Brisbane City (Week 1)

The Grind: Jumping off the plane after a 27 hour flight and onto the field for a 90 minute game...

I didn't mind too much though when I realized that we got to play on this beautiful grass cut pitch👍

We played a pre-season game against an NPL team called Brisbane Lions FC.  Originally the plan was for me to just warm-up with the team to get the blood flowing in my legs.  However, 15 minutes into the game, after a bit of frustration and our coaches realization of how much I hate sitting on the bench, I found myself playing the next 75 minutes of the game...

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

How did I feel after the game? Well according to the coach, Sam, I should plan on "faffing around all day tomorrow and make a trip to the bottle-o because I won't be able to feel my bloody legs"

Translation: I should plan on doing absolutely nothing, make a trip to the liquor store to calm my body down because I won't be able to feel my legs..I'd say he was pretty accurate.

After my first encounter of a true Australian conversation, I decide to keep a running list of some of my favorite slang terms that I have already added to my vocabulary:

"Go on take a spell"- Come take a sub
"Es brilliant"- Well done
"Ya ****** wanker"- It's an insult..enough said.
"Wanna go out for a coffee or tea"- One of the largest used phrases here.
"It's a mozzy"- Refers to a mosquito
"That's a good shout"- That's a great idea/play
"You've lost your head"- You've lost control of yourself

Out of all those phrases, I found that my own American vocabulary soon became my greatest nightmare as I realized the number one common mistake to make in Australia: There is no such thing as ketchup, it is called tomato sauce...

Yes, I got made fun of by a U-9 boys teams who simply could not grasp the way I talked..well right back at you guys.

Image result for Gold coast
My first professional game in Australia truly was amazing except for the fact that jet lag has quickly become a reality for me.  Since Australia is a 14+ hour difference, my body clock is still struggling to get used to the new time zone.  Luckily, the season doesn't start until next week so I have some time to get my body acclimated.  Looking forward to continuing my journey!

Next stop, Gold Coast!


My verse of the Week: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:8

Grind.   Believe.   Achieve.


Location: Brisbane QLD, Australia

Comments

  1. Sarah O'ConnorApril 14, 2018 at 6:14 PM

    So jealous!! Congrats on your first pro game!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Finale

Image
I know its been a couple weeks since my last blog post, so I'll make sure to update you with all the crazy things that have happened (end of season stats, life threatening camping experiences, etc).  But before I start, I have some good/bad news.. Bad news first: This is officially my last week down under in the most beautiful country in the world.  That means the end of the most amazing and actually bearable winter in the world..back to reality in Chicago.. Good news:  Our season ends August 18th, so I have a flight back home on the 21st, where I will open up the next chapter of my professional soccer career with trials for teams around the U.S. I have made so many wonderful memories, friends, and have been apart of some of the coolest life experiences.  I couldn't be happier with my time spent here developing myself and using the tools of Nerang FC to help me become a better player and take my next step in my career. End of Season Stats With just two ga...
Read more

Great Barrier Reef (Week 6)

Image
A bit late for last weeks post, but I definitely think its worth the wait.  Here's the phrase that I've basically adopted into my lifestyle for the next four months that I am here: Every new adventure will get me closer to never coming home. Here's the excuse for this week: The Great Barrier Reef Growing up, I've always enjoyed going on snorkeling trips with my family.  I've been lucky enough to snorkel at many cool places around the world, but nothing compared to this past weekend. As if it couldn't get better from a surprise visit from my sister, we decided to journey up to Cairns and hit one of the seven wonders of the world, The Great Barrier Reef.  Unlike most reefs, this reef is actually the largest living structure in the world.  Not only is it home to the largest coral reef, but its deep blue waters home over a 1500 different types of fish, thirty species of whales, dolphins, and sharks, and six different types of turtles.  We ended u...
Read more

Surfers Paradise (Week 5)

Image
This past weekend we played Surfers Paradise and ended up drawing 1-1...which I would say is a pretty fair result considering luck was not with us again as the ref called a pretty questionable penalty kick against us early on in the game. As time was winding down, the need to score became desperate as we started to push more and more players up the field. With about a minute left in the game, we earned a free kick outside the box. Considering that it was probably the last play of the game, we brought all eleven players including the keeper into the box to try and get a last minute goal to save us from what would have felt like an undeserved loss.  As the ball was kicked and started to soar towards the middle of the box, it became a scramble to see which team would make contact with it first. Out of no where, I found myself being thrown into the flight pattern of the ball just in time to make contact with it and send it bouncing towards the rest of the mass of the players. After...
Read more