Weeks 11, 12, 13 & 14: Find Good Gifts to Bring Back

Two weeks ago, I began writing another blog with the intention of posting it before my parents arrived, so as not to have to write a novel of a post after they left. Well, that was an epic failure. Normally, I tend to run of out of time for writing blogs because basketball, coaching or napping get in my way. This time, however, I have a MAJOR excuse for not keeping up with my blog… CHRISTMAS MARKETS! Just when I thought I could not get any more distracted from the writing process, I wandered into the city three weeks ago and saw the wooden booths and lights being set up. Thus began my research process to find out where I would be traveling in search of winter wonderlands. Hey, I was just acting on a piece of advice from my sister, family, friends, and many others: “Find good gifts to bring back!”

Before telling about the wonder that is Christmas time in Europe, I figured I will give a little rundown of how basketball has been going for the past four weeks. After all, it is how I make enough money to buy those good gifts. Week 11 ended with a win for us over our rival Amicale, who have one of the top scorers in the league, fellow-Philadelphian Meg Gardler. Though they are in the bottom half of the league, I was warned that they always give us a tough game because of the rivalry of being neighbor towns. They never gave up the entire game and we ended up winning by only 7 points.

Next, it was a quick turnaround to our Cup Game on Tuesday, when we played a top team in the league, Etzella. We were not able to get gym time on Sundays or Mondays (Badminton has it then), so we were forced to play without practice time. We came out okay, leading by 10 in the first half, but Etzella came back storming in the second. We tightened up offensively and ended up losing by 16. I played through a migraine that kept me in bed for the next two days.

A book fair was going on in our gym from Wednesday to Saturday, so once again our gym time was limited for our preparation for that Saturday’s game against bottom team, Heffingen. We were able to practice in a random gym in the city that Friday night. A lack of practice time might have been to blame for a shaky start against Heffingen. In the first quiarter, we ran our offenses well, but shots just weren’t falling. Down 6 to start the fourth quarter, we began a 28-3 run to take over the game. It was mostly due to Jill Bausch, a shooting guard who went off for 4 threes. Unfortunately, in the game, I was elbowed right in the mouth and ended up chipping two teeth. Luckily, that Monday, a teammate’s mom was able to take me to the dentist to get them looked at and fixed right away. Trust me when I say this… dentists’ offices are the same everywhere, AWFUL!

Our next opponent was the top-ranked and undefeated Esch. I had a tough shooting night, scoring only 10 points, which made it hard for my team to keep up with the many veterans of Esch. Their American center went off for 30 points and their Canadian wing player and Luxembourgish point guard were also tough for us to contain. Though we lost the game, I think we are making progress toward reaching our potential.

Finally, this past week’s game was against Contern. Contern is in 5^th place, one right below us, and it was a “must win” game. We played great defense and kept it a low scoring game, and that helped us pull out the win without shooting a high percentage. I had 19 points and 16 rebounds, making it one of my more efficient games.

As always, basketball has been going well. We finished the first round of the regular season in 4^th place, and will stayed there with the win versus Contern. We have a big game against #3 Etzella this coming Saturday!

Now for the off-the-court update. My parents and aunt arrived on the Thursday (Thanksgiving) before the Esch game… that means I waited a whole entire week and a half to check out the Christmas market in the city! They were troopers on their first, jet-lagged day here and managed to stay up late enough to eat dinner with me after practice. Our post-practice Thanksgiving meal… PIZZA HUT! And they will vouch for this, it was waaayyyy better than any Pizza Hut in the states!

That Friday, we got up, grabbed some fresh pastries for breakfast, and headed to Trier, Germany to check out their market. For a small town, it is one of the best around! It had tons of wooden cabins with Christmas gifts, scarfs, sausages, potatoes, desserts (… you name it!). We decided to try the street food and got some delicious bratwurst and potatoes. After that, we grabbed some dessert and toured historic city, wandering into Roman baths and cathedrals from long ago. Trier was not only a great first market, but an amazing place for my mom, dad, and aunt to see!

Saturday was a day dedicated to checking out Luxembourg City, because I had to stay close having a game that night. We arrived in the city and went straight to the Christmas market. The market smelled of hamburgers, sausages, fondue and many other foods, but first, we decided to check out the city before chowing down. We did, however, treat ourselves to a hot chocolate before taking the long walk down into the valley that divides the city. This wasn’t your ordinary hot chocolate, though. It was The Chocolate House’s Chocospoon, a wooden spoon with one of over 30 different flavors of chocolate that you put into a cup of hot milk that they give. I had tried it once before, but now I am totally hooked! After wandering through the historic parts of the city and grabbing some more street food, we visited the annual International Bazaar. The Bazaar is an exposition where numerous different countries showcase their local goods with all proceeds going to charity. Naturally, I was drooling at the American tent at the sight of El Paso hot salsa, Aunt Jemima’s maple syrup, Stove Top stuffing, Jif crunchy peanut butter, and other goods that they don’t have over here. Let’s just say my early Christmas gift from mom and dad were a few supplies from the USA tent!

