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[krissy11]

LAST DUAL MATCH

Last Friday was definitely a bitter sweet moment, it was my last match as a fire ant before nationals and I can honestly say the past year has been amazing, making amazing memories that will honestly last forever, as well bonds that will last forever. I definitely have learnt a lot on and off the court and as this semester comes to an end I am quite sad honestly, I’ve experienced so much in the span of a year and half and I definitely would not trade it for the world, my last match however I am blessed to have gone out with a win in both singles and doubles, once a fire ant always a fire ant.

[krissy11]

SUNSETS AND JELLY FISH!

Today we decided to head off to the beach, it wasn’t planned just a spontaneous adventure, and in my opinion those are the absolute best as my mum once said the unplanned things are the greatest things in life. We set forth on our mini adventure to the isle of palms for the day and it was amazing! Breath taking views and the smell of the sea completely took me by storm. We then decided to get some pizza on the island and watch the sunset, it was gorgeous as if someone took a paintbrush and painted the skies and at the end of the day we saw a dead jelly fish and decided to give it a burial and we named him Toa, America somehow still manages to amaze me!

[krissy11]

EASTER WEEKEND.

Easter has never really been widely celebrated back home as the holiday was majorly portrayed as the resurrection of Christ, coming from that to a country that has a somewhat different belief definitely took some time to adjust to, usually back home there isn’t any Easter egg hunts or the Easter bunny but there definitely is chocolate however not as much as there is in America which I find quite sad, but none the less the main reason for Easter was highlighted across both countries as well as their traditions, overall it was a great holiday.

[krissy11]

GREENVILLE HIKE.

I was very fortunate this weekend to be able to go and do something that I’ve always enjoyed while growing up, and that is to hike, being out in Nature was great and extremely therapeutic! Escaping from the somewhat fast placed life in Sumter and being able to get out without a care in the world is truly amazing, definitely has boosted my American experience and has earned some brownie points for South Carolina, it took me by storm just the sheer beauty of the all mighty South.

[krissy11]

CHURCHIN IT UP IN SUMTER.

Being raised on an island where the motto is basically “faavae le atua Samoa” which translates to Samoa is founded on God, I grew up with a strong religious identity and relationship with the big man. However coming to America I’m definitely guilty of losing that relationship and slipping away from the lords light but thankfully someone close to me reached out and I had the opportunity to attend church and what a better way to start the Holy Week I do say so myself, and it really did prove the saying how church isn’t in the building it’s in the people.

[krissy11]

FRIENDS!

I finally finished Friends, it was definitely a long journey but I can honestly say it was extremely rewarding, I have mixed emotions for the show. On one side I’m happy that I got to experience a significant piece of American culture and on the other I’m a little sad that it had to come to an end, like all things do. Something the show reminded me of was the relationships I have right now with my friends, I no longer consider them friends they’re practically my family and definitely being from different parts of the world has brought us all together, the show definitely made me appreciate the relationships I have and I will value them for life.

[krissy11]

AIRSHOW

Today was my first experience seeing fighter jets at the Shaw Air Force base, it was an amazing experience hearing the engines roar and planes soar through the sky, was an amazing experience. Also on display was the rich aviation history of America which was great to witness first hand, the air was was filled with jet fuel and the smell of slow clocking hot dogs, to me this was my peak American experience, seeing families gather and little children running around with the planes in the sky was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

[krissy11]

JUCO INVITE

This weekend was magnificent! We had a juco invite where 3 different juco tennis teams came to Sumter to play, the tennis centre was full of energy and the intense energy could be felt throughout the tennis facility and across all the courts. It was tense and nerve wrecking as these matches determined our rankings nationally! The matches were spread across 2 days of pure enjoyment and high caliber matches, however we managed to win 2 out of the 3 matches which successfully placed up in the top 10 in America!

[krissy11]

ADVENTURE!

Being in America is amazing the fact that you have so many places to visit right at your finger tips is such a blessing. Being a foreigner I wanna be able to experience much of the American culture it has to offer, but truth is I think I might be in a little over my head, everywhere is different and I feel like America cannot be described as a whole I feel like it needs to be broken up and individually be appreciated for each state and each road has to offer, everywhere you turn history somehow meets you dead on. America is sometimes known as the land of opportunity but for me the opportunity itself is just being here and being able to experience this country as a whole.

[krissy11]

WEEKENDING IN BOSTON!

