June 8th: Game Day!

Sadly it's my day to blog, which means that this trip is almost over. After everyone woke up to prove to Lisa and Linda that we were all still alive, some headed to the casino to watch the NBA game while others ventured off for some brunch. Now for the folks like me who enjoy sleep, we slept in a bit and later joined the group to meet Linda’s daughter, Sydney, and head off to the AFL game. I think we were all a little more excited for this game because, unlike rugby union and rugby league, we hadn't learned the rules prior to watching the game. After arriving at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG), Maura, Carolyn, Skye, Sarah, Bryan, Sydney, Stefani and Laura discovered the face paint and decided to get a little AFL spirit going.

 

 

Seeing as we had never had an AFL lesson, none of us had any idea as to what was going on in the game. A few nice individuals (those that overheard us trying to figure out what was going on and, I assume, felt bad for us so they decided to step in and help) sitting nearby helped us out with all of our confused, American questions and explained the game to us. By half time we felt like AFL pros. Ryan and Jeb (Sarah) were slightly tired because before the end of the third quarter, each had fallen asleep multiple times.

 

We were really starting to get into the game as we learned more and more. It was a close match up until the end where the Collingwood Magpies finished off with a win over the Melbourne Demons of 85 – 110. Some group members decided to leave the game early to beat the crowd while only a few of us stayed for the ending. Leaving the game, we lost a few more group members and all met back at the hostel. Some decided to stay in and hangout while others decided to go out, find dinner and have a bit of fun. As our favorite Chinese spot was closed, we went next door to a similar restaurant and had some questionable food (at least mine and Trevor’s food was questionable). To finish off our second to last night, we had a bit of fun then headed back to the hostel to end our night.

I hope this blog, though short, fulfilled your daily wonders about what we are doing in this amazing country. It’s been a great trip so far and I’m glad be sharing it with all these incredible new friends. Thanks to everyone who’s been keeping up with this blog, mostly my mom who only reads it so she doesn’t have to ask me about our day!