Today, we beat the fourth seed in our league in a five-set nail-biter (21:25, 25:21, 24:26, 25:18, 15:12). The fans were totally awesome. It was an exciting match and a great way to finish off our season at home. This was an especially momentous game for my team because we hadn't won a five-setter yet this season.
This game was also very rewarding for me personally because I was finally picking up defensive balls that (before this season) used to fall inches away from my fingertips (and then torment me for a week!). Maguy has been working hard with me in practice to rewire my digging and diving (sometimes I would dive too soon, sometimes too late, and sometimes not at all - and almost always with the wrong arm). I know, I know - my poor coach, right?!?! Anyway, she somehow managed to connect a few circuits that enabled me to shine on defense tonight. Though this match wasn't my best, it was very cool to see marked improvement in my ability to dig. It felt so great to be on the floor scrapping together a play with my team. And, of course, it was totally worth it for the WIN! Yay.
Showing posts with label professional volleyball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professional volleyball. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Just Another Day in Paradise
Tonight we ventured to Paris to steal a tough four-set win (25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 21-25) against a formidable rival. It felt so great to get a W!
I also finally found my name on USAVB dot com. It doesn't really matter, but for some reason it feels super good just to see my name on the same list as some of the greatest female volleyball players in the world right now (Logan Tom, Nicole Davis, Alisha Glass - just to name a few)!
That's all for now. More later!
That's all for now. More later!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The Natural
"You've got a gift, Roy. It's not enough. A clear mind and the ability to see from the heart. That's real strength. Just pick a spot and work at it. The secret is confidence and concentration... you got them you don't need much else." - Quote taken from the movie The Natural
I've never been called a natural. Ask any one of my coaches. My athleticism has always been forced. So, while my sister Sarah was a game-winning-goal-scoring soccer star and my sister Chrissy was landing back flips on a balance beam, I was best known for being wimpy and wiry and choking under pressure.
Coaches never recognized me for having natural talent or a gift - not once - and for good reason. Ha! In my youth, I saw this as a setback, but looking back now I've realized that this mindset really helped me. I remember one time, after missing a wide-open game-changing shot, my dad took me out to a soccer field to practice my aim. I didn't go on to score many goals after that, but this evening did teach me a valuable lesson: "just pick a spot and work at it"
Being programmed from a very early age to believe that success was not going to come as easily to me as it did to others gave me the quiet confidence I needed to tryout for the Bella Vista high school volleyball team (despite my dad telling me "Amy, there's no way you're going to make the Bella Vista volleyball team!" Haha... he was almost right!). I barely squeaked by with the last spot on the JV roster. Bella Vista drew from a pretty strong pool of girls who were already playing club, so once I made the team my mission was clear: try, fail, repeat.
For the four years that I played at BV and the two years that I played club (at Orangevale and Twin Rivers) my parents were a constant source of support. They drove me all over Northern California to games and tournaments. They shelled out copious amounts of hard-earned cash for club fees. They gave me pep-talks and cheered me on from the stands. They did all this probably not even realizing how desperately I needed it... Blah blah blah - I was a HUGE nerd with no friends who ate lunch alone in a bathroom stall - wah wah. I digress! The point is - I never expected volleyball to come naturally, but instead relied on a sticktoitiveness (which stemmed from my parents' steady support) to fuel every single inch of my progress in this sport.
Moral of the story? Natural or not, having great parents is helpful. And if you aren't talented don't worry about it because hard work works! :)
Saturday, March 8, 2014
French Milestone #3
This evening I celebrated International Day of the Woman with a whole stadium at the Tours vs. Sète professional men's volleyball game. A few guys from my men's regional team were seated up in the stands together like a good volleyball mafia family, so we watched together as TVB won handily.
We caught the tram back to Saint-Cyr and bantered the whole way. Now, granted, #1 these guys are joksters (most of the time they're laughing anyway because they'll laugh at almost anything), #2 they are accustomed to my accent and humoring me, and #3 it isn't always easy to differentiate whether they are laughing at me or with me, but - audience aside - I'm pretty sure I was on fire tonight. I made a couple of well-timed zingers that genuinely made this whole group of native french guys laugh out loud. Ahhhh - felt so good! Group laughter is a new high for me - so I thought I'd share! :)
We caught the tram back to Saint-Cyr and bantered the whole way. Now, granted, #1 these guys are joksters (most of the time they're laughing anyway because they'll laugh at almost anything), #2 they are accustomed to my accent and humoring me, and #3 it isn't always easy to differentiate whether they are laughing at me or with me, but - audience aside - I'm pretty sure I was on fire tonight. I made a couple of well-timed zingers that genuinely made this whole group of native french guys laugh out loud. Ahhhh - felt so good! Group laughter is a new high for me - so I thought I'd share! :)
Alright, that's all for now. More later!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Footage is Fun!
