Not at all! I love experiencing new cultures. Traveling to new and interesting places is probably one of the best perks of swimming! I always learn how to say “I’m sorry” and “thank you” in whatever country I’m in. I can say those in Greek, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Tagalog, Croatian, Portuguese and English. You would be amazed at how useful those phrases can be!

No.

You do have to be really careful when eating in other countries. Our immune systems can get overwhelmed with travel and you don’t want to make it any worse by trying to much exotic food that your body isn’t used to. My favorite “food” place was Japan. After the meet I ate so much sashimi, it was amazing!

Backstroke tends to be my best stroke at international meets, although sometimes it is freestyle.

My best international meet was probably Pan Pacifics in 2002.