Fastly But Surely

     I'm not sure if "fastly" is a word, but it's my blog title and I can make up words if I want to! Right?  The time here is just going so fast, "slowly" didn't quite work.

     Anyways, I'm sitting in my room here in Adelaide, South Australia listening to some 810 radio as I sometimes do before I go to bed.  It's fun for me to be able to listen to what's going on with the Royals  while I'm away since the news here doesn't cover Kansas City sports for some odd reason.  I've really enjoyed learning about new sports while I'm here, however.  I've mentioned in my previous posts about AFL Football (footy) and how different it is from anything I've seen.  I actually got to go to an Adelaide Crows footy game a few weekends ago and it was incredible.  Despite the fact that they got a shellacking from the Sydney Swans, just experiencing the atmosphere was so awesome to me.  Hearing the fans yell at their players and cuss up a storm was entertainment in itself (and they don't take it easy on their players!).  Yes, the players wear short shorts.  Yes, the rules are a bit confusing.  But unlike soccer, and Miami Heat basketball games, these AFL players are TOUGH.  There are no helmets, no pads, no whining, no flopping.  These guys will take an absolute massive hit, pull the grass out of their teeth, and get up and go on their way without batting an eyelash.  That's fun to watch.  

 

    We were lucky that the weather wasn't horrible that day.  It's winter time here now, and in Australian terms it's basically cold and rainy the majority of the time.  Some days the sun comes out and it makes me question how this could POSSIBLY be referred to as winter.  Then the next day will be cold to the point where I refuse to take my jacket off at any point during the day.  Before I came here, when I thought of Australia I imagined balmy hot days, tumbleweeds blowing through the outback, people at the beach year round, rattlesnakes and crocodile hunters.  I guess it's only like that during the summer.  There are still days where I can roll the windows down while I drive, crank some Justin Timberlake, and wonder where the hell I'm going and why people are honking at me...and enjoy the weather.  

     Shifting gears a little bit (no pun intended),  something that has been a blessing in disguise while I've been here is coaching clinics that I do at numerous elementary schools in the area.  Those of you that know me know that during basketball season, I focus solely on the playing aspect of basketball.  In college athletes really don't have a choice but to have this kind of focus during the season.  I've been struggling to find my shot lately though and have gotten so caught up in this focus that I forgot the reason I'm here.  I forgot COMPLETELY about my love for the game.  I got asked a simple question a few weeks back.. "Why do you play the game?"  Even just thinking about my answer really made me disappointed in myself, because it made me open my eyes and realize how I let the passion that I have for the game slip.  I realized I wasn't having fun.  I go to these coaching clinics, and I see kids who may not know what dribbling is but are doing it just the same.  I see kids who shoot with two hands from their chest and are happy to see the ball make it over the rim.  I see kids with smiles ear to ear every second they are out on the floor.  I see this and it makes me realize why I love the game.  It brings joy to people.  It's fun.  Somewhere along the line I got so wrapped up in the "work" part of it, that I forgot why exactly I play the game in the first place.  Maybe just ONE of these kids, who know very little about basketball, will discover that they love the game too.  Maybe that one kid will grow to learn more and more about the game and join a team, and be successful.  It's pretty cool to think about the impact a sport could have on a kid's life and it has been a blessing to take a step away from the competitive side of the sport and see the other ways basketball can affect people.

    As a matter of fact, there's a way YOU could impact a child's life (great transition, ya? Ya.) This upcoming Saturday is the annual ROUND FOR ROBBIE golf tournament in Kansas City, Missouri put on for Robbie Morley who has had a difficult journey since his birth 3 years ago.  This tournament is a fundraiser used to help the family with the costs for surgeries and hospital stays that they have to experience every year.  Many of you won't be able to attend to golf, but there is still the ability to sponsor a hole or even just donate money for the cause.  Go ahead and email me for more information if you want to contribute, it would really mean a lot!  

Thank you all for keeping up with my journey and checking up on me.  