I recently went to visit one of my lovely friends Maddie in Boston and it was such a vibe! It is very strange to me how each state somehow feels like I’m entering a different country completely, everyone has a new accent new clothes and new food as well as music! It’s just phenomenal to me. Boston in particular gives off Irish vibes and it’s amazing the culture is very vibrant and loud, and they pride themselves in their pubs, I never understood the luck of Irish until visiting the city myself truth is there is no luck, it’s plain and simple the city itself is full of pride and joy which to me is truly magnificent!

[krissy11]

SPRING BREAK EXPERIENCE

My first spring break in America was probably not as eventful as most people would look at it. I didn’t go partying or even go on a vacation but I did stay with my team. The time I spend with my team was very important to me and how the team would be closer over the up coming semester and seasons to come. My roommate and the team would play basketball and have late nights just hanging out together. That week would change the way we practiced and brought us closer together. I would learn about the each person and how each one of them were like my family. For myself, being so far away from my home, it really made me feel like I gained eight new brothers.

[krissy11]

THE STRESS OF TENNIS

As a JUCO school in Sumter, South Carolina, we have no other tennis in our conference. In result, we have to play division one and two schools to make up for the matches we would miss. It can be tough to compete schools that have more funds to back them but it just makes it that much sweeter when my team and I win. I want to tell you what it is like to walk in to a match feeling less than but proving the everyone wrong. It’s a great feeling to complete against higher division school because we see a better level of tennis, they push us to play better, and have a different out look to competition. For myself tennis is a very mental game and to be able to compete at such a high level can be straining at times. You have good and bad days but over coming the adversity of this sport is apart of who I am. Overall, it only makes me a better person on and off court.

[krissy11]

The Batman!

I recently watched the new Batman film in the theatre and it was 3 hours long.. yes 3 hours. And let me tell you something, it was worth every single second. It was a fantastic movie in my opinion, very dark and brooding how Batman should be and puts a heavy emphasis on how Batman is Bruce Wayne’s true identity and Bruce Wayne is just as mask Batman wears is very intriguing. The new spin with Robert Pattinson scored very high marks across cinema critics nation and worldwide. Pattinson did a great job at portraying the black knight, in my opinion it was his work with twilight that helped him embrace being both Bruce Wayne and Batman as he was “raised” in the dark. Overall I highly recommend everyone to watch this film! You will not be disappointed.

[krissy11]

WHY TENNIS?

A lot of you now know that I play tennis but I’ve never really discussed as to why I chose this “lovely” sport, first of all for my culture I’m considered quite small so contact sports was completely off the table, so my mother decided to put me into tennis. Fast forward 8 years and here I am today! Tennis is a great sport and I’m not just saying that just to say it, the sport is literally incredible you come across so many amazing people from various different places you get to travel the world and you find yourself a family you never would’ve imagined yourself having. My coach would always say tennis is a life sport, which it is with the aspects of love, break and advantage it truly does teach you important aspects of life which you come to learn and appreciate.

[krissy11]

HALF WAY THERE!

So spring break is coming up and I just wanted to do a little recap of things I’ve done the first half of this semester. It started off pretty shaky going into quarantine due to covid but then things got going again, with both school and tennis and it was tough at first trying to get back in the momentum of things but with the support of great friends and team mates we regained that momentum! Like any semester it was filled with many ups and downs, but the most valuable thing is that I’ve learnt a lot with not only tennis but school as well, and I’m excited to see what the next half of the semester has in store for me.

[krissy11]

IHOP!

Okay before coming to America I had no idea what IHOP was, now I’m being serious here but initially I thought IHOP was some sort of apple product. Not until I came to America that I finally saw what it was. I know funny right, But can you really blame me? This brings me to the topic about how things are often misinterpreted around the world and it got me thinking if there’s another poor soul out there who thinks IHOP is a brain product of Steve Jobs, if you are that poor soul feel free to reach out me! But alas IHOP stands for the the international house of pancakes and I think that’s much better than an apple product.

[krissy11]

FIRST YEAR IN AMERICA

So as you all know by now I am a foreigner living in America, and it has been a little over a year now and what a year it has been. Initially I did not know what to expect I’ve always been comfortable with the unknown but moving somewhere completely different was a big step, especially during a pandemic things were far from normal. I was nervous because I was alone in a new setting, however looking back at it now the journey has been amazing and it’s only just begun, I’ve met great people and established many new relationships but more importantly I’ve considered South Carolina, Sumter specifically my home, and it is only the beginning. All in all I wouldn’t trade this journey for anything and I’m excited to see what America has in store for me next.