Football & Drinking - I Should Feel At Home

I'm slowly but surely getting up to scratch with the American way of life, although I don't understand it whatsoever. To begin with drinking is very different over here to at home. Apparently, if you go to the pub regularly for a couple, it is considered that you are drinking away problems. If that's the case, then my football team back home are repressing more problems than the Greek economy.

I've befriended an Australian who has lived here for the past 10 years and in doing so, have found a drinking buddy! This is both good, and bad. Good that I have someone to drink with, bad in that he drinks like me and we tend to have to carry each other home. For example, going for a couple at 3pm, resulted in us both staying until closing at 2am. Then returning the following day at 8pm until closing once again. On this day however, we got cut off for being there too long. Not that we were staggering or slurring our words (which we weren't) but simply for being sat in the same place at the bar for too long. This baffled me more than anything I've ever come across before. Jeez, I've seen someone throw up on the bar back home and still get served. I am persevering with the American beer, but I do miss Strongbow. Even to the point of dreaming that I found a shop here that sold a 75 crate for $100. Sad yes, but I do miss it. Until I find it, I'm just going to have to stick with Bud and Miller. There is only 1 pub in walking distance from campus and we are already friends with the bar staff (who attempt to speak in an English accent when I get served) and no longer get asked for ID at the door. Probably a bad sign, especially as I've only been here a month.

$9 Every Saturday

I recently joined a 7-a-side football team that the University set up. The season only lasts one month and you must have 2 girls on the pitch at all times. Originally I set up to play in the competitive league, but for some reason, the team that I play in got moved into the inter-mural league. When our first game arrived, I was slightly embarrassed. I don't think these people had ever played before, or if they had, not very much. Jon (the Aussi) has played at a decent level in the past and scored at will before subbing himself. I ended up clearing some poor lad out going up for a header and they didn't have a shot on goal for the entirety of the match. I could say that it's down to my perfect defending, but I think it's more to do with how poor they were. I think we finally won 7-0 but I would have sooner played in a game where it was tight and competitive. They couldn't even take a throw-in properly. Each time someone committed a foul throw, a part of me died. I even felt that I couldn't commit to the tackle properly. 

I went to watch the University play today in their first home game of the season. Very strange. They are very good technically, their touches are very good and their control, but there is no tempo to the game at all. Players are very rarely put under pressure and I think there was 1 slide tackle in the entire match, also dominant defending headers were a no show. The pitch is that 3G fake grass stuff and perfectly flat, probably why controlling the ball is so much easier. Also both sets of defenders seem to play extremely deep and, apart from the goalkeeper, talking was minimal. The game is so different compared to back home, if I played I would probably get sent off early doors for being too physical.

I'm getting on OK over here and I'm enjoying every minute, but if that barmaid cuts me off again I will not be held responsible for my actions.