Riiiiiiiiise and shiiiiine London! It felt great to get a full night of
sleep for a change. I went outside my
building this morning and walked along the river/canal (whatever you want to
call it) and simply tried to soak the place in a little more. There are only a few more days left . I watched the lineup of planes take off at
the city airport across the water. Thank
God I am a sound sleeper because I now realize how annoyed some people are with
them. They are quite loud. It's quite the opposite of how UEL feels
now. It is quiet. Most of the athletes are now done training
besides women's and men's basketball.
Today was the women's last basketball practice before they prepared to
play in the gold medal final tomorrow.
The other volunteer, Paul (not the UK one), prepared to step onto the
court for some 1-on-1 basketball ourselves.
We have been talking trash to each other for about a week now. I'll admit the games didn't start out in my
favor and it was a struggle. I could
tell it had been weeks since I had gotten some quality exercise. I finally found my groove a bit more in the
later games. Nonetheless, it was great
to sweat and do something that was a familiarity for me. I love the spirit of competition. Seeing so much of it firsthand at the Games
is very inspiring. It keeps you going
every day. Even though Paul (UK one)
couldn't join Ryan, Abby, and I right away tonight for another trip to USA
House we decided to go anyways. I may
have said this before but I truly feel like I got a true taste of 'big city
living' these last few weeks. Whether it
be by bus or train, it is almost second nature traveling across the city by
public transportation. It is very different
than anything I have experience in my life where being able to get from place
to place by car was the main (if not only) option. It has been nice and easy as well as quicker
(especially in a big city) but at the same time I do miss the freedom of driving
my own car and getting out on an open road with some music blaring. Once again we headed straight for the food at
USA House and once again it was delicious.
I have had many opportunities to eat like a king the last week or
so. No complaints here. After feasting we headed up top to the patio,
the Bud Deck, to watch some Olympic coverage for a bit. It was very relaxing. There is nothing like a beautiful evening and
enjoying a cold one outdoors. One of my
favorite things in the world. Later,
Ryan and I split ways with Abby and went to meet Paul and some of his buddies
at where else...Visa House! The place is
like our spot. Paul brought his roomie
Laura and her boyfriend Owen with. They
are Scottish. It was so fun talking to
them with their accents. It never gets
old. I think it really makes you feel
like you are somewhere new. To be able
to have that cultural interaction is something every person needs to experience
because it gives you perspective based on your own experience and not just what
others say. Besides, they usually enjoy
it just as much as you. Owen is quite a
character and so hilarious to BS with.
From there we got out in the center of Trafalgar Square and took some
pictures before meeting up with the 24 Hour Fitness crew. It was great final Friday night. As I wrap this day up I have one confession
to make and some may have noticed. I've
been cheating on the date and time of each of these posts. I was waiting for someone to call me out on
it. It's been a struggle to get these
done but I am very happy I did because I love sharing with all of you and it
will be great to go back and read at some point. Hope you all enjoy. From one side of the world to the other this
is Chad signing off!
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 15
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