The FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa on Friday. If you have ever lived or traveled in Africa, Europe, or South America, you will know that this is a big deal. Basically everywhere BUT the States is crazy about futbol (or soccer, if you prefer).
[For those of you who know nothing about futbol (of which I am one, except that I’m surrounded by it), this is the first time the World Cup has been in Africa and six African teams will be participating – South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon.]
Naturally, I felt the need to purchase a jersey with the FIFA 2010 patch. I mean, this will probably be the only time I’ll be living in Africa at the same time the Cup’s in Africa.
So I go to a sport’s store in Gulu to make my purchase. I’m hoping for South Africa, but am pretty willing to accept any African team, with the exception of Nigeria (for you, Dad).
And of course my only selections are Portugal or Nigeria.
I opt for Portugal. Then I regret it on the way home. Portugal? Seriously?? I didn’t even know where Portugal was until I looked it up on my handy little World Cup map!
Nevertheless, as I’m watching the first match of the Cup between South Africa and Mexico, I’ll be proudly wearing my Portuguese colors. And hoping that no one realizes that Portugal plays the Ivory Coast on Tuesday…
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Basketball
Sunday I went to lunch at the only place in Gulu where you can get a steak and watch American news on a big-screen TV. It occurred to me that the UT game would be on at 9:30 PM my time and would be on ESPN International. Chrissy, Kent, and I confirmed with the hotel that they would show the game and decided to return Sunday night.
So we arrived right as the game was beginning to find that Ugandan news was on. We watched it for a while and then they changed to ESPN. Only to find that the San Antonio rodeo was on. So, in hopes that it would change to basketball, we stayed and watched the rodeo with a bunch of Ugandan men who had never seen anything like it.
I wish I had a video of their faces. It was hilarious! Kent had to explain twice (once was to Chrissy) what made the bulls so angry, which was also quite funny.
Finally, we got to watch the last 11.2 seconds of the game. I was sad we lost, but since I haven't seen a single basketball game this season, it wasn't too bad. Plus, I got to watch a rodeo with a bunch of Ugandans. I mean, seriously??
So we arrived right as the game was beginning to find that Ugandan news was on. We watched it for a while and then they changed to ESPN. Only to find that the San Antonio rodeo was on. So, in hopes that it would change to basketball, we stayed and watched the rodeo with a bunch of Ugandan men who had never seen anything like it.
I wish I had a video of their faces. It was hilarious! Kent had to explain twice (once was to Chrissy) what made the bulls so angry, which was also quite funny.
Finally, we got to watch the last 11.2 seconds of the game. I was sad we lost, but since I haven't seen a single basketball game this season, it wasn't too bad. Plus, I got to watch a rodeo with a bunch of Ugandans. I mean, seriously??
Thursday, June 4, 2009
JustLead, Nashville, Young Life, & More.
I honestly never thought I could be so worn out! I am LOVING my internship at JustLead, but I have been working 10-12 hour days and it is wearing me out! We have kids there 3 days a week, and on those same 3 days I have swim practice. Surprisingly, swimming has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the job. It's a very different dynamic with the kids, but I have successfully taught 3 kids how to swim! Swimming was actually a requirement to be on the team, but we let it slide for 3 kids, so I have swim lessons while the head coach has practice. My 3 are now on to basic freestyle stroke. They have the arms down well and we are working hard on breathing. Any suggestions on teaching a kids to breathe to the side? They revert to the tried-and-true doggy-paddle each time they need to take a breath.
Suprisingly, a lot of people I know are or have been heavily involved in swimming competitively. I've recruited several of them to come out and help with practice, and that has made a huge difference in our kids' abilities. I so appreciate their willingness to give up their time to come and work with these kids.
First meet is next Thursday. I'm just hoping that every kid can finish their races without being disqualified. We'll be competing against kids who are very well coached and have been swimming for a long time, so it will definitely be a challenge, but I have confidence in our kids!
