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Editor’s note: Longwood women’s lacrosse player Isabella McCullough is in Hong Kong this week and next. She’s been competing with Team Mexico at the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship. Currently her squad is in the middle of pool play, which runs through Aug. 20. Then the knockout elimination round begins. She’s sharing parts of her experiences with us as she goes. This is from the first three days of her trip.

As I landed here in Hong Kong, the humid weather was noticeable! Even at 5 a.m. in the morning! I went to get breakfast with others and enjoyed the views near my hotel.

To keep me from being jetlagged, my teammates made me stay up until 10 p.m. that night!

The next morning, we woke up early and went to the Queen Victoria tram, which had the most gorgeous views of Hong Kong. My teammate and I went back on the subway and then went to eat soup with noodles.

That night, we all went on a walks and eventually met as a team to go over team expectations.

Starting the U20 Championship

On our first day of practice, we woke up, went to breakfast, and laced up our cleats to start preparing for our first match against Italy. We worked on some plays, connecting, and passing.

It was so hot with the bright sun and humidity, but our guide Jenis brought us aloe and cold water. After practice, I went home and got lunch with my teammate Angelina. She had udon, and I had garlic steak bites. We went back to her room and watched a movie on my iPad.

We all ate dinner as a team and then went to bed ready for our first scrimmage.

Today, we woke up bright and early and practiced! But first, we went to breakfast as a team and got bubble waffles, steamed buns, and eggs. We ate and went to practice, where we worked on defensive sets and communication.

Jamaica was sharing the field with us, so we took pictures together and played games together! After practice, we got lunch, changed into our uniform tops and scrimmaged Puerto Rico.

After the scrimmage, we went back to the hotel to rest, shower, and get dinner. Afterwards, my teammate and I went to 7/11, and the employee sang us Aretha Franklin. She hit all the notes!

As I’m writing this, I’m winding down for bed with my cleats packs, uniforms set out, gear organized. 

Editor’s note: Mexico lost to Italy in the first game of the competition Thursday, but then rallied from a six-goal deficit to beat Scotland 11-7 one day later, on Friday, Aug. 16. They are off until Sunday, when they take on New Zealand.