We had originally plan to spend a few days in Switzerland, but changed our mind Sunday morning and decided to do three day-trips for the next few days. Bruges, Belgium was our first stop. The four-hour car ride was a rainy one, until we arrived in Bruges. The sun was shining, and we wandered our way through the town, over bridges, and around cathedrals until we finally found the main market situated in the town square. Right next to it was an impressive bell tower. My dad and I, both having seen the movie “In Bruges,” wanted to go to the top of the tower, so all four of us got in line. Only 70 people were allowed in the tower at one time, and on the climb up, we found out why. The spiral staircase, which fit only one person at a time towards the bottom, became increasingly narrow as we made our way up the 366 stairs. From the top, we had a 360-degree view of the city and a perfect view of the market and ice rink below. We worked up a big appetite, grabbed some food at the market, and made our way to the canal for a boat tour of the city. Our multi-lingual tour guide was entertaining as he showed us around the different parts of Bruges. It was amazing to see the city from such a different vantage point. In deciding to take day trips, we also decided to sample the food from each region we would visit. And what better to get in Belgium than waffles and chocolate! We definitely left Bruges on full stomachs! 

Monday’s trip began the same as Sunday’s, ugly weather above us for the entire three-hour ride to Heidelberg, Germany. The only thing that scared me more than the weather conditions was the lack of speed limits on the German highways. Cars were zipping by us when we were going at least 80 mph. Once again, and lucky for us, the sun began shining right when we arrived in Heidelberg. First, we went to check out the castle. We found out the hard way why castles were built on such steep inclines, and we all agreed that if we were trying to attack the castle, we would need a nap at the top first! The castle was one of the biggest I have seen so far. It had a courtyard right in the middle, which reminded us of the castles in Lord of the Rings, where the warriors would return to greetings from the people! We made our way through the castle and back down into the city where we wandered around the Christmas markets looking for a place where we could get an authentic German meal. We stopped into a local tavern-like restaurant where we ordered a round of beers and four different types of German food. We sampled the beers along with sharing the meals, and my parents were surprised at how willing I was to try new things. Those of you who know me well, know how picky of an eater I am (or was). Suffice it to say, my mom was impressed at how I simply dug into my food, not knowing what was in it! Shopping followed dinner, we ate dessert on the fly, and drove home through the think fog that had rolled.

Two long trips in a row made us pretty tired, so we decided make a shorter trip  on Tuesday. We hopped in the car again and drove the 45 minutes to Metz, France. In Heidelburg, we were laughing at the cars that would randomly make their way down the tiny, cobblestone, pedestrian streets. In Metz, because of some construction in the city and detours, we became that car. My mom, Aunt Sue, and I laughed hard as my dad was under considerable stress navigating the tiny streets and trying to avoid the oblivious pedestrians, behind the wheel of a large stick-shift, diesel Volvo (shades of Clark Griswold!). We made it safely to the parking lot that was situated right next to the cathedral that has one of the highest naves in Europe. The church was impressive, and it was nice to see the nativity scenes and decorations for Christmas. After touring some of the buildings and other churches, we, once again, checked out the Christmas market. Though I’ve heard of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” I had never tried them before, and they are a staple at any market. I tried them, but decided they are not my favorite (I almost felt like a squirrel when eating them!). After walking some, we decided to have lunch at a local café to try the regional food. Our waiter spoke no English, so we ordered without knowing too much about what we were getting. My dad and I kept it simple, ordering quiche Lorraine, while my mom and Aunt Sue tried what we thought were sandwiches, but ended up being savory crepes. All of the food, again, was delicious, and my dad was happy that we tried that café because he got to practice his two years of high school French.  After lunch, we walked long enough to digest our food because we wanted to try some French desserts. Though it was a tiny moment of our trip, our interaction with the vendor at a crepe stand might have been one of the funniest moments. The entire trip we were trying to get my mom to say hi, thank you, and goodbye in the local languages. Five days in, she made an effort. After saying “Bonjour” to the vendor, mom was asked if she wanted nutella on her crepe. Feeling really in foreign language mode, my mom answered… “Si.” She and the vendor both started laughing and he corrected her with saying that yes is “oui” (wee). We paid for our desserts and said “au revoir” only to have the vendor say “au revoir” to my dad, Aunt Sue and me, and singled my mom out by saying “for you, Adios!!”

That night, after my practice, we took some of the girls out to dinner. The deal was, we treat if they pick a spot with good Luxembourgish food. They definitely didn’t disappoint. We had a fun dinner of trying new dishes and having my parents get to know a few of my teammates. Besides my mom’s language mishap, this was my favorite part of their trip. Half of the fun of being over here is meeting and becoming friends with new people, and I was so happy that my parents and aunt got a chance to meet my friends!

Finally, my family’s trip ended with a day in Luxembourg. First, we went to Vianden, a town famous for its castle. We once again went castle sightseeing and took a tour through the renovated castle. Everywhere I go in Europe, I find connections to Princeton, and Vianden was no exception. During the tour, my dad pointed out the lineage on the wall in of the former owners of the castle. The House of Nassau and the House of Orange were posted right their in front of me! After that, we had a Luxembourgish meal and then explored the small town. We found a literary museum devoted entirely to Victor Hugo, the author of Les Miserables and former townsman of Vianden.

After Vianden, we drove straight into Luxembourg City to buy up gifts we had picked out earlier in the trip. Though the theme/advice of this blog was “find good gifts to bring back,” I’m not going to divulge the gifts we bought… only two weeks to go until Christmas, and only the Grinch would spoil the surprises!