Last weekend I went to Nashville with some friends for a Hillsong United concert. We left Saturday morning after a great breakfast and drove to my Great-Aunt Jene's house. We had lunch with her then went to the mall and REI before heading to the concert. The tickets we bought were general admission, so we got there pretty early to get a good place on the floor. We ended up being about 5 rows from the stage and had a great view of the concert. It was 3 hours long and we stood the whole time, so I was exhausted by the end, but it was well worth it. Everything about the concert was really great! Here's Anne and I waiting to go on. We got to sit inside for the first hour of waiting and then we stood outside for the next hour.
The weekend before, I spent 4 days at Sharp Top Cove in Jasper, Georgia, serving our high school students who were at camp. It was great fun, but extremely hard work. My muscles ached every night and I definitely have a new respect for servers at restaurants! I got to spend great time with other people from Fellowship's college ministry and we shared a lot of laughter over the course of the weekend. Monday morning we got up at 5:00 and went on a hike to the top of a mountain. The trail was straight up and we were exhausted and starving by the time we got to the top, but the view of the canyon was well worth the pain! I didn't get a picture of it, but it was gorgeous!
Going hiking again this weekend and hoping to catch up on sleep. I'll try to get better about putting pictures up with my posts.
Suprisingly, a lot of people I know are or have been heavily involved in swimming competitively. I've recruited several of them to come out and help with practice, and that has made a huge difference in our kids' abilities. I so appreciate their willingness to give up their time to come and work with these kids.
First meet is next Thursday. I'm just hoping that every kid can finish their races without being disqualified. We'll be competing against kids who are very well coached and have been swimming for a long time, so it will definitely be a challenge, but I have confidence in our kids!
Last weekend I went to Nashville with some friends for a Hillsong United concert. We left Saturday morning after a great breakfast and drove to my Great-Aunt Jene's house. We had lunch with her then went to the mall and REI before heading to the concert. The tickets we bought were general admission, so we got there pretty early to get a good place on the floor. We ended up being about 5 rows from the stage and had a great view of the concert. It was 3 hours long and we stood the whole time, so I was exhausted by the end, but it was well worth it. Everything about the concert was really great! Here's Anne and I waiting to go on. We got to sit inside for the first hour of waiting and then we stood outside for the next hour.
The weekend before, I spent 4 days at Sharp Top Cove in Jasper, Georgia, serving our high school students who were at camp. It was great fun, but extremely hard work. My muscles ached every night and I definitely have a new respect for servers at restaurants! I got to spend great time with other people from Fellowship's college ministry and we shared a lot of laughter over the course of the weekend. Monday morning we got up at 5:00 and went on a hike to the top of a mountain. The trail was straight up and we were exhausted and starving by the time we got to the top, but the view of the canyon was well worth the pain! I didn't get a picture of it, but it was gorgeous!
Going hiking again this weekend and hoping to catch up on sleep. I'll try to get better about putting pictures up with my posts.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
25 Things
I think this is a little weird, but I'll go ahead and do it anyway because now I have been "tagged" on Facebook and through another blog. And mainly because my roommate keeps bugging me about it. So Anne, here are 25 random things about me, in no particular order:
1. I hate chocolate. The smell and taste.
2. I have lived in 4 different states.
3. I really hate when hair gets on me. I don't think hair is gross, but I freak out if it gets on me and it's not attached to a head.
4. My biggest fear about going to Mexico in March is that I will get lice in the orphanage. I worry about this a lot. Everyone else worries about the drug cartels. I know it's weird.
5. I absolutely refuse to drink milk out of a plastic cup. This one time, my roommates hid all the glasses from me and I tried drinking my milk from a plastic cup. I couldn't and poured out the rest of my milk.
6. J.P. Prince is my favorite UT basketball player. I pretty much think he's amazing.
7. My biggest passion is orphans. I talk about orphans/adoption all the time. I am planning to work with orphans oversees for a year after college. I don't know where yet.
8. Going along with #7, one of my biggest dreams is to adopt children. Probably from Russia or Ukraine.
9. I want to have 7 children (some of them adopted).
10. All of my clothes face the same way in my closet. Always.
11. I have had 19 broken bones in my life. Yes, as in 1-9.
12. I love Italian food.
13. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.
