I cooked with Stella, which came out amazing by the way, and I'm writing for the student newspaper. It's a story about the Bobcats (I don't mention myself, of course, as it's a conflict of interest already). I'm also slowly but steadily putting essays together for my sports class. I'll focus on that and then go on to the less exciting ones for the business classes.
Now that it's getting deeper into the fall, I'm beginning to see that it's always wet here. When it rains, water usually evaporates eventually. Not here.
Tonight I have football practice. I'm looking forward to it because I'm more comfortable playing linebacker now. I won't get pushed around quite as much this time around.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Nationalism, identity and a drunk professor
13/10 - I did something today I've never done before: make a mash. It was fantastic! I do have to give some credit to Kate, as she was eating in the kitchen during this time and helped me out. I was trying to decide what to do with a bag of vegetables that needed to be eaten and she gave me some tips and ideas.
I just sliced up some potatoes, parsnips and carrots and placed them all in water for at least 30 minutes to stew. Near the end I put a cube of vegetable stock in there as well. When everything was mushy and falling apart, I put it all in a large bowl and began mashing with a fork. Every so often I poured a bit of the stock into the bowl and continued to mash. I then put some butter, salt and pepper into the mix. That turned out to be awesome because it had the consistency of typical mashed potatoes that aren't dry and have some flavor. I was excited I made something so tasty so I offered some to Tim, Kate and Stella.
14/10 - For the football chalkboard session tonight we had a motivational speaker come to...motivate us (for lack of a better word). I liked it because not only did it apply to football but for school as well. I'm here and this is my opportunity to hit the shit out of people in football, and also to make up for my past shortcomings in the classroom. Log off Facebook and fantasy football and get to work.
Also, I've read more interesting theories about sport and society. Courtesy of George Orwell in the '40s, each and every kind of team or club in sport is like a different nation. Like with actual countries, nationalism is at work with fans. They hate other fans because they're from a different nation or for no other good reason. It creates ill will and hostility towards others, and it doesn't do much for creating good relations.
The more I read I see more and more why being the obnoxious fan is not the way to go. Sport should bring together together, not drive us apart and be part of the problem.
15/10 - I was a little surprised to learn I was named the Asst. Sports Editor of the Bournemouth Rock today, even after I made it clear I only wanted to contribute a few articles. Oh well, we'll see how that goes. Additionally, I'm all set to go with Bleacher Report. I'll begin in the morning. Finally, some income.
Tim, Kate, Stella and I spent a fair amount of time in the common room today just talking. Stella and I are becoming friends. Before meeting her I never had a desire to visit Africa at all, but knowing her would make a trip there much easier. She said it would be fun to show me around Kenya and just thinking about that earlier made me game to go. I think it would be a fantastic lesson going to Kenya. Why? I've spent my whole life, as a white person, in the majority. Going to Kenya would make me a minority. Everyone will be a different color. I've never felt strange because of my skin color. I wonder how that would feel? But Stella said I would love African food and apparently Kenyan beer is amazing. Let's go!
What's also funny is how Stella thought it was winter here. Nope, it's barely fall. While in the common room, I was sitting around barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt. Stella had a blanket, a sweater, leggings, socks and a scarf. This weather is freezing to her. No wonder because she comes from a warm country.
17/10 - Last night Kate and I combined on cooking dinner. We ended up with sausages with rice mixed with cous cous and curry sauce and some sauted vegetables in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just as we finished, Stella walked in. We talked about cooking a meal the night before but she just missed it.
I'm happy to report I now have tickets to two soccer games. One is for Bournemouth AFC with my classmate Krasimir (the Bulgarian guy) and the other is to a Crystal Palace game with Bill (pseudonym) in December. I'm really excited for these games, and of course to go back to London.
And speaking of Bill, I ran into him at a bar in Parkstone tonight (it's 18/10 right now) and what resulted was incredibly hilarious. Bill saw Tim and I and stumbled up to us completely hammered. He just started talking to us in slurred speech and there were several spots where he put his arms around us and drew us in close. He also kissed us on the forehead a couple times. But what was really funny was the fact Tim just set his beer down (which was half full) and left the bar after that meeting because he thought Bill's actions had killed our style.
At football practice I was moved to defense to play as one of the linebackers. The weather wasn't cold but it was raining most of the time. I just want to play, and I know I'm pretty shitty at the game. But tonight it was awful. Coach Charlie was calling defensive plays in the huddle and I had no idea what was going on. I was getting knocked around and spun around. But it was my first practice at linebacker after spending the last few weeks learning the offense, and it'll only go up from there because I really set the bar high for myself.
I'll bore you all with some things I got from more reading in the library. I've been in England for more than a month now; almost five weeks. After reading some sport sociology books, I'm pretty sure I've gone through a change in self, or identity. Bournemouth and Poole feel like home now and I'm not so star struck about being in another county. Things, such as the accent, feel normal now. It's only been about five weeks but it has felt much more than that. British people aren't that different from Americans. Sure, some words are different, but we have similar cultures. Also, servers in restaurants are paid minimum wage so tips aren't expected here like they are in America.
So I'll cut it off here at 2:49 a.m. and go to bed. Hopefully I've drank enough water to get me up in the morning and go have a full English breakfast with Kate.
I just sliced up some potatoes, parsnips and carrots and placed them all in water for at least 30 minutes to stew. Near the end I put a cube of vegetable stock in there as well. When everything was mushy and falling apart, I put it all in a large bowl and began mashing with a fork. Every so often I poured a bit of the stock into the bowl and continued to mash. I then put some butter, salt and pepper into the mix. That turned out to be awesome because it had the consistency of typical mashed potatoes that aren't dry and have some flavor. I was excited I made something so tasty so I offered some to Tim, Kate and Stella.
14/10 - For the football chalkboard session tonight we had a motivational speaker come to...motivate us (for lack of a better word). I liked it because not only did it apply to football but for school as well. I'm here and this is my opportunity to hit the shit out of people in football, and also to make up for my past shortcomings in the classroom. Log off Facebook and fantasy football and get to work.
Also, I've read more interesting theories about sport and society. Courtesy of George Orwell in the '40s, each and every kind of team or club in sport is like a different nation. Like with actual countries, nationalism is at work with fans. They hate other fans because they're from a different nation or for no other good reason. It creates ill will and hostility towards others, and it doesn't do much for creating good relations.
The more I read I see more and more why being the obnoxious fan is not the way to go. Sport should bring together together, not drive us apart and be part of the problem.