Tis the season for more basketball and traveling. Catch ya in the States in under two weeks! Joyeux Noel!

Weeks 8, 9 & 10: Take Lots of Pictures

Again, the past few weeks over here have been jam-packed full of basketball, exploring, and finding things to do with my free time. Through pretty much everything I do, I carry my camera and try to snap as many pictures as I can. I find it a fun way to keep friends in the States updated (though I have been informed that some friends working 9-5s, jokingly, no longer want to look at my fb albums because it makes them sad to be stuck in an office while I go frolicking across Europe). It also a fun way to keep all of my memories in a safe place. 

First update, however, is a place where I can’t take pictures but still have a lot to talk about, the basketball court. Since my last blog, we’ve played 3 games and have gone 2-1. First up was Racing, a team at the bottom of the pack who has been struggling to keep up with the rest of the league. We showed right from the beginning that we were a stronger team. Everyone played well and we had good chemistry on the offensive and the defensive end. It was a good follow up game to the tough one against Pikes. We responded really well and I was proud of how we played. Personally, it was a game that I needed, shooting 5-5 from the 3 point line. I had been struggling to get the ball to go in from long range, but that game seemed to open the rim up a bit more for me.

The next week, we encountered a dangerous team in then sixth ranked T71 Dudelange. They are a team that can get hot from three. They are small but tough, and definitely brought their best game to Walfer on Saturday night. We struggled defensively to guard their quickness, which forced defensive rotations and led to open 3s. We made a run in the 4^th quarter to bring the game back down to single digits, but we ended up losing by 11. The game against T71 was a breakout game of sorts for me. I had 35 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs. But, basketball is a team sport, and all of that doesn’t matter if the team doesn’t win. One good take away from the game was the fight in our team. We never give up.

The game from this past Friday night was against the worst team in the league in Telstar. They were from the 2^nd division and moved up into the 1^st division this year. Though we tried to slow down and run our offenses through, it still ended up being a majorly lopsided score. Everyone got to play and we got back to good defensive principles. I was glad that, once again, we could bounce back from a loss.

Basketball, as always, is going well and is so much fun. Though I certainly put in the hours practicing, I do have a lot of free time.  And now for the activities where I’m always camera-ready (and look like a tourist as my teammates say).

The Monday after the Racing game I wasn’t feeling too well. So, instead of traveling, I decided to check out a place I haven’t been to in Luxembourg. A short bus ride away is the Luxembourg American Cemetery, a cemetery dedicated to the American soldiers who died in Luxembourg during WWII. The Battle of the Bulge was crucial for the Allies. I had no idea what to expect but was excited to check it out. It had a beautiful monument right after the entryway looking out over the cemetery. Unbeknownst to me was that at noon everyday, they play the US National Anthem and salute a special grave, that of General Patton. It was cool seeing the American soldiers there to salute the flag and grave. I’m glad that I decided to wander to the site.

For the rest of the week, I had the urge to cook. And when I do cook, I take a lot of pictures because my parents, and especially my sister, don’t believe me when I say I’m not that bad! My meal of choice this past week… stir-fry with chicken and veggies. Yummm! And, because it was rainy and I was bored, I even made some fool proof peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for my team. They tasted way better than they looked, and, if I do say so myself, they looked darn good!

On the Sunday after the T71 game, my fully-charged camera and I hopped on a train to Dudelange, where I met up with fellow American baller, Cerie Mosgrove. We then drove to Thionville, France to hop on a TGV to Paris. A quick two hours and we arrived in Par-ee! Because it was daylight savings time, it got dark quickly on our first day. But it was a chance for us to see the city at night. The City of Lights! We wandered around and walked all the way from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower (too far, we realized, and decided to take a tour boat the next day). It was there that I ate my first crepe with nutella and whipped cream. DELICIOUS! Our entire trip was filled with time spent in museums, churches, and monuments. Paris definitely did not disappoint and I can't wait to go back and see more. Some of my favorites were the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Pantheon. The Pantheon was a surprise. I didn’t expect it to be as impressive as it actually was… beautiful architecture with a surprising crypt underneath housing some of the most famous Frenchmen in history.  What's not to love about Paris? The food, the sites, everything was perfect. I, for sure, see another trip there in my future. 

Finally, the last main event in past three weeks was the Après Ski party the basketball teams and boosters hosted on Saturday night. An Après Ski party is a themed party to mimic what you do after a day on the slopes while vacationing… drink, party and listen to traditional music. Though the music was not my favorite, it was still awesome to see the community come out and enjoy themselves. The men’s team worked the main bar serving beer, while the women’s team served champagne. Though we were technically ‘working’ we still found time to go dance and socialize with many different people. It was so much fun and lasted until 4 am. I hope that we get to go to more of these. Below is a link to the singer from Austria who was the main performer at the party. What a random night, but we all enjoyed ourselves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmly66Sn-Yc&feature=share

I’m absolutely looking forward to more basketball and more free time adventuring… and with that comes plenty more pictures. Stay tuned!

Week 5, 6 & 7: Learn the Language

I haven’t blogged in three weeks, not because I have nothing to say, but because I’ve been up to many different things… which is definitely good with the amount of free time I have during the day. Between basketball, traveling, shopping, coaching and more, I have been keeping myself very busy. 

