BIP's January Exposure Tour (JEET '12)

[BIP]

Our 13th Annual January Exposure Tour (Sponsored by SMACK Sportswear and Volleyball SuperStore) kicked off with 42 girls on January 19th in Bologna, Italy. I meant to post the girls' daily journals here on VT, but haven't had time to get it going. Hopefully I can get them started later tonight...

For those interested, we have some video online from our "Coaches Roundtable" of 1/10 (Jerritt Elliott, Molly Alvey, Sue Woodstra, and Tony Westman) and also a match of one of our teams against Anderlini Modena's B2 u18 Team:

www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=2VBFC9GI0L6P
www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=XHBXCRGI9L5P
www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=QCAFCQ1L0IN7

Roster of the Match on 1/10 vs Anderlini B2 u18

Megan Schipper 180 Posto 4 Iowa '09 1987
Renee Bordelon-Lovell 178 Palleggiatrice Washington State '09 1987
Kathryn Wilkerson 180 Posto 4 Southern Methodist '10 1989
Emily Palkert 183 Centrale Orpo, Finland '11 1989
Alexandra Buth 178 Oposto Colorado '08 1986
Bri Tolbert 190 Centrale Baylor '11 1990
Oceana Matsubu 182 Posto 4 Humboldt State '12 1990
Brittany Collins 178 Palleggiatrice Texas State '09 1987
Amy Vos 170 Libero Iowa State '09 1987
Theresa Bennett 175 Posto 4 Montana Western '10 1987
Rachel Vukson - C 184 Palleggiatrice Central Florida '12 1990
Rebecca Lamb 182 Oposto Murray State '11 1989
Kayleah Sauer 170 Libero Murray State '12 1990
Alex DelPiombo 163 Palleggiatrice Gannon '12 1990

Coaches
Jerritt Elliott, University of Texas
Molly Alvey, University of Houston
Sue Woodstra, Humboldt University
Tony Westman, Denmark NT Head Coach

More to come...

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 1 - January 11

Day 1 saw everyone get to the hotel in Bologna (or the gym if they were late arrivals) on their own. This is part of the tour, and those that over-pack pay the price. We had one team head to Anzola (11 minute train ride, awesome small town) for a match vs. Anzola d'Emilia Serie C and everyone else took the city bus and had a big training in Zola Predosa (with a match vs. Campagnola B1 on a side court). We wouldn’t all get together as one huge group until the next day…


First day in Bologna, The Training Group
by Corina Beyer (left on Day 4 for Geneva, Switzerland; update on that coming)

The first days of doing anything are always exciting and a little nerve racking. Meeting your roommate who you have never met, and then also finally going to the gym and playing! Getting to the gym was intense. Going someplace with 25 girls is always a challenge let alone being on the city bus. Thankfully we didn't lose anyone :-) It was awesome getting to play. Finally moving around after a long day(s) of travel and being able to sweat was amazing. The team we played was right out of Bologna and very good (B1 Campagnola). It was hard at first to understand what they expected out of us for warm-ups. In the US we don't share court time. Here though, we had to share hitting times and serving. Playing with new people can always present a challenge but it was a great experience getting to see everyone play and getting to play with new people at such a competitive level. The games were fun and it was a great way to be introduced into what is expected out of us on this tour. Can't wait to see what the rest of the tour has to offer!

First Day of Tour, The Anzola Group
by Denise van de Mortel (BIP/USA Veteran, China ’11)

Today was the first official day of the tour. Many of the girls flew in to Bologna, where the tour is starting, but I took a different route. I flew in to Vienna a few days early, and was taking the train to Bologna to meet the rest of the group. This wasn't a quick trip by any means as it was a 5 hour ride starting at 6am, then a few delays, a missed connection train, fighting with the information desk (who refused to speak English; only German) 3 hours on a new train, get off train hop on another, and eventually pulled in to Bologna. As if running around trying to find which train I needed to get on wasn't stressful enough (they don't wait for you) I had no idea what I was going to do when I actually got to Bologna. Since most of the girls got in throughout the day, everyone was leaving for practice and scrimmages at 6pm. If this didn’t give me a taste of how to handle Europe, I don't know what will!

When I knew I was going to be late, I shot Tim an email to find out where I should plan on meeting. Of course, the last source of internet was on my first train so I was out of luck the rest of the day. I borrowed a phone from a lovely Italian on my 3rd train and finally, by 5pm, had a game plan. I got in at 7, left the train station and walked across the street to the hotel, which was very easy to find. I checked in and got directions to the gym where half the group was playing. I had to take another quick train ride to a little town called Anzola, where we played Anzola d'Emilia Serie C team (the rest of the team had taken the same train with a “guide” 1 hour earlier). I went straight from the train to the gym, put on my uniform and warmed up! It felt good to play after sitting down all day long. There were 11 of us at this location and we won 5 games straight, not letting Anzola d'Emilia Serie C score more than 14.

After the match we came back to the hotel, grabbed dinner at a yummy pizza place, and headed to our rooms. It is always fun to play with different people and it was a great way to warm up for the next 10 days! We were all thrown together with different offenses and styles of play but in the end it is just volleyball and we had a pretty good night. Although we all had crazy travel days and are all trying to get used to time changes, I can tell it is going to be a great trip. I know we will all get a good night sleep tonight, and we will be up by 9 eating breakfast and heading out the door for practice. Ciao!

[rtael]

Here's a blog I found the other day of one of the girls, Morgan Springer, from Ole Miss.

www.olemisssports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/011012aaa.html

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 2 - January 12

Day 2, The Run Down (and Calderara Group)
By Ashley August

‎8:45am: Breakfast at the Hotel: We began our day heading to the little cafe inside our hotel. They had a really diverse spread of Italian cuisine: croissants, prosciutto, ham, different cheeses, questionable scrambled eggs, and NUTELLA! It was definitely different from an egg McMuffin form McDonald's, but it seemed that everyone had no trouble finding something they enjoyed.

10ish-am: Depart for Practice #1: We all piled into the bus for practice and were on our way to our first practice. When we arrived, it was clear that we weren't in the states anymore. We walked back towards a building that appeared to be a worn down, dome-like, shack. But to our surprise, upon walking in there were two BEAUTIFUL volleyball courts. We split into groups, hitters and setters on one court and the liberos (including myself) on the other. We, meaning the liberos, were instructed by Italian coaches, in Italian (meaning they spoke ONLY Italian)! It was an amazingly unique experience having to communicate with a coach that we couldn't really communicate with, but it was very cool to see that the few English words he knew and a few physical motions, we knew what he wanted us to do. Well, for the most part.

