sixth stop: Newcastle, England

The time has come for the World Transplant Games. When we first arrived in Newcastle, we had a team meeting to introduce ourselves and make some friends from our team. When we arrived, I didn’t recognise anyone, because the last time I went to the games was when I was 8, which was unfortunate. I introduced myself to Dana, Brad and Amelia and they quickly became very close friends of mine. The next day was a ‘discover Newcastle’ day, but my mum and I went shopping. For me it all started on the 17^th of August with the opening ceremony where there was a parade of over 50 countries participating in the transplant games. We had to walk from Eldon Square, a shopping strip, to Sport Centre, where most of my events are and it felt like 5 minutes. Since Australia is at the front of the alphabet, we arrived second and got to see all the countries file in. It took a while. Once all the countries had arrived there were a lot, I mean a lot, of speeches which took VERY long but was very inspiring.

 18^th of August was the beginning of the events in the morning was the Gift of Life fun run. This was the only event that supporters were allowed to participate in, so my mum and dad did. Finishing the race was very satisfying, but I was not ready for my bowling practise later that day. Once we arrived at the bowling alley there were already 2 little French boys who were crazy good at bowling which made me very intimidated. Luckily, I got in some training, so I did improve, and I was all set for the bowling comp the next day. When we arrived at the alley there were a lot of kids participating especially from the USA, but fortunately none in my age group. In my bowling alley there were 3 girls 1 from Hong Kong, 1 from France and 1 from Australia. That was me! Anyway, the girl from Hong Kong was very sweet but, also very professional. The girl from France was very sweet too but didn’t really care about here score. We would play 3 games then it was time for the medal ceremony. Halfway through out last game I glanced across all the scoreboards and stopped when I saw 8 x’s in a row. That means 8 strikes in a row. My jaw just dropped. Once our game had finished, I congratulated him and wandered over to the medal ceremony and found out I got gold in my age group and silver in under 18s woman. I was very proud of myself. 🙂

Later that day I had badminton training which I was nervous for but was very fun. When we arrived at Sport Centre there were no courts free, so we had to practise on the side while we waited. Once we finally got a court, I found out that there were more rules than I thought which made me more nervous. The next day was competition day and what made me even more nervous was watching my friend do so well in his game, and this made me dread my first game. There were 4 people in my round robin, so I had to play against all of them. There was 1 girl from Great Britain, 1 from Hong Kong and 1 from Japan. It was definitely harder than I thought, but I still had fun. That night was the cultural evening at the Science Centre and it was not what I expected. There were lots of brain tricks and mind puzzles. There was one trick where there was a bubbler inside a toilet, that has never been used, that triggers something in your brain that makes you think you’re actually drinking toilet water. Overall it was a very fun night.

During the badminton games, the table tennis tables were allowed to be used while you were waiting for your games. I was a bit rusty at the beginning but thank goodness I got better and I plan to continue training until the Australian Games next year. The Australian Transplant Games are like the Worlds but just for Australian transplant recipients. The next day was table tennis and there were only 3 people in my round robin. 2 girls from Great Britain and myself. The games were so fun nothing like what I expected. Right behind our table was the boys under 18s and they were crazy good. Like crazy good. I just gawked. Once again, I got gold in my age group and silver in women under 18s.

On the last day of the games I wasn’t competing in anything, so I went to the athletics to support my team. At the end there was a relay which for some reason I really enjoyed because 2 of my friends were running and I was so happy to see them having a great time. After the athletics was the Gala Evening which is like a school dance, but much more fun. After the speeches it was finally time to have some fun, so Brad and I played pegged. The game is where you have to pin a koala on someone without them noticing. We managed to peg 2 people. Go us! It was a bit bitter sweet because it was that night that I started becoming closer with people from other countries. It was a very fun way to spend the last night with all my friends. It’s a shame that I only will be able to see them in 2 years. At the next world transplant games in Houston, Texas. Unless, I go to Tackers which stands for Transplant Adventure Camp for Kids which is a ski trip in the Swiss alps with other kids who have been through the same thing I have. That camp goes for 1 week every year and I hope I will be able to go.

It’s so crazy that in one week I could make friendships that last a lifetime. I have made friends from Great Britain, France and Hong Kong. They all have amazing stories so similar to mine. It only makes me more eager to see them in 2021. My next stop is The Netherlands, where school starts.