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RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

GAME DAY APPROACHES IN CHINA 10th September 2007

Today was very quiet thanks to a day off from wearing our cleats. The only things on our schedule today were meals, meetings and an individual workout before lunch - amazing! Even gave us the day away from practice and we were all very appreciative of this. We have been working hard for almost a year now, and to be honest, there isn't much more we can do in terms of preparation.

Even is right when he told us today that he felt the best thing he can now possibly do for us is to make sure our bodies feel as good as they possibly can with some relaxation time.

Everyone on the team used the day off in different ways. I ended up at a tourist trap of a Chinese market with a few of my heartier teammates. We were only there for just over an hour, which is a good thing as we were all suckers for a good sales pitch and bartering. I enjoyed myself though. The only thing I bought eventually was a Chinese scroll with my name on it' At least, I think it is my name. I was told that the calligrapher was one of the top ten in China ...... Tank asked me who had given me this information though, and it turns out that it was the calligrapher. I shall keep my fingers crossed that I have not been duped. Buying the scroll was definitely worth it anyway, even if my name is actually not quite accurate. I always like getting out of the hotel for a bit.

Tomorrow is the day before our game versus Norway, so we will be in the stadium for a look around. I am really looking forward to seeing the stadium from all that I have heard about it. People have described it as "breath taking."

Tonight we all watched the opening game of the Women's World Cup, Germany vs Argentina. This was not the greatest of match ups, and they destroyed the Latin Americans 11-0. However, it is hard to know whether Germany is as good as they seem, or whether Argentina was just not ready for the game ... maybe a bit of both.

Good Night, Rhian