In the past few weeks, I have made strides in learning a little more Luxembourgish. I have “moyen” (hello) and “addi” (goodbye… tough one to remember, I know) down, but I decided I wanted to talk more during practice. So, I am learning to count! Yes, very elementary, but still tough. Every Tuesday before practice, we lift as a team, and this time has become my new language learning session. We lift in partners, so my partner would say the number and I would repeat it. I can understand the numbers up to 20 when I hear them, but I still have a tough time remembering 13-20 on my own. In honor of my mastering 1 to 12, below are the top 12 highlights of the past three weeks.

1 (Eent) To start my fifth week overseas, I decided to take a trip to Brussels, Belgium. It was a three-hour train ride from Luxembourg, so I got up early, worked out, and hopped on the train.  I didn’t even check the train stops and was caught off guard when I realized that there were 5 different stops in Brussels. Panic-stricken because I was alone and in a train car by myself, I quickly ran to the next car to see if anyone could speak English and help me. Lucky for me, an older couple told me right where to get off the train to sightsee. I wandered out of the train station and ran right into a beautiful cathedral (a staple of any town or city in Europe). From there, I wandered through the shops, sampled some delicious chocolate, and took pictures of some architecturally interesting government buildings.  Brussels was an amazing place, with great food/desserts and picturesque streets, and I certainly plan on heading back there soon.

2 (zwee) After my Monday trip, it was back to real life for the rest of the week. The second highlight of the past three weeks was getting new workout buddies during my morning sessions. Instead of shooting around by myself, I joined the Americans on our men’s team for their morning workouts run by their coach. Some guys from other teams come to the workouts as well. It’s been so much better and more enjoyable now that don’t have to chase the ball around the gym by myself. Oh, and I lost 10 Euro in a half court shooting contest after one of the workouts. I am determined to get that back… Coach Flores didn’t teach us how to shoot those shots for nothin’!

3 (drai) Week 5 was also the start of the regular season. We played Esch, a top team in the league. We battled for 40 minutes, but ended up losing by 14 (the score was closer than that the whole game though).  I had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, but learned that I must play more efficiently. My shots just weren’t falling, and it definitely cost us. Besides the L, I thought our team showed good upside potential in how hard we played. 

4 (veier) On Sunday after the Esch game, I participated in a “Fun Run” with little kids from Walferdange. It was a 10k, 5k, and “fun run” event for the whole town, and the women’s basketball team was there to show our support. Our job was to form the human barrier of a starting line with a hundred or so little kids pushing and kicking us to try to gain an advantage and start first. My new number skills came in handy during the countdown, as I knew when to start running so as not to get trampled by a million little kids. It was an awesome way to see what the community of Walfer was like and I’m glad I woke up so early to do it.

The canal in Vianden

5 (fennef) Sunday afternoon I was taken to a Nut Festival in Vianden, a small town with a famous castle. You are probably wondering what a Nut Festival is, and so was I. Every year, there is a festival in Vianden dedicated to the harvesting of different types of nuts. There are roasted nuts for sale along with nut cakes, cookies, and liquor… that’s right, nut liquor. Basically, the rest of my Sunday consisted of tasting different types of food and drinks while listening to techno music alongside a canal, watching older drunk people dance on balconies and younger drunk people fall into bushes. An uneventful Sunday, I know :). I had a great time and wish every there were a festival every weekend!

6 (sechs) Week 6 started with a bang as well. Monday night was ladies night at the movie theatre so a few of my teammates and I went to see the film. Before the movie, we went to a restaurant that serves “all you can eat” wings on Monday nights. Coach Moore had told me about this place, and for Luxembourgish hot wings, they were pretty good. Stuffed and ready to watch a movie, we headed into the theatre. Ladies night is a night where only girls can go to see this particular movie (normally a chick flick, and yes, I had to explain to my teammates what a chick flick was), get a goodie bag filled with coupons and champagne, and enter to win raffles before the show starts. Though the movie was the typical chick flick, I still had a lot of fun… and thoroughly enjoyed watching Mich, our 6’2 center, take all the bottles of champagne out of bags left on empty seats at the end of the movie.

7 (siwwen) On Tuesdays and Thursdays starting from Week 6 on, I am training young kids before my practices. They are elementary to middle school aged kids with a ton of energy. It’s tough, however, because they do not learn to speak English until high school, so there is a bit of a language barrier. With the help of one of my teammates and with a few of the kids who know a little English, drills get translated and skills get practiced. They are a lot of fun!

8 (aacht) Toward the end of the week, our team was preparing for our first double-game weekend. Friday’s game was against Contern, a team who won their opening game.  I came out on fire, hitting my first 4 shots but fizzled out for the remainder of the game. Poor shooting plagued us again, but we were able to rally from 12 down in the fourth quarter to pull out a win. We showed a lot of fight. Some things I learned in the Contern game were that players cannot call timeouts (I had two 5 second calls while trying to do so) and that being a smart player in the States doesn’t equate to smart plays in Europe (running out the clock is tough when there is an 8 second backcourt rule).  After the game, I was informed of the rest of the rules that were different from the States (though I thought I was told most of them after our first scrimmage).  It made for some good laughs with my teammates. Lessons learned are always better when they are learned after a win!