 

Until next time, 

Jessica Koch 

     

Australian/American Birthday

From now on, no matter where I am.. I'm probably going to use the excuse that it is my birthday in Australia before it's actually my birthday in America due to the time difference.  So just a heads up to everybody, I now take ownership of may 6th AND may 7th.

I was talking to one of my friends over FaceTime and we started talking about how my birthday went.  As you get older your birthday seems more and more like just another day, and I was expecting that for this birthday, too.  I actually just wanted to skip it and move on because to be honest, I'm not too fond of becoming "the old lady."  Never would I have thought, if you asked me a few years ago as I was studying and playing ball at Western, that I would be celebrating my 24th in Australia.  It's kind of interesting where your life takes you and the experiences you never imagined having.  I'm kind of living that right now.  

Anyways, The day was beautiful, I went with mrs. Keenan out to Henley Beach for lunch.  I had breaded prawns (shrimp) and calamari (squid). I know, mom, get that look off of your face.. It tastes like chicken.   It was surreal how beautiful the scenery was while we ate.  We took a little walk out onto the jetty (pier) and saw some Pelicans close up.. VERY close up.  I know, Dad, get that look off of your face.  They're like chickens.  The rest of the day was perfect.  Went and shot some hoops, came back home and had a beautiful dinner and blew out some candles.  How lucky was I to have been placed in such a great home while I'm here.  God was looking out for me.  

My parents went above and beyond for me on my birthday, too.  I received a package the day before my Australian birthday and of course opened it straight away.  The card was beautiful, and among some other great gifts was CHOCOLATE! I also got a FaceTime from them and the first thing I see is a big lit candle and them singing happy birthday.  I even virtually blew out the candle! There was a little delay but hey, it was traveling a long way.  That really meant a lot and am so grateful to have them as parents.  

Everything else is going well,  I'm pretty confident in my driving here now and haven't been honked at in a few weeks, which in my book is pretty impressive.  The tables have actually turned because I was very close to honking AT someone a few days back.  I resisted though because I reminded myself how horrible a driver I probably am over here, so I have no credibility to be handing out honks.  I did notice that whenever somebody lets me into a lane I naturally wave a "thank you" with my right hand.  The "thank you" hand wave is now the left hand because I'm on the opposite side of the car.  It's the little things.  

Basketball wise we had a week off, so the 16 and under team that I'm coaching had a tournament all of Saturday.  I can't imagine playing 3 games in one day, but that was what we did at that age! Crazy what being young allows you to do. We struggled in every game, but it's a huge improvement from where they have been at.  As long as there's improvement it's something to be proud of.  Although winning is good too!  I think after a few weeks of good practice we will get them on track and playing some good basketball.  

Our next game is this Sunday early in the afternoon.  I don't know what time exactly the game is, maybe 4:30 or 4.  Today is Thursday so we have training (practice) and I'm working a kids clinic before that.  So it's a day full of basketball, how great is that?? 

Oh, I almost forgot about the Mount Lofty climb!  I don't know how considering my legs are still feeling sore.  Mount Lofty is about 10 minutes away from the house and is beautiful.  We decided to go walk up it and I took my iPad to snap some photos.  The walk was beautiful at the beginning, and I had decided I was going to do more sightseeing than focusing on exercising.  So I was going to go slow and take some good pictures.  After a few people sped past me on the way up, and the climb started getting more intense, I thought to hell with the photos.  It made me mad that people were passing me so it suddenly became a workout climb.  It was INTENSE.  The photos don't even really give a good depiction of how steep it was.  Going down was no walk in the park, either.  I'm going to go again soon, but early in the week so I'm not sore for the game! 

Hope everyone is beginning to enjoy the nice weather back home.  I think the weather here starts to get a bit colder, but I think I've been trained pretty well with dealing with the cold so we will see how bad it is!  Australia cold may be less intense than Missouri cold. 

Thanks for reading, sorry I hadn't written in awhile! I'll try to be better!!

