Even the fact I was sitting in an aisle seat with two women inside me, tag teaming one another for the title of "weakest bladder in the world " didn't bother me. I remember vaguely being frustrated with all their trips to the washroom, but even then I must have been pretty out of it as I got up and moved out of their way time and time again. One of the times, I think I must have spoken to one of them, at least I hope I did, as later on in the flight she started a conversation with me. It seemed to start in the middle, no preamble at all .... she was either insane or, more likely, I had spoken to her in my sleep for the first part of it.

Once landed in Sydney, we had to sit on the aircraft and wait for Aussie airport officials to come on board and spray bug killer of some sort. They announced that it was all very safe and wouldn't affect us at all, so the fact the people spraying it were wearing full face masks was a little disconcerting. It was all vaguely familiar to me as it reminded me of the time I had ants in my room in Cyprus. When I called the front desk about my ant problem, they sent up a maintenance worker who arrived with two aerosol cans and proceeded to empty the contents of both of them all over the bathroom and over all my toiletries. This felt like the same thing. It is some form of flight de-lousing.

The Australian government is very strict about what gets in through its borders, and rightly so, given the troubles they have had through the years with imported diseases and foreign, invasive plants and insects. Like all islands, this is a huge concern, just as it is in New Zealand when we went there. The Australian officials made very sure we weren't bringing any food in with us,. or even any mud on the bottom of our boots. The mud on the cleats had caught us off guard previously in New Zealand, so this time we were ready and had already cleaned our cleats. However, the food still got a few of us. Before emerging from quaratnine, we ended up having a bit of a picnic, eating all the food that didn't pass the grade. We had a ton of beef jerky, almonds, and nuts of all sorts, an apple.. I was hungry and ate most of it.

After getting to the hotel by bus, we went for a walk and stretch before heading to our rooms to get a nap. Even though most if us were feeling pretty good you can't help but feel a little groggy after such a long trip. And, our systems are really confused at the moment. Amy Vermeulen put it best, when she said she was having " trouble forms sentences, " (she was having trouble forming sentences). Naps were accepted gratefully and needed by all

We trained at 4:00pm at a nearby field the Sydney FC, and I think we are playing our closed game against the Aussie Matildas there tomorrow. Our session was a good one, but a big distraction for me were these insanely loud, white birds that screamed and shrieked throughout the entire practice. I am not sure what they are called, but I will find out soon. They are very attractive looking birds, but you cannot believe how annoying they are. Even more annoying than the local wildlife are the girls on the team who try to imitate them. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

I am now relaxing in my room watching netball as I wait for supper. What a confusing sport!