Oh my goodness! I finally get to share some rare footage of me in the wild! Haha... Billy took this video during our game against Rennes Etudiants Club on Feburary 9th. Rennes is the capital of Brittany (far northwest France) and Tours is the capital of Pays de la Loire (central northwest France), so it's kinda like a regional rivalry... This team is so fun to play against because, even though they aren't very tall, they are dynamic and energetic and go after every ball. Here are a few clips Billy caught from our match against them:
I'm jersey #11 and wearing a white headband.
Our next official match is away on March 23rd against Vie au Grand Air de St Maur (a suburb outside of Paris). Hopefully by then my ankles (yes - still sore!) will feel better and I'll be jump serving again.
Here is a link to our standings if you're interested:
http://www.ffvbbeach.org/ffvbapp/resu/seniors/2013-2014/index_2fd.htm
We are Reveil Sportif de Saint-Cyr.
It's really hard to believe we only have five matches left... to WIN! :)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
The French National Team
The husband of my coach
is the Head Coach of the National-Championship-winning professional men’s team in Tours and also Head Coach of the Female French National team (who has been
practicing here this week to prepare for their World Championship qualification
matches against Bulgaria, Croatia, and the Netherlands). So, I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday watching
the women’s French National team trainings that have been open to the public at
the Palais des Sports in downtown Tours. These ladies totally rock and inspire me by the way they play the
game. Their power and speed is just astounding! They don’t make mistakes. Here is me with my two favorite powerhouse players, both outside
hitters:
 |
| These girls make the ball go BEAM! |
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Disney Was Right... It's A Small World!
Yesterday, I was walking down the wrong aisle in the grocery store looking for bar soap and some people passed by casually speaking English. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around as quickly as I could and just shouted at them "Are you American?!?" like any sane, but slightly lonely and desperate person might. The couple was Canadian. Oops? They were collecting a lost-luggage-esque assortment of items along with an American woman who lives here in Tours. When I told her I was here playing volleyball, she told me that she met Kelli Smith (THE marathon winning, ass-kicking wife of TVB star middle blocker David Smith) at this very same supermarket under the exact same circumstances (ie totally randomly). It's a small world after all ...and it was about to get even smaller. After chatting for barely five minutes we discovered that we were both invited to the same Thanksgiving dinner. What?!? After we picked up the parts of our exploded heads, we said our goodbyes and I found the bar soap at the end of the aerosol deodorant aisle.
I hope you are all looking forward to Thanksgiving. I know I am! :)
I hope you are all looking forward to Thanksgiving. I know I am! :)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Stumble the Mumble
We kicked off this month with a three game winning streak, chased immediately by a three game losing streak. Our best game yet was against Rennes away, where we won in four close sets (14-25, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25). We're currently sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack (6th out of 10 teams in our league). The ambiance at practices, however, is far from comfortable... Me and my teammates and Maguy are all pushing each other harder than ever to keep moving together in the right direction.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my double days where I workout in the morning and then practice in the evening. Some days are harder than others! On a clear Tuesday morning, I ride to the Saint-Avertin Amazonia to tag team the gym equipment with a teammate who works out there on her break from work. On days where the weather is begging me to stay in my warm bed, I end up peeking out the garage door from underneath a pile of wool and three water resistant jackets. Then, post self-pep-talk, I brave a cold and wet commute (I like to think of it as a refreshing ice cold shower - ha!) to Amazonia Saint-Cyr.
Amazonia is one of our generous sponsors. It is an amazing gym with locations all over the greater Tours area. From my house, there is one location walking/jogging distance (Saint-Cyr) and two other locations cycling distance (Saint-Avertin and Joué-lès-Tours). They have all your basic cardio machines (elliptical, stair master, treadmill, stationary bikes) and all the standard workout equipment (weights for every major muscle group and a workout studio with yoga mats).
