First Week in Cyprus

For those of you that don't know, I am now in Cyprus playing with a professional volleyball team called AEK Larnaca. By the way, Cyprus is an island country on the Mediterranean Sea that is close to Greece, Turkey, and Israel. It is not the Sybaris pool suites, haha. Jackie Simpson, a girl I played with in Madison, played a huge part in getting me to Cyprus and practicing with the team. I have always wanted to try playing overseas and this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Jackie has been a huge help in trying to find a team to play with. She even set up a website with a video and other information about me to help me get on a team. Even though she set up this website, she didn't have any luck because no one really wants a 5'5'' libero as a foreign player. Many of the leagues want their foreign players to be outsides, middles, or setters. So I was thinking I would not be able to play volleyball in Europe. However, Jackie convinced her team president to have me come and be a practice player with the team. So within a week, there was a plane ticket ready for me to come to Cyprus.

So far it has been really fun to practice again. I have been missing playing volleyball on a regular basis. I have practiced with the team twice so far, and I have really enjoyed it. Because the team has 4 foreigners I am not allowed to play in the matches. So I get to practice and then when it comes to the matches I have to watch from the stands. On Tuesday we had a match at home and it was cool to see the fans there chanting, lighting flares, and getting excited for a professional volleyball match. The match did not go very well but it was a cool experience. Hopefully the next three league matches will go better.

Jackie and I have a lot of free time because we only have to practice a couple hours a day and we also have two days off. So she has shown me the sites of Larnaca. We went to the Mediterranean Sea but it was too cold to go swimming. We walked around the shops and they do have a Nike and an Adidas so thats pretty cool. She also let me drive the car to try driving on the wrong side of the rode and in a car with the wheel on the right side. It is very weird but no accidents or mistakes so that is a plus. I am looking forward to checking out the other beaches and caves when it gets a little warmer. So far so good in Cyprus. Catch you all on the flip side.