9 (neng) Etzella was our opponent on Sunday. A one day rest led to a battle during the game. Tired legs didn’t help us shoot lights out, but again, we gutted out the win powered by a great defensive effort. My shots weren’t falling again, but I was saved by the stripe. Ten for ten from the free throw line with two to seal it at the end capped off a good team win. Though I thought I learned all the new rules, the travel call in Europe still got me good. Four turnovers on four travels… apparently they have a thing for calling it on the Americans.

10 (zeng) After being beaten up pretty good from the long weekend, I decided to walk out my soreness with a trip to Strasbourg, France. Accompanied by a new travel buddy, Cerie Mosgrove, the American player on the Dudelonge team, I got up early and we made the 2 hour train ride to France. Strasbourg is a beautiful city with waterways running through it at multiple points. We visited the shopping malls, churches, cathedral, and ‘Little Paris’.  Amazing pastries were on display in shop windows, and naturally, we had to try a few. Desserts over here are AWESOME! We also tried our luck with some street food. Cerie speaks a little French, so we decided we would try to order in the native language. As she was teaching me how to pronounce the type of sausage I was going to get, the little Frenchman in front of us turned around to tell us that “they probably speak English,” in a snooty voice. Typical French move” is what I was told later by some of my teammates. No matter what language we ordered in, the food was delicious and very satisfying after a long walk around the city.

11 (elef) Mousel Pikes was the game that awaited us at the end of the week. They've been the top team in the league for the past few years, and they showed why right from the beginning. A ten point run after the tip knocked us right on our heels. I felt like we were a little intimidated, so I tried to calm the team down with a few strong takes and by knocking down a few jump shots. The score in the end ended up being very lopsided. But, it’s early in the season, and it shows us what we have to work on!

12 (zwielef) My favorite thing about these past few weeks has been getting to know and spend time with my teammates.  They really don’t have to take me along to everything, but they do. They always ask me if I would like to join them, whether it be to the movies or to a meal, and I have met so many nice people through them. To that I say "Thank you" or I should say "Merci". Merci, Merci, Merci times zwielef (that is as high as I can count so far).

Those are the top zwielef things about the last few weeks… and to my mom and dad, “yes, I am still loving it here; and no, I’m not homesick yet.”

Addi,

Addie

Week 4: Don't forget to be a tourist

I spent much of my free time last week looking on Amazon for some language learning software and Insanity, a crazy new workout video that I am going to try, so I didn't have to much to say for a Week 3 blog. In between my online shopping sprees, I was also looking up places to visit while I am over here. I don't have a car and I don't know how to drive stick shift anyway, so it's up to public transportation and trains to get around. I've been around Walfer and the City, but I have yet to go exploring elsewhere on my days off.

This past Monday, however, I decided to change that and to become a tourist, as I made my first trip outside of Luxembourg to Trier, Germany.

It was my first time at the Gare (train station), and I soon found out how easy and cheap it would be to travel outside of Luxembourg. I bought a round trip ticket for 8 Euros and hopped on the train. Forty-five minutes later I arrived at Trier. I was told by teammates that this was a great place to shop, but as I walked out of the train station I had no idea if I even went to the correct place because there were not too many shops around. So I walked. I had the day off and decided as long as I could find my way back to the station, I could wander as far as my heart desired. I walked straight out of the station for about 8 minutes and ran directly into the Porta Nigra (Right), the largest Roman gate north of the Alps. What was supposed to be a shopping trip then turned into a sightseeing adventure. Once a nerd, always a nerd, I guess. I picked up a pamphlet and toured the city by myself.

Of course I know the Roman Empire spanned a great deal of Europe, but I did not expect to see so much of it in a little town in Germany. From the gate, to the Roman baths, to the Amphitheater where gladiators fought, every piece of architecture was impressive. And the Roman buildings were just a small piece of what was in Trier.


The cathedrals and churches were amazing to see. The work that went into the stain glass windows, the marble sculptures, the ceilings, the courtyards etc, was breathtaking. What was funny too, was that much of the architecture reminded me of my home for the past four years at Princeton University (see below). The archways and courtyards were eerily similar and were a nice taste of 'home' so far away!







Though I didn't end up shopping too much, I was able to eat some delicious food in Trier. I had a soft pretzel for lunch followed by some sort of apple pastry for dessert. I am definitely loving the food over here!

As for basketball, we had two scrimmages since I blogged last. Our first one was against a team in our league, US Heffingen. It was a good game and we showed some signs of being a pretty good team. I was in foul trouble for most of the game, though I was assured that my 'fouls' were not truly fouls that would be called during the season. Even though I was off the court for long stretches, we still won by 15 which shows me that we have a solid squad. Half of the team is older, 23 and up, and the other half of the team is quite young, 18-19. It is a good mix with the younger ones really pressuring the ball and the older ones having more poise offensivly. I really like how we can bring different types of basketball to the court at once!

Our second scrimmage was against a team from France. They weren't very good and we beat them by 40 some points. Though I would have liked a better scrimmage, it gave us the opportunity to run through our plays against someone other than ourselves. Once again, I love how this team plays TEAM basketball. Everyone makes the extra pass and everyone is excited when WE score. The season starts on October 2 against Esch, a good team with two Americans (one who is now Luxembourgish) and an EU player. It will be a great test for us to see where we are!

