Travel, Travel, Travel

Wow, it has been a long time since my last entry. That can only mean one of two things… either that I am extremely lazy, OR that I have been very busy. I’d like to think very busy, since I have so much to tell you about.  The theme of the past two months: Travel, Travel, Travel.

Almost immediately after my last blog, I took my first day trip up to the Netherlands. The closest city, Maastricht, was Marcus’s and my destination after our final regular season game before the Top 6 started. It began as a snowy day, and then cleared up as we wandered the streets of the city checking out stores, churches and parks. Our goal for the day (and for every other trip for that matter) was to find spots to take creative pictures. Though Maastricht was beautiful, we found ourselves limited on that front until we strolled through a back street and found a statue of a guy dressed in a goofy hat and carrying a sword. Though neither of us speaks Dutch, we managed to make out the “All for One, and One for All” sign below. Naturally, we posed as his fellow musketeers. We finished up in Maastricht by checking out the local University, grabbing some food, and then heading home. I can’t wait to take another trip to Holland sometime soon!

 

The week following Maastricht was the start of the Carnival holiday throughout Europe. Carnival, which I liken to Fat Tuesday celebrations in the States, is a week (or two) long festival marking the beginning of Lent. Europeans do not celebrate Halloween as we do in the States, but Carnival is a similar in that everyone dresses up in costumes and parties like fools. Though I didn’t leave Luxembourg, my teammates took me to one of the major parties in Remich (aka wine country), a town that is on the border of Lux and Germany. We spent all week preparing for our playoff game against Esch. Though the result didn’t end up the way we would have liked, we were able to get our mind off of the loss by costume shopping the next day. Luckily, I didn’t have to do too much shopping, as I raided my closet to find some clothing I could put together to make a costume. I already had khaki shorts, a white button down top, argyle socks, Sperry sneakers, and suspenders (left here by a previous American player), so all I needed to complete my outfit was big glasses and some tape. Once I found glasses, my transformation was complete. I was going to be the biggest NERD in Luxembourg. Four of my teammates and I hopped on a bus and went to Mosel am Dosel (the name of the big party). When we arrived, I was not prepared for what I saw! We walked up a huge hill with grape vines on each side to enter a giant tent that would remind you of a warehouse. Inside, there were over a thousand people dressed decked out in a variety of different costumes and dancing to a band that played all different types of music. Not one person was without a costume! Wine, champagne, and mixed drinks that contained either one of the two were the only beverages being sold. This led to a fun night of sing-alongs and dancing! I can’t wait to experience another Carnival festival next year!

After Carnival, we had a two week break from games, which means I had free weekends to travel. I finally took advantage of the cheap flights you can get here in Europe, hopping on a plane and heading to Rome with fellow North American (she’s Canadian) Raelyn. We had two and a half days to check out the entire city, and I’d say we did a pretty good job of it. I had just finished reading Angels and Demons, and I also received an itinerary from Megan Wikler, who studied in Rome and is a friend of my sister. I also brushed up on my Roman history by going through old lecture notes from college (nerd status I know, but I guess I was still in character from Carnival). I was a “girl on a mission” to see and experience all that I could of the Eternal City.

The first day we dropped off our bags at the hostel and made a beeline for the Coliseum. I expected to be impressed… but WOW! The sheer size and surprisingly good condition of it really made my jaw drop. Especially considering how old it is. We took a guided tour around the arena and learned amazing “fun facts” about the stadium built for the spectator sport of killing. Next up was a walk through the Roman Forum where we saw great views of the city from up on a hill. After our walk through the ruins, we made our way back to a main street to wander to our next destination… the Trevi Fountain. Before we made it there, we checked out some artists doing airbrush paintings on the street, posed with a few street performers dressed in crazy costumes, and ate our first of many scoops of gelato. Finally having some real Italian gelato, I can say, my life has improved for the better. It was AMAZING!

After randomly wandering around some back streets, we finally made it to the extremely crowded Trevi Fountain. Working our way to the front, we took out our change purses and made wishes as we tossed the coins into the water. After the wishes, we checked our map and saw that we were near the Pantheon. One cool thing about Rome is that the main landmarks are not separated from the city. You find incredibly old, but well-preserved, buildings and churches right in the middle of newer construction throughout the city. The Pantheon, the oldest church in Rome, is no exception. Rising up in the middle of an old square is the massive former pagan temple. I was excited, not only to see the church, but also to experience part of the novel (Angels and Demons) that has its main characters wandering through the Pantheon looking for clues.