One funny thing... All the cardio machines have audio outlets for streaming TV and internet. However, the first time I saw this compartment flap cover - I'm not going to lie - I checked to see if wasn't an ashtray. Nop - plugs for ear buds - Phew! :)
Even more beloved than cigarettes to the French, though, is coffee. And I believe I've already mentioned how much people appreciate snacks here, right? Well, Amazonia wins the Best-Snack-Bar-at-a-Gym Award. Hands down. They offer an unlimited coffee and tea bar and yummy apples free for the taking! So, when I can't motivate myself to go workout, the cappuccino gets me through the door every time. Haha!
Anyway... Ah yes, the title of this post... I saw this quote on facebook the other day - no idea who said it - "Sometimes before you can walk the talk you stumble the mumble." This reminded me of another quote from Picasso who said something like "I'm always doing what I can't do, that's how I get to do it." And THAT is exactly how I feel about working hard. It can be a lot of two steps forward, one step back, but as long as you can stay the course, you reap the rewards!
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my double days where I workout in the morning and then practice in the evening. Some days are harder than others! On a clear Tuesday morning, I ride to the Saint-Avertin Amazonia to tag team the gym equipment with a teammate who works out there on her break from work. On days where the weather is begging me to stay in my warm bed, I end up peeking out the garage door from underneath a pile of wool and three water resistant jackets. Then, post self-pep-talk, I brave a cold and wet commute (I like to think of it as a refreshing ice cold shower - ha!) to Amazonia Saint-Cyr.
One funny thing... All the cardio machines have audio outlets for streaming TV and internet. However, the first time I saw this compartment flap cover - I'm not going to lie - I checked to see if wasn't an ashtray. Nop - plugs for ear buds - Phew! :)
Even more beloved than cigarettes to the French, though, is coffee. And I believe I've already mentioned how much people appreciate snacks here, right? Well, Amazonia wins the Best-Snack-Bar-at-a-Gym Award. Hands down. They offer an unlimited coffee and tea bar and yummy apples free for the taking! So, when I can't motivate myself to go workout, the cappuccino gets me through the door every time. Haha!
Anyway... Ah yes, the title of this post... I saw this quote on facebook the other day - no idea who said it - "Sometimes before you can walk the talk you stumble the mumble." This reminded me of another quote from Picasso who said something like "I'm always doing what I can't do, that's how I get to do it." And THAT is exactly how I feel about working hard. It can be a lot of two steps forward, one step back, but as long as you can stay the course, you reap the rewards!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Getting Better!
Yep! This is pretty much how I feel about my game right now!
I am so thankful to be here improving my game with such an amazing group of people. My coach is so incredible. My team is - day by day - making me a better volleyball player, and I hope that by the end of this year they can say that I did the same for them. Oh man - good things are happening! Every practice is getting a little bit better! Getting so much better all the time! :)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Bordeaux!
At 10:30 AM Sunday morning
the whole team piled into a nine-person van to make our 4PM match against team
AMAZON (I mean, Bordeaux Merignac). This team
came down from National 1 at the end of last season and has been dominating National 2 with their scrappy
defense and ferocious offense ever since.
Unfortunately for our record, the road trip was the highlight of the day. The freeways here are fast,
direct, and cost a fortune. The gas was
110 euros, and the tolls totaled 150 euros!
OUCH! Coach Maguy said if you
aren’t pressed for time the national routes here are beautiful *free* back roads
that wind through the countryside and tiny town centers (a great way to see
the French way of life up close).
Bordeaux was unlike any
wine country I’ve ever seen... Lush
vines extended from the freeway in their uniform lines for as far as the eye
could see in every direction. Vineyards
weren’t nestled in a valley, or shelved along steep, rocky cliffs. They just stretched on and on and on forever. Rows of trees and solitary farm houses
spotted the landscape and spurred deep conversations about food, farming, and
the environment.
You will never believe
this, but it turns out that on this three hour car ride, I happened to be
sitting next to a girl on the team who has also been to Madagascar! Oh, we went on and on, sharing with Maguy all
the coolest things about Mada. Since Maguy spent most of her life in Brazil, she could relate to a lot
of the eating habits that characterize that latitude (ie tons of rice, a
million different types of bananas, and avocados for dessert). Mmmmm…
I often forget that Madagascar
is where I first developed a respect for food.
