Bye Guys

Above: Abby, Joe (our coach), and me on our last day.
Below: Abby, Ruby ( a girl on our team), and me.

Two Tuesdays ago was our last day of swimming with Haringey Aquatics. We waited in the cold for the 123 bus as usual, put our things in locker number 293 that we always use, stood in the same place for boxing, swam in the same lane, and groaned just as loudly at the 1400 butterfly Joe (the coach) assigned us. But instead of heading to the locker room when we got out, we passed out our "imported American brownies" to everyone. They gave us each a bright yellow team shirt and a massive card everyone had signed. We took photos, gave hugs, and made promises to keep in touch.

In many ways the practice reminded me of my last day of school before leaving for London. The swim team here was my social life, just like school is in California. The big difference is that in California I knew I was coming home, and here I'm not sure if I'll ever see any of my friends again. I think one of the reasons we had such a great time with the team was because our time was limited. We were new and exciting, so people talked to us, and we made friends. We were able to fit right in because it was temporary, and no one had anything to loose. We managed to come up with a complex language of inside jokes and handshakes and we've had lots of great conversations comparing our cultures.

So even though it was a real tear to leave, I know that it's probably a good thing we were here for a prescribed amount of time. I'll do my best to keep in touch with everyone, and I know that when I come back I'll definitely be stopping by the Tottenham Green Leisure Center.

Lily