After a long day of walking, we decided to get some food. According to Megan, there was no better place to go than the outdoor restaurants near Piazza Navano. The Piazza has a beautiful fountain right in the middle of the open square, and we decided to sit down at a restaurant with the best view. Both Raelyn and I ordered (what we now consider) the best Italian meals of our lives. She got spaghetti carbonara and I had eggplant parmesan. We relaxed and recharged by sipping on delicious house wine and then we were on our way to our next destination, the Spanish Steps. On the way to the Steps, however, we stopped in a shop to taste test some lemoncello and to grab some more gelato from what Megan considered the best gelato shop in Rome (and that is saying something!!). We found the gelato place, Gioletti, tucked back on a random side street, and this might have been our greatest find of the trip. I clearly enjoyed my dark chocolate-nutella-pistachio gelato topped with fresh whipped cream as we walked along the streets of Rome at night. We ended day one exhausted on the Spanish Steps and wiping gelato remains from our hands and faces!

Day two began with a 7 AM wake-up call and a subway ride to Vatican City. We knew there was going to be a huge line to get into the Vatican Museum, so we wanted to get there early. Forty-five minutes of waiting in line, and it was our turn to go inside. Raelyn deemed “nerd status” official as I spotted and fawned over some of the famous sculptures, paintings and rooms in the museum. Some of the highlights for me included the “School of Athens” painting and the Sistine Chapel. I’ve seen and studied images of both, as they have been replicated numerous times, but getting to see them in person is something I will never forget! When we were finished up in the museum, we headed to St. Peter’s Square to check out the Basilica. As we arrived in the square, there were thousands of people staring up at a building we didn’t recognize. Confused, Rae and I sought out a couple that looked American and ask what was going on. To our surprise, we heard a voice coming from a loudspeaker, and when we looked up at the building… there was the Pope! He blessed and greeted the crowd in multiple languages. It was cool! Then we waited in line to enter the impressive St. Peter’s Basilica. What I now consider my favorite part of the trip to Rome, the Basilica is an incredible Cathedral filled with beautiful murals, woodwork, sculptures and more. We spent about an hour touring the massive place of worship, checking out The Pieta, before we headed to our next destination.

Outside of Vatican City, we grabbed some great pizza and some not so great beers, and were on our way to check out the Castel Sant’Angelo, another famous building that was key in Angels and Demons. From there, we wandered the streets of Rome, sampling wine and food and bargaining for scarves and fedoras from the street vendors. We made it to a major shopping area where we checked out the newest European fashions while simultaneously being entertained by street performers. We ended the second day with a great Italian meal with some locals we met through another basketball friend. What is amazing about the European culture in general, is the amount of time they spend together while doing things like eating a meal. We were in the restaurant for over 3 hours just sitting, eating, and talking. We took our good old time and, unlike the States, no one made a move to suggest we should leave the restaurant. The next morning, Raelyn and I said “Arrivederci, Roma” as we boarded our plane to return to Lux.

Another week went by and another free Monday had arrived. This time, since my day-trip buddy, Marcus, had never been to Strasbourg, I decided to take another trip back there with him so he could check it out. Another American baller and road trip buddy, Cerie, came along for the ride. We strolled through the French town, taking funny pictures, checking out the Cathedral, and debating over where we would eat (which is a big deal among us three!). We decided to try the local specialty, Flammkuchen, a super thin pizza-like dough topped with caramelized onions, salty ham and cheese. It was very tasty, and fortunately, it wasn’t very filling, leaving us with plenty of room in our stomachs for dessert! Though I had been there before, Strasbourg has a different feel in the wintertime, and I’m glad I had the chance to go back.

My next new experience didn’t involve leaving Luxembourg. In fact, it didn’t even involve leaving my town. This experience, I think, will really help me travel Europe in the future. Marcus decided to teach me how to drive a car with a manual transmission. My learning took place at 1 AM to ensure I had plenty of room on the roads.  After just one night of training (Marcus is a very good teacher) it was my job to drive to Germany to do some grocery shopping. Though I am not an expert yet, I do like knowing that I can drive a stick shift and  therefore do my share of the driving for any upcoming trips.

