This was the fate of my tournament at Montpellier. Getting faulted for service and losing 6 points in a match is not very funny. Oh well, I guess Jana and I made our point. We came with a bang and left with a bang in the elite category of French badminton where the top 50 players play. I probably witnessed my first discrimination against other races in France. Helen, Mehdi’s girlfriend who is of Korean descent, argued passionately with the official that the act of having an extra service judge in the finals (not usually seen in a tournament in France) was a discrimination against non French like me just because our opponents who are established French players, some of whom are ex champions and played for the national team of France are losing against us. She also argued passionately that some French players have high services and all but they are not getting penalized for it and penalizing me because of a complaint is just discrimination. Oh well, Jana and I lost in the finals for mixed doubles but both of us were happy with the result still. For me, it is really a privilege to be able to partner someone like her who I have so much court chemistry with. And I probably have to work on my mixed doubles service for future tournaments.
Nevertheless, Montpellier was as beautiful a town as much as I managed to see it. Was kinda disappointed I didn’t have the chance to see the beach though. The south of Lyon is so distinct from the north in that the architecture is of the later 18th-19th century, as compared to Lyon’s 14th-15th century renaissance buildings. The trees are also more tropical, bringing a more relaxed mood compared to the cold and serious north. Arh…I can so imagine myself suntanning on the beaches of France..which I will in 2 weeks times as the guys are heading to Corsica over the Mayday weekend, an island south of France in the Mediterranean.
"Do it not because you have to, but because you want to "
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