Hi everyone,
It is Saturday afternoon and I have finally found some time to write. It has been a hectic week of planning and preparation, not to mention working in my full time job.
So where are we up to? Well I have a seat on hold for a flight next Saturday. Not 100% ideal as flying in on Friday but if we are using percentages, well about 90% ideal. The reason it isn't ideal is that the team is playing on Saturday and I'll miss it, yes they play on Sunday too, but I feel I am missing out on something every game I am not there. Longwood actually play a tournament this weekend which I am missing, completely unavoidable but it gives me pain none the less. But as the old adage goes in sports psychology, you can only control what you can control and nothing more.... or if you'd prefer, one day and one game at a time.
The Visa has been the biggest issue and that all now appears in order and I am just waiting for the original paperwork to make it all the way from Farmville Virginia to little old Sydney Australia. I have an interview booked at the consulate on Wednesday (a special day for oh so many reasons) and I expect everything to go to plan. Then it is a trip to the travel agent to fork over the dough.
Speaking of dough, this process is not cheap. For those who haven't experienced it, I have to pay 3 fees totaling $430 and the school had to pay $75 to have a letter of offer and corresponding visa paperwork fedex'd here in time. I haven't began to speak about buying a ticket or travel insurance yet. And this is all before I leave the country :-) Oh and then there's little things like the visa application photo. Have a look at the US Embassy web site for the very specific type of photo and dimensions, the instructions are 3 pages long! One photo on a CD to be uploaded onto my computer - $15.00!
But hey, I am not complaining, they are just the facts of the matter and a small price to pay for the opportunity of a life time.
The world does continue to amaze me. Today as I write this email, I checked the internet to see how the Australian Open Women's Championship's were going up there in Queensland. Unfortunately, NSW lost the final to WA 1 - 0. I have been in touch with coach Kerry Porter and she said it is a was a very tough fought game. Karina Cannon pitched for NSW and to have lost one 1-0, you can only say she must have thrown a hell of a game. So why does the world amaze me? It may be a small thing but you are reminded about how no matter what happens, the world continues to turn, seasons start and seasons end, time continues to tick. At the conclusion of this game, the elite softball season for women in Australia ended. Meanwhile, today, Saturday 19 February 2011 marks the beginning of the season for Longwood, all those 12,000 odd miles away. A death and then a subsequent birth, life goes on, the world evolves.
I think it is also a reflection of how small and convenient the world has become and a true experience of how countries can work today for the better of each other. It also reflects the wonderful relationship Australia has with the United States. O.K where does this six degrees of separation come from you ask? In today's game between NSW and WA. The pitcher for WA was an American, out here for our summer. The pitcher for NSW spent her college years being educated and playing softball at a USA college. Added to this, I get to step on a plane in 6 days time, to help coach at a USA college. Also consider what kind of life experience this poorly recognised but widely played and love sport gives us.
As I write I am comfortable that I have as much under control as I can at this time in relation to the trip. Still more to do but I wait for others, people I don't know, to do their jobs. Including the postman in Farmville, the pilot flying the plane bringing the mail, the baggage handlers in Sydney and the subsequent courier in Sydney.
But as for now I think I'll go throw a few pitches myself, get out for dinner and wake up in the morning to results from the mighty Longwood Lancers.
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