HONG KONG

When I landed here in Hong Kong (Editor’s note: Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time), the humid weather was noticeable! Even at 5 a.m.! I went to have breakfast with others and enjoyed the view near my hotel.

To avoid jet lag, my teammates made me stay up until 10pm that night!

The next morning we got up early and went to the Queen Victoria tram, which had the most amazing view of Hong Kong. My teammate and I took the subway again and then went for soup and noodles.

That evening we all went for a walk and finally met as a team to go over team expectations.

On our first day of training, we woke up, had breakfast and laced up our football boots to prepare for our first game against Italy. We worked on some moves, connections and passes.

It was so hot, the sun was shining and it was humid, but our guide Jenis brought us aloe and cold water. After training, I went home and had lunch with my teammate Angelina. She had udon and I had garlic steak bites. We went back to her room and watched a movie on my iPad.

We all had dinner as a team and then went to bed, ready for our first practice game.

Today we got up early and trained! But first we went to breakfast as a team and got bubble waffles, steamed buns and eggs. We ate and then went to training where we worked on defensive postures and communication.

Jamaica shared the field with us, so we took pictures together and played games together! After practice, we had lunch, put on our uniform tops, and played a practice game against Puerto Rico.

After the practice game, we went back to the hotel to rest, shower, and have dinner. Afterward, my teammate and I went to 7/11 and the employee sang Aretha Franklin to us. SHE HIT ALL THE NOTES!

As I write this, I am getting ready for bed with my cleat bags and uniforms, getting my kit ready and ready to beat Italy (Mexico plays Italy on Thursday, August 15th at 12pm Hong Kong time)!

– Bella McCullough