12:30pm: Lunch!: The restaurant we went to was a cute, dainty place. We entered in and they ushered us to the back in our own little room as if they knew we would be too loud They brought us quite an array of food including a delicious form of hamburger helper (it didn't compare, but I'm just trying to be descriptive), also a rib of pork and a small salad. The best part was the tiramisu! It was a little individual ramekin of happiness!

7:00pm: Depart for Games!: The group I was in headed to play Calderara Atletico B2. When we arrived at the gym there was a girls youth basketball game taking place and it was a cute reminiscent moment of the days when I personally used to play basketball oh back in the day. The score was 4-1. It was so cute. We headed to the locker room to get ready for our game. With white SMACK Sportswear jerseys with red lettering, we took the court. We had a good looking warm-up and did our best to make sure our communication was at its finest due to us never playing together. Each lineup we had was awesome! It was really cool getting to test our skills of working together. The Italians had some heavy hitters and solid ball control, and as one teammate would describe it, "they were scrappy lil' suckers" (Sarah Roberts). Out of the five game match, we won two. Our coaches were very helpful and gave informative feedback. They kept us calm and gave everyone an opportunity to play. Ciao!

The Alteda Group
Julia Aika Becker

We left the hotel around 10am for training as Ashley said. There were some coaches interested in recruiting girls watching the training. Knowing that they were watching was one the back of my mind and somewhat distracting. Cory just told us to relax and have fun. He even gave us tips about passing the ball (high and in the middle of the court). It became easier to play once I just focused on playing ball and enjoying myself rather than worrying about receiving an offer. I just told myself I don't control the recruiting but I do control the way I play. If you just remember that you love volleyball, it takes off a lot of stress and makes the tour much more enjoyable. The tour's vibe is already enjoyable and relaxed so it's easy if you just play your game and go with the flow...no stress needed .

We just did drills in different groups and then switched to another gym to play some queen of the court, games to 5. Afterwards, we had a group lunch and after lunch we had some free time (sightseeing, shopping) before we headed back out to play matches.

My team played a B2 team called “Alteda”. We started out pretty rough, trying to adjust to each other and finding a rhythm. It is difficult trying to play with different setters and hitters each time, but it is also great playing with different girls and getting to know each one, on and off the court. We played 5 games and throughout the evening we individually became better. Even though we didn't do so well (lost the first 3, won the 4th, lost the 5th) there will be many opportunities to play and learn and get better. It's also a great time to see Europe and to see if living here and playing here is really for you. It's only been 2 days and there is so much more to come. So far each day has been full.

The Anderlini Group,
By Becca Lamb

Tonight my team played Anderlini Modena, a Serie B1 team, under 18 age group. When we got to the gym they made us feel very welcomed and had water and snacks for us in the locker room (Kinder!). We got our pictures taken with the Anderlini team before the game for their website. They seemed excited that we were there to play them. We played 4 games, losing the first, winning the next two, and then losing the 4th. I was surprised how young and talented they were. They didn't play a whole lot differently than I expected, compared to the way we play in the states. When we started playing the Anderlini team, we were a little nervous and unfamiliar at first with each other on the court, but we eventually started to relax and have fun. After the match we had pizza and drinks waiting for us, which was nice of them. We sat through a Coaches Roundtable as well, listening to our coaches (Jerritt Elliott, Texas; Molly Alvey, Houston; Sue Woodstra, Humboldt and USA Volleyball; and Tony Westman, the Danish National Team Coach). Afterwards they gave us T-shirts and thanked us for playing. Even though it's only been 2 days, I can tell this is going to be a great experience to play high quality volleyball and meet girls from all over the USA.

Links to the events at Anderlini:

Match Video vs. Anderlini:
www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=QCAFCQ1L0IN7

Interviews from Training:
www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=2VBFC9GI0L6P

Coaches Roundtable:
www.scuoladipallavolo.it/?page_id=214&vid=XHBXCRGI9L5P

Roster from the Match:

Squadra SMACK BIP
10 gennaio, 2012 (vs Anderlini)

Megan Schipper 180 Posto 4 Iowa '09 1987
Renee Bordelon-Lovell 178 Palleggiatrice Washington State '09 1987
Kathryn Wilkerson 180 Posto 4 Southern Methodist '10 1989
Emily Palkert 183 Centrale Orpo, Finland '11 1989
Alexandra Buth 178 Oposto Colorado '08 1986
Bri Tolbert 190 Centrale Baylor '11 1990
Oceana Matsubu 182 Posto 4 Humboldt State '12 1990
Brittany Collins 178 Palleggiatrice Texas State '09 1987
Amy Vos 170 Libero Iowa State '09 1987
Theresa Bennett 175 Posto 4 Montana Western '10 1987
Rachel Vukson - C 184 Palleggiatrice Central Florida '12 1990
Rebecca Lamb 182 Oposto Murray State '11 1989
Kayleah Sauer 170 Libero Murray State '12 1990
Alex DelPiombo 163 Palleggiatrice Gannon '12 1990

Coaches
Jerritt Elliott, University of Texas
Molly Alvey, University of Houston
Sue Woodstra, Humboldt University
Tony Westman, ex-Denmark NT

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 3 - January 13

The Anzola Group
by Erin Mitchem

We met for breakfast this morning in the hotel. After breakfast we got ready for our morning training session. Our practice went well and we were coached by an Italian men's volleyball coach. He was a little hard to understand but he introduced us to new drills we have never done before. It was a fun experience.

After training, my group had the opportunity to explore Bologna! We walked around the city and saw so many neat things. We had lunch at a little Italian restaurant and the food was AMAZING! We took pictures with our waiter because he loved us. After lunch we did some shopping. The stores were all having great sales and we thought it was funny because they were all playing American music. On the way home we met some Italian men that were super nice and we took pictures with them too!

This evening my team went to Anzola Dell'emilia on the train and played the Serie C team of Idea Volley. They were a good team but we beat them!! They were really nice girls, they even wanted to take pictures with some of us after the game. We celebrated the win by poppin’ bottles of ‘moscato’ on the train home. While sitting there a drunk/high cute North African man approached me. Our coach told us not to talk to him but of course he wanted to talk to us. He did not know much English but he tried hard. Then he blew me kisses and told me he loved me! It was certainly an interesting experience.

