Beach or Mountains?

After my first couple of days, the practices went well. After our Thurs, Fri, and Sat, practices we have some conditioning to do. All of it was fairly simple but it still made me sore which is good. It has been nice being able train for something and have some motivation to exercise. My teammates have been really nice and cool at practices. The locals are pretty funny in that they speak very loudly, laugh a lot, and are pretty goofy during practice. I just wish I knew what they were saying.

Anyways, after Saturday morning's practice we had off until practice on Monday night. On Sunday we decided that since it was a nice day we (Jackie, Josh, Triin, Trent, and the dogs) would drive to Limassol to either go to the Troodos Mountains or the beach. My vote was for the beach but I was in the other car without any say. So we ended up at the Mountains which was freezing and there was snow on the ground. I have only been here a week so I haven't been feeling that homesick to go and see snow. We got up most of the way to the top of the mountain and let the dogs out to relieve themselves, I got out and only had a t-shirt on so I put the beach towel around me to stay warm. Jackie, Trent (who is an American basketball player on our club team) decided to head back down and not see the summit. On our way down we found some waterfalls to look at. It was a pretty scary drive down there because a few times it looked like we can fall off the mountain in our tiny European car. We did make it safely and it turned out pretty cool. After the waterfall we went down the mountain to the city center of Limassol and walked around. We saw a bunch of cats again and Jackie's dog Sloan was messing with them. After walking around we decided to head back to Larnaca and have dinner.

Jackie, Trent and I at the waterfall.

Valley by the Troodos Mountains.

Trent, Jackie, and I went to this restaurant called Wanted Saloon which is owned by a woman from the US. I had a burger which tasted kind of like a gyro. I guess when they have burgers here they put the herbs from gyros on the burgers which makes them taste weird to me. After dinner Trent tossed me the keys and said I could drive home which I was excited about, at first. Then Jackie and Trent decided to have me try to get back to our apartment without any help from them. At the start of my little trip, I decided to take like four right turns in a row which was pretty dumb. Jackie and Trent had a good laugh at my expense. I did make it back safely by finding the grocery store, and the soccer stadium by our house.

On Monday we had practice and I found out that I am not able to play in the matches. Jackie and our team manager talked with USA volleyball and thought that maybe I wouldn't be considered a foreigner because I have not played any USAV and therefore not a member of USAV. We did get a letter from USAV saying I haven't played any so we were hopeful that it worked. However, the Cyprus Volleyball Federation said it wouldn't work in the middle of the season but it would work for the beginning of the season. So for the rest of the season I will just have to watch from the bleachers and cheer on AEK. Well that's it for now, hope everyone is staying warm back home. Will talk soon!

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.