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 4th 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 2nd division and moved up into the 1st 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!I’m absolutely looking forward to more basketball and more free time adventuring… and with that comes plenty more pictures. Stay tuned!
