WHAT A CRAZY 5 MONTHS!!!! I have had such a great experience playing soccer in another country. Especially England. I can't think of a better place to play competitively (for the last time in my life) than the originating nation, who made the whole world fall in love with "The Beautiful Game". I have learned a lot about myself -no, not in that "Oh she moved to a different country and 'found' herself " way- but more in that I learned that I already know who I am. I stepped on UK soil and instantly made friends, found a team (after a little change in plans) who accepted me and made me feel welcome, had the best roommate I could ask for, and a loving support system back home. Although some days all I could think about was warm sunny Tennessee, (and my dog, Liza Jane) the newness of it all pulled me back up and I was reminded of what a great opportunity I'd been given. I thought, "Hardly anyone gets to do this, Kati, shut up and be thankful!" And I am. Truly thankful & blessed.
Now, even though we speak the same language (arguably) it is still so completely different than America, and especially the South. Every day I learned something new about the country/kingdom and what certain words mean. Apparently if you say "I forgot to bring pants to Spain" they will think you mean "I forgot to bring underwear to Spain". I learned what to say and what not to say very fast! But the traveling has been amazing. Just driving through the English countryside was amazing! And speaking of driving.... Now that IS something I learned about myself. I never thought in a million years that I would be able to drive a stick shift, on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, with a bunch of different signs I didn't understand! WELL folks, I did it! I learned how to drive that cheeky little Nissan Micra (who is about the size of my pinkie finger) so fast and with very little stall-age! I was/am proud of that and I came to love driving all over town and even down to Oxford & Sussex, which is south London. I am so grateful to Matthew for letting me drive it pretty much the whole time I was in England.
So as my time here dwindles down to my last 9 days, I have a few fun things to look forward to! Sunday is my last game and it just so happens to be an FA Cup game. Which is a pretty big deal over here. It would really be nice to go out on a high note and win. Then Friday night I have my going away party with my team, and Saturday I will be leaving Notts for good (tear) and heading down to Sussex for my dear friend's birthday. Then Monday it's off to Heathrow for my long journey home. As much as I love everyone I have met and enjoyed myself to the max I am very happy to see my friends, family and my beloved daughter Liza Jane, who I have missed more than words can say! I also, probably more than anything, cannot WAIT to see my best friend Lane's engagement ring! We have been best friends and more like sisters for almost 25 years! I am her Maid of Honor and am so incredibly happy for her! It will be nice to be home for the holidays. My family is big on "together" time and if anyone is missing it just isn't the same. So here's a list of the other little things I've learned. If you've read this and I'm leaving you- I LOVE YOU and will miss you dearly. If you've read this and I'm coming back to you- I LOVE YOU and can't wait to see you! CHEERS!
1. Ta duck = Thanks mate
2. A-up me duck = hey my friend!
3. Want to go out for a fag? = Want to go have a smoke?
4. People actually cry over football matches
5. You canNOT turn right on red (no, no, no, no!)
6. Football ladies (I use the word ladies loosely) do NOT wear short soccer shorts!
7. boot= trunk
8. A bonnet is not a hat, it's the hood of a car
9. Apparently is un-cool to carry all your soccer gear in a backpack (aka Kit bag)
10. Apparently there is something called a foul throw in soccer other than your standard lift of a foot or step over the line. still weird for me
11. The skipper = The team captain
12. Jeff = Referee
13. There is a different accent for every little village. It's nuts