After a long day of playing volleyball and exploring the city we came back to the hotel and had pizza. Now we are about to enjoy our last night in Bologna by going out and meeting people!


Playing Sanja Tomasevic’s Team (A2 Casalmaggiore)
by Denise Van De Mortel

It was a busy day today and for many of us we were gone from the hotel from 9:00am until 1:00am tonight. 11 of us left early this morning with Tim, Nick, and Coach Molly to play a team just outside the city of Bologna (in Modena at Anderlini). They were an A2 team that drove down from up north to play us, and although we lost, I think the level of play was a lot better than the past couple days. We played 4 sets, showered at the gym, and then headed back to the hotel.

After grabbing a few Italian style pizzas (huge), we picked up a few more people from the hotel and headed to Urbino, which was 2 hours away, to watch their CEV Cup match against Nova KBM Maribor from Slovenia. We got in to the town of Urbino around 5 and got to hang out a bit before leaving for the match; what an awesome city!

Urbino’s Roster and Site: urbinovolley.it/site/rosa-squadra/

Nova KBM Maribor’s Roster and Site: www.branik-nkbm.si/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=37

Urbino, with Julianne Faucette (Texas ’10) tearing it up at the opposite position, won the match no problem. Sarah Ammerman (Texas A&M ’09) was on the Slovenian team so it was cool to see two Americans on the court. Then we all hopped back on the bus for a 2 hour ride home. Many of us are parting ways in the morning for either Venice (and on to Izola) or Milan (on to Bergamo) and we can’t wait to see another big city!


The Montela Group
by Karolina Bartkowiak

After breakfast we went to practice and we were there for 2 hours trying to get some reps. We worked on some passing and serving. Also, we played some 6 on 6 games. After practice, some of us had a lot of down time before we played again later that night. We went to lunch to a restaurant close to our hotel to have some great pizza. Then we did some sightseeing and shopping around Bologna. The gelato here is amazing. Around 6 that night some of us left to go to play a B2 team from Montela. The town was an hour away from Bologna and we were coached by an Italian coach which was a little different experience but we enjoyed it. We lost 3-1. Everyone was very nice to us and we even had a chance to talk with some of the players. I’ve got to say, their English was very good. On the way back we stopped to eat dinner at a restaurant and when we got back to the hotel some of us decided to go to a pub and check out the local life. We were there for only half an hour but we had tons of fun. It was a busy day again but it's fun to experience new cultures.

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 4 - January 14

The Venice & Izola Group
By Brittany Collins

Today started with an early morning where we dropped our luggage off into a white cargo van. The luggage started on its way to Izola, Slovenia while we all started on a train to Venezia (Venice). The train ride took around hour and half. After arriving in Venice we split up into groups and shopped, did some sightseeing, and hopefully took TONS of pictures (I know I did!!).

Meeting back at the train station at 2:00pm to head to Trieste, Italy we almost had to leave 3 players. Luckily enough they made it JUST in the nick of time. After a three-hour train ride we were in an absolutely beautiful city Trieste. The hills were covered with colored homes and all sorts of beautiful buildings! We quickly got on a bus to the hotel and had a quick turn around to get back on the bus to head to the gym.

Definitely had an issue when we got to the hotel and headed to our rooms and didn't know how to turn on the lights. No one warned us that we have to put our key card into the wall so the electricity would work!! We all had a laugh about it afterwards.

Once we arrived at the gym we split up into two teams. Both teams got to play against the Slovenian OK KOPER team and the Italian A.S.D San Giovanni Libertas. We played three sets against each team with a few wins and a few losses. Overall I believe it was a good night, we are still learning each other and enjoying playing with each other.

It's off to Croatia tomorrow for some sight seeing with the two Americans who play for the Italian team we played tonight. Should be a fun day! Loving Europe!!


Team BIP SMACK heads to Milan
by Caitlyn Knowles

Our group got to sleep in a little bit and head off at 9am. Which in Italian time means 10 am, which was also okay. We began our drive in 2 vans, ours being the sweet van that could go 180 km/h and the other being a natural gas van that topped out at 130 km/h. It may or may not have been shaking in front of us or it was tilted to the left; not quite sure.

After we arrived in the suburbs of Milan we attempted to find our gym - meaning we took the wrong exit and we were driving the wrong way down the exit ramp into oncoming traffic. It really didn't matter since Italians don't really have any rules of the road anyways.

Once we navigated the maze of one-way streets to the gym we arrived to a feast of food. Antipasti, gnocchi, and roast chicken. Lecker!! However it was a lot of food to consume before our scrimmage against Club Italia only 1.5 hours later, which again, in Italian time meant 2.5 hours later, which was okay. We scrimmaged against “Club Italia” (a mix of 14 to 18 year olds in their Youth and Junior National Team Program) winning 4 of the 5 sets we played against them. Many of them were a head taller than I am and will certainly be playing in Olympic Games in the future. These kids were really good, actually pretty unbelievable for their age.

After a quick shower and another amazing meal of antipasti, rice, sea bass and CHEESECAKE. Apparently the girls here only get to have dessert once a week but since we were staying here they got it twice this week. The facility here is amazing. I posted some photos earlier of where they live and train in the afternoon and go to the equivalent of high school in the morning. After another amazing meal we headed to Treviglo to watch a Champions league game. It was Foppapedretti Bergamo (Italian Champions) vs Azerrail Baku from Azerbaijan. The first set was close with Bergamo pulling out the win 25-23. This seemed to take the wind out of the Baku team who were junk in the second set. They won the third but Bergamo proved to be too much for them in the end and won in 4. Americans Heather Bown and Jennifer (Joines) Tamas were on the Azerrail Team, and several other National Team players were in the gym watching including Nicole Davis, Kristen Richards, and Lauren Paolini; all of them play in Serie A.

Bergamo Roster & Site: www.volleybergamo.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=47

Azerrail Roster & Site (English): azerivolley.com/teams/azerrail.php

On the way home we stopped at “Roadhouse” for a typical "American" evening of beer and chicken wings. An entertaining night overall that has now finished in the bar of the training facility with a Grappa and Limoncello tasting. Typical Italian drinks! The Italian Team managers Cesare and Tony are taking great care of us! Grazie ragazzi!