Welp, there is my past week and a half in a nutshell... a little bit of traveling in a basketball oriented schedule. I'm definitely looking forward to more of both!

Week 2 Cont.: Be Proud to be an American

Before heading overseas I was told by many people I'm in for a life changing experience, and I do not doubt that. Much of it was full of positive notes on how being away from home will give me a different perspective on life, yet much of it consisted of slight slants to American's way of life and our culture. Yes we are gluttonous and, just like anywhere else in the world, some people can be rude. However, on a day like today, with an out of the country look at America, I can say that I am definitely proud to be an American. So much support and love for our own country has permeated every social media site, newspaper, and television... and not just in the good ol' US of A, but in some places in Europe as well.

Ten years ago after the attacks, one of my favorite sports columnists, Rick Reilly, wrote an article on the four men who helped take down the plane in Pennsylvania. My dad showed it to me then, and every year since he has had my sister and I read the article. Is it a great piece of writing and journalism capturing a lot of feelings from that day and the months after the attacks. In clear Rick Reilly fashion, he takes an article about sports and gives it a new meaning. I'm putting the link at the end of this post, but here is a little taste of a favorite passage of mine. Please do read the whole thing:

"At a time like this, sports are trivial. But what the best athletes can do -- keep their composure amid chaos, form a plan when all seems lost and find the guts to carry it out -- may be why the Capitol isn't a charcoal pit."

The article gives me the chills every time. I don't want to get too heavy on my thoughts about 9/11, so I'll leave it at the article, though I still truly can't believe its been 10 years.

As for my past few days here, they have been interesting. The weekend marked our first set of two-a-day sessions. I was at the gym at 9:30 both mornings and stayed until 16:00 or 17:00 at night (we do time on a 24 hour clock over here, people). In between sessions each day, we had a team meal cooked for us by one of the mothers. It was definitely a good break from the chicken and salad I have been making myself every day and night. What's really funny is, even though it is after a practice, everyone grabs a soda or carbonated beverage to drink. What ever happened to hydration? The meal was great and dessert followed which was also delicious, a plum tart pie on Saturday and cupcakes and fruit on Sunday.

Saturday post-meal, our team got together to go over team rules. What was great is, unlike any other team I've been on before where if rules are broken there is either conditioning or playing time to pay for the infraction, if you break a rule you pay. Literally, you pay your infraction in Euros. Examples: Being late to a practice, 2 Euros; forgetting a practice jersey, 2 Euros; air-balling a free throw, 5 Euros; and technical foul, 10 Euros  (a steep price for saying SHOT on a fast break layup... yes that is a tech over here). Money at the end of the season goes to a team fund and we get to choose what we do with it (ie. new t-shirts or something).

A short practice followed our meeting and I was able to catch a ride with one of my teammates up to Ettlebruck where Kareem Maddox, another Princeton baller of the Class of '11, was playing. It was great to see him play and even better to catch up with him a little bit after the game. It sounded like he was in a good spot and was enjoying the season so far.



Sunday's, today's, post-meal was another fun session. Under the rock climbing wall there are soft and squishy mats that our team decided to take our hour break on. Before practice, however, we forgot to clean them up... prompting our coach to use a relay to start practice to determine who had to clean the gym after. What I thought was going to be a basketball related relay was not. The team was divided into scrimmage squads and each squad brought one of the mats onto the baseline. The relay... to run from the wall and jump on the mat sliding it across the floor one teammate at a time. The winners were the team to go full court and back on their mat. Clearly, the 'good guys' (my team) won, and we didn't have to pick up the balls after practice.

I have really been enjoying my basketball experience so far, and I can't wait to do more.

Sports can be silly and fun or serious and time consuming. Rick Reilly was right in saying "Sports are trivial in the grand scheme of things." But just as they are trivial, they provide the opportunity to learn and grow and I'm thankful I have gotten that chance, through sports, to learn and grow.

USA all the way.


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/magazine/life_of_reilly/news/2001/09/19/life_of_reilly/

Week 2: Write things down

Welp, I've settled into my normal schedule with working out in the mornings and having practice at night, so I don't have very much to update. Here are some ruminations from my last couple of days.

No wonder why people eat snails here (escargot), I saw 5 on my walk home on Tuesday... and that's not including one that a dog was chewing on.

I'm going to need to find something to do in my free time during the week. Five hours in the middle of the day need to be somewhat productive.

I think I talk to my family and friends more now than I did at home. Thank you Skype.

Seeing all of the "work starts tomorrow" statuses on Facebook makes me realize how lucky I am. My job is to get up, work out, and put the ball in the hoop.

"Not in my house" and "dribble drive" are the only two phrases I recognize while watching the FIBA world championships. Apparently there are no translations for them in German.

Dirk and the rest of the German national team have great hair.

And finally, Coach Eric Taylor from Friday Night Lights makes some epic pregame speeches before every game. I would definitely be ready to play and crush people after listening to him. How does he do it?!?

Advice: write things down... well, there are my thoughts for the first part of the week.