15/10 - I was a little surprised to learn I was named the Asst. Sports Editor of the Bournemouth Rock today, even after I made it clear I only wanted to contribute a few articles. Oh well, we'll see how that goes. Additionally, I'm all set to go with Bleacher Report. I'll begin in the morning. Finally, some income.
Tim, Kate, Stella and I spent a fair amount of time in the common room today just talking. Stella and I are becoming friends. Before meeting her I never had a desire to visit Africa at all, but knowing her would make a trip there much easier. She said it would be fun to show me around Kenya and just thinking about that earlier made me game to go. I think it would be a fantastic lesson going to Kenya. Why? I've spent my whole life, as a white person, in the majority. Going to Kenya would make me a minority. Everyone will be a different color. I've never felt strange because of my skin color. I wonder how that would feel? But Stella said I would love African food and apparently Kenyan beer is amazing. Let's go!
What's also funny is how Stella thought it was winter here. Nope, it's barely fall. While in the common room, I was sitting around barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt. Stella had a blanket, a sweater, leggings, socks and a scarf. This weather is freezing to her. No wonder because she comes from a warm country.
17/10 - Last night Kate and I combined on cooking dinner. We ended up with sausages with rice mixed with cous cous and curry sauce and some sauted vegetables in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just as we finished, Stella walked in. We talked about cooking a meal the night before but she just missed it.
I'm happy to report I now have tickets to two soccer games. One is for Bournemouth AFC with my classmate Krasimir (the Bulgarian guy) and the other is to a Crystal Palace game with Bill (pseudonym) in December. I'm really excited for these games, and of course to go back to London.
And speaking of Bill, I ran into him at a bar in Parkstone tonight (it's 18/10 right now) and what resulted was incredibly hilarious. Bill saw Tim and I and stumbled up to us completely hammered. He just started talking to us in slurred speech and there were several spots where he put his arms around us and drew us in close. He also kissed us on the forehead a couple times. But what was really funny was the fact Tim just set his beer down (which was half full) and left the bar after that meeting because he thought Bill's actions had killed our style.
At football practice I was moved to defense to play as one of the linebackers. The weather wasn't cold but it was raining most of the time. I just want to play, and I know I'm pretty shitty at the game. But tonight it was awful. Coach Charlie was calling defensive plays in the huddle and I had no idea what was going on. I was getting knocked around and spun around. But it was my first practice at linebacker after spending the last few weeks learning the offense, and it'll only go up from there because I really set the bar high for myself.
I'll bore you all with some things I got from more reading in the library. I've been in England for more than a month now; almost five weeks. After reading some sport sociology books, I'm pretty sure I've gone through a change in self, or identity. Bournemouth and Poole feel like home now and I'm not so star struck about being in another county. Things, such as the accent, feel normal now. It's only been about five weeks but it has felt much more than that. British people aren't that different from Americans. Sure, some words are different, but we have similar cultures. Also, servers in restaurants are paid minimum wage so tips aren't expected here like they are in America.
So I'll cut it off here at 2:49 a.m. and go to bed. Hopefully I've drank enough water to get me up in the morning and go have a full English breakfast with Kate.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Football: bringing out your inner savage
9/10 - Bournemouth and Poole are wet. And soggy. And today there's been thunder and lightning and more driving sheets of rain to go along with wind. I think there's been more rain today than I've seen my whole time in Porterville. I have a feeling football practice tomorrow night will be cold, wet and miserable.
The library on campus is great. I could get lost in there. Sure, it's nothing compared to the University of Nevada, Reno library, but it's still fun to stay a while looking at stuff about sports, cooking and languages. It's an added plus my student ID doubles as a library card. I think we can take libraries for granted; I sure did at UNR. But I'll use this one to my advantage.
I'm cooking food for myself every night. It's way cheaper than going out and I'll start learning how to cook different things. Like cooking rice in vegetable stock and mixing it with tuna, olives, cucumber and beans. Yum.
I ran into Spencer again today and he remembers inviting me to a Crystal Palace game the other night. So I guess I can just look up which game I'd like to go to and tell him, just as long as it's not a game where a big club comes to visit, like Chelsea, Arsenal or the Manchester clubs because tickets skyrocket for those games.
10/10 - Today I played football with pads and a helmet for the first time. Sure, they weren't my equipment (the helmet was pressing on my temples) and I was only involved in one play (which I was lost on), but they were on. But there's a lot of work I need to do in terms of correct blocking form and getting comfortable with everything in the playbook.
But Bournemouth is an awesome town. It's a big city, and today I saw it for the first time during the daytime, and it's thriving. I went to the beach and could see white cliffs to the east. I don't think they were Dover, however. I found an enclosure in the city center that houses birds, like a zoo. They were mostly finches and love birds but it was still interesting.
There's one thing that's odd about this country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a publicly funded entity. So because of that people here have to pay a television tax. That means if you have a TV, you pay a tax on it every year. I found out because me and a couple flatmates got some notices warning about a potential fine if we keep watching TV shows and not pay the tax. Kate said nothing can happen to if you don't actually have a box. You're fine if you only have a laptop like I do.
11/10 - My left pinkie joint and right knee are sore from practice. I remember bumping knees with someone but have no idea why my pinkie is sore. There are several bruises on my arms as well. But I have absolutely no issues with that. I like football. But I gotta get rough and way more crazy. What I need to do is let loose.
I walked along High Street with Kate today and had lunch by the docks. Weather here is so weird. It was sunny when we left, but a giant dark cloud moved in quickly with sounds of thunder. It began to rain heavily as we were eating in the pub, but it only lasted 10 minutes at the most. When we finished and left, the sky was completely clear, and right now it's beautiful. That's the thing about the coast; there's hardly any smog that builds up because it's almost always windy or raining. Plus, it smells fantastic here.
On the way back through High Street, we stopped at a kiosk to pick up a wine bottle of freshly juiced apples. They were just giving them away because so many people around the kiosk were peeling or juicing apples. It was like drinking a liquefied sour apple.
The rest of the day I just hung out in the dorm with Kate, Jess, Tim, Naomi and some of the other Chinese people on the floor. And speaking of Jess, that girl can box. She started boxing with Stephen last night when we were playing cards, and it was totally unexpected. Her form is perfect in that she bounces from front to back foot and delivers quick and powerful jabs. To complete the image she tsks for every punch.
12/10 - Football is a vicious, savage game. It's definitely not the same watching on TV as it is playing. I used someone else's pads and helmet for practice today and they actually fit great. I again spent most of my time playing as the slot receiver during the scrimmage.