Despite annual family outings to Apple Hill and my mom’s lifelong
gardening and fearless foraging habits, before studying abroad in Madagascar in my mind food primarily existed prepared, packaged, and priced on a shelf, in an aisle, in a huge
air-conditioned building with slick floors and friendly employees. Madagascar is where I finally realized that
even the ingredients for pop tarts are planted, grown, and harvested, before
being shook up in a test tube, squirted out a mechanical arm and zipped up in a
rectangular foil wrapper. Haha!
That reminds me of a great bit from Jerry Seinfeld on pop-tarts:
Pop-Tarts aside, it’s really rare to meet someone else who has
been to Madagascar! It was so nice being reminded of the year I spent learning, eating, and experiencing life there while studying abroad. So many names, faces, moments, and meals flooded back into my memory; devouring banana
and nutella sandwiches around a campfire; meditatively chatting while peeling
apples and oranges; snacking on boiled manioc doused in sweetened condensed
milk; harvesting, de-husking, sorting, washing, and cooking huge pots of white,
red, brown, and black rice; savoring samosas and skewers of beef with lemony
hot sauce; and washing everything down with THB (Three Horses Beer)... It made me want to go back so bad!
To put it lightly, the game we played once we arrived in Bordeaux left something to be desired... Enough said. Bordeaux Merignac provided post-match pâté and crêpes (YUM!) and on the ride home we chowed down on a yogurt and nutella cake that our setter baked and my dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies (which arrived in the mail this week!). Even though all of us were stuffed from the snacks, the club paid for a pit-stop. We sat inside a gas station dining area and supped on delicious (by American standards) microwaveable pasta boxes. Outside the sun set on distant forests and farms in hues of highlighter yellow, orange, and pink behind wide blankets of dark purple clouds.
To put it lightly, the game we played once we arrived in Bordeaux left something to be desired... Enough said. Bordeaux Merignac provided post-match pâté and crêpes (YUM!) and on the ride home we chowed down on a yogurt and nutella cake that our setter baked and my dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies (which arrived in the mail this week!). Even though all of us were stuffed from the snacks, the club paid for a pit-stop. We sat inside a gas station dining area and supped on delicious (by American standards) microwaveable pasta boxes. Outside the sun set on distant forests and farms in hues of highlighter yellow, orange, and pink behind wide blankets of dark purple clouds.
We made it home by
10:30 PM. My head hit the pillow hard,
gears still turning over missed serves and bad plays from earlier that
night. Alas! Sunday nights remind me to
look forward to a sit in the sauna and swimming, and a week of hard work for our next match.
That’s all for now. More later!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
We won!
Our first home match was a smashing success. We beat Landaise in three straight sets (26-24, 25-21, 25-22). I was so nervous! The team did some really great things.
After the game both teams stayed and hung out in the team room. We drank and ate (I had been waiting all day to eat bread, so I went a little overboard on the baguette and brie). Ha! It was especially delicious after such sweet success!
Tough week of training ahead... That's all for now. More later!
After the game both teams stayed and hung out in the team room. We drank and ate (I had been waiting all day to eat bread, so I went a little overboard on the baguette and brie). Ha! It was especially delicious after such sweet success!
Tough week of training ahead... That's all for now. More later!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
I Need a Miracle
Riding back from my second weight lifting seance with a team mate, this song was stuck in my head...
Mostly because it was the last song playing at the gym before we left, but also because it's really how I feel about how much better I want to be at volleyball. I need a miracle! Ahahah...
After our tournament Saturday (we won six straight sets!), it's clear that I need to work on front row defense, defending the tip, and serve-receive passing! Maggie helped me with two concepts: 1. serving between players (making them move and make decisions) and 2. speeding up my arm swing when my timing and the set are right. "BEAM!" she said. Haha!
I'm really excited to work hard at practice tonight... That's all for now. More later!
Mostly because it was the last song playing at the gym before we left, but also because it's really how I feel about how much better I want to be at volleyball. I need a miracle! Ahahah...
After our tournament Saturday (we won six straight sets!), it's clear that I need to work on front row defense, defending the tip, and serve-receive passing! Maggie helped me with two concepts: 1. serving between players (making them move and make decisions) and 2. speeding up my arm swing when my timing and the set are right. "BEAM!" she said. Haha!
I'm really excited to work hard at practice tonight... That's all for now. More later!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Meeting Louis CK, Apologies, Corrections...
Last night the team practiced with two new girls. Very exciting. Still lots of work to do... Also moved into my own place last night! This morning I woke up in my own bed in my own room!