Day 4-End of Week 1: Represent PA and Princeton Ballers/Crush it on the court

The more workouts, practices and games I go through, the more I realize that I have no other clothing/gear that is not Princeton stuff or summer league/Philly gear. I was apparently easy to spot at the airport because of my Princeton Athletic sweatshirt that I was wearing, and I was recognized by a few coaches at the tournament because of my Princeton t-shirts I was wearing around. The amount of clothing I have that represents school or Philadelphia is ridiculous, and I wouldn't have it any other way... after all, I was asked to rep PA and Princeton Ballers and that is totally what I intend to do.

Since my last entry, we had our first preseason tournament. I was given a uniform with my old number 15, and much to my surprise, our colors were black, white and pink. We only had one 'Think Pink' game a year back in college, and now we 'think pink' every game and I'm very excited about it.

Our first opponent was a tough team from the top league in Germany. I was expecting to come over here and crush it right away on the court, but much to my dismay, we got crushed in the first 20 minutes of the game. They were a very tall team and played a run and jump defense. We not only struggled to break the press and score, but we struggled guarding their pass and cut offense. Though it was not the way I envisioned my first half of basketball over here, I was very proud of how our team responded in the second have, just outscoring the other team. Two things that made me feel better about this game were, one, that team ended up winning the tournament, and two, my teammates made me a birthday cake and we celebrated after the game. Over here, there are bars connected to the gym and the players, coaches and fans all mingle after the game. The basketball community here is very tight. Everyone knows everyone and I enjoyed meeting and sharing the cake with some fans and coaches.

In our second game the next day, we fared better. We ended up winning the game, and I personally performed better which made me feel good. After, a local restaurant had all of the teams over for a delicious pasta lunch before the next game. It was definitely delicious and much better than anything I have cooked for myself so far... though I know I will eventually/have to become a better cook!! After lunch we came back down to the gym to warm up for our next game against a good team called Esch. This team was very tough. They had a tall American post player, a Canadian shooter (she was considered Luxembourgish due to marriage), and a EU point guard. Because this league only allows one American and one EU player, it gives them a big advantage. We hung in there, however, and I think that we have a great chance of winning the game during the season.

That night instead of going to the fair for dinner, I stayed in, cooked for myself, and tried to catch up on a tv show Friday Night Lights. Much to my dismay, hulu doesn't work in Europe. I was devastated! How am I supposed to catch up on my favorite shows without hulu!?!?! I know you were wondering what I would do and how I would survive :) ... and thanks to a tweet from Dan Mavradies, a Princeton '11 baller playing in Greece, I was able to find a site that streams our shows.

Our tournament ended on Sunday afternoon with a loss to a Belgium team whom I think that we should have beaten. A poor third quarter was our downfall, but at least we learn now in the preseason that we can't play like and expect to win. I stayed at the gym after our games to watch the finals where the German team went to school on one of the top teams in our league. Though it was not fun playing against the Germans, watching their play was amazing. They were a team of almost all professionals (our league allows 2 or so per team) and they just played the right way. They ran on makes and misses, they found the open player every time, and they had no let downs when subs came in. They looked like a great team and it was very good to see. Though we went 1-3, we made some strides this weekend. The tournament was also very helpful in introducing me to the other Americans over here.

Once again, we went to the fair for dinner and a little fun. We rode a crazy ride that flips and spins you around and it was a lot of fun. I had a Luxembourg specialty from the fair for dinner. They were potato pancakes of sorts and were absolutely delicious. I'm definitely glad that I tried them.

Week 1 has gone pretty smoothly so far. I might speak/call my sister and my parents more now thanks to skype than I did when I was home!! I really like it here and can't wait to do more exploring. Though basketball might be my 'job' now, I am still having a lot of fun with this team, and I cannot wait for the season to start.

For now, it is back to practice... with my Princeton gear and all.

Days 2-3: Be a Good Teammate

"Be a good teammate" was always the advice my parents gave to me when playing sports. It is fundamental not only to a winning team, but to a cohesive team as well... not to mention it is always nice to be well liked. In my first days of practice that is exactly what I tried to do...

Practice on the first day went very well. I was excited to meet all of the girls, and they seemed excited to meet me. We went very light on the first day. The practice mostly consisted of running through offensives because (and to my surprise) we had scrimmages coming up on the weekend and we needed to have some sense of offensive flow.

I didn't know what to expect from the team or the coach in this first practice, but I definitely liked what I saw. We had an organized practice plan with points of emphasis of one or two things. The primary one this day was talking, and I made sure to do that. We all clapped as we huddled before practice, and the enthusiasm and high fives were kept up the entire day. Not only was I focusing on being a good teammate, but the entire team was for the duration of practice. Positive talk and energy were everywhere. Though most of the girls do not "talk their game" (or talk on the court), they always encourage and have funny things to say on the sidelines.

On the second day here, I began what my normal schedule will be for most of the season. I woke up at 9, made myself breakfast and started my 5 minute walk to the gym. The walk is very cool, I cross over a small bridge into the sports complex where teams were playing rugby, boys were taking batting practice in the cricket cages, men and women were hitting tennis balls, and, of course, multiple people were playing soccer. I had a mini workout with two of the girls who didn't have work that day. We got a lot of shots up and chatted for a while. After the workout, it was definitely time for a nap, as jet lag was still kicking my butt. Practice followed that night, and was very similar to the first. Lots of team stuff and a little more 5v5 action. The only thing that differed was that this time after practice, I was told to go shower up because I was being taken to a 'fair'.

