A Wobbly Road Trip
Not very often do I wish for any break to be over, but this whole summer was just a process of waiting until I was able to go back to the States to start my last year as a college tennis player at my new college. My dad and I flew into Charlotte, North Carolina, at the end of August to pick up my car and begin our road trip from South Carolina to Austin, Texas, where my university is located. When we arrived, we were picked up by a friend from my old team at North Greenville University, and we stayed the night at her family’s house before starting the drive. After being taken care of so well and experiencing the true American hospitality, we weren’t even sure we were ready to go yet, but we eventually decided to hit the road. We drove through Knoxville and Memphis (which was awesome) to have our final pit stop at a great Airbnb in a small town just outside of Texarkana. However… when we woke up to finish the last part of the drive, my car wouldn’t start. We figured we must have left a light on or done something else wrong, but eventually we managed to jump start the car and get on the road again. Later, when we stopped for gas, my car failed to start once again, and we jump started it for the second time. We finally made it and got the battery in my car replaced. It all ended well, but we were lucky to have made it to the end of the trip! By the way, my car is fine now!
A New Beginning in Austin, Texas
So far, my time in Austin has been great. I got all moved into my new apartment, which is very nice, and we survived our first week of school. The first week here I got to spend some time with my dad, to explore the city and to get me all settled into my new environment. Now I am getting used to the life of a student again, as I always forget how to be one a little bit over the summer. Getting my assignments done and having everything figured out and organized is not at the level it needs to be yet, but I’m getting there. As of right now I have a decent chance of being on schedule and graduating in one year, depending on some petitions that have yet to be decided on. However, even if I have to stay here one extra semester, I don’t think I would mind too much.
First Practice as a Tornado
Tennis-wise I’ve been struggling a bit, as per usual, coming back from a summer injury and dealing with some aches and pains. The tennis team is great, and I really get along with the team, so I’m very happy where I am. Now it will be a matter of seeing to what level I can bring my tennis in this last year of college. Tennis may not have been the highest priority anymore for me because of recurring injuries, but I notice that my competitive self is still there, and I want to see where I can go for my senior season. We’ve had our first week of practice, including some practice matches, and it seems like the team is a group of passionate tennis players who all enjoy being here and love what they do. We have our first tournament of the fall coming up this weekend, followed up by the ITA (Inter-collegiate Tennis Association) regional tournament two weeks later. I hope we’ll do well as a team in the tournaments and I’m excited to see how far I can push myself!