This past Monday, Marcus and I stayed in Luxembourg, rented bikes and rode along the Moselle River, the river that separates Luxembourg and Germany. It was a beautiful day for a leisurely bike ride, and it turned into a long bike ride filled with photo opp moments. If the weather stays this nice, I’m sure many more bike rides will follow. The banks of the Moselle are one of my favorite places in all of Luxembourg.

Now, on to the basketball update. To stick with the theme of traveling, I would like to inform you that I have not been called for a travel in the past nine games of the season! For a rookie from the States, that is a big deal, considering in my first five games I averaged over two travels per game.

The playoffs have not been so kind to us as the regular season. We won only  one game so far out of seven, and were bumped from 4^th place to 6^th place. Though we haven’t been playing well as a team, if we win two out of the next three games, we MAY have a chance to make the next round of the playoffs. I believe we can pull off an upset or two, and I hope my teammates think we can as well. Wish us luck!

Here are some random ruminations from the past two months that don’t exactly fit into my “Travel” theme.

1. I am so proud of how far Princeton Women’s Basketball has come in the past 5 years. I really enjoyed keeping up with the team and cheering their success. A Top 25 ranking, highest seed in Ivy League history, and many more accomplishments really made me proud to be an alum. Many congrats to the entire team and especially to the seniors, Lo, LJ, and Devo. You guys had amazing careers.

2. It is wayyy more fun to share meals with other people when living alone. Every week, three other Americans players and I rotate who cooks a meal on Wednesday nights. We sit, eat, chill and talk until we are so tired that need to go home. Also, I swap meals with a teammate of mine on Fridays. It is always nice to eat someone else’s cooking once in a while.

3. My bracket was awful. Enough said there.

4.Only in Luxembourg is it ok to fall asleep on an outdoor bench for a long time with your iPhone, wallet and kindle out in the open. No one will steal anything, and people just leave you alone. 

5. Dog shows are pretty cool. We randomly stumbled across one on a Sunday. I really want a dog (pretty pretty please can we get one Mom?!!!)

6. I can’t paint the nails on my right hand without having it look like a 3^rd grader did it.

7. Go Phillies!

Write Things Down/Stay in Touch with People

I’m not really sure how to do the whole week #? deal since we had a break for Christmas... so, that little part of my blog is going out the window. What isn’t, however, are the pieces of advice that I have been acting on since I’ve been here. The theme of this blog (as the title says, of course) write things down and stay in touch with people.  

I came back from home refreshed and ready for the longest stretch of our season, and with that came lots of new adventures... here are the bullet points I jotted down along the way

-Our ‘tougher’ team mentality has done wonders for us to start this year off. We had an offensive explosion against Racing in our first week back. Though we gave up too many baskets (they scored 72 points), we were efficient on most of our possessions scoring 92. The best part was that is was a total team effort offensively, which is a focal point for us moving into the playoffs. 

-All-Star Day was really fun. I had a great time playing and chatting with some of the girls on the other teams. Our coaches were having fun with the game as well, so it was enjoyable not only on the court, but also on the bench. 

-In Luxembourg, as I’ve seen so many times, things can be very different from, well, everywhere. My biggest example from the past few weeks is the 3-point contest on All-Star Day. First of all, I was amused at the ‘racks’ that we would be taking the balls out of... and by racks, I mean shopping carts. Secondly, not all the racks had 5 basketballs in it, as I found out the hard way when realizing I had no 5^th ball, or “money ball” as the Americans were calling it, at my 3^rd spot. Thirdly, I was confused to hear my score, 39, when my 60 seconds were up. If I took only 24 shots, how did I score 39? To my surprise, each shot counted as 3, unlike most contests where each shot counts as 1 and the money ball counts as 2. Finally, to my and the other Americans’ surprise, there was no such thing as a “money ball.” I was sitting on the bench thinking, it’s a 3pt contest... what do you mean there is no money ball? Every where else has a money ball! Welp, this is Luxembourg! I ended up making it to the finals of the contest, losing to one of the guys from Sparta’s team. Even without the money ball, it was still a great time!