14. I have 2 metal rods in my back.
15. I drink coffee every morning. I am currently working my way down to decaf.
16. I am planning to run a 10k in May. Probably in Washington D.C. Let me know if you want to run too!
17. I think middle-schoolers are hilarious and I volunteer with a middle school ministry.
18. I like the smell of gas stations.
19. My favorite TV show of all time is Alias. It's seriously awesome. Sydney Bristow is still my role model.
20. One of my life goals is to learn 3 languages. I currently know English, some ASL, and a tiny bit of Spanish. When I live abroad next year, I am hoping to become proficient in something else, depending on where I live.
21. I hardly ever cry.
22. I push snooze every single morning. Now I have a note on my alarm that says "Discipline" and I feel guilty if I push it more than once.
23. In second grade, we hatched chicks at school. I got to keep one as a pet. Her name was "Chubby."
24. My favorite singer is Steven Curtis Chapman. He is an awesome adoption advocate and an awesome musician.
25. I can't sleep with clothes touching my feet, legs, or arms. I roll up my pants, sleep without socks, and only wear t-shirts to bed.
1. I hate chocolate. The smell and taste.
2. I have lived in 4 different states.
3. I really hate when hair gets on me. I don't think hair is gross, but I freak out if it gets on me and it's not attached to a head.
4. My biggest fear about going to Mexico in March is that I will get lice in the orphanage. I worry about this a lot. Everyone else worries about the drug cartels. I know it's weird.
5. I absolutely refuse to drink milk out of a plastic cup. This one time, my roommates hid all the glasses from me and I tried drinking my milk from a plastic cup. I couldn't and poured out the rest of my milk.
6. J.P. Prince is my favorite UT basketball player. I pretty much think he's amazing.
7. My biggest passion is orphans. I talk about orphans/adoption all the time. I am planning to work with orphans oversees for a year after college. I don't know where yet.
8. Going along with #7, one of my biggest dreams is to adopt children. Probably from Russia or Ukraine.
9. I want to have 7 children (some of them adopted).
10. All of my clothes face the same way in my closet. Always.
11. I have had 19 broken bones in my life. Yes, as in 1-9.
12. I love Italian food.
13. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.
14. I have 2 metal rods in my back.
15. I drink coffee every morning. I am currently working my way down to decaf.
16. I am planning to run a 10k in May. Probably in Washington D.C. Let me know if you want to run too!
17. I think middle-schoolers are hilarious and I volunteer with a middle school ministry.
18. I like the smell of gas stations.
19. My favorite TV show of all time is Alias. It's seriously awesome. Sydney Bristow is still my role model.
20. One of my life goals is to learn 3 languages. I currently know English, some ASL, and a tiny bit of Spanish. When I live abroad next year, I am hoping to become proficient in something else, depending on where I live.
21. I hardly ever cry.
22. I push snooze every single morning. Now I have a note on my alarm that says "Discipline" and I feel guilty if I push it more than once.
23. In second grade, we hatched chicks at school. I got to keep one as a pet. Her name was "Chubby."
24. My favorite singer is Steven Curtis Chapman. He is an awesome adoption advocate and an awesome musician.
25. I can't sleep with clothes touching my feet, legs, or arms. I roll up my pants, sleep without socks, and only wear t-shirts to bed.
Monday, January 19, 2009
To Indiana and Back!
This weekend Sarah and I took a trip up to Indiana to take advantage of the long weekend for MLK Day. She went to visit her friend Jessica and I went to visit Amy and Pete.
I had a fantastic time and survived the sub-zero temperatures quite well, I think. We hung out, ate tons of junk food, went sledding, stayed up late talking, watched an NFL playoff game, and had a great time! Pete and Amy have been a huge blessing in my life and it's so neat how the Lord worked it out to have Amy and I be roommates during her senior year and my first year in Tennessee. She was mistakenly placed in the wrong dorm, which was the same one as me and we got to be really great friends during that year. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the weekend.
We went to watch the NFL playoff game and had a great time eating wings, potato skins, nachos, and tons of other greasy food. I was cheering for the Ravens, who lost, but we still had a really fun time! [Side note: After trying pictures with Amy on the right, me on the left, and the other way as well, we decided that we both look better when I am on the right and Amy is on the left. This is picture two of our little experiment and the outcome that we were both pleased with.]