Until next time, 

Jessica Koch 

The View From Here

So, a few things have happened in the past week or so that I feel the urge to talk about on here. Let me just put it out there that I did drive around WITHOUT anyone in the passenger seat.... Annnnd I did get lost. However, despite the fact that I missed the practice I was meant to be coaching, I was able to find my way back to the house. That made me feel less like a complete ding dong. Today I was working a basketball clinic and had attempt number two at driving alone. I'm happy to report that I made it to the gym with very little confusion. By very little I mean moderate to severe. You know how sometimes people put stickers on their car that say "permit driver" or "baby on board"... I'm tempted to put one up that says "American Driver." Maybe people would stop honking at me. I did make it though and had such a blast with the kids. We have like 3 more days in the next week where we work clinics and just give the kids a fun atmosphere filled with basketball!
Another cool event that happened.. as you all know Adam Scott ( the ADELAIDE born golfer) won the 2013 Masters. Everyone here was so pumped about that, it was pretty much all the news stations were talking about. I knew that Footy (Aussie rules football), cricket, netball, and soccer were pretty popular here, but there's a lot of interest in golf and baseball as well. I've seen at least one or two golf courses in the area, I know my Dad would be there everyday if they came for a visit!

(Just a heads up, I'm putting my "American issues" pants on now, so bear with me)
I woke up yesterday morning and saw some disturbing Facebook updates and tweets talking about some bombings that took place in Boston. I had the same feeling of being shocked and helpless when I saw the news about the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I felt this frantic energy just trying to figure out what happened and details about everything. When we turned the news on of course they were covering it and I was able to see what was going on. As we all know something that's a huge area of debate in the United States is gun laws. Those who are close to me know that generally, I'm not great at debating or arguing a point. With the recent events in Boston, it has been pretty interesting hearing the opinions and viewpoints of some of the locals here in Australia. I was asked what my stance on the gun laws were, and I told them.
I know many of you will disagree, however, I feel that a ban on guns completely would be the wrong way to go. If guns are banned completely, those who plan on going into a school to shoot children or robbing a bank are GOING TO GET A GUN REGARDLESS OF THE LAW. With that being said I'd feel a lot better if I knew that someone would be able to protect innocent people from those who shouldn't have guns in the first place. Here in Australia they have very, very strict gun laws. An argument was made that school shootings don't happen here and gun violence isn't very common. I think that a lot of different things contribute to that fact. Maybe because the population of all of Australia is much smaller than that of America. It's just different! Many of the Australians here are against possession of guns. They just don't believe people need to have one.
I understand the different viewpoints on the issue, and everyone has the right to their own opinion. It has been pretty eye opening hearing people's opinions of what's going on in America. I think everyone can agree that it's gut wrenching seeing those images, no matter what country you're from. It has calmed me down seeing so many acts of kindness throughout all of the mayhem. Evil does exist in this world, but God always has an answer. People running TOWARDS a bomb blast, people giving blood to the point where they didn't need anymore, residents opening their homes to runners without a place to stay because the hotels were shut down.. The list goes on.
Here is something I learned from my parents, especially after the September 11 attacks. Terrorists want to scare you from living your life, from living freely and doing everyday tasks. The reason they do what they do is to TERRORIZE. The only way we let them win is by hiding. I'm praying for everyone effected in the blast and thankful for those who were there to watch over the injured. We can't stop our lives or else they're succeeding in their efforts.
On a lighter note I was happy to hear that my Grandma's surprise birthday bash was a success! I've been keeping that a secret for a VERY long time and it feels nice to be able to talk about it!! I'm sad I missed it but seeing the picture of her walking through the door made my heart happy!
Thanks for continuing to read and feel free to comment!

Until next time,
Jess

Trying New Things

The main purpose for me coming to Australia is to play basketball, but something I've been told by many people is to just enjoy the surroundings, try new things, and embrace the different culture that I'm experiencing. Since I've last wrote I have had that opportunity to do things that Australians do! You know what they say... When in Rome.... Try some Vegemite.