I had a super vivid dream about meeting Louis CK:
Sarah and Meghan and I were pouring off a bus along with a whole lot of other people. We were walking up a Bay Bridge highway on ramp when I noticed Louis CK just laying back on the asphalt. I stopped dead in my tracks (inconveniencing a bunch of people who had to then step around us) and said "Oh my God, Louie!!!! ...or is it Louis?? Haha... I don't know, but it's you! Louis CK!" I awkwardly bent over and gave him a weirdly forced hug while he was laying there and couldn't really go anywhere or hug me back. Ha! I don't remember much more except that (once he stood up) I got to tell him that I thought his best joke was the "Noggin" joke and then I woke up and, to no avail, tried to go right to sleep in the same position so that I could go back to the dream and bask in the light of his greatness...
Louis CK is one of my heroes for a few reasons:
1. The arch of his career proves that hard work works
2. Female ally in comedy (He seriously is...)
3. Thinks for himself and owns how he interacts with his audience
4. Makes his work cheap and accessible online
5. Shameless, Hilarious, Chewed Up, Oh My God, just to name a few...
When I get back to the States I want to meet him super bad. Just putting that out there, Universe... :)
Back to France. I'm all set up with a bed, hot water, laundry, electricity, a fast and free internet connection, and unlimited use of the world's smallest kitchen. Ha!
This morning I set out to buy some necessities like shampoo, toothpaste, sponges, dish soap, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, etc. And now I must apologize and take back something I wrote in previous posts here and here because I found French Farmer's Market MECCA in Les Halles (a cute corner of town just a few bus stops over the bridge from my new home!). I seriously almost passed out when I saw it - I was so excited!!! Just Oh! like a kilometer squared of beautiful farm fresh fruits and veggies, local eggs, vinegars, oils, cheeses, fish, meats, every French food your heart could desire. So, I'm sorry I was quick to judge you, Tours, because your farmer's markets are insanely cool. :)
Tonight is my first practice coaching the men's regional team here. So, at 8pm about 15 adult men who only speak French are going to be staring at me and listening to me (haha - hopefully!). Here goes nothing!
I had a super vivid dream about meeting Louis CK:
Sarah and Meghan and I were pouring off a bus along with a whole lot of other people. We were walking up a Bay Bridge highway on ramp when I noticed Louis CK just laying back on the asphalt. I stopped dead in my tracks (inconveniencing a bunch of people who had to then step around us) and said "Oh my God, Louie!!!! ...or is it Louis?? Haha... I don't know, but it's you! Louis CK!" I awkwardly bent over and gave him a weirdly forced hug while he was laying there and couldn't really go anywhere or hug me back. Ha! I don't remember much more except that (once he stood up) I got to tell him that I thought his best joke was the "Noggin" joke and then I woke up and, to no avail, tried to go right to sleep in the same position so that I could go back to the dream and bask in the light of his greatness...
Louis CK is one of my heroes for a few reasons:
1. The arch of his career proves that hard work works
2. Female ally in comedy (He seriously is...)
3. Thinks for himself and owns how he interacts with his audience
4. Makes his work cheap and accessible online
5. Shameless, Hilarious, Chewed Up, Oh My God, just to name a few...
When I get back to the States I want to meet him super bad. Just putting that out there, Universe... :)
Back to France. I'm all set up with a bed, hot water, laundry, electricity, a fast and free internet connection, and unlimited use of the world's smallest kitchen. Ha!
This morning I set out to buy some necessities like shampoo, toothpaste, sponges, dish soap, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, etc. And now I must apologize and take back something I wrote in previous posts here and here because I found French Farmer's Market MECCA in Les Halles (a cute corner of town just a few bus stops over the bridge from my new home!). I seriously almost passed out when I saw it - I was so excited!!! Just Oh! like a kilometer squared of beautiful farm fresh fruits and veggies, local eggs, vinegars, oils, cheeses, fish, meats, every French food your heart could desire. So, I'm sorry I was quick to judge you, Tours, because your farmer's markets are insanely cool. :)
Tonight is my first practice coaching the men's regional team here. So, at 8pm about 15 adult men who only speak French are going to be staring at me and listening to me (haha - hopefully!). Here goes nothing!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Ohhhhhhhhh My Hoofers!
Just FYI - I'm watching Scoobie Doo in French right now and IT. IS. AWESOME.