There was one play where I lined up on the right hand side of the quarterback. It was supposed to be a reverse where I get the handoff while running to the left and then I hand it off again to the receiver running the opposite way. Only, it didn't happen that way. I got the ball but never had the chance to hand it off again because a guy on the defensive line named Nick broke through the line and blew me up in the backfield. I never saw him until he hit me.
Yes, it hurts when a guy tackles you and lands on top, driving your side into the ground. But if I'm honest with myself, the masochist in me has absolutely no problem with that. It's the same with getting pelted with a paintball; that little sting makes me feel like I'm really participating and getting everything possible I can from it. The same goes for football (and when dad and I crashed after running into that wire fence at full speed on bicycles): It makes me feel so alive!
I also played a couple snaps in the right guard spot on the offensive line. Talk about a rough position. Put your hand in the dirt, and when the ball is snapped, just hit the guy opposite you as hard as you can. If anyone does that shit on the street, it's assault. If you're not foaming at the mouth, you'll get beat.
Yep, I sound insane.
The library on campus is great. I could get lost in there. Sure, it's nothing compared to the University of Nevada, Reno library, but it's still fun to stay a while looking at stuff about sports, cooking and languages. It's an added plus my student ID doubles as a library card. I think we can take libraries for granted; I sure did at UNR. But I'll use this one to my advantage.
I'm cooking food for myself every night. It's way cheaper than going out and I'll start learning how to cook different things. Like cooking rice in vegetable stock and mixing it with tuna, olives, cucumber and beans. Yum.
I ran into Spencer again today and he remembers inviting me to a Crystal Palace game the other night. So I guess I can just look up which game I'd like to go to and tell him, just as long as it's not a game where a big club comes to visit, like Chelsea, Arsenal or the Manchester clubs because tickets skyrocket for those games.
10/10 - Today I played football with pads and a helmet for the first time. Sure, they weren't my equipment (the helmet was pressing on my temples) and I was only involved in one play (which I was lost on), but they were on. But there's a lot of work I need to do in terms of correct blocking form and getting comfortable with everything in the playbook.
But Bournemouth is an awesome town. It's a big city, and today I saw it for the first time during the daytime, and it's thriving. I went to the beach and could see white cliffs to the east. I don't think they were Dover, however. I found an enclosure in the city center that houses birds, like a zoo. They were mostly finches and love birds but it was still interesting.
There's one thing that's odd about this country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a publicly funded entity. So because of that people here have to pay a television tax. That means if you have a TV, you pay a tax on it every year. I found out because me and a couple flatmates got some notices warning about a potential fine if we keep watching TV shows and not pay the tax. Kate said nothing can happen to if you don't actually have a box. You're fine if you only have a laptop like I do.
11/10 - My left pinkie joint and right knee are sore from practice. I remember bumping knees with someone but have no idea why my pinkie is sore. There are several bruises on my arms as well. But I have absolutely no issues with that. I like football. But I gotta get rough and way more crazy. What I need to do is let loose.
I walked along High Street with Kate today and had lunch by the docks. Weather here is so weird. It was sunny when we left, but a giant dark cloud moved in quickly with sounds of thunder. It began to rain heavily as we were eating in the pub, but it only lasted 10 minutes at the most. When we finished and left, the sky was completely clear, and right now it's beautiful. That's the thing about the coast; there's hardly any smog that builds up because it's almost always windy or raining. Plus, it smells fantastic here.
On the way back through High Street, we stopped at a kiosk to pick up a wine bottle of freshly juiced apples. They were just giving them away because so many people around the kiosk were peeling or juicing apples. It was like drinking a liquefied sour apple.
The rest of the day I just hung out in the dorm with Kate, Jess, Tim, Naomi and some of the other Chinese people on the floor. And speaking of Jess, that girl can box. She started boxing with Stephen last night when we were playing cards, and it was totally unexpected. Her form is perfect in that she bounces from front to back foot and delivers quick and powerful jabs. To complete the image she tsks for every punch.
12/10 - Football is a vicious, savage game. It's definitely not the same watching on TV as it is playing. I used someone else's pads and helmet for practice today and they actually fit great. I again spent most of my time playing as the slot receiver during the scrimmage.
There was one play where I lined up on the right hand side of the quarterback. It was supposed to be a reverse where I get the handoff while running to the left and then I hand it off again to the receiver running the opposite way. Only, it didn't happen that way. I got the ball but never had the chance to hand it off again because a guy on the defensive line named Nick broke through the line and blew me up in the backfield. I never saw him until he hit me.
Yes, it hurts when a guy tackles you and lands on top, driving your side into the ground. But if I'm honest with myself, the masochist in me has absolutely no problem with that. It's the same with getting pelted with a paintball; that little sting makes me feel like I'm really participating and getting everything possible I can from it. The same goes for football (and when dad and I crashed after running into that wire fence at full speed on bicycles): It makes me feel so alive!
I also played a couple snaps in the right guard spot on the offensive line. Talk about a rough position. Put your hand in the dirt, and when the ball is snapped, just hit the guy opposite you as hard as you can. If anyone does that shit on the street, it's assault. If you're not foaming at the mouth, you'll get beat.
Yep, I sound insane.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
A bad haircut and a fellow Arsenal fan
4-5/10 Disclaimer: I'm writing after I just got home at 4 a.m. after a night of visiting pubs and people buying my drinks. I'm a little pissed (drunk in British).
I went out in Bournemouth with Franky, my pub buddy. I think I've written about her, but if not she's the one who grew up around pubs so she knows a good British pub. She's cool. She's 22 but she was completely hammered tonight. She owes me taxi fare. (Update: it turns out Franky bought a round of drinks. She was shocked to discover how much she spent in the days that passed.)
In other news, I have full access to my loan funds now. When I found out this morning I was giddy. Now I have cleats, gloves, a membership to the football team, an unlocked phone (in two weeks) and obviously a night out. But I realize I paid for this with money that isn't actually mine. But whatever, I'll deal with that when the time comes. I also found a few local stores on High Street in Poole where I can get stuff for really cheap. For example, a pair of shoes for four pounds. Good deal!
But my biggest concern at the moment is making it to 11 a.m. football practice. It's now 4:04 a.m.
Later on Sunday...
I can't wait until we get pads and helmets.
