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Is this the American Dream? ๐
Awesome!ๅทฒ็ผ่กจ: 06.07.2016
The day starts the same again. Breakfast is at 7:30. I had oatmeal with fruit and cinnamon and scrambled eggs ๐๐ด.
Then it's time for physical conditioning. Today with a different coach who is really good! After the usual warm-up for about half an hour, we continue with station exercises in small groups ๐๐ผ.
Station 1: Stretching, mainly exercises for the buttocks and legs
Station 2: Ladder exercises, jumping with both feet, with one foot, etc. The coach pays particular attention to the position of the feet. This means that during the exercises, you stand on your toes and still pull your toes up. In addition, the ankle remains stiff during the jump.
Station 3: Various jumps in and out of a marked area.
Station 4: Medicine balls, various exercises for bouncing on the floor or throwing against the wall.
After the training session, my whole t-shirt is soaked with sweat... I made the mistake of not wearing a top today ๐... and the mistake of not wearing a synthetic shirt... ๐ฌ.
Anyway, it's time for tennis training. Before that, a quick half of a banana ๐ and then we start with the warm-up game. Simple playing of forehand and backhand shots alternately.
Today's theme is approach shots and volleys. Later, we will practice serving again. I have improved so much and almost got everything out of the day. It's so cool that the coaches are really good and guide you step by step to get the shot perfect ๐. I have to say once again that I am incredibly grateful to be here and to have the opportunity to learn all of this and have such an experience โบ๏ธโบ๏ธโบ๏ธ.
What I forgot to mention in the past two days is the skill challenge. We do it every day from Monday to Thursday. The basic task is always the same. We line up in a row, then each person individually receives a ball and now you have to hit a designated area. If you hit, you can go back to the line, if you miss, you are out. The challenge is different every day depending on the theme of the day. Today, we had to play a forehand volley. Yesterday, it was the backhand, and on the 1st day, it was the forehand.
All 4 winners will compete against the winners of the other groups on Friday to determine the 'Winner of the Camp' ๐.
At tennis, we received a handout. It wasn't very exciting, but I'll post a picture anyway ๐.
Since it was about 99ยฐ Fahrenheit - about 33ยฐ Celsius, but felt like 39ยฐ Celsius according to the weather report - I'm glad that I won't go back to the court in the afternoon, as it's time for the special event ๐ซ...
But first, it's time for lunch. I always eat with a girl from Toronto who is also in my tennis group. We get along really well, but unfortunately she is a non-boarder, as she is here with her brother and parents ๐ข. As a non-boarder, she only eats lunch on campus and leaves again at 5:00. But we can still spend this time and the time on the court together.
It seems like all the girls my age are non-boarders or just not on the same wavelength ๐. But I'm having a lot of fun with the two boys and Erica from Toronto during our free time and tennis ๐!
For lunch, I think we had pasta, as almost always, this time with some kind of pesto-cheese sauce. I don't like cheese sauces and the meat available is also not really my thing, although the meat here is always very good ๐. So, I made my own sandwich toast with salad ๐.
I don't remember exactly what was on it, but I'll try to remember... ๐.
So, there was definitely cheese, a small slice of turkey breast, feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, jalapenos, egg, lettuce, corn, and olives... and that's all I know ๐๐ฌ, maybe that was it... I also had a fresh salad ๐.
I had to hurry with the food because I was supposed to be there at 1:15 for the special event, which is a visit to the beach and I was told that it's very popular. However, if you can't fit on the bus anymore, you unfortunately have to stay behind ๐.
The two boys also came along and luckily we all fit on the bus ๐.
We arrived after about 20 minutes ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ผ.
The beach was really beautiful, but the water wasn't a real cool-down, it still felt really good though ๐.
After swimming, we lay in the sun for a while and later sat in the shade at the beach bar๐. Now, my shoulders are red ๐ฆ๐.
The bus back departed at 4:00. After a nice shower, it was time for dinner again. This is what the dining area looks like, but this is only a third of it:
There, we got the dinner:
In the background, you can also see a kind of cafe where you can buy hot drinks, all kinds of cakes, or sandwiches.
There are also 2 other stands. One offers customizable pizza for $9, and the other offers quinoa bowls or similar dishes.
But I'm perfectly happy with the "normal" food ๐.
Because of the effort and the heat, I will probably go to bed very early again today to get enough sleep ๐ด. Our coach always reminds us that the three most important things after training are eating ๐ฝ, drinking ๐น, and sleep ๐ค. So, I'll follow that obediently ๐.
Finally, here are a few photos of the campus ๐๐ซ.
The view of the East Ascender Hall, the building where my room is located.