The Roller Coaster That Is My Season

Oh the roller coaster that is my season. 2 weeks ago, we lost to a team that had no business beating us and I played like poo. Following the loss our team decided enough was enough and we put together a great week of practices and we won the next week. Who knew? Good week of practice with good attendence= win the following game…I played my best game all season in that win, but pulled a muscle in my leg. I must have adjusted the way I was walking to compensate for the pain in my leg and as a result I hurt my back...Luckily or unluckily, I’m a veteran when it comes to back injuries and I had packed my back brace from college. I saw the physio/trainer during the week he said it was nothing major or structural. As for practice that week, I think we may have been smelling our own fumes from the win because it was mediocre at best. During the weekend we traveled to Manchester to play Megan’s team and lost- by 20. I believe we had 28 turnovers for the game which is basically disrespectful to the game itself. I didn’t score a lot but I thought I played well, but when you lose by 20 it all feels the same in the end. We have 2 games left until the playoffs begin. Its crazy because despite the losses, I really feel like we have a good team and could beat anyone in the league on any given day.



In non basketball news not too much new has been going on. I stayed up in Manchester for the weekend with Megan. Her dad was also visiting and a friend of ours named Ed who flew in from Barcelona. We drove to a place called Harrogate and had traditional afternoon tea at a place called ‘Betty’s’. I had no idea as to what to expect, but I did know that afternoon tea is actually a typical mealtime like lunch or breakfast. Most English people have afternoon tea with biscuits or whatever their choosing, but I learned only the rich posh Brits or the tourists have tea like we were about to experience. We got there around 3 or so and definitely had to wait at least 30 minutes to be seated, but it was well worth it At our ‘afternoon tea’ we had finger sandwiches (smoked salmon and egg mayonaise (egg salad)), sultana scones with butter and preserves, biscuits (small pastry/cookie like things) and tea with of course milk and sugar. The food was served on a nice multi-level tray and the the tea in a nice mini teapot. The tea was brewed in loose tea leaves that were still in the pot so we had to use this nice mini-strainer that rested nicely on our cups. I of course was the first person to pour my tea and didn’t realize that I needed to filter out the leaves so I had some nice floaties in my cup, but that’s alright. We took pictures despite the smirks from the servers behind the lens. Normally I try to avoid be labeled the tourist, but this was one of those times I didn’t really care.



Honestly not too much else has been going on with me. I’ve been trying to get all my paperwork in for my summer camp job that starts in mid-June. Also, I have been putting together a coaches’ notebook for camp making sure I have a reference for all drills, techniques, and specific points of emphasis that I want to make sure I cover.



I’ve been very aware of my spending habits lately because I am trying to save money for a mini Euro-trip that I am planning on taking right after the end of the season with Megan. Consequently, my days have been fairly low key with a lot of reading and researching for the trip. During our trip we will visit Prague Czech Republic, Berlin Germany, Copenhagen Denmark, and Stockholm Sweden. From there we will fly to Barcelona Spain where I fully intend on being a tan freeloader while staying with a friend who lives there for about 10 days!! If anyone reading this has any suggestions on what to see or where to go in any of these places I would love to hear about them!!



My flat mates and I had dinner together the other night and I got out the carton of milk to pour myself a glass. After taking my first sip, I looked up at both Luci and Patricia with their jaws on the floor. They were shocked that I was having milk with dinner and they couldn’t get over it. Apparently, this is really American. Paty even went as far as to compare it to pouring wine in your cereal in the morning- that’s how strange it was to them. It was such unexpected culture difference Because of daily things like this that happen to me- whether they are things I say or things I do- I decided to make a list of English language words that are have different meanings in America and Britain.



Cotton buds= Q-tips

Biscuits= cookies

Sweets=candy

Have a go= give it a try

Physio= trainer

Varnish= nail polish

Purse= female wallet

Wallet=male wallet

Handbag=purse

Salad= lettuce on your sandwich

Bum Bag=Fanny Pack

Fanny Pack= Never say this!! See below

Fanny=nickname for women’s private area

Courgette= zucchini

Aubergine= eggplant

Rucksack=backpack

Bibs= jerseys we use at practice to distinguish teams

Nappies-=diapers

Dummies= pacifiers (for a baby)

Skip= dumptster

Petrol=gas for your car

Taking the Mickey= making fun

Taking the piss= making fun

Lorries=semi-trucks

Kit= uniform