We went sledding down Slayter Hill, which was the biggest hill I had ever sledded (is that the right word, English-knowing friends?) down. It was five degrees at this point and my hands got so cold in my non-waterproof gloves that I couldn't bend them or feel them at all. I had to go sit in the car for a little while and let them thaw. Then I borrowed some massive and incredibly warm ski gloves from Pete and it was much better after that. We didn't go down this section of the hill, but a section that was mainly pure ice and a little snow. It was terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time.
Not sure, really...
This is us making Freezer Bag Omelettes. It was fun and they tasted great. They are a cheap, clean, and unique way to make omelettes. I would highly recommend them! We made ours with two eggs, onion, green pepper, cheese, salt, pepper, and Pete used bacon.
Amy modeling her egg-in-a-bag.
On another note, tomorrow is inauguration day and Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. Please join me in praying for him and our country as we go through many changes in the next four years.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Craziness of Life
So I think I've definitely proved that I'm a HORRIBLE blogger. Maybe I'll get better after finals are through and I have a little less craziness going on. Maybe not though. Probably not, actually.
Here's a super-quick summary of the last few weeks:
I went to Alabama with my friend Hannah and her family for Thanksgiving. I had a great time and I was so grateful that they invited me to join them. It was the best thing I could have done outside of going home!
I have written about 10 papers in the last two weeks, which is totally insane. I would never recommend it.
I am done with finals on Thursday. I go to Raleigh for two nights for Natalie's shower (I still think it's weird that she's getting married, but I'm coming around to the idea :-) and I cannot wait!! Anne is coming too to visit this one boy that she likes. So, that will be fun. We're trying to get Sarah to come too. She and Natalie have both lived in Chile, so I think it's a fabulous idea. She said no so far, though.
Last night I went to a party at Diana's apartment. We had a great time and no one got upset during the games, including myself. I am quite proud of that, I might add.
Oh, and the Cowboys are not looking probable for the playoffs. Ugh!
Here's a picture of some of my sweet friends:
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Here's a super-quick summary of the last few weeks:
I went to Alabama with my friend Hannah and her family for Thanksgiving. I had a great time and I was so grateful that they invited me to join them. It was the best thing I could have done outside of going home!
I have written about 10 papers in the last two weeks, which is totally insane. I would never recommend it.
I am done with finals on Thursday. I go to Raleigh for two nights for Natalie's shower (I still think it's weird that she's getting married, but I'm coming around to the idea :-) and I cannot wait!! Anne is coming too to visit this one boy that she likes. So, that will be fun. We're trying to get Sarah to come too. She and Natalie have both lived in Chile, so I think it's a fabulous idea. She said no so far, though.
Last night I went to a party at Diana's apartment. We had a great time and no one got upset during the games, including myself. I am quite proud of that, I might add.
Oh, and the Cowboys are not looking probable for the playoffs. Ugh!
Here's a picture of some of my sweet friends:
I'm off to bed. Work tomorrow, then studying will dominate my life until Thursday @ 4:45.
Have a great week!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
These are a few of my favorite things...
Organ transplants. My mom received a kidney transplant 4 years ago, and it is truly a miracle that changes lives. Become an organ donor here or just get more information! And this is an AWESOME story about an organ donor.
Adoption. I love the idea of adoption and I really have a heart for orphans all over the world! There are around 143 millions orphans presently living around the world. What would it look like if people started following Christ's call to care for the orphans and widows? AWAA is one of the major Christian adoption agencies in the US. Here's some thoughts on abortion/adoption.
Tennessee sports (especially football and basketball!).
The Dallas Cowboys.
Texas.
That's my random list for now... I have to study!
Adoption. I love the idea of adoption and I really have a heart for orphans all over the world! There are around 143 millions orphans presently living around the world. What would it look like if people started following Christ's call to care for the orphans and widows? AWAA is one of the major Christian adoption agencies in the US. Here's some thoughts on abortion/adoption.
Tennessee sports (especially football and basketball!).
The Dallas Cowboys.
Texas.
That's my random list for now... I have to study!
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