-Going to the trainer, or as they call it here, the physio, is some painful stuff! After a good conditioning workout on a Tuesday morning, my knee began to hurt, so my coach got me an appointment to see the physio. My problem, tight hamstrings and calf muscles... the solution, something way worse than anything my college trainer threw at me. For all you Princeton athletes, it was muscle scraping on steroids. I’ve never been so bruised after a therapy session. But, hey, it worked and I’m feeling much better and a lot more loose! 

-Revenge is sweet! T71 was a team that beat us in the opening part of the season, and we were looking to have a good game against them. Just like the Racing game, we had a well-balanced offensive explosion, except this time, we played defense as well. What made the night even better was that our men’s team pulled off a big upset of the #1 ranked T71 men’s squad. In a nerve-racking but exciting game, the Walfer guys gained a 17 point lead in the 3^rd quarter and held on for a 1 point vicotry when the final buzzer sounded. That win gave them a great chance to squeak their way into the top 6 and make playoffs!

-French is a tough language to learn, but Fluenz definitely makes it easier. The one thing it doesn’t help me with... my Spanish accent while speaking French. Really?!? I haven’t taken Spanish in 3 years and I have that accent when learning another language. 

-Though Luxembourg does things differently than other places, some of those things are awesome! Instead of a team conditioning session on a Wednesday night, we had a Tae Bo instructor and a DJ come into our gym for a 1 hour 30 min class. We kicked, punched, and sweated our butts off, but it was way more fun that running for that amount of time. I hope we do it again soon!

-I love meeting family members of my friends. We all tend to be a lot like our family even though we may not think we are that similar. I got to see this first hand with the Scheuren family when they took me out to dinner after Tae Bo. The food was amazing, and the company was even better. When Paulina and her sisters interacted, even though they are very different, you could tell that they were family by their mannerisms and body language. 

-I’ve been over here for a few months, but still at each morning workout, anytime the men’s coach tells me to grab a “lady ball” (aka women’s basketball) I crack up. For some reason the image of a basketball with the coloring of a lady bug pops up in my head and I always have to hide my laughing from him. 

-We crushed Telstar... enough said there.

-I love how when you’re alone, you will watch an entire football game and remember most plays. When you with a group of people watching a game, however, you do a lot less watching and a lot more talking/joking/arguing etc. That is how the Pats v. Ravens game went when I watched it with several other of the Americans. What I do know, the Pats won and the Superbowl is in 2 weeks! Can’t wait for that one!

-It’s a small world after all... it’s not just a song, it’s a fact. On a back street in Antwerp, Belgium, I ran into a group of exchange students studying in Amsterdam. Not only were they headed to Luxembourg the next day, but we got to talking and one of them is friends with Niveen Rasheed, my former teammate from Princeton. I couldn’t get over it, how funny and random that encounter was!

-I finally got my Kindle and I can’t wait to read all of the books suggested by friends... the first one I bought, Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. My former roomie, Shelbie, suggested it to me and so far, so good. 

Not only have people been sending me book suggestions, but I’ve been able to Skype and instant message with a ton of friends from back home. Though I’m not homesick, it’s always nice to hear from everyone back in the States.... it was also good to know that some of my Princeton peeps made it through Dean’s Date and final exam period alive. 

I can’t wait to hear from more people and I also can’t wait to have more adventures to blog about! 

Reflections of 2011

Naturally, I forgot to write another post before I went home for Christmas break. I thought about creating one when I was home, but I forgot my charger and my computer died early on... typical me. So, in honor of the New Year, I thought I’d write a reflection post about 2011, as it was a special year for me with many ups and downs. 

The start of the year and on through springtime was filled with many accomplishments for me. I became the 18^th player in Princeton women’s basketball history to score my 1000^th point. It came on a three point shot (naturally) in front of a large crowd of family and friends on the 5^th of January. We ran through the Ivy league once again with a 13-1 record and ended up cutting down the nets on Senior Night. It was an amazing moment for fellow senior Krystal Hill and me. In front our biggest crowd yet, we were honored before the game and given a nice ovation as we were taken out at the final moments after the victory was sealed. Krystal may have played her best game of the entire season, knocking down a pull up three right before halftime to send us into the locker room with momentum. What an awesome night... I mean, who doesn’t like beating Harvard? And to clinch the title against them, even better!

