“People who break the rules go to prison; people who break the rules in prison go to Alcatraz.”

Last night we enjoyed a glimpse of the life we all think we deserve, and it was nice, real nice. After the games against Piedmont we were invited back to one of the residences for a pizza party. There was talk from the Piedmont locals that it was a nice house so all 33 of us headed there for a quick bite to eat before heading off with our respective homestays. You should have seen this mansion. As we arrived there were a lot of open mouths and oohs and aaghs, it was definitely an OMG moment – we weren’t quite sure if our blue tracksuits cut the mustard but regardless, we stuck our heads up and chests out, gathered our best ‘G’day Mate’and headed in. It was even grander inside. There was talk of adoption (and that wasn’t just me) and we all shared a few “what if’’ moments.  We enjoyed the generosity of our gracious hosts and took in the views of the Bay before it was time for us all to depart – except for Joel and Darcy (you should have seen their faces when they found out this was their homestay…priceless).

It was time to play tourists today. After bidding farewell to our Piedmont homestays (and eventually prising Joel and Darcy away from their home away from home), we headed into San Francisco. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t in our favour today and we were greeted with light rain and heavy fog. Our first stop was a quick walk around Pier 39 before we hopped onto a roofless double decker bus to take in as much of the culture the city of San Francisco has to offer. Luckily we had our big jackets as it was wet and windy up the top but it just added to the adventure – so did those low hanging tree branches…. With the wind in our hair (literally), we took in the sights of Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, CBD, Lombard Street and Ghirardelli Square to name a few. It truly is a spectacular city.

After out tour there was a quick moment to grab some lunch back at Pier 39 before heading to Alcatraz for a tour of the infamous prison that housed famous criminals such as Al Capone & the ‘Birdman’ Stroud. We headed to Pier 33 to board the ferry and see one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. The island is breathtaking and there is a real presence when you first step onto the dock. The students enjoyed a self-guided audio tour of the prison system while also trying to take in the views of the spectacular bay area (unfortunately the fog was proving a slight barrier). While we tried our best to leave a few behind as permanent residents of Alcatraz, the prison guards insisted no prison in the world could house this group.

And if you think it’s been a busy day so far, wait…there’s more. At 5.00pm we were back on our beloved bus and headed to Chase Center to watch the Golden State Warriors take on the New York Knicks. Now this is something the Titans have been waiting for, and for the first time, the boys were actually at the head of the pack – I had to put my fast pants on to keep up. It was all eyes forward as we took our seats and gazed at the goings on. We may have been high, but that just meant we could see it all. The atmosphere was fantastic and after a slow start, the Warriors kicked in in the last quarter to force the game into overtime before going down by two points. It was a late night but the kids were still very excited as we made our way to the motel. Tired and weary but full of memories from a great day (albeit a bit damp).

The Flag!

We have an inaugural recipient for the flag, a lad that’s flirted with nominations but has finally had the call up. Please come forward Darcy Porter. (applause). Darcy was absolutely awe struck last night at our luxury pizza party abode. After finally lifting his jaw off the floor and having a little peak around when we walked in the front door (the large, large opulent door), he composed himself and headed into the kitchen area (still opulent). After doing some delving he’d come back with “did you know the man who owns this house has his name on cranes”, then off he’d toddle, only to come back a couple of minutes later with “did you know the man who owns this house built the 49ers stadium”. Then off he’d go again on more reconnaissance. Darcy and his accomplice, Joel, then headed downstairs where the rest of the kids were and let’s bear in mind, they were both carrying their pizza at this time. Darcy was so in awe and looking around as he walked down the stairs that as he gazed, with open mouth at the grand opulence he may have inadvertently been dragging his pizza along the wall. When he realised what he’d been doing, he panicked and then dropped the pizza onto the floor. Fearing he may be escorted from the house, he quickly picked up the pizza, and there’s talk that he may have tried to lick the stain off the carpet (this is not verified and I am honestly hoping this is not true….). He didn’t worry about removing the pizza sauce stain from the wall, as in his words “the house was so big, I didn’t think they’d ever see it”.

Tomorrow the girls and boys part ways as we head to our homestays with Antelope High School and Center High School and play in the respective tournaments. The blog will take a short hacienda during these days with a recap of how we fared when we meet back up on Sunday 15 December – unless we get a few flag nominations, then I might come out of hiatus 😊.