Tryouts in Rome for Kadija & Cindy
By Cindy Bathelt

While the rest of the group traveled north to either Venice or Milan today, Kadija Fornah and I took a mid-morning train to Rome, where we would visit and train with the Serie C team Aprilia Volley Club. After four hours on the train, our instructions were literally to get off the train, walk toward the end of the platform, and the coaches would find us. We were a bit nervous, but they found us quickly and we were soon on our way through Rome. They took us to the Coliseum, St. Peters Basilica and the Vatican (no sign of the Pope, though) and through some other staples of Rome, and I was like a kid in a candy store seeing everything for the first time.

After sightseeing we went south to Aprilia, went to the gym and met the younger kids of the club and the general managers and such. Then it was time to practice with the team. Italian volleyball is like polar opposite of American volleyball; all they do is warm up for like 20 minutes and go straight into playing. I'm quickly picking up Italian and it's part of my future pending contract to have language lessons; so the coach introduced me to this 14 year old girl named Francesca who is a setter and wants to learn English. If I come back to play here I would be her tutor, and vice versa. The girls of the team are very welcoming and helped us out big time at the practice and dinner afterwards, translating for their coach who speaks no English at all. It was a great time seeing what everything was about. We even got nicknames too, mine is "Pellagio Bene" (good setter) and D's is "Attacco Forte" (strong hitter), which was pretty funny since they couldn't remember our real names.

Tomorrow morning the Aprilia coach is taking us around town and to the beach, then we are meeting up with two of the girls on the team to sightsee Rome some more. Then our train to Trieste leaves at 1030pm. We will take that overnight and meet up with the rest of the tour Saturday morning to go visit Bled and settle into the DRAS Center in Maribor, Slovenia. Can't wait to see what the rest of the tour has in store!

Note: Corina Beyer took off on the train for Geneva, Switzerland. They're in need of a setter for the rest of the season and chose her from our quiver of "alzatrici"... We'll hopefully have an update from her before the tour ends...

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 5 - January 15

The Izola & Pula Group
by Amy Vos

It’s day 5 of the trip and we have been doing a lot of sightseeing as well as volleyball and today was no different, besides the fact that we got to sleep in! We had a good breakfast in the morning, including a chocolate filled croissant, and boarded the bus at 11:00am heading to Croatia. Well, most of us; two of the girls accidentally slept in a little too late but all ended well as they took a taxi and a bus to up meet us at the second city we visited. We also had two Americans who went on the JEET Tour ‘11 and play on a team out of Trieste with us (Lynnea Harris and Vanessa Dorismond). However, we had a bit of trouble at the border, so only Lynnea made it through to Croatia with us. Lesson learned: Croatia is not in the European Union and will not take European residency cards as passports.

The first city we visited was Rovinj. It is right on the water; a major tourist town in the summer. In the winter it’s another story. It seemed like a ghost town. Very few places were open when we headed to lunch, and instead of squirrels they had black cats running around everywhere. It was a bit creepy considering it’s Friday the 13th! Anyways, we walked up and around the city. The roads were cobblestone and very narrow, but cars still drove on them. My roommate and I ran into a street vendor that sold small trinkets made out of seashells. I got suckered into buying a bobble head turtle made out of shells and a bracelet. My roommate ended up buying a small blowfish dangling on a fishing line that the guy said was good luck. I’d say she got the short end of the stick, but it was fun and well worth the bargaining. Later on, we stopped at a market to buy some olive oil (Cory told us it was the best around). I ended up spending 96 Kuna (Croatian currency) in the store on chocolate and snacks. 96 Kuna!! I started to freak out, but when I realized that 5 Kuna equals 1 USD$, I realized I spent less than $25, phew! Now, we were on to lunch. We finally found a place that was open and joined some other girls on the tour. They ordered a pizza that had a fried egg in the middle of it. It did not look very appetizing, but they said it was the best pizza they had on the trip!

We loaded the bus and headed to the next city, Pula, Croatia. This city had an amazing Roman coliseum in it. It also was a little more lively than the last city. There were lots of cute shops and cafes to sit and drink coffee or espresso and chat about life (the European way, according to Cory). So we shopped and sat at cafes and chatted about life. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

We finally loaded the bus up and headed to the gym in Pula to play team OK Pula. We were split up into the same two teams we had the night before. My team didn’t do so well the first set, but came back the next three and only lost by a few points in sets two and three and won set four. It took us a little bit, but we finally got the hang of things. It is so much fun playing with other Americans from all over the US and against people from another country. Volleyball is basically volleyball any way you look at it!

After we were done playing we headed to a hotel across the street for a buffet dinner. Right as we walked in there was some sort of men’s team in the lobby. Long story short, they enjoyed 30 pretty American girls walking by. The food again was delicious; Pasta, chicken, soup, veggies, potatoes, and donuts for dessert! Once we got back to the hotel my roommate and I headed down to the bar, which is connected to the front desk. We had a great time talking with the hotel night manager and learned that Slovenia is shaped like a chicken! We are going to bed now, but I am excited to sightsee in Maribor, Slovenia all day tomorrow… one good day of rest from volleyball before we kick it into high gear for the last four days! Ciao!


Team BIP SMACK in Bergamo
by Caitlyn Knowles

Day 5 of the tour started earlier than most of us would have liked. After a late night in the Club Italia Bar we were awoken for our 8:30am breakfast. A few girls took the option and slept for a few extra minutes. After breakfast we headed into see the center of Milano, mainly the Duomo and the Galleria. What was supposed to be a 10-minute tram ride to the center (again that means almost 30 minutes in Italian time) got us to the Piazza del Duomo. It is quite a spectacular sight if you’ve never seen it. The Duomo is The Piazza was filled with the typical tourist traps. The men who walk straight up to you and put a “happiness” bracelet on your wrist and say “for you free, no cost, no cost” and then they come back to you 30 seconds later asking for money and when you don’t pay they become very rude and pushy. They also would take your picture or hand you popcorn kernels to feed the enormous pigeons. Typical traps you see everywhere you go in major European cities. We spent about 45 minutes there, just enough time to walk around a bit and buy a few things at the kiosks before heading back to the training center to head to Bergamo.

