Friday, July 10, 2009

"You did what??"

What do I have to say for myself? Well, quite a bit actually! I'll go in chronological order so as not to confuse anyone, including myself. To begin with, once we arrived back to America after our stay in China, Robert went directly to an internship with a Chinese LED company called CAO. This was required in order to complete his MBA. He...struggled through it, quickly got a paid position there and actually endured that for quite some time. Meanwhile, I was searching for a job. Then I did some more searching. Then some more. Eventually I received an email from UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association), a company I've worked for in the past, stating that they were looking for qualified and available people for an intriguing job opportunity. Well look at that! I actually WAS qualified, and obviously quite available! So needless to say I applied. What was the position you ask? Well, how much do you know about the game of Cricket? Don't worry, I didn't know anything either. Apparently it's a pretty MAJOR sport outside the U.S. One place it is particularly popular is in India. They have a league that's entitled the IPL (Indian Premier Cricket League). It’s equivalent to our NBA, NFL, and MLB all combined. In that I mean it is a combination of ALL of our major sport organizations. It is THE sport and THE league. Millions of lives revolve around it. It was placed on the shoulders of fifteen girls to popularize the addition of cheerleading and dancing to it. No pressure. So, after many long talks with my husband and several hang-ups circumvented, off to India I went.
We were “on assignment” for one particular team: Royal Challengers Bangalore. We did a few press conferences and filmed a music video while we were there. Then, due to circumstances out of the league’s control, the IPL T20 tournament was moved to South Africa. Time for more adventure!
The majority of the time we spent in South Africa was devoted to cheering at games and trying to convince the crowds that we were what the IPL needed. Thankfully we had some down time; and man did we ever take full advantage of that time. We went on a safari
played with baby lions and tigers (unfortunately no bears)

played in the ocean, went exploring, and overall just soaked up all that South Africa had to offer
. Our team, RCB, ended up making it all the way to finals, barely missing the first place podium by a few runs.
By the end of our two month stay all of us had grown incredibly close. We experienced a lot together, things that for better or worse we will all remember. Not to sound too cliché but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. During this time my sweet, supportive husband stayed at home slaving away working for the man. We spoke via skype whenever our schedules lined up. It was hard being apart but it all ended up alright (unless you ask him… :) ). What an experience!!

3 comments:

Jeppson Clan said...

Hooray! Look at you blogging again!
Fun.

makana hansen said...

I knew you were alive and look at all you have done! Wahoo! Can't wait for more

Amber and Matt said...

I think i picked you out in the video a couple times...go stef!