Julien’s Journal
We lost!!!
Yes, despite our best
efforts and on a pitch that would be the envy only of a bunch of snakes looking
for some rocks to bathe, we were defeated by Liverpool Masters 3-2. Considering
the fortunes of Liverpool FC at the moment, I think a better side was on show.
I learnt a lot about African football today. It’s a game where skill is the
only factor. If we possessed just that little bit more pace and stamina I’m
sure we’d have beaten them easily. Not that we lacked skill but it faded in the
second half and after we opened the scoring (with a move I started by the way –
I’ll bask in more of that glory later) we lost our shape and as anyone who
knows football will tell you, the team that loses their shape first loses. The
midfield will dominate and that team will end up winning. I also learnt that
the reason African football still is subservient to European football is that
when the national team comes together to play internationals, they have to play
on grass and it completely throws them.
Now, the basking. I was actually
proud to last 90 minutes, particularly with my hydration issues and
ill-feelings the last few days. I had a shot early on that missed the left hand
post by about an inch, not kidding. I was then played through on goal and taken
down in the area by about 4 of their defenders. Penalty. The captain then
stepped up confidently and missed the same post by about the same margin. After
struggling for breath for the first half of the second half I came into the
game again, hurling myself into a big African dude to play the ball forward to one
of our strikers and after a bit of penalty box pinball we put the ball away. I
then became the Emile Heskey of the team, playing the centre of the field and
flicking the ball on to our strikers. The opposition scored three goals in the
second half and a few minutes before full-time we won a penalty which was
promptly converted by one of out strikers. The game finished 3-2 but not before
I set up 2 attempts on goal and was played the ball myself before being HUGELY
incorrectly called for offside. I was happy. It was just such great fun to get
out there and at the end of the game it was all handshakes and hugs. That’s
what its all about.
I have just come back and
all the medical students were out, Daniel who lives next door hasn’t got back
from the game and I’m totally alone. I have just had a beer and put some chips
in the oven. I was so rapt to come home and find no-one else here. All this
moaning about loneliness and as far as ups and downs go, this is defiantly an
up. I whinge about not having enough time to myself at home and here I am in
the middle of fucking nowhere with plenty of beer and wine and the oven heating
up for my chips. There’s one person who probably won’t read this called Michael
– if you guys at work get this, please show it to him because I think it comes
close to his idea of heaven. Of course I’m sure he can think of one addition to
make but I do the best I can.
Two of the med students have
just returned with their frightening stories of getting spat at by a Cobra
today. I’m seriously never getting out of my car again driving on these dodgy
tracks.
I intend to do the washing
tomorrow and apart from that will be loathe to write up my interviews and
discussion with the traditional healers. Back to work on Monday and this is my
last full-on week of work. My last week I’ll probably just make sense of everything,
do some tying up interviews of follow-ups and bugger off to Nelspruit/Johannesburg
for a few days.
That’s me for now. I’ll see
you soon.
Cheers,
Julien