Backpacker cheerleader

It was a thrilling win by Bangalore. A nail-biting finish down to the last over, and I must say I'm pretty happy. By now all the girls are pretty much well versed with cricket terms. We have even been quizzed by Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder, and tell you what, we came out with flying colours.

Also had time to catch up with Mum and Dad, and surprise of surprises, they are actually reading this blog. Heard somewhere that they are planning to launch Twenty20 cricket even in America. That would be cool. Over the last two weeks I have quite started to love the game. It is exciting and definitely can have a good following in the US.

Just like the cricket teams are bonding on the field, even the cheerleading teams have started to bond with each other. So often during a match, or later, we catch up, chit-chat, talk about home and the cool places to hang out during our tour. Must say, the spectators have been pretty friendly to us, and often we get a bunch of them where we perform during a match, and they come and talk to us, ask for pictures to be taken with them and request for autographs.

The touring schedule is hectic and in the last three weeks we have lived in some six different hotels in two different countries. That is definitely a first for me. But I'm loving every minute of this. It's like being a backpacker always on the go, and the experience has been awesome. Not only have I encountered different countries, but I have tried to embrace newer cultures and got to see how life is in Asia and Africa. Overall it has been enriching and I feel like I have learnt so much. Even the gals from our team have bonded. Being on the road has, I guess, pushed us closer together and I can safely say that we have not interacted like this before. Not that it is without the occasional tiff, but I feel even that has resulted in making us a tighter-knit unit.

By now we have even got to recognise some of the Bollywood celebrities, like Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. Preity can be so animated during a match. I have never seen any movie in which either of them has acted, but maybe once I go home I will try to source one and watch. They seem to be pretty popular in SA. We have also learnt some Bollywood moves, since the DJs at the stadiums often play Bollywood music and you have to move to a beat that is quite different from western songs.

Sure, the cricket has been good, so much so that some of us even watch it on the telly when we are not at the stadium. The African Safari is on and I am on the trip of a lifetime.