Melbourne (pronounced mel-ben)

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I decided to travel to Melbourne for a few days before my Rotary Scholarship begins. I guess this is sort of like a vacation before my studies and speeches start and it's been a lot of fun. I have spent most of my time watching tennis at the Australian Open and have seen a lot of great players. My main objective was to see Federer and Nadal play and I have already seen both of them. Better yet, I will get to see them again in the quarterfinal matches.

I have been a Federer fan for so long and he is, without a doubt, the best tennis player to ever live. He has already broken the record for most Grand Slam singles titles (16) and will most likely increase that number. Nadal, on the other hand, has the potential to rival that number. He has won 9 Grand Slam singles titles and if he wins the Australian Open will be the defending champion at every Grand Slam since he won the 2010 French, Wimbeldon, and US Open (if he wins, it will be dubbed the Rafa Slam). As much as I would love to see it happen, I'm still cheering for Federer!

This was my first day. I was not prepared for the sun.

The Fed

Rafael Nadal. It's a different experience being this close.