Go Reds!… and… Surf’s up!

Remember how I said there were going to be many firsts for me while here in Australia? Well there are now two more adventures to add to the list!  This time, both experiences were planned, and though I thought I knew what to expect, both proved to be full of surprises. 

First #3: I went to my first Reds game!  To all you Cincinnatians and baseball fans…you heard me right.  My roommate Jess and I were excited to have our first experience watching the Reds play, and since it finally stopped raining Friday night, we suited up in red attire and headed down to Suncorp Stadium.  Even though we didn’t know exactly where we were going, following the mob of people dressed in red proved to be quite foolproof and before we knew it we were standing in front of the stadium gates.  We made our way to our seats (which were actually quite good) and excitedly bought our first overpriced stadium beer.  There’s nothing like being old enough to be ripped off for a drink…oh the joys of being legal.  Beer in hand, we were ready for kick off.  Though the team running out on the field was not as thrilling as in American football games, this match proved to be much more violent and intense and made up for the anticlimactic entrance.  After the first half, we were able to piece together some of the rules of the game, but were still quite confused.  Unfortunately, we ended up with seats surrounded by fans of the opposing team, so we couldn’t just cheer or boo whenever the people around us did.  But fortunately, the person next to me was friendly and willing to explain the rules of the game.  With this knowledge we were prepared for the second half and by the end of the game Jess and I could figure out when to cheer and when to scream in rage.  We were quite proud of ourselves.  And to make it even better, the Reds were victorious so it was a win for everyone that night.  Well, except for the people sitting around us…oh well.

So any guesses as to what sport the Reds play here in Australia??  If you said rugby, give yourself a pat on the back!  But do not confuse this type of rugby, which is Rugby League, with Footie (also known as AFL, or Australian Football League) or even Rugby Union.  There are very distinct differences between these three sports and each has their own set of obnoxious, diehard fans just like American sports.  Anyway, moral of the story—watching the Reds play in Australia is a lot more entertaining than watching the Reds in America. 

Go Reds!

First #4: I caught a wave! 

Now imagine an exquisite, sunny day on the beaches of Surfer’s Paradise in the Gold Coast.  Pretend you are lounging nearby, watching us lined up on the glistening sand with our surfboards, soaking up the sun and instructions of our attractive, perfectly tanned surf instructors.  Picture me nearly flawlessly riding a wave onto the shore as if surfing was in my blood.  Pretty awesome, huh?

I wish I was recounting this scenario from experience.

Now imagine this.  A cold rain is falling from the ominous, grey clouds, pelting us in the face as we lug our surfboards down to the beach.  Wave after wave crashes onto the shore, just beckoning us to run into the water for our first attempt at surfing.  Instead of a refreshing breeze, each gust of wind adds more goose bumps to our arms and legs.  Yep, this is what we faced.  At least the surf instructors were as described in the first scenario.

Despite the circumstances, surfing ended up being very fun!  We made the best of the situation and once we got in the water to put our newly acquired surfing knowledge to the test, the rain was barely noticeable.   And get this…I was eventually able to stand up!   

 That is me on the left and Jess on the right!

 Aaaaand here we are falling down at the same time.

If we could take on the beach in these circumstances, I can only imagine what it’d be like if we were surfing on the type of day you first pictured in your mind.  Moral of the story—surfers are just as awesome in real life as they are in the movies.