Flat out like a Lizard Drinking!

G'day mates! it is currently Friday night 10:00 pm, it is a cold 12 degrees and i am sleepy! So sorry i haven't kept you updated but the last two days we have been flat out!(Flat out is a shortened term for flat out like a lizard drinking used by the Aussies to let you know they are really busy-when they told me i was like oh like being swamped and then got made fun of yet again...followed by questions of if i live by a swamp)Yesterday morning, Thursday morning, we were expected downstairs at 6 am sharp, we then started our 3 hour journey to the Australian Institute of Sport. Our bus driver over here in Sydney is named Kevin and he has the most interesting balding pattern i have ever seen! After a looooong bus ride we got off the bus and started our tours. The first room we went in had gaming devices to simulate typical AU sports like skeleton, cricket, Australian rules football, netball, etc.. We got to play around for awhile before we moved on. The AIS trains its athletes for the Olympics and Paralympics. One of our first stops was the pool and one of their paralympic athletes was swimming in the pool with only one arm which i found incredible! I can't imagine working with someone who is missing a limb at such an advanced level-i was very impressed. We also saw the soccer, basketball and gymnastics facilities. The youngest athlete they are currently training is a 9 year old gymnast who lives on site with a full scholarship! We then went on a sports medicine specific tour of the bio mechanical and physiology labs by two of the interns. We had lunch in the athletes dining room, which was probably the healthiest dining hall I've ever been in! After lunch we went for a presentation with one of the nutritionist which is where i really learned a lot about what is best to eat pre and post activity and a whole heap of hydration facts i wont bore you with. We then went to the gift shop, and i got you a prize dad! After the gift shop we met back up with the sports management group and got back on the bus! We saw some wild kangaroo then I read my kindle and slept a little! Once we got back Courtney, Jessica and I decided to go out and got dressed to head downstairs for a little dinner! We got a bowl of chips(which is french fries) and some delicious bruschetta and were on our way! We walked down the road to the closest pub and found ourselves at scruffy murphy's. It was an interesting stop! I accidentally held eye contact with the crazy guy going nuts on the dance floor which made him come by to our table. I could hardly understand a single word he was saying but he tried to tell me he was on the Dragons which is an ARL (Australian Rugby League) team for St. George, his name was Bailey and he told me he was number 3...I found it highly unlikely because he was way too small to play rugby professionally, but we decided to humor him because he was hysterical. After we left the pub we walked back to the hotel and went to bed, after i lost 3 dollars gambling. We were down at breakfast for 9 and found out one of the boys, Thomas, was brought to the hospital. He was apparently sleep walking and tripped (keep in mind the rooms are tiny and most people moved the furniture in their room to the closet just to have room to walk) He hit his head on a nightstand and split his ear open. He doesn't remember falling but woke up at 4:30 in extreme pain with a lot of blood. He got 5 stitches and we are all fighting about who gets to take the out in 5-7 days! After breakfast we headed out to Olympic Park. We got a tour of NSWIS (New South Wales Institute of Sport) and then headed over to ANZ Stadium which was the main site of the 2000 Olympic Games. Next door to one of the side stadiums was Disney on Ice and there were tons of little girls dressed up like princesses. I also have discovered that the razor scooter has most recently made it's debut, because every little boy is on one over here! We had a presentation on event planning and how everything comes together for an ARL match and then we had a long tour which ended in the ARL game of the Rabitohs (which is owned by Russel Crowe) and the Dragons (which is the team our friend claimed to be on). The Rabitohs won which was the home team and a big deal because apparently the Dragons are ranked number 1 at the moment. Tomorrow is a free day and we are very much looking forward to it! The plan as of now is to head over to Paddy's Market, another flea market, then over to Manly beach and vigil mass because we have another early morning flight on Sunday! I will make sure to steer clear of the poisonous things at the beach tomorrow dad! Tell the puppies i miss them!
LOVE and LIOB!
EM