After walking everywhere so much this week in my flip flops, last night the right side of my foot started to throb. I should've thrown an ice pack on it right away, but instead I shrugged it off and decided a night of rest will probably do enough good for it to feel better in the morning... WRONG! How many times do I have to learn this lesson?!?!? When it hurts, put an ice pack on it! It makes me want a version of this Portlandia skit for injured athletes:
Ahahaha... PUT. AN. ICE. PACK. ON. IT.
Today, the President accompanied me to see my dream apartment, I finally got my FIVB international transfer number, and started my temporary long-stay visa paperwork for France. All this bureaucratic bull on top of my nagging foot pain kinda put a kink in my outlook on the day. So, while Laurent made lunch, I blasted some of my favorite music: King Crimson's Walking On Air, Erik Satie's Je Te Veux, Simon and Garfunkle's Greatest Hits, and this Bell Chant.
The music sparked a deep conversation about the incredible life of Laurent Cahu. We ate and talked. He's been really great about opening up his home and sharing everything with me... He's also been a very patient French teacher at every opportunity he gets. He takes the time to explain expressions and words to me - for example, well, every bad word in the French language, slang for "cops", the word "mothballs", etc. Ahaha! :)
I can't say my foot or my mood had fully recovered by the time we rolled up to the gym, HOWEVER, by the time I laced up my shoes, every thought from my day just completely faded away into team thoughts. Volleyball practice has a way of quieting the mind that I just love so much... Once that ball is in the air, the team is all that matters... A lot of the credit for this feeling goes to the coach of course. She's doing a really good job setting the tone, working us out, and starting to get us to think as one. Oh man, just typing this gives me such a good feeling! Love my team!! Love this sport!!
The Head Coach gave me a lift back to Laurent's place. It was a real privilege getting a chance to talk to her. She told me her volleyball history (she's my hero) and I told her about how much I love hot yoga. She said that if you buy the TGV tickets for Tours-Paris far enough in advance it can be as cheap as 20 euros!!!! I said, "GET OUT!" I'm stoked... This means that I can go practice bikram in Paris - maybe as often as once a month. This is great news! Can't wait!
Opening the door to the house was like walking into a scene from Ratatouille - ha! - Laurent had cooked up a specialty of his, a very meaty sausage and vegetable stew. So, I made an exception and tasted it. Delicious! This is the first pork I've had since May! I sauteed some zucchini on the side and ate while icing my foot and then almost fell asleep on the couch. So beat!! Bed now.
More later!
After walking everywhere so much this week in my flip flops, last night the right side of my foot started to throb. I should've thrown an ice pack on it right away, but instead I shrugged it off and decided a night of rest will probably do enough good for it to feel better in the morning... WRONG! How many times do I have to learn this lesson?!?!? When it hurts, put an ice pack on it! It makes me want a version of this Portlandia skit for injured athletes:
Ahahaha... PUT. AN. ICE. PACK. ON. IT.
Today, the President accompanied me to see my dream apartment, I finally got my FIVB international transfer number, and started my temporary long-stay visa paperwork for France. All this bureaucratic bull on top of my nagging foot pain kinda put a kink in my outlook on the day. So, while Laurent made lunch, I blasted some of my favorite music: King Crimson's Walking On Air, Erik Satie's Je Te Veux, Simon and Garfunkle's Greatest Hits, and this Bell Chant.
The music sparked a deep conversation about the incredible life of Laurent Cahu. We ate and talked. He's been really great about opening up his home and sharing everything with me... He's also been a very patient French teacher at every opportunity he gets. He takes the time to explain expressions and words to me - for example, well, every bad word in the French language, slang for "cops", the word "mothballs", etc. Ahaha! :)
I can't say my foot or my mood had fully recovered by the time we rolled up to the gym, HOWEVER, by the time I laced up my shoes, every thought from my day just completely faded away into team thoughts. Volleyball practice has a way of quieting the mind that I just love so much... Once that ball is in the air, the team is all that matters... A lot of the credit for this feeling goes to the coach of course. She's doing a really good job setting the tone, working us out, and starting to get us to think as one. Oh man, just typing this gives me such a good feeling! Love my team!! Love this sport!!