I quickly showered and was picked up by a teammate and taken into the city where a big carnival type event was taking place. It goes on for 3 weeks and I think most of Luxembourg was there. Colorful lights, rides, beer carts, and food trucks lined the streets, and I was given a tour of all of it. That night, I even made my first purchase... a Belgian waffle with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. I know we have these at most fairs, but I must say, I have never had anything like this!!! It was delicious and the perfect after practice snack (though Angie might say otherwise). Though my sister says it's not a real fair without funnel cake, I beg to differ.

Today (Day 3) was more of the same in terms of a morning workout and practice. However, instead of my long jet lag nap, I was taken to the grocery store to do a little shopping. It was awesome to see all of the different foods, cheeses, pastries, and products that they have over here. And it was fun to try and figure out what everything is because the labels are in different languages. Though the stuff that was new was cool, my favorite was seeing all of the brands we have here in the states with a European twist. For example, Kellogg cereals had different types of berry flavors and their mascots were different from some of them in the US. They look pretty good too, so I am definitely going to have to try some out later on. I was very thankful that one of the ladies who works with the team could drive me to the store, as it is a 10-15 min walk on my own and I had quite a few groceries being it was my first week here and I needed supplies. When I told the girls at practice about my adventure, they made sure to let me know that if I ever needed a ride to give them a call (using my prepaid cell phone that they just showed me how to use (;  ).

Be a good teammate... I for sure was trying, and as for the team, they definitely were succeeding in that department.

My Blog

I am not a great writer. Never have been. So earlier this summer when I was presented with the idea of having a blog, I kind of wrote it off (pun intended). It almost reminded me of a task while on vacation to Wyoming when I was in the 4^th grade. Back then, I was not a great writer. Heck, I couldn’t say that I was a good writer, let alone a writer at all. My mom made me keep a daily journal to practice the art of reading and writing which I was not proficient at yet (embarrassing, I know, but hey, I finally learned and look where I’m at now!). Back then, I thought the task was stupid. But, while stumbling upon the journal during one of many ‘clean out the library days,’ I was able to read about days I had forgotten and I was able to see what a younger Addie thought was important to write about. So... here we go!

Since I decided to act on a piece of advice in starting this blog, I am going to share all of the advice I was given when people found out I was going to play basketball overseas. These are in no particular order of importance. 

1. start a blog
2. learn the language
3. be a good teammate
4. don’t forget to be a tourist
5. have fun
6. pave the way
7. represent PA and Princeton Ballers
8. find good gifts to bring back
9. don’t break the law
10. don’t lose your passport
11. try new food/like new food
12. stay in touch with people
13. always be aware of your purse
14. don’t look like a tourist
15. be proud to be American
16. take lots of pictures
17. write things down
18. crush it on the bball court
19. travel travel travel... and come back with zero dollars left
20. you can take the dougie anywhere 
21. become more euro (toms, skinny jeans, cappuccino sipping, dubstep dancing, (insert anything Bethany this is ‘euro’ here), etc.)

There's the advice, or all that I could remember of it. So in sticking to that advice, here is Entry 1. 

Day 1: Start a Blog/Write things down

My first flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt went fairly well. I was in a middle seat, which was at first my worst nightmare for a 7 hour flight. But the travel gods decided to give me a break, and the man in the other middle seat next to me decided to move leaving his seat empty and his leg room all to me. To my left was a German girl who was my age and very interesting to talk to. She had just spent the summer in San Francisco working as a au pair. The flight went by surprisingly quick while listening to music and watchingThe Lincoln Lawyer. However, I didn’t sleep much, thanks to the man with a raspy voice in a row behind yelling about the seat cushions and the Bible (not sure how the second topic came from the first). Before I knew it, we had landed in Frankfurt. After about 30 minutes of wandering around the airport before finding my terminal, I found out my second flight was delayed, and this blog began. 

Day 1: Learn the language 

My second flight finally touched down. I walked right to the baggage claim, took my stuff, and walked out of the airport where my teammate, Michele, and another teammate’s mom were waiting for me. I was greeted with hugs and we hopped in the car to drive to my flat. On the way there I told them I would really like to learn the language. With a giggle, my new teammate told me that out of all of the places I could go and learn the language, Luxembourg might be the most difficult. I quickly found out that their native language, Luxembourgish, was only spoken, and that the children don’t even learn it in school. Instead, French and German are taught in schools. Since Luxembourg is a fairly wealthy country, much of their workforce is from outside of the country, and I was told to probably try to learn French, as it is a much more useful language. 

I was then given my first language tutorial. A word sounding like “moy yen” means hello, and my name “addie” means goodbye. In fact, my full name together sounds like a common phrase over here... Addie Micir sounds like the words to say “goodbye, thank you.”

We finally made it to my flat where I put my suitcases down, and then I was shown the gym and taken to lunch. My flat is very comfy, and the mother of my teammate even stocked the fridge and gave me all the necessary supplies she thought I needed. It was very, very thoughtful of her, and all I kept thinking was that this was probably all the good karma my family received from taking care of my Princeton teammates for four years. 

It was in the fridge where I received my next language lesson. By trial and error I am finding out what is in my fridge and writing down the names of the things that I like so I can find them again! 

After the ‘lesson’ I took a 4 hour nap and had to wake up fresh and ready for practice... I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.