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By Mercedes Pacheco
Sophomore-to-be, Libero
We started off our day with a wonderful weights session at Somerset College. The fire jams they were playing made it easy to get the blood flowing and be ready to go. The conversion from pounds to kilograms was a bit of a brain teaser early in the morning, but we got it done. We all felt refreshed and loosened up after our four-game match last night. We took a picture at the end of our lift to show our beloved lifting coach Joaquin that even though we’re half way around the world, we’re still thinking of him.
After weights, we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then we were off again. Some people chose to go paddle boarding in a creek. Devanne was able to do a head stand while Carson was steering the board. Julia and Maddie were struggling in the beginning, but by the end were able to get the hang of it and really start cruising along. The creek was clear blue and still waters from what I heard
However, I chose to go to a Wildlife Refugee. Here we were able to hold kolas, wombats and feed baby kangaroos. This experience was something one only dreams about. We were able to go to a crocodile feeding. But being that it is winter here right now the crocs were too cold and did not feel like putting on a show. So instead they brought out a tiny fresh water croc for people to hold and take pictures with. Next we went to this grass area where there were a ton of kangaroos just hanging out. People were taking selfies, laying down and cuddling, or petting them. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We then moved on to taking pictures holding koalas. We were privileged to pose with 2-year-old Jenny. She was adorable. JJ looked the happiest he ever has in his whole life in the 30 seconds he had Jenny in his arms. Then once that was all over, it was time to meet back up as a group.
The last activity of the day was taking our bus “Brenda” up a small, twisty road to find a beautiful waterfall. We had to hike a little ways up but it was well worth the sore calves once we made it to the top. Our brave Marisa took a plunge in the freezing water and said she’s never felt so refreshed.
All in all, today was a perfect day.
Fans can follow the team’s Facebook page (University of New Mexico Volleyball) and Twitter (@UNMVolley) to keep track of the Lobos during their trip.