Three days in a Chinese nutshell...

DAY 1
Wednesday the 24th of August 2011, 10:30am. The Matildas were...

Suspended high above the ground in a crowded qantas jet... All making ourselves comfortable enough to get by the 10 hour flight. Scrolling through movies upon movies... Deciphering how we will all be entertaining ourselves... Unfolding textbooks... Creasing the first pages of books purchased prior to boarding the flight... Book club anyone?

DAY 2
Thursday 25/08/11, 2am. Safely arrived in China, Jinan...

It is extremely late in to the night and the air still so muggy and warm. Bodies are weary after having travelled the past 24 hours with little sleep and restricted room to move. Having retrieved our gear from the luggage belt, we board the bus soon to shut our eyes once more. We all drift in to a 'false' sleep, knowing we soon arrive at our hotel and the REAL sleeping can commence. We arrived about 4am (AEST)... So about 24 hours of traveling in the end. This is nothing really compared to past flights in to Europe- however for some reason this trip felt strangely long and tiresome.

Thursday 25/08/11, 8pm.

Thankfully this morning we were allowed to rest and recuperate. Sleeping in was an option taken by most. We wandered out into the city at midday to then have lunch back at our hotel.

For those of you who are unaware....When it comes to major tournaments such as the World Cup and Olympic games we (The Matildas) have to qualify through the Asian Confederation. In turn this means we travel in to Asia a considerable amount. China alone, i have been to 8 times. We develop a gauge of hotels and naturally we tend to compare. The Crowne Plaza here in Jinan, would have to be one of the best. Food, comfort, pool, gym etc... All facilities and services have been fantastic. Jo Sanders (our team manager) researched the allocated hotel to accommodate the teams throughout this Olympic Qualifying tournament, supposedly it wasn't so nice, hence why the FFA booked elsewhere. Forever grateful of the FFA and there willingness to satisfy in terms of accommodation. A nice comfortable hotel, with nutritious food... Any advantage we can have for any tournament is surely welcomed. Thanks Jo!

On the first day in Jinan we simply wanted to remind our muscles of their purpose. A pool session was scheduled for the afternoon, stretch, treatment and yoga. A Starbucks run did happen :) Mentioned previously in one of my blogs... Tis the only decent coffee around (a little saddened by this). However it is an outlet for us, away from the hotel, by the end of the 3 weeks they will certainly have us down as regulars... Uni lectures to be tended to... Books to be read... It is almost like a bootless break from the hotel- for the few minutes it takes to cross the road we could be here in China serving any purpose, your simply with your mates grabbing a coffee.

However yesterday the coaches had the same idea- Thanks guys. Hello reality :)

Day 3
Friday the 26th of August, 8pm. Balls are rolling...

We trained for the first time yesterday morning. The hot humid atmosphere made it for a sweaty encounter. To be honest, it may seem quite strange but I've never been opposed to sweating... especially when compared to the cold chilly air of a canberra winter. I'd much rather be chasing a ball in hot conditions.

Training was soon followed by ice baths. Usually we cringe at the thought, however the ice cold water ended up being a lovely contrast to the heat experienced moments before. Because of our back to back games ice baths will now be a daily ritual.

Before i amuse myself with some study i'd like to leave you with my LESSON LEARNED...
As nice as it can be to see the world and its happenings through your eyes and not a camera lense. I would advise you to TAKE A CAMERA!!! Last night my room-mate Heather Garriock (H) and I went for a wander through the amphitheater next door to our hotel. To our surprise we experienced so much life and culture. There was live music and entertainment in abundance- skateboarders & rollerbladers (have so much respect for these guys- WOW), elderly folk tap dancing and young kids flinging blue toy helicopters in to the night's sky. We sat on the concrete steps for a short while soaking up the atmosphere, could have been hours yet didn't want to be out too late. Upon returning to the hotel we informed the girls of our discovery and i'm sure we will all venture out over the next few days. I suppose it was a nice break from technology and a good opportunity to be mindful, store it in the memory bank for instance, but one photo to reflect upon in years to come would be nice also :) For future adventures i will endeavor to carry my camera. Perhaps the Samsung Galaxy s2 mobile with its 8 mega pixel will come in handy [PLUG] Thank you Samsung and the AOC ;)

Hope you enjoyed the little update of us over here....

Chasing Leather in China. Chasing our Dream. London 2012.

Sal x