Drawing up the formations on a white board in a classroom session is one thing, but it's a whole other ballgame when you actually go out and physically line up in those formations and learn what all the signs and terminology mean. It's very confusing at first, like a new language, but it becomes more and more clear.
I spent the practice lining up as a slot receiver. When the play call comes in and the offensive coordinator makes his signs there's something that applies to everybody. So for example, if he calls "over 2 flex Y," that means I line up on the right side. And if the coordinator locks his hands together and spreads his arms wide close to the ground, that means the play will run to the left; over his head, the play goes to the right. Additionally, there are plays such as "under 1 slot 2" which means the slot receiver (me) lines up on the quarterback's right side and could receive a handoff depending on which side of the field the play is running.
As a result of learning these formations, we had an intra-squad scrimmage where the defense, offense and lines combined to play a game. This was pretty fun, as it's a bit of a rush to go block someone. It feels great to be able to shove someone hard in the chest and drive them back. It's a one on one matchup with another person where both are battling for position. It's tough, but exhilarating.
And later I rode the bus to Bournemouth with Michael, the other guy from California on my floor. He plays volleyball for a couple teams here, and it turns out he likes Regular Show too. If you don't know what Regular show is, it's about a college-aged blue jay and his raccoon friend who work for a public park and have a gumball machine for a boss. It's absolutely fantastic. Check it out, it's on Netflix.
6/10 - That was one hell of a storm last night. It went all night and didn't stop until about 1 p.m. My window wasn't completely closed so noises were louder than normal which woke me up a few times. The wind was really blowing and the rain was driving down. I loved it! I haven't seen a storm like that in California for a while.
Since I don't have classes on Monday, it was a stay-inside-and-study-and-do-chores kind of day. With my business classes, readings are typically so much more interesting when real-world examples are used when supporting unfascinating theory. But with a sports and society book, I came across another interesting reason why we have sports, and it goes along with the fact we like to kill. We have sports because modern humans haven't completely evolved from their hunter-gatherer ancestors. So we still chase the feeling of the hunt. We're still predators.
While I was around town today getting groceries (it's kind of difficult because things like tomato sauce and paste are labeled differently, such as tomato puree) and visiting CrossFit Poole, I'm still marveling at the fact I'm here. I'm not uncomfortable anymore. I have a routine now, I've got some money and a bank account and some friends and am discovering a new hobby. Man, I'm glad I came here.
And as a final thought, when talking to Floyd, one of the coaches at CrossFit Poole, it turns out he was born at one of the Air Force bases in Sacramento, though he moved here when he was very young, and has some family there. Small world.
7/10 - Some bad news: I didn't make the first team with the American Football team. The announcement was made during tonight's chalkboard session, and I gotta say I was disappointed. However, the lineups are fluid, so anyone can go up or down at any time. I still get pads and a helmet and a kit, so I'll just keep going to practice, getting stronger with CrossFit and work my tail off to take someone's job. (I apologize for the generic statement a football player makes to the media; it seemed appropriate.)
Now for some good news: I met with the editor and sports editor of the school newspaper and they seemed impressed with my resume so that's a good start. I guess it's a plus to have professional experience when trying to get on the school newspaper. I was also picked to contribute to a UK American football website called Double Coverage.
I found out the German guy (Nico?) in my sports principles and practices class is an Arsenal fan, because while in discussion he said he's going to the Champions League game between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. So I hung back to talk to him and his friend Frieda who comes from Munich. We seemed to hit it off after I told them I studied German for four semesters in college but have since forgotten most of it.
I rode the bus back to Poole with Stella, my flatmate from Kenya. She said she was going to get some KFC at the bus station because she was too tired to cook. I rolled my eyes at her and she started laughing.
Finally, I got a haircut today courtesy of a guy on the football team named Sammy. I'll say right now it was the strangest haircut I've ever had. Going through the door I had to step over beer bottles and empty pizza boxes. The kitchen to the left was completely filthy with no counter space. Sammy whipped out a chair in the middle of the carpet and had me sit on it. He didn't lay out anything on the floor, nor did he put a towel around my shoulders. I said I wanted a fade, but I don't think he had either the skills or the tools to do it. He just ended up quickly shaving my head while his roommates laughed at him and about the night they had last night. Several times I pointed out where Sammy missed, such as around my ears and on my neck. So now I'm little better than bald, though I can't complain because it was free. I don't know the guy too well, but I had to give him a chance. I think this qualified as a train wreck, so I'll look elsewhere.
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But I like it, especially after I got a chance to wash my head with some shampoo and shave off my widow's peak. The only problem is that my head is freezing now, especially with fall well and truly here.
And speaking of fall in Poole and Bournemouth, it's awesome! The colors are so vibrant and it's pretty chilly and wet, just how I like it.
I went out in Bournemouth with Franky, my pub buddy. I think I've written about her, but if not she's the one who grew up around pubs so she knows a good British pub. She's cool. She's 22 but she was completely hammered tonight. She owes me taxi fare. (Update: it turns out Franky bought a round of drinks. She was shocked to discover how much she spent in the days that passed.)
In other news, I have full access to my loan funds now. When I found out this morning I was giddy. Now I have cleats, gloves, a membership to the football team, an unlocked phone (in two weeks) and obviously a night out. But I realize I paid for this with money that isn't actually mine. But whatever, I'll deal with that when the time comes. I also found a few local stores on High Street in Poole where I can get stuff for really cheap. For example, a pair of shoes for four pounds. Good deal!
But my biggest concern at the moment is making it to 11 a.m. football practice. It's now 4:04 a.m.
Later on Sunday...
I can't wait until we get pads and helmets.
Drawing up the formations on a white board in a classroom session is one thing, but it's a whole other ballgame when you actually go out and physically line up in those formations and learn what all the signs and terminology mean. It's very confusing at first, like a new language, but it becomes more and more clear.
I spent the practice lining up as a slot receiver. When the play call comes in and the offensive coordinator makes his signs there's something that applies to everybody. So for example, if he calls "over 2 flex Y," that means I line up on the right side. And if the coordinator locks his hands together and spreads his arms wide close to the ground, that means the play will run to the left; over his head, the play goes to the right. Additionally, there are plays such as "under 1 slot 2" which means the slot receiver (me) lines up on the quarterback's right side and could receive a handoff depending on which side of the field the play is running.
As a result of learning these formations, we had an intra-squad scrimmage where the defense, offense and lines combined to play a game. This was pretty fun, as it's a bit of a rush to go block someone. It feels great to be able to shove someone hard in the chest and drive them back. It's a one on one matchup with another person where both are battling for position. It's tough, but exhilarating.
