A Month in

Soooo I have been pretty bad about updating this- but I am really going to try and do it more often! Lots of things have gone on since my last update...

Driving: Haha oh lord where to begin.. driving over here may or may not be the scariest experience I have ever encountered. When I finally got my car back- my host brother offered to take me out and teach me how to drive the car and it was like a scene out of a movie. I probably stalled the car every 5 seconds- and THEN he took me up a hill and I couldn't get the car to move and it was starting to roll backwards and it was terrible. not to mention I almost took out about 10 mailboxes and was up on the curb for a majority of the time. SOO they booked me driving lessons and it was 2 - 2 hour sessions with this nice british man with a heavy smokers cough named Ira who probably thought I was on drugs. I was literally having nightmares about having to drive. The signs over here make NO sense .. for example there is a circle with a cross through it that means 2 different speed limits when you are in different places- WHAT?!? why would you make the sign mean 2 different things?! people like ME have no idea what to do- and therefore are always going slower then need be. They also have signs like: kill your speed, not a child.. elderly people with canes at crosswalks and my favorite the frog signs that are everywhere. So after one of my driving lessons my boss had me drive to one of the clubs and he was in the car and I stalled not before, not after but IN THE MIDDLE of a roundabout. how that is even possible people I do not know- but I thought half of the UK was going to shoot me. However not to worry - I am a driving machine now. I still stall sometimes but I am really getting the hang of it . Did I mention my car has my NAME on it and a nice american flag on both sides?! slightly embarrassing when you look extremely special driving ... oh wellll. glad I am representing the country well on the roads.

Lacrosse:  Lacrosse has actually been AMAZING. I love coaching so much and the kids are great. During the week I travel to different schools and either run their PE classes or run a lacrosse after school club. I am also working with a college team (which is equivalent to 11th and 12th grade in the states) and then a women's club team. I am teaching a bunch of different age groups - I have Year 5 and 6 which are the young kids and they learn POP lacrosse. which is totally different then anything we have in the states- its basically the plastic sticks we use to play with in gym class, no goalies and you can only hold on to the ball for 4 seconds. They are  good for the kids to learn with and they all seem to really love the game. so I have  about 90 ish of them and then probably 90 of year 7- upper sixers (which is a senior in high school in the US or their last year of college before university ) It can get totally chambolic at times but there is nothing else I would honestly rather be doing. I am sooo happy that there is so much interest in Lacrosse over here. The Club team I am working with - Putney-  is realllllly good. They have a definite mix of talent but they have a lot of girls that play on the England squad. I am really excited in October I am going to play in a Tournament in Prague with them!!! Then on Saturdays I run both POP and field lacrosse at the club for about 80 girls - and the great thing is we have SOO many more girls that want to come and play with us - we just need to figure out space and find more coaches. It can be stressful at times - however at the end of the day I would so much rather have way to many girls then no one wanting to show up.

Me in one of the Phone Booth's 

Everything else is great- yesterday I went into London and explored. It is such an amazing and beautiful place. I also love how much diversity is everywhere- everywhere I walked there was a different language being spoken. I definitely want to get into London A LOT more.. especially because all of the museums are FREEE!! Not to mention its only about a 30 minute train ride for me from Oxshott to Waterloo. We went to Big Ben, Parliament, Saw the Eye of London ( the really big ferris wheel that gives you views of the entire city and more), Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace but I was a little upset that I could not find Prince Harry... however I will not give up my search. I have a good amount of traveling planned - In October I am going to Prague to play in that tournament and then I am Going to Spain and maybe Italy - but I will get to see Miss Megan from Onaway so I am very excited about that!! and then hopefully I will be making a trip up to Scotland soon to see Miss Meg and Miss Nell.  There are  SO many Onaway people in Europe this year- Including Miss Laura who is moving to LONDON! yayy!

Big Ben!

Buckingham Palace

Well that is pretty much it for right now- I am going to attempt to get back into working out today- hoping my legs are OK to handle it- who would have known I would miss running this much? I was really happy that they didnt hurt at all walking around London all day- so we will see what happens.

Happy Monday Everyone!   xx