You heard right, I finally tried some of the famous Vegemite on a piece of toast with ALOT of butter. The only thing I can say is that I'm just not quite sure how the first person who tasted that thought... Yes, this will be a popular spread. Pretty much everyone here eats it, but at the same time they are aware that ya.. It tastes pretty bad. After our first game (which we lost, I'll cover that topic briefly later) I was approached by a young boy and his mom who was welcoming me to Adelaide. He handed me a bag with a jar of Vegemite, and a package of FruChocs. Safe to say those FruChocs were gone pretty quick. Chocolate is always going to advance in the "Food that tastes good" tournament. Vegemite will always lose in the first round. Always.

Another monumental moment. I was trusted enough to drive. I was reluctant of course due to the fact that I would be getting into the drivers seat on the RIGHT side of the car, and because I would be forced to drive down the wrong side of the road, which happens to be the correct side of the road here in Australia. The first time I drove the car I had one of the men's players in the passenger seat to help me out. I think he was more nervous than I was but I didn't do bad. A couple curb checks and flipping the windshield wipers on instead of the blinker was about as bad as it got. Today I drove myself and Tess to practice, and on the way back there was a bit of a glitch because there was a sizable spider on the INSIDE of the car. Safe to say Tess and I have similar dislikes of spiders because there was a lot of screaming and hitting the windshield with a shoe.

So now I guess I'll give an update on the game this past Saturday. We ended up losing, pretty much to one player as she had about 80 percent of their points ( I know my honor roll mother, sister, and statistician brother-in-law will say that's wrong math.) I think a lot of nerves were in play and we really didn't settle down until the second half. I'm confident that we'll be okay, the offense we run is about reading your teammates and I think playing with each other more will help that run more smoothly.

I've also gotten the opportunity to coach a u16 team for the club. It'll be fun to watch them improve over the course of the season but we have a lot of work to do. Along with that I'm getting set up with getting some work experience at a local news station! I'm very excited about that and learning about the TV side of media as I've already gotten a taste of radio.

Despite the fact that I'm having good experiences here, I still think of my family and friends and how everyone is doing! Last night I actually had a dream about hanging with my girls meg, Michelle, and Amanda.. Then the next day I missed a FaceTime call from Meg.. That was crazy to me! But just know that I'm missing all of you and hoping everything's going well. I've been able to check up on my puppy (who looks huge now). So all is well. Thanks for reading!

Oh and this weekend is a showdown footy competition between the two Adelaide teams.. The Crows and Port Adelaide. Apparently this is a HUGE rivalry. I want you guys to youtube Australian footy and see how intense it is! It's very entertaining! Okay that's all.

Until next time,
Jessica Koch

Australia update!

Well, it's been awhile since I've written on here! Truth is since my last basketball experience I've had some time back in Kansas City to reboot, spend some time with family, watch my Griffs play some ball, and get back to enjoying what I do.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got the call that the next team I may be playing for would be located in Australia. Just as it went last time, I was going to be on a plane in less than a weeks time. Luckily, I had a bit of an idea this time around of what I needed to pack so it wasn't as big of a mystery. The flight over went well, on my moms orders I drank plenty of water and walked around on the 16 hour flight. Regardless of this advice my ankles still poofed up, thanks mom!

Since I've arrived, I have felt so welcomed by everyone in the basketball club and especially the family that I am staying with over the next five months! I've already seen kangaroos, held a koala, and eaten potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili (so good!). I will say that I've always thought that my Australian accent was pretty darn good, however judging by the fact that my impressions are usually followed by laughter shows me I may have some work to do.

The Basketball is going good, it's taking me a little longer than I'd like to get used to the offense we run as its not as much plays we run as it is just reading what everyone does and where the pass goes. Our first game is this weekend and I'm excited to get it going, I just am not completely confident yet in everything I need to know for the offense.

I have a few things I could write more about but I'll save it for next time. Thanks everyone for the prayers and support. I'm lucky to have the family and friends that I do. Hope everyone is doing well and I'll write again soon!

Until next time,
Jess