And later I rode the bus to Bournemouth with Michael, the other guy from California on my floor. He plays volleyball for a couple teams here, and it turns out he likes Regular Show too. If you don't know what Regular show is, it's about a college-aged blue jay and his raccoon friend who work for a public park and have a gumball machine for a boss. It's absolutely fantastic. Check it out, it's on Netflix.
6/10 - That was one hell of a storm last night. It went all night and didn't stop until about 1 p.m. My window wasn't completely closed so noises were louder than normal which woke me up a few times. The wind was really blowing and the rain was driving down. I loved it! I haven't seen a storm like that in California for a while.
Since I don't have classes on Monday, it was a stay-inside-and-study-and-do-chores kind of day. With my business classes, readings are typically so much more interesting when real-world examples are used when supporting unfascinating theory. But with a sports and society book, I came across another interesting reason why we have sports, and it goes along with the fact we like to kill. We have sports because modern humans haven't completely evolved from their hunter-gatherer ancestors. So we still chase the feeling of the hunt. We're still predators.
While I was around town today getting groceries (it's kind of difficult because things like tomato sauce and paste are labeled differently, such as tomato puree) and visiting CrossFit Poole, I'm still marveling at the fact I'm here. I'm not uncomfortable anymore. I have a routine now, I've got some money and a bank account and some friends and am discovering a new hobby. Man, I'm glad I came here.
And as a final thought, when talking to Floyd, one of the coaches at CrossFit Poole, it turns out he was born at one of the Air Force bases in Sacramento, though he moved here when he was very young, and has some family there. Small world.
7/10 - Some bad news: I didn't make the first team with the American Football team. The announcement was made during tonight's chalkboard session, and I gotta say I was disappointed. However, the lineups are fluid, so anyone can go up or down at any time. I still get pads and a helmet and a kit, so I'll just keep going to practice, getting stronger with CrossFit and work my tail off to take someone's job. (I apologize for the generic statement a football player makes to the media; it seemed appropriate.)
Now for some good news: I met with the editor and sports editor of the school newspaper and they seemed impressed with my resume so that's a good start. I guess it's a plus to have professional experience when trying to get on the school newspaper. I was also picked to contribute to a UK American football website called Double Coverage.
I found out the German guy (Nico?) in my sports principles and practices class is an Arsenal fan, because while in discussion he said he's going to the Champions League game between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. So I hung back to talk to him and his friend Frieda who comes from Munich. We seemed to hit it off after I told them I studied German for four semesters in college but have since forgotten most of it.
I rode the bus back to Poole with Stella, my flatmate from Kenya. She said she was going to get some KFC at the bus station because she was too tired to cook. I rolled my eyes at her and she started laughing.
Finally, I got a haircut today courtesy of a guy on the football team named Sammy. I'll say right now it was the strangest haircut I've ever had. Going through the door I had to step over beer bottles and empty pizza boxes. The kitchen to the left was completely filthy with no counter space. Sammy whipped out a chair in the middle of the carpet and had me sit on it. He didn't lay out anything on the floor, nor did he put a towel around my shoulders. I said I wanted a fade, but I don't think he had either the skills or the tools to do it. He just ended up quickly shaving my head while his roommates laughed at him and about the night they had last night. Several times I pointed out where Sammy missed, such as around my ears and on my neck. So now I'm little better than bald, though I can't complain because it was free. I don't know the guy too well, but I had to give him a chance. I think this qualified as a train wreck, so I'll look elsewhere.
But I like it, especially after I got a chance to wash my head with some shampoo and shave off my widow's peak. The only problem is that my head is freezing now, especially with fall well and truly here.
And speaking of fall in Poole and Bournemouth, it's awesome! The colors are so vibrant and it's pretty chilly and wet, just how I like it.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Changing identity
This begins with a rant, and for that I'll apologize ahead of time. Also, language is NSFW.
Fuck the banks here in the UK. I got my loan money in my hand Wednesday morning, and of course I felt so relieved to have the money I desperately needed. But that relief was replaced, once again, by frustration. I thought I'd have some physical money in my hand today. Nope! Sorry, this check has to clear before it goes into your account, and that takes three business days.
.....ugh.
There are several numbers I have to memorize to log on to the HSBC website to bank electronically. Unfortunately I couldn't remember one number, so typing it in a few times has locked me out of the site temporarily. They've made this shit so difficult and maddening. I have a debit card now, but what the fuck is the point of it if you have to activate it and wait several days for a check to clear?
Oh how I miss Bank of the Sierra.
1/10 - (this is how the date is presented in the UK. Day first and then the month.) Today I made a fuss with HSBC, so as a result, I got some materials earlier than they said I would. I guess I'm just so tired of waiting for everything to fall into place. I'm now registered with online banking and have activated my debit card. However, I can see the money in my account but it's unavailable. That's the bank sticking its tongue out at me and teasing me with potential funds.
But I got my student on today. I read for a while and checked a book out from the library. It was uneventful until that night when Bill (pseudonym) ran into me at the elevators on the first floor. He had just come back from the pub and was a little tipsy, so he talked a lot to me. He even had a grocery bag full of beer at his side, so the man likes to drink. A lot. Though just before we split up he basically invited me to come to a Crystal Palace (soccer club in London) game with him in the coming months. So whenever he gets tickets, he'll tell me. Or so I hope. Did I get my hopes up? It's an exciting prospect nevertheless.
2/10 - Woof. Thursdays are going to be brutal. Lectures from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no breaks besides the small 5-minute intermissions. Today was the kind of day that makes me question why I'm doing this. It was four hours total of business strategy and finance with a little bit of sports sociology sandwiched in the middle.
You'd think sports sociology would be fascinating. Nope. Not when the lecturer stands in one spot for two hours, looks at the back wall or the ceiling, doesn't engage the class (six of us) at all and essentially talks at people, not to them. I'm secretly hoping I don't see that woman too many more times.
But some positive points:
-I've found some textbooks online in PDF format. I've learned long ago to never buy a textbook new, or even used if I can avoid it. There are also required readings in the library.
-Football practice after class tomorrow!
-It's awesome being around people from all over the world. I thought I was talking with two Americans today, but they turned out to be Canadian and Swedish.
To close out today, I'll share what I've learned reading some of these books about sport and society, as well as one about business. First off, the business book. An interesting point I've remembered is an organization is something that applies knowledge to its benefit rather than gathering knowledge.
