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
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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
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
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
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
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
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