From there our group split into 2: 1) The 5 of us girls who are taking the train (many for the first time) to Bergamo, and 2) the rest with Tim and Molly in the Van going to the same place. Once we arrived at the train station the girls ran off to get food while I bought our tickets. I gave a quick explanation of how to read the Arrivals/Departures Board we headed to Platform 11 to take our regional train to Bergamo. The thing about regional trains is typically they don’t have any place to store your luggage and this one was no exception. Trying to maneuver the tiny doorways and staircases with luggage proved a little difficult for those with big bags and we were all split up on the train. After our quick little ride to Bergamo we walked from there to our adorable little hostel with all the rooms named after major cities in Italy. We were all about to get some relaxation time and Tim worked on getting everyone organized for their morning departures we headed off the gym for our scrimmage.

Today we were playing against Foppapadretti Bergamo’s u18’s. They are playing B1 in Italy and are from the same club as the Champions League game we watched the previous night. They were easily the best team we played all week. The match started off with us playing their reserve players. We won the first game with strong serving and maybe our best passing of the week. We lost the next and then in set 3 they brought out their starters. We lost the next 2 and were down 3-1. We thought we were done after the four but they wanted to play again so it became a best of 7 series. We won the next one only to lose the final set. In the last set to give our 2 middles a break we got one of their girls from their team, Micheala. I think she was a head taller than me once again. It was neat to have another player join and gave us a chance to see what it would be like to play with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.

After the marathon night of volleyball everyone was exhausted, borderline delirious one might say. Locker conversation was more entertaining then normal, as was the chatter at dinner. “No Stop Pizza” was the name of the restaurant and they don’t lie the pizza really didn’t stop coming until we were all stuffed to the brim. By this time it was almost 11pm and we walked back to our hostel to pack and get ready for the various departure times tomorrow morning. Many of us stayed up chatting and enjoying a nice glass of Italian Chardonnay; an oxymoron I know, but our options were limited in purchasing since we arrived back home so late. We all dispersed for bed and said our good byes as tomorrow 2 girls are heading to Aachen, Germany; another to Bern, Switzerland; and one more to Murcia, Spain. The rest of us will head back to meet up with the main group in Trieste before heading to potentially our last stop of the tour, Maribor.

Editor’s Note: Best of luck to those that were off to teams or tryouts today:

Emily Palkert: UCAM Murcia, SuperLiga A, Spain
Bri Tolbert: Hamburg, 1st Bundesliga, Germany
Katie Kabbes: Hamburg, 1st Bundesliga, Germany
Megan Schipper: Koeniz, NLA Switzerland

And to Oceana Matsubu who took off for a Serie C visit/tryout near Castelfidardo, Italy (Adriatic Coast) yesterday…

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 6 - January 14 (Dates were wrong on all previous posts)

Izola Group
by Mary Slinger

The group of us that stayed in Izola at the Hotel Marina had a little time to sleep in yesterday morning. We enjoyed our last breakfast buffet at our nice hotel right on the Adriatic coast. It was a beautiful morning and the streets were a little bit more active being a Saturday. We hopped aboard the team bus for Trieste, Italy. The drive was really nice, seeing the snow-capped mountains off in the distance. The bus dropped us all off and we had a chance to walk through the streets of Trieste. It is a pretty big city. Many stopped for a crepe or some hot (and thick) chocolate as we made our way to the train station to meet up with our fellow counterparts who had been on adventures of their own for the past few days! Very exciting to swap stories from where we all had been and hear the updates for the girls that have been sent elsewhere for try-outs, teams, etc!

Milan/Bergamo Group
by Kathryn Wilkerson

I was with the group that stayed in the ABACO Hostel in Bergamo, Italy. The next morning the entire group headed to Trieste, Italy. Most of us were in a van with Tim, but two of our girls had to take a train there. We met up with the rest of the big group in Trieste near the train station and then jumped on the team bus to Bled, Slovenia. Bled is a gorgeous city with a lake and an island in the middle of the lake. A bunch of the girls even toured a 1000 year-old castle that was perched high up on a cliff over looking the lake and island. It was quite the walk to get all the way up there. We had three hours to spare so it was enough time to try the local food and sightsee. After that we drove two more hours to end up in Maribor, Slovenia for the night. The place we are staying, the DRAS Center, in has volleyball courts in the lobby with glass windows around it so you can watch from the attached café & bar. They served us a buffet style dinner and after that we all split up to get ready for the night. We met down at the lobby and took taxis to a club called PlusMinus in the center. There were drinks and lots of dancing. I'm not sure if anyone else in the club really knew what to do with us. We got taxis home afterward and everyone passed out in preparation for volleyball the next day.

Update from Castelfidardo
by Oceana Matsubu

While I was in Milano, Tim spoke with me and I decided to visit a team that was interested in signing me in Central Italy in a small town called Castelfidardo. I had never heard about this town before agreeing to take a train there so I had to be ready to expect anything! It took approximately two hours in a van with Andrea to Bologna where he taught me how to purchase a ticket, read the screen, find my platform and board a train. I realized while I was on this tour that I depend WAY too much on my iPhone back in states, because literally everything is a finger tip touch away. Being in Europe has made me gain some responsibility. While I was on the train, I finally opened the map my parent’s gave me as a Christmas present and figured out where I was headed. To my surprise, I was headed to a town that is very close to the beach! Perfect! Practically the whole train ride I could see the water! I encountered a lady from Croatia who spoke English and ended up telling me that she enjoyed speaking to herself and that she was not a very happy person because her cat died because she didn’t pay her rent. I’m still not sure if she didn’t speak English very well, or she was just crazy. As soon as my stop came up I could see the coaches who I met at the gym a few days before which relieved a lot of stress because I was worried I would be stranded in Ancona. I was greeted by the coaches and immediately realized that they spoke very little to almost no English. Being in Italy has changed my entire view on non-English speaking people in California and has made me much more empathetic and patient; I hope. Luckily, I was lent a translation guide from Kathryn Wilkerson titled, “ Just Enough Italian” which has made my visit so much easier! The coaches took me to a café where I had a delicious prosciutto sandwich and espresso shot. Then we headed to the “Palace” (Palazzo), also known in America as the gym. The girls on the team were very welcoming and spoke no English, yet they still managed to try. The ages of the girls on the team were from 16 to 41! There is also a 30 year-old middle and their other outside is 28. The setter is 41, and she is in very good shape with a lot of Serie A (Top Level) experience. We warmed up “Euro-style” which is very different than how I’m used to. This included a bunch of abs and then movements with your body that are somewhere in between stretching and dancing. Practice went well. I struggled at first with not understanding anything but eventually figured some words out. That night, the coaches and president took me to dinner where I had amazing pizza and tiramisu! They then dropped me off at the hotel where I have a king size bed to myself. The next morning I was able to sleep in and then the coach picked me up and took me around town. He showed me the beaches and some small shops as well as taking me to lunch where I fell in love with spaghetti scampi. This town is absolutely beautiful! Wine vineyards, cliffs and a very blue sea! Later that night, I was able to watch the team play; they won in five against the team who gave them their only loss. After the match we went to dinner which included more delicious pizza and some wine. I then learned that I am leaving to meet back up with the girls in Austria tomorrow and taking a train for 10 hours, with 5 transfers, 1 bus ride and a three-hour lay over! I loved the town Castelfidardo as well as the team and coaches. I now have to wait to make sure I can get a Visa to play here so in the mean time I will continue with the tour then fly back to California and the team will fly me back out when my Visa is ready. I was offered a salary, car, and apartment by myself in the city! So just hoping on the Visa!