And in the sports book, sport can be seen as a way for humans to satisfy their primal instinct for killing. Since modern society has forbidden people to kill, humans have to satisfy that urge through competition. The same goes for spectators of a sport, any sport. It's pretty neat. What do you think?
3/10 - I did some more reading this morning. Already I feel like the student I never was. However, the reading isn't too interesting. It's about business strategy theories and it's a slog. It's like trying to run through chocolate pudding; in other words, it's like trying to read and understand an academic article.
Today was the first lecture of my third class: Managing Organizations. Again, not a very interesting subject, but the professor at least made it engaging. But I'm going to be a little mean for a moment. This guy must have had a rough childhood. He's pale, pudgy and short. He has a massive overbite makes him look a bit cartoony, as well as a lisp. And when he smiles, his skin stretches so that his eyes become slits and his teeth burst to the forefront.
But after classes was football practice at Meyrick Park. I got there about an hour early and saw that it's home to a semi-professional rugby club. It has a grand clubhouse and everything. Plus there are short hiking trails all around it in the woods.
We went from 6 to 8 p.m. There was some conditioning involved, but there was also a lot of application of what we learned in the class session. So that meant lining up for plays, both on offense and defense. I just wish I had some money so I can actually buy some cleats and come to practice prepared! Plus I still need to pay for the membership, which includes the pads, helmet, travel, insurance and other good stuff.
So it looks like I'm going to have to be that guy and borrow some money from someone this weekend. As of right now, my loan money is showing in bank account but it's not yet available. I'm so close! But I'm also incredibly far away.
So I sit here at the bus station, smelly and dusty from practice at 9 p.m. But it's totally fine. Playing football is going to make me go through a bit of an identity change. I've never been a violent person. I've never hit someone or truly thrown a punch. That'll happen in football. It's rough already, even without pads. I like that. This'll bring out a side of me that hasn't come out before.
Fuck the banks here in the UK. I got my loan money in my hand Wednesday morning, and of course I felt so relieved to have the money I desperately needed. But that relief was replaced, once again, by frustration. I thought I'd have some physical money in my hand today. Nope! Sorry, this check has to clear before it goes into your account, and that takes three business days.
.....ugh.
There are several numbers I have to memorize to log on to the HSBC website to bank electronically. Unfortunately I couldn't remember one number, so typing it in a few times has locked me out of the site temporarily. They've made this shit so difficult and maddening. I have a debit card now, but what the fuck is the point of it if you have to activate it and wait several days for a check to clear?
Oh how I miss Bank of the Sierra.
1/10 - (this is how the date is presented in the UK. Day first and then the month.) Today I made a fuss with HSBC, so as a result, I got some materials earlier than they said I would. I guess I'm just so tired of waiting for everything to fall into place. I'm now registered with online banking and have activated my debit card. However, I can see the money in my account but it's unavailable. That's the bank sticking its tongue out at me and teasing me with potential funds.
But I got my student on today. I read for a while and checked a book out from the library. It was uneventful until that night when Bill (pseudonym) ran into me at the elevators on the first floor. He had just come back from the pub and was a little tipsy, so he talked a lot to me. He even had a grocery bag full of beer at his side, so the man likes to drink. A lot. Though just before we split up he basically invited me to come to a Crystal Palace (soccer club in London) game with him in the coming months. So whenever he gets tickets, he'll tell me. Or so I hope. Did I get my hopes up? It's an exciting prospect nevertheless.
2/10 - Woof. Thursdays are going to be brutal. Lectures from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no breaks besides the small 5-minute intermissions. Today was the kind of day that makes me question why I'm doing this. It was four hours total of business strategy and finance with a little bit of sports sociology sandwiched in the middle.
You'd think sports sociology would be fascinating. Nope. Not when the lecturer stands in one spot for two hours, looks at the back wall or the ceiling, doesn't engage the class (six of us) at all and essentially talks at people, not to them. I'm secretly hoping I don't see that woman too many more times.
But some positive points:
-I've found some textbooks online in PDF format. I've learned long ago to never buy a textbook new, or even used if I can avoid it. There are also required readings in the library.
-Football practice after class tomorrow!
-It's awesome being around people from all over the world. I thought I was talking with two Americans today, but they turned out to be Canadian and Swedish.
To close out today, I'll share what I've learned reading some of these books about sport and society, as well as one about business. First off, the business book. An interesting point I've remembered is an organization is something that applies knowledge to its benefit rather than gathering knowledge.
And in the sports book, sport can be seen as a way for humans to satisfy their primal instinct for killing. Since modern society has forbidden people to kill, humans have to satisfy that urge through competition. The same goes for spectators of a sport, any sport. It's pretty neat. What do you think?
3/10 - I did some more reading this morning. Already I feel like the student I never was. However, the reading isn't too interesting. It's about business strategy theories and it's a slog. It's like trying to run through chocolate pudding; in other words, it's like trying to read and understand an academic article.
Today was the first lecture of my third class: Managing Organizations. Again, not a very interesting subject, but the professor at least made it engaging. But I'm going to be a little mean for a moment. This guy must have had a rough childhood. He's pale, pudgy and short. He has a massive overbite makes him look a bit cartoony, as well as a lisp. And when he smiles, his skin stretches so that his eyes become slits and his teeth burst to the forefront.
But after classes was football practice at Meyrick Park. I got there about an hour early and saw that it's home to a semi-professional rugby club. It has a grand clubhouse and everything. Plus there are short hiking trails all around it in the woods.
So it looks like I'm going to have to be that guy and borrow some money from someone this weekend. As of right now, my loan money is showing in bank account but it's not yet available. I'm so close! But I'm also incredibly far away.
So I sit here at the bus station, smelly and dusty from practice at 9 p.m. But it's totally fine. Playing football is going to make me go through a bit of an identity change. I've never been a violent person. I've never hit someone or truly thrown a punch. That'll happen in football. It's rough already, even without pads. I like that. This'll bring out a side of me that hasn't come out before.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Busy first day of classes
Sept. 29 - I met our fourth and final flatmate today. Her name is Stella and she comes from Nairobi, Kenya. She moved in yesterday so we went and walked around Poole for about an hour. Really cool person. Then Tim joined us for a Chinese food buffet. It was Stella's first time having Chinese food and she loved it. I ate with chopsticks.