Following the Ivy season, All Ivy selections were announced. As it should have been, we had 3 players, Devona Allgood, Lauren Edwards, and myself, make First Team All Ivy. We also boasted the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in our point guard, Lauren Polansky. Finally, and a surprise to me, I was named the unanimous Ivy League POY. Having the award be unanimous was a huge surprise and even bigger honor for me. My stats were not AMAZING, 12 points and 5 rebounds a game (though I was in the top 10 in the country in 3 point percentage and assist to turnover ratio), so it was nice to see other coaches in the league recognize what I contributed to my team. Unbeknownst to me at the time, was that I was also the first ever POY in women’s basketball at Princeton. My dad brought to my attention how cool being the “first” was because in thinking about how prestigious the University is, there are not many firsts left to be had. Basketball-wise, this was by far one of my greatest accomplishments. And what makes it even better, was I did it my way with unselfish play. 

Though springtime was filled with many great memories, it also was filled with some sad ones as well. In a span of 4 months, I lost my two grandmothers and only remaining grandfather. It was a sad time for my family, but it was also a time where we got to see how much our friends supported us. Though I would love to have the three of them here for 2012, I know they are in a better place and looking down on us everyday... maybe even cheering me on yelling Nan’s patented phrase “hit a sinker!”

Towards the end of my college experience I had what I think was my biggest accomplishment of 2011. Not only did I finish my Senior Thesis, a project that all seniors must trudge through during their whole senior year in order to graduate, but I ACED it!! I have never worked so long or so hard on something in my entire life, and that says a lot considering how much time I have put into basketball and my studies! Putting together an experiment, running it, analyzing the data, and writing 65 pages worth of explanation with only the guidance of my amazing advisor, proved to me that my Princeton education was worth it. I was able to put out something that was my own original ideas in an organized manner that was enough to impress two highly recognized Princeton professors. I could go on and on about this (that is how excited I still am about this accomplishment), but I would be entertaining only myself, I’m sure. 

Our Beach Week House

Following Thesis came what I like to call the best two weeks of my life... Beach Week, Reunions and graduation. When you go through a rigorous four years as we did at Princeton, you become extremely close with your friends at school. You get to see them at their best and their worst. During those last two weeks of school, we got to celebrate our time together without school work. Beach Week was filled with amazing memories for me... from our house dinners, to our No Sleep game, to all of the ridiculous things that happened and beyond. Spending that time with my friends was something I’ll never forget. 

And then there were Reunions and graduation, where family and friends collide into a mess of orange and black. My closest friend from home and my family were able to drink and dance the night away with my closest friends from school. No offense to my parents, but I didn’t know they were THAT much fun!!! With the help of bartender LP, we were able to dance the night away and close down the 40^th tent! Graduation was the same in terms of having friends and family there. From listening to Mayor Bloomberg’s Baccalaureate address, to sweating our butts off dancing at Prom, to sitting practically next to Brooke Shields on Class day, and to, finally, being able to walk through Fitzrandolph gate, the whirlwind of Princeton ended. With teary eyes, I said goodbye to my friends and started the next phase of my life.

I refuse to call the next phase the “real world” because, let’s face it, I wasn’t quite there yet. My summer was filled with re-inventing my game. I worked camps and practiced basketball with some new faces. The Crossroads crew and MK Sports became my new bball family for the summer. I was able to take my game to another level. My goal for the summer was to add some swagger to my “white girl”, Ivy league game... and that I did. 

With my new and improved skill set, I signed my first contract and headed off to Luxembourg. As you probably know from reading my previous blogs, I love it here! We keep progressing as a team, almost beating the 2^nd place team in my last weekend before Christmas (just to fill you in on what I forgot to post before I left!). We really worked hard in that game and we played solid for 40 minutes. 

2011 ended with a nice two week break back in the States. From being away for so long, I really began to appreciate some of the little things I missed while living in a foreign country (my family, salsa, my car, having the grocery store open past 6 for example...). I took a ‘cousin’ trip up to NYC and even got a chance to make it down to Philly for New Years Eve. It was a needed and relaxing break home!

Looking back on 2011, it was a pretty good year for me in terms of accomplishments both on and off the basketball court. They have led me to the amazing experience I am going through now. I can only hope that 2012 holds some big things as 2011 did... and with the first tough workout our team had today and our new tougher mentality, I am thinking it will!

Happy New Year everyone!!