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 7 - January 15 (Dates were wrong on posts for Days 1-5)

BIP SMACK Delegation, All Back Together Again…
by Julia "Aika" Becker

The whole group met up around 10:30 for breakfast this morning. We then split up into different teams to play at different times. Some girls played at the hotel (they have a gym inside) around noon and 2pm. I was in the group of girls who left the hotel to play at another gym in the center of Maribor around 4:30. We played the Junior National Team of Slovenia. They were good. One thing I am constantly learning from Euro ball is to pass the ball high and in the middle. The way the girls play here in Europe is simple. They just pass the ball high and set the ball high for a play to be made. This makes the game a lot easier, in my opinion. They make the game easy for each other. Of course, for me, it's easier said then done. Playing these European teams has been fun and insightful. Can't wait to play more!

Editor’s Note: All 4 matches today were played against the Slovenian Junior National Team. This group isn’t “concentrated” this year (as Germany and Italy do for example) but rather the coaching staff brought them together just for today. The kids play with clubs all over the country (Maribor, Mislinja, Nova Goriza, Ljubljana, Koper, Novo Mesto & Grosuplje, etc) so we were really fortunate to have them integrate our visit into their training regimen. We ended up splitting 8 sets to 8 over the course of the 4 “matches”. Good lessons learned for many of our girls; getting aced, dug, and blocked by 17 year olds helps people understand some things.

Tryout & Visit with Aachen; My Trip with Katie Kabbes
by Briana Tolbert

My oh my where do I begin? Well, I guess I could start with Katie Kabbes and I getting on a train at 8:00am on Saturday morning from Bergamo to Brescia. Then another one at 9:35am headed to Verona Porta Nuova. Then another one at 11:02am headed to Munich, Germany. And finally the last one at 4:48pm headed to Stuttgart where we would get to see Aachen play. This is the team we are visiting and thinking about playing for. Needless to say, being on and off of a train from 8:00am to 5:00pm while hauling around seventy-five pounds of luggage and then a five hour bus ride after the match back to Aachen from Stuttgart has made for the longest travel day of my entire life, and kept me awake (off and on) for about twenty hours. With all that said I am also so grateful God kept us safe as we traveled across Europe and is providing us shelter in a nice hotel here in Aachen. There were some laughs along the way thanks to the uptight train conductor who gave Katie the death stare for having her feet up on the train seat like a dumb American, or the kebab maker who got mad at me when I said I only had a debit card and no cash and was rude to me for wasting his time. My bad. The girls on the tour have been fun and they have moved on to their respected teams or to Slovenia I believe. I already miss our last living arrangements. It was the cutest hostel I’ve ever seen with a living room, kitchen, four or five bedrooms and two bathrooms. And as for road trips, Blair and Kat definitely took the game “Bobby’s World” to a whole new level and provided endless laughter as we traveled around Europe in our snug van. Oh and speaking of transportation, the Aachen volleyball team travels in STYLE. A double-decker bus with absolutely everything you need and tons of space for sleeping, which is what we did after watching the movie Crash. Yes it was in English and it had German subtitles so I’d call that a win. I do like Germany so far and I am anxious to see what the next few days will hold. Katie and I don’t know how long we’ll be here or what’s going on but I’m sure whatever the plans we will be fine. As for now, I’m absolutely exhausted, but feeling so blessed to be having this experience.

Off to Liechtenstein
by Alex Smith

I made it to Liechtenstein after a 10-hour train ride! It was a little long but it was a beautiful ride. I attempted to take pictures of the snowy mountains but they didn't turn out so well. I thought taking the train would be a little more nerve racking, but it wasn't too bad! When I got to my final destination in Feldkirch Austria, a future teammate of mine (and the assistant coach) picked me. We took a five-minute car ride and we were in Liechtenstein! In the car they kept joking about how tiny Liechtenstein is: it only takes 15 minutes on the motorway to get from top to bottom! We went to dinner with the American setter who is already here; Dani, she played for Hawaii. We talked for a while about her experiences here. After we got back to the apartment, the coach and I drank some wine and I was drilling him with questions! It was a long day, but I'm glad I am finally here!

In Geneva, Switzerland
by Corina Beyer

So I am a few days behind in updating everyone in what I have been doing; better late then never right? My new adventures started the day the tour was moving to a new city from Bologna. I got up early after going out the night before and got on a train to Geneva, Switzerland. It was a fairly easy trip but no one warned me that at the border of Italy and Switzerland the border control would get on the train with dogs and search random people. At first I was a little freaked but I must have had the dumb American look on my face so they did not bother me. Ha. When I got to Geneva it was go-go-go right from the start; I went to meet the family where I will be living for the next three months. They are super nice but the girls do not speak any English so I guess I will have to learn French fast! After that I went straight to the gym and met the board and the team. I am lucky since half of the team speaks English. Only the coach does not. There is even another American on the team so that also is great!

Practice was interesting since I could not understand the coach, but I just did as the others did and it wasn't so bad. Friday was a pretty calm day. I got to sleep in and then saw a little bit of the town that I am living in. It is just outside of Geneva. Friday night I went and had dinner with two teammates and then met up with a few others for a couple of beers. It was nice to see a little bit of the nightlife. Saturday we had our first match. We lost 3-2 but not so bad I thought for my first time playing with them and setting. I think this will be an awesome experience and cannot wait to see what the next few months will bring!

