Andrew Lamont's Diary Continues

Journal Week 2   February 5 - 11

 
To begin the week I had a meeting with my advisor here on campus to fill out forms for my medical coverage. When we were done he introduced me to the Internships Manager who had set up the programs for the last scholarship winners and she filled me in on the program that I would be starting with a local company in the next few weeks. The focus of my major back in California is Outdoor Recreation and Education, and Jo was happy to inform me that there were several companies in the area that I could work with.

Practices this week were very hard and the coach has been working us with a lot of running and  fitness drills. One rather intense drill was that we had to run back and forth as a team between 2 cones about 100 meters apart. While were were running the coach would blow his whistle 1, 2 or 3 times signify that we had to do either 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups or 10 leg tucks and immediately get up and keep running. After about 10 minutes of that exercise with the whistle blowing quite frequently, I was ready to throw up. The one part of practice that I am struggling with is the heat and humidity. While it doesn't really bother me fitness wise, it seems as though there is always a sheen of sweat and condensation on my hands and on the ball making marking and hand balling more difficult than I had ever experienced back in the States. It is trick but I think I am getting the hang of it.

Just before practice on Thursday, I got a call from my sister who had been in New Zealand and she told me that she would be swinging through Sydney for the weekend with some friends. Her flight supposedly arrived at the Sydney airport at 7 am meaning I would have to leave Macquarie Village at about 5.30 in the morning. After having somehow accomplishing this task half asleep, I got to the arrivals gate only to find out that she had missed her flight and would be arriving at 4pm instead. While this seemed an inconvenience at the time I went back to Sydney again for the day and actually had a good time exploring around. Finally my sister arrived. We lugged her bags back to my apartment for the night and then headed off Saturday morning to Coogee beach to meet her friends. It was a long bus ride to the beach but along the way we passed the SCG, home of the Sydney Swans and I was very excited at the prospect of catching a game there soon. Coogee beach is an awesome spot and after meeting up with our friends we had a long swim in the ocean before heading back to their apartment for a big BBQ cook up. Coogee definitely had a Californian feel to it and I hope to head back there soon. On Sunday I saw my sister off to the airport and came back home for a lazy day of watching cricket.

- Andrew Lamont
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