Ultimate?

a) Frisbee b) pain c) good time d) all of the above

I’m tempted to go with "b", but in fact, it did end up being closer to all of the above, with a little embarrassment thrown in for good measure.

In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not good at Frisbee. In fact my game compares similarly to my 5th grade basketball/softball skills, which is to say, not promising. Nevertheless, Frisbee is big here in Swaziland, and it would seem according to the tournament, throughout parts of Southern Africa, and one of the few (only?) organized sports that takes place regularly around town. And mainly, the Swazi team was in need of girls, as teams of 7 play and rules stipulate that you must have 2 girls on the field at all times--so my lackluster skills were still in demand.

The tournament took place in Joburg, with 8 competing teams, and it was no joke. People there are athletes. We played 8 forty minute games over the course of 2 days, and then I had also agreed to be in the ladies’ tourney (why oh why?), which added another game each day—wearing army camouflage and tiaras mind you, of course. Saturday night there was a big party, and we even brought the festivities (and keg) back to the house we were staying in—a huge four bedroom belonging to another former Swazi ex-pat now living in Joburg (and a former UVA Wahoo in fact!).

Needless to say, after a second day of 7am wake-up call and several hours solid of running up and down the field (often attempting defense, often looking like a chicken with my head cut off), I could barely walk. After being dropped off back at my apartment on Sunday night, I promptly eased myself into bed around 8pm, and literally could not get up until this morning, when I proceeded to hobble around getting ready for work, and as I would continue to hobble for the rest of the day.