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012
Day 8 - January 16

Morning Practice and the Graz Matches
by Coley Pawlikowski (Asst. Coach, Northern Illinois)

Hello! It is our 2nd day in Maribor Slovenia, and the athletes are definitely becoming much more comfortable with the style of play, each other, and the different cultures. This trip thus far has been such a great experience for all the girls and us coaches! It is so neat to see and learn how people volley over here and do so with a great group of young women and coaches from all over.

The group had breakfast at 9, followed by a practice for Setters and Liberos from 10-12ish. Dan and I ran the practice this morning. There was good energy in the gym as we worked mainly on passing, passing and more passing. The athletes over here are much better servers than most are used to in the states. The setters worked on repping out of a "system" that they may have been trained in or are used to. It is different over here and those "systems" that we are all so familiar with are non-existent and foreign. Setting high balls 3-5 feet off the net is a difficult concept for us Americanos! We also worked on some dig-to-set stuff as well as out of system balls where the setter handled the 1st contact.

After practice a few of the girls and us coaches stuck around in the gym and played some 4's. There is a really nice group of kids over here and the facility here is the Dras Center (which is our hotel here in Maribor) is GREAT! We had lunch as a group here at the hotel and the food at the Dras Center Hotel has been really good. Slovenian food gets two thumbs up!

At 2:30 two teams headed into Graz for some sight seeing and to play Graz and Eisenerz (near Graz). We spent about 1.5 hours in the town square doing some shopping and enjoying the beautiful city of Graz. The architecture and city design was outstanding. At 5:30 we headed to the gym which was a local high school.

We split into our teams played 4-5 sets per team. The team that I coached played really well together as a group and had awesome energy tonight! We won the match in 3 straight sets. Set 1 was a little tight but as we settled in and go an understanding for our opponent, we played well. This group tonight had a ton of energy and every line up we put on the court communicated well and played hard for every point.

Looking forward to the remaining days!

The Bendikt Group
By Blair Murphy

Today I was blessed enough to play in a small town called Benedikt and experienced the feel of European volleyball. We got picked up by a player from Bendikt. No American coaches from the tour traveled with us to the villas so we were on our own (with their Serbian Coach, Boban) the entire practice. We got to scrimmage but the only problem was we had no middles! It was fun for some girls to play a new position; especially Theresa (once a Libero and found a new calling!) All in all it was a wonderful time. As every day passes it feels like we are all becoming closer friends and teammates. It is amazing how close I've become people that were complete strangers to me 8 days ago!

On the Road with Bri Tolbert
by Katie Kabbes

Bri and I have spent another day here in Aachen, Germany. We woke up early this morning to make it to lift at 8:30 with the team. They lift at a local fitness center here and the trainer let Bri and I do whatever training we were used to for the time there. We jumped in on the ab circuit with the girls. After that we came back to our hotel to take a nap and hang out before practice at 3. While i was napping I got a phone call from one of the team scouts. He wanted to have coffee with Bri and I in the lobby to talk over some things. The talk went very well and he gave us a little background of the club and how they are enjoying having Americans on the team. After that we walked to a bakery (they’re literally on every corner) to grab something to snack on before practice. We then got a ride to the gym for our first practice with the team. It went really well and the trainer kicked our butt a little in the beginning with some sprints. After practice we headed back to the hotel and showered. Then I went with an American on the team to do laundry and shop a little before grabbing dinner at this banging pasta/pizza place. So far I’m really liking it here and having a great experience!

Still in Lichtenstein
by Alex Smith

Today was my first full day! I met with the head coach and went grocery shopping. I was alone for a couple of hours today and it really hit me that I'm all alone here! But the manager takes really good care of me! I worked out today with the other American setter and got to talk about everything without a coach around. I am really enjoying myself so far and enjoying the people as well. Tomorrow I plan on walking up to the castle where the prince lives to keep myself busy!!


From Switzerland
By Megan Schipper

Saturday I left for Bern, Switzerland for a tryout with the Koniz Volleyball Club. I took a train from Bergamo to Milan and then from Milan to Bern. The ride was beautiful!! We had a little miscommunication at the train station about where we were meeting but figured it out and I got to go watch a match that night. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with the 2 other Americans on the team in the open room of their apartment. They have been absolutely amazing!! After finally getting some good rest Saturday night I went into the city of Bern and explored on Sunday It's absolutely GORGEOUS!! There's a ton of shops, restaurants and malls and was a very easy trip in and back.

Today I lifted with the girls at 11:00am and that went well. They're lifting pretty heavy, but I felt comfortable jumping right in. We had a little break this afternoon then went and handed out fliers in the suburb of Koniz before dinner and practice. The first practice was a little nerve wracking but the girls were encouraging and helpful. I rolled my ankle the beginning of practice but pushed through and am hoping to practice tomorrow.

So far it's been a little difficult to maneuver a big city without knowing the language but almost everyone speaks English which helps a ton; even the players and coaches. It has been a little crazy the last few days but feel like I'm settling in and really hope the team likes me and wants me to stay. I feel very fortunate to have been given such a beautiful town to possibly live in and other great Americans who understand and are willing to help.

[BIP]

We've got a Twitter Feed going for those interested as well:
twitter.com/#!/BIP_JEET_2012

Also posted on the Homepage for the Tour:
bringitusa.com/events/JEET_2012/index.php

[BIP]

JEET Journal 2012 (Last Post)
Final Days - January 17-18-19

Day 9, January 17
By Nirelle Hampton

Today started of with a light training in the morning, then we all got ready to head to Zagreb, Croatia. When we got to Zagreb we had a few hours to sight see and grab some food before our matches that night. However, little did we know that upon entering Croatia, they no longer accept Euros; they only accept Kuna, and hardly anywhere would accept credit cards. Not to mention the exchange rate from Euro to Kuna was, I think, 5 Kuna to 1 Euro, so when we first entered the stores, we thought everything was MAD expensive. We finally figured it out so our group walked around the city for a while, just trying to find a place that would take the money we had in exchange for food! We settled for grabbing some food and other goodies at a grocery store and headed to the gym to play.

When we first walked into the gym, we got to watch the guys Croatian team finish up practice while the majority of the girls warmed up to play. Some girls weren't playing that day and decided to hang out in the bar right by the gym. After finishing playing, we all loaded up in the bus and prepared for our trek back to Slovenia. Tomorrow is our last full day, so we all decided to get a good night’s rest so we can enjoy our last day together!