Sept. 30 - First day of school for me! I was probably a minute late to catch the bus that takes the students directly to campus, so that meant I had to take a regular bus that stops at every stop. And because of that I was about 10 minutes late to my first class. On the walk through campus I was hoping I wouldn't have to walk into a large auditorium by myself with all eyes on me, the late guy. But that's exactly what happened. There's probably a couple hundred people in that class (business strategy...zzzzz). I opened the door and the professor turned to look at me. I nodded at him and he looked at the rest of the people there and gave a look I didn't see. People began laughing. It wasn't the start I was hoping for. But luckily I wasn't the only one late.
Later during the first intermission, I walked up to the professor (Nick Rowles) and introduced myself and apologized for being late. I said, "I should apologize for being late. I was watching cat videos this morning." That made him laugh, and we made some small talk. It turns out he's completely understanding because the busses can be late, especially in the first week.
My second class was much more interesting. It's sport principles and practices. There were just six people in that class, including me. There were two Germans, one person from Greece, a man from Bulgaria and two British people, including the professor. So there will be several different perspectives in that class. I like it because it's tiny and two of them are in that business strategy class and in the same group as me for a project due later in the term.
I then had several hours to kill, which I spent reading up on some recommended text for those two classes. One of which was an interesting article in the Independent about how various cities fared after they hosted the Olympics. Some, like Atlanta and Sydney eventually figured out how to use their new facilities to reinvigorate their battered areas whereas other hosts such as Greece and Montreal fell into debt and the Olympic facilities lay forgotten.
Finally, at night I went to a classroom session with the American Football club where we learned the basics of the game and terminology. I learned this team uses a 4-3 defense and plays Cover 2, and if I'm the Mike linebacker I'll rush up the middle and cover the running back. Or if I'm on offense, I'll know where to go if the play call is "under 2, X Z pinch" and I'm the tight end. At first it's garbled mush, but it becomes clear later, kind of like trigonometry.
So my routine is taking shape, and thus I'm feeling more comfortable, even with the daunting prospect of juggling a Master's degree and playing for a football team. But I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I'll have to admit: This is pretty awesome. It doesn't feel strange anymore here, especially because I'm starting to recognize random people around campus I've met and hung out with.
Just one last thing: BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY, PLEASE GIVE ME MY DAMN LOAN MONEY. I'D LIKE TO BUY SOME MORE FOOD AND THE BOOKS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO MY CLASSES. STOP DRAGGIN YO FEET. Also, I still don't have my debit card from HSBC and my iPhone is forgotten on the desk in my room. Maybe someday I'll sort it out. Peace out.
Sept. 30 - First day of school for me! I was probably a minute late to catch the bus that takes the students directly to campus, so that meant I had to take a regular bus that stops at every stop. And because of that I was about 10 minutes late to my first class. On the walk through campus I was hoping I wouldn't have to walk into a large auditorium by myself with all eyes on me, the late guy. But that's exactly what happened. There's probably a couple hundred people in that class (business strategy...zzzzz). I opened the door and the professor turned to look at me. I nodded at him and he looked at the rest of the people there and gave a look I didn't see. People began laughing. It wasn't the start I was hoping for. But luckily I wasn't the only one late.
Later during the first intermission, I walked up to the professor (Nick Rowles) and introduced myself and apologized for being late. I said, "I should apologize for being late. I was watching cat videos this morning." That made him laugh, and we made some small talk. It turns out he's completely understanding because the busses can be late, especially in the first week.
My second class was much more interesting. It's sport principles and practices. There were just six people in that class, including me. There were two Germans, one person from Greece, a man from Bulgaria and two British people, including the professor. So there will be several different perspectives in that class. I like it because it's tiny and two of them are in that business strategy class and in the same group as me for a project due later in the term.
I then had several hours to kill, which I spent reading up on some recommended text for those two classes. One of which was an interesting article in the Independent about how various cities fared after they hosted the Olympics. Some, like Atlanta and Sydney eventually figured out how to use their new facilities to reinvigorate their battered areas whereas other hosts such as Greece and Montreal fell into debt and the Olympic facilities lay forgotten.
Finally, at night I went to a classroom session with the American Football club where we learned the basics of the game and terminology. I learned this team uses a 4-3 defense and plays Cover 2, and if I'm the Mike linebacker I'll rush up the middle and cover the running back. Or if I'm on offense, I'll know where to go if the play call is "under 2, X Z pinch" and I'm the tight end. At first it's garbled mush, but it becomes clear later, kind of like trigonometry.
So my routine is taking shape, and thus I'm feeling more comfortable, even with the daunting prospect of juggling a Master's degree and playing for a football team. But I'm sure I'll be able to do it. I'll have to admit: This is pretty awesome. It doesn't feel strange anymore here, especially because I'm starting to recognize random people around campus I've met and hung out with.
Just one last thing: BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY, PLEASE GIVE ME MY DAMN LOAN MONEY. I'D LIKE TO BUY SOME MORE FOOD AND THE BOOKS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO MY CLASSES. STOP DRAGGIN YO FEET. Also, I still don't have my debit card from HSBC and my iPhone is forgotten on the desk in my room. Maybe someday I'll sort it out. Peace out.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Assimilation
Sept. 28 - Friday night I went to the Bournemouth Fire Festival with Naomi, another postgraduate on the upper floors of Corfe House. It's strange how postgrads are stuck up at the top two floors of an otherwise all-freshman dorm so far away from campus. But I digress.
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The festival was really neat. It was in the Bournemouth city center, and that's really close to the beach. So imagine hundreds of flaming clay pots that normally hold plants stuck into the ground at the park.
There were also vase-shaped fireplaces, a row of hot coals that stood above the stream and spherical fireplaces that hung from the trees. Additionally, there were metal art sculptures that were designed around actual fire, live music and food. Needless to say it was a great place to warm up. After the festival Naomi and I went to the beach where we met up with some other postgrads who were from Romania, Italy and Taiwan. Julia, the girl from Taiwan, speaks Spanish about the same level I do, and she lives in Corfe so that was pretty neat.
Today (Saturday) I met an American who had just moved in the day before. Oddly enough, his name is Michael and he's from Los Angeles. I guess you could say it's a comfort to meet another American over here because they have something in common with me. I've met several Americans so far and it's always a kind of relief to speak to them. It's a huge thing to have in common right off the bat. Yes, we're from the same place but we're both international students. We're foreigners.
This evening I played a card game with several people from China who live on my floor. Their door was open so I just went in and introduced myself. One of the guys was super friendly and explained the game to me (he made it up himself and designed the cards as well). Eventually Cloe,
their British flatmate, came in and played with us, so it was a truly international game.
