天気：晴れ
Although I’m feeling dead tired now, today was so much fun! I won’t keep you in suspense; we came 2nd!!! I’m so proud of everyone for putting in so much effort, and there was such a strong sense of team spirit…I woke up at about 9 and after showering, I went up to the kitchen and ate breakfast, chatting with people as they came and went, most getting ready for today’s event. I ended up staying there till about 11, when I realised I’d have to get a wriggle on if I was going to make it there for 11:30. I bid Hugo farewell (he was going to a cultural exchange event), brushed my teeth, and then got going. Meeting Rachel outside, we were about to head off when Julie came out, saying that Rebecca and Julianne needed a lift, since they would also be competing, and they wouldn’t make in time if they walked. So, I took Julianne, and Rachel took
Rebecca; that was pretty scary. It was really hard to get started, but after building up a bit of momentum it got gradually easier; it was still very wobbly going though. We only got as far as the east gates before Julianne was asked to dismount. I rode ahead to catch up with Rachel and soon we were at the courts, waiting for everything to get started. People continued to pour in, and Julie, Rachael, Katie, and Ash came as support; our unofficial cheerleaders. We eventually got going at 12, as per the timetable, and started off with the “Opening Ceremony”, before doing a few stretches; very briefly.
After that, the events stated, and we kicked off with tug-of-war. Well… we didn’t end up doing too well at all at it; we lost every game. Indeed, we are the smallest house, and we had the smallest number of competitors; all the other houses had to reduce their numbers for the event. Even when Peter came, we were no match for the other houses; there were some big guys on the other teams. Then came jump-rope, and wow did we suck at that; okay so that’s a little harsh. But still, all the teams got two tries each, to get us many people through the rope in 3 minutes as possible, and the best we did was 25; the other teams got into the 30’s. I was a little disappointed, because I was feeling pretty competitive at the time, but it really didn’t matter; we were there to have fun. After out two turns, I went with Katie and Ash to the convenience store and bought some water for me and a coke for Rachael. Getting back, it was “rest time” so many went off to get a quick bite to eat; I was feeling fine. About half an hour later (a bit after 2), the final event got underway; Super Dodge-ball!!! After the rules were explained (which actually took quite a while), we split up into two groups of 5 girls and 5 guys; since there weren’t enough of us, most of us had to double up.
The rules were basically – one Seminar House vs. another, each with a team of 10. Two people from the team are stationed on the outside of the of the opposing teams court, while the other 8 are within. There are 3 dodge-balls and a game of jankenpon (scissors-paper-rock) determines which team starts with two balls. Basically, you get sent the outside if you get hit by a ball, but you’re safe if you catch it, or you get hit above the shoulders. The person who hits you gets to go back inside their court. The people on the inside can also 
try to hit members of the other team; but they remain inside. The matches are 5 minutes, and the winning team is the one that either has the most people left in the middle by the end of the 5 minutes, or has sent every member of the opposing team to the outside. It was a very intense game. But guess what… we won every match! It was tournament style, so there ended up being 6 matches (7 if you include the tie-breaker we had with Seminar House 1). I ended up being in 6 out of the 7 matches, and I had such a great time. A memorable moment was when I was the last person on the inside and I managed to dodge all three balls that were coming at me in quick succession; this gave my team a chance to get other members back in. At the time, I hadn’t even realised the significance of it, but afterwards everyone congratulated me, which made me swell with pride; we had great team spirit.
Throughout the day, Rebecca (our leader), rallied us together, screamed at us, and got us to do the Seminar House pose in a big circle. I really felt a strong connection with everyone, and I think that’s what got us through; the team work and com
munication. There were also a few kids playing (the children of the professors’), and they were also putting a great effort in; it was especially funny seeing them in tug-of-war. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the day ran completely smooth. Our second match, against Seminar House 1, became very heated as both sides accused the other of cheating; this was the one that ended in a tie-breaker. This one guy came up to Angela (Rachel’s roommate), and threw one of the balls at her as hard as he could; so I heard. She went off crying, and oh boy did Rachel chew that guys face off; she told me she had wanted to punch him. He really did display 
terrible sportsmanship though. When the places were being announced, and we received trophies (they were beautiful), he went up to receive his houses place and trophy (3rd), and showed very little enthusiasm; what a sore loser. I was actually really surprised when it was announced that we were 2nd; I guess dodge-ball had counted for more than we’d expected. Apart from trophies, we also received gifts, which meant candy in other words. After the closing ceremony, congratulations, eating and photo-taking, we slowly made our way back to the dorm, elated.
It was 5 by the time we got back. I went to my room for a little while, and then went up to the kitchen; we were going to have a party at 6! Rebecca had asked Liz if she could bake a cake for it, and with little time to prepare, she was in a bit of a fix. Chelsea, Julie, and I helped her out though, contributing hands and ingredients, and just in time, we had a 
cake in the oven. There were heaps of drinks and snacks, that people had kindly contributed, and at around 6:30, the pizza came that Yuji had ordered. Since Rachael and I had made plans to go to New Delhi for dinner, we didn’t have any, but that didn’t stop us from getting stuck into the sweets. We all got a bit of cake too, and it turned out amazing; such a simple recipe too. Finally, Rachael and I said our farewells, and made our way over to New Delhi. The curry was amazing, and as usual they brought us heaps of extra food; I was absolutely stuffed. We sat and talked for a while, and then eventually left for home; it was a cold walk back... I’m absolutely exhausted now, and although there was an open invitation to go to Karaoke with Rachel, Katie and Ash, I’m certainly not up for it. Hugo’s gone out to celebrate with Tristan since it’s his birthday. All I’m going to do now though is sleep…
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