Day 10, January 18
By Blair Murphy

For our last day we got to play an inter-squad match in the morning for those that wanted. It was fun to play against people we knew and have one last chance to play with new girls on the tour! Afterwards we went to the city (Maribor) to sightsee and shop. At around 4 we all met up and for a tour of a local wine cellar, Vinag, followed by a wine tasting. We learned how to properly grade the wine when tasting it. After the tasting we went and watched Nova KBM Maribor and Urbino play the second leg of their CEV Cup round (these were the same two teams we’d watched play in Urbino last Wednesday). Some of us enjoyed the bar that was attached to the gym rather than the game but regardless, it was fun. Since it was the last day a few girls, what I would consider the varsity squad of the team (me, Alex, and Marr), explored some bars and continued our drinking endeavors. We found a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and enjoyed shots of tequila... I must have liked the shots a little too much because I found two shot glasses from the restaurant in my purse this morning. As the night went on we stayed up and drank in the hotel lobby; I even drilled Tim with every question I was too scared to ask sober. Some of the girls did not go to bed and stayed up until they had to leave for the airport at about 2am. I hope everyone made their flight and didn't lose any luggage!

Editor’s Note: The tour ended with players getting in to vans to the Vienna Airport at 2:00am, 3:00am, 6:00am and 9:00am; depending on their flight times or plans. A few girls stayed in Maribor to train (praying for jobs to open up), and a few had a free day in Vienna, but the rest were either on their way home, or off to travel a bit (always a great idea). It was a messy way to end the tour, but fortunately everyone seems to have made it home safely…


The Last Day of Tour, and My Trip to Finland
By Sarah Roberts

‎18th: Today was a very long day of traveling. We started off the trip by packing into a van and heading out of the Dras center. We set of for Vienna, Austria where some of the girls were going to go sightseeing and stay the night before catching their planes home on the 19th. We were all about to doze off about 5 minutes into the trip when one of the girls shot up out and announced "We have to go back! I forgot my passport! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! I knew I was gonna do that!". So after our minor detour we headed out to Vienna. I believe we all slept most of the ride there. We arrived at the airport where the taxi driver was dropping me off to catch a flight to Rovaniemi, Finland for a tryout. After unloading my suitcase and staring blankly at several terminal maps, I finally found my check-in location. I got my boarding passes and luckily, and to my surprise, they didn't even weigh my suitcase (which was very fortunate because I probably would've been over weight!) I caught my first flight to Helsinki, Finland (the capital) and had quite a layover (about 5-6 hours). So I found a nearby cafe and they had this awesome innovation called 'Powerkiss', which is a wireless cell phone charger for any phone. All you had to do was get a USB stick for your type phone and lay the circular ring on top of one of the circular rings at the charging tables. This was very fortunate for me because my phone was almost dead, I hadn't invested in a converter, and I would be super bored all day without a way to communicate or play games! I did some Facebooking, chatting, and research about the town I was about to venture into. After a bit, I went back to my gate where I met Kaija, the 'team leader' of the club. After some brief introductions she showed me the team website and talked about some of the players, coaches, staff, etc. We boarded our flight and ended in Rovaniemi, the home of the real Santa Claus, where Kaija’s daughter Heidi and brother picked us up. They dropped me off at Saara's, 'team nurse's', house where I spent the night.

19th: We woke up early because Saara had to go to work at the local hospital and on the way she dropped me off at Pasi's house, the head coach. I met Pasi's family, including his daughter Noora who plays on the team, and then we went to morning practice. This mainly consisted of 'plyos' or 'agilities', some basic volleyball drills, and some weight lifting. After practice Noora and Jenny, one of the Outside Hitters, took me back to Saara's to shower and change, picked me back up, and took me into town. We went by the mall and I finally found a converter and we also ate some CHINESE! After that we went back to Noora's and had a light snack before team practice (and technically 'my tryout'). Our first practice went awesome! It was a lot of fun and competitive with a similar practice layout to what I experienced in college. After our practice Pasi, Saara, and Kaija took me up to the 'Santa Sport' (which is the name of the sports complex where we play, practice, and I now live) bowling alley and dining where I got a kebaberulla, or something of that sort. It was good but spicy. We talked over my contract (I made the team! Woo Woo!) and set in motion the transfer process. I finally went back to Saara's and had a good night's rest.

20th: I finally got to sleep in this morning till about 11:00am. Pasi picked me up around noon and we went to pick up my jersey and stop by Kaija's office to make sure the transfer was going appropriately (these people are on the ball!) We then went to eat and check in my room. When we finally got in my room I moved my stuff in and realized I was living in their college dormitory, so needless to say, I feel like I'm in college again. I settled in and rearranged the room so the two twin beds were now one big Queen bed and went to practice later. Practice went well and after, I went to dinner with some of the girls. We ate at the 'campus dining' which was only 2.43€ for an all you can eat buffet! It was awesome! I got to know some of the girls better and goof around with them before I headed back and passed out early (by 8!).

21st: This morning I woke up and gathered my stuff and went to serve and pass practice (where we only worked on serve receive, very similar to what we did game day on my college team) because we had a game this afternoon. After serve and pass I went to the 'campus dining' breakfast. It once again, was very delicious! I went back to my dorm room, finally found access to the internet but never could find the laundromat. So, needless to say, my knee pads are gonna be very stinky for our first game! I hung out in my dorm then went to meet in our locker room. We took a five minute walk, which I’m assuming is a pre-game tradition, and I forgot shoes other than my court shoes and flip flops! Cold Toes! We played our match and won 3-0! We all played great and I seemed to fit in right away, I don't think anyone could tell this was only the 3rd time I'd played with them! Everyone is so fun and yet so competitive so it's a great balance! Not too serious but still focused on getting a W! Afterwards, Tiina and her parents took me in and 'adopted' me for the night. We went back to their house and got to shower and use their sauna, which is a Finland must! Afterwards, we ate a delicious dinner which was similar to the American spaghetti but with no tomato sauce, just meat and seasonings (not sure what seasoning, but it was really good!), and some Latvian bread, very similar to pita bread that was also delicious! And here I am now writing this journal! The cold and snow isn't that bad, yet. I stay pretty bundled up and haven't had to venture out too far, however, I have been promised a few skiing trips!