I'm beginning to feel like Poole is my home. I feel relaxed. The accent doesn't seem nearly as intimidating or different anymore. Now, it's just people speaking. Of course it still sounds different, but I've found I'm much more comfortable opening my mouth to ask questions, order food or just talk to people. I guess you could say I'm assimilating into this community, though I still find it strange to not hear Spanish everywhere like in California.
A quick update on my phone: it's locked with AT&T, not Verizon. That means it will be cheaper to unlock. However, if I can get some account information from the Porterville Recorder, I can send that to AT&T and they can unlock it for free through iTunes. It turns out there was a law passed in July saying carriers must let customers unlock their phones so they can sign up with a competitor. It'll take some time to get this sorted, but since I haven't had my own phone for a month and a half, I'm not too worried. It's nice not being connected.
Sept. 29 - Today was all about American football. It was my second practice, and it was incredibly different from the first. I made sure to eat something beforehand and have plenty of fluids during practice. I brought a lot of coconut water, and that helped so much. But my legs are dead right now. At the end of practice we did 50 yard sprints for conditioning. One rep consisted of one 50 yard sprint followed by walking back to the line. We rested for about 10 seconds and then sprinted 50 yards to the line and then sprinted back again. There were 12 rounds of that. During the sprints I could feel my groin and quad muscles straining and pulling. There were a couple times I yelled out at the end of the runs with a simple "damn it!" because I could feel my legs straining. I thought about quitting, but if there's one thing CrossFit has taught me is that every workout ends eventually. Just push through because it'll be over soon. And when you finish after not quitting, it's that much sweeter.
So I don't think I actually injured myself (we'll see tomorrow morning). After the practice we stayed for all the freshmen, and some of them were straight up gassed. Some complained too much too. But it was interesting watching the workout from the sidelines. Football practice is so difficult, especially if you're not in shape.
And in the evening I went to Bournemouth to meet up with the club at a bar to watch NFL games, and that included Vincent, a 52-year-old former cornerback who played for England in his younger days. It was great having someone with that kind of experience at the practice.
But while riding the bus today, I marveled at how radically different my life is. I essentially blew up my old life in Porterville and moved 7000+ miles away to a different country where I'm playing an American sport I never felt the need to play back in my own country. I'm living a totally different life. But the great thing is this: it's feeling like home. Like I said in the previous entry, the accents are melting together and they're starting to sound familiar.
I think it takes some serious guts to do what I've done, and I'm not just tooting my own horn here. Who wants to feel like a total outsider? Who really has the desire to start over and begin with nothing? Who feels the need to uproot themselves, distance themselves from all they've come to love and learn and be comfortable with and try completely new things without a car, phone or bank account? I really do feel proud of myself. I've done it. I've accomplished my dream and survived the awful feeling of fear that first week.
So here's to class beginning on Tuesday and this final lager of the night (which is the French version of Coors Light).
The festival was really neat. It was in the Bournemouth city center, and that's really close to the beach. So imagine hundreds of flaming clay pots that normally hold plants stuck into the ground at the park.
Today (Saturday) I met an American who had just moved in the day before. Oddly enough, his name is Michael and he's from Los Angeles. I guess you could say it's a comfort to meet another American over here because they have something in common with me. I've met several Americans so far and it's always a kind of relief to speak to them. It's a huge thing to have in common right off the bat. Yes, we're from the same place but we're both international students. We're foreigners.
This evening I played a card game with several people from China who live on my floor. Their door was open so I just went in and introduced myself. One of the guys was super friendly and explained the game to me (he made it up himself and designed the cards as well). Eventually Cloe,
their British flatmate, came in and played with us, so it was a truly international game.
I'm beginning to feel like Poole is my home. I feel relaxed. The accent doesn't seem nearly as intimidating or different anymore. Now, it's just people speaking. Of course it still sounds different, but I've found I'm much more comfortable opening my mouth to ask questions, order food or just talk to people. I guess you could say I'm assimilating into this community, though I still find it strange to not hear Spanish everywhere like in California.
A quick update on my phone: it's locked with AT&T, not Verizon. That means it will be cheaper to unlock. However, if I can get some account information from the Porterville Recorder, I can send that to AT&T and they can unlock it for free through iTunes. It turns out there was a law passed in July saying carriers must let customers unlock their phones so they can sign up with a competitor. It'll take some time to get this sorted, but since I haven't had my own phone for a month and a half, I'm not too worried. It's nice not being connected.
Sept. 29 - Today was all about American football. It was my second practice, and it was incredibly different from the first. I made sure to eat something beforehand and have plenty of fluids during practice. I brought a lot of coconut water, and that helped so much. But my legs are dead right now. At the end of practice we did 50 yard sprints for conditioning. One rep consisted of one 50 yard sprint followed by walking back to the line. We rested for about 10 seconds and then sprinted 50 yards to the line and then sprinted back again. There were 12 rounds of that. During the sprints I could feel my groin and quad muscles straining and pulling. There were a couple times I yelled out at the end of the runs with a simple "damn it!" because I could feel my legs straining. I thought about quitting, but if there's one thing CrossFit has taught me is that every workout ends eventually. Just push through because it'll be over soon. And when you finish after not quitting, it's that much sweeter.
So I don't think I actually injured myself (we'll see tomorrow morning). After the practice we stayed for all the freshmen, and some of them were straight up gassed. Some complained too much too. But it was interesting watching the workout from the sidelines. Football practice is so difficult, especially if you're not in shape.
And in the evening I went to Bournemouth to meet up with the club at a bar to watch NFL games, and that included Vincent, a 52-year-old former cornerback who played for England in his younger days. It was great having someone with that kind of experience at the practice.
But while riding the bus today, I marveled at how radically different my life is. I essentially blew up my old life in Porterville and moved 7000+ miles away to a different country where I'm playing an American sport I never felt the need to play back in my own country. I'm living a totally different life. But the great thing is this: it's feeling like home. Like I said in the previous entry, the accents are melting together and they're starting to sound familiar.
I think it takes some serious guts to do what I've done, and I'm not just tooting my own horn here. Who wants to feel like a total outsider? Who really has the desire to start over and begin with nothing? Who feels the need to uproot themselves, distance themselves from all they've come to love and learn and be comfortable with and try completely new things without a car, phone or bank account? I really do feel proud of myself. I've done it. I've accomplished my dream and survived the awful feeling of fear that first week.
So here's to class beginning on Tuesday and this final lager of the night (which is the French version of Coors Light).
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