The Head Coach gave me a lift back to Laurent's place. It was a real privilege getting a chance to talk to her. She told me her volleyball history (she's my hero) and I told her about how much I love hot yoga. She said that if you buy the TGV tickets for Tours-Paris far enough in advance it can be as cheap as 20 euros!!!! I said, "GET OUT!" I'm stoked... This means that I can go practice bikram in Paris - maybe as often as once a month. This is great news! Can't wait!
Opening the door to the house was like walking into a scene from Ratatouille - ha! - Laurent had cooked up a specialty of his, a very meaty sausage and vegetable stew. So, I made an exception and tasted it. Delicious! This is the first pork I've had since May! I sauteed some zucchini on the side and ate while icing my foot and then almost fell asleep on the couch. So beat!! Bed now.
More later!
Our Schedule!
Here it is:
http://www.ffvbbeach.org/ffvbapp/resu/seniors/2013-2014/index_2fd.htm
We're Reveil Sportif de Saint-Cyr! Yay!
http://www.ffvbbeach.org/ffvbapp/resu/seniors/2013-2014/index_2fd.htm
We're Reveil Sportif de Saint-Cyr! Yay!
... But Who's Keeping Score?
I'll admit I've got a reputation for keeping the wrong score in my own favor at home. Some people [ahem/ahem/Billy/achoo/Gesundheit] call it "cheating". I simply call it keeping score.
Anyway, I've been keeping this score sheet in my head since I got here. I hope this doesn't make me seem ungrateful, because I really have been enjoying every single minute here... Just - part of that is keeping score, that's all...
So, it's a dead tie right now 9 to 9 (including the nails salons and poodle poop), but who's keeping score? :)
Anyway, I've been keeping this score sheet in my head since I got here. I hope this doesn't make me seem ungrateful, because I really have been enjoying every single minute here... Just - part of that is keeping score, that's all...
| Bay Area | Tours | |
| bikram yoga | 1 | 0 |
| cappuccino* | 1 | 0 |
| coffee | 1 | 1 |
| wifi on train | 1 | 0 |
| diversity | 1 | 0 |
| farmer's markets | 1 | 0 |
| professional volleyball team | 0 | 1 |
| affordable organic food | 0 | 1 |
| dog shit everywhere** | 0 | 1 |
| easy public transportation*** | 0 | 1 |
| bike routes | 0 | 1 |
| nail salons**** | 1 | 0 |
| yoga studios | 1 | 0 |
| food | 1 | 1 |
| volleyball fans | 0 | 1 |
| affordable housing | 0 | 1 |
| total | 9 | 9 |
* France does NOT GET the cappuccino. When I get a camera, I plan on devoting an entire series of blog posts to the hilarity that they call cappuccino here. When asked about it, they will say - that is the french cappuccino. It is sad. Italy needs to start a "Save Good Coffee From Becoming A Bad French Cappuccino" campaign ASAP.
** Dog shit. Ahhhh, France! La merde everywhere. Nothing against dogs (obviously, le petit chien can't do anything about his/her bodily needs), but dog owners leave their dogs' shit just lying around everywhere: sidewalks, streets, pathways in parks, you name it! It is part of DAILY life here stepping in dog doo doo.
*** Sorry, BART, it's not that you're not easy, it's just that you don't connect to any major transportation routes easily from MY house. The train/bus stations here are in the center of town. Everything revolves around them... BART, I love you, but you've still got a long way to go (literally).
**** I wouldn't have even noticed this three years ago and I'm not saying this is a good thing, but there are 20 nail salons on Park Street alone. There are ZERO here. Like, none. I haven't seen one.
So, it's a dead tie right now 9 to 9 (including the nails salons and poodle poop), but who's keeping score? :)
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Good Finds and First Official Practice
Today, I set out on foot again, this time really determined to find this farmer's market and post my personal chef flyers around Tours.
2. Farmer's market - one farmer! That's right. The farmer's market was comprised of one farmer. I bought six apricots, four carrots, two lemons, two gigantic summer squash (one green, one yellow), and a bunch of chard (which would spend the rest of the afternoon wilting in my bag unfortunately) - all for just five euros!!!! We spent a while talking and he told about his family (his wife and daughter) and how he grows his produce. Really beautiful stuff. I gave him one of my personal chef flyers. He said his wife works on the radio and that he can pass that along to her. Woohoo!
3. Bike shop - I tried out a bike that was only 93 euros, but it was too small for me and the handle bars were all whack. Everyone likes to ride upright here... Bleh! In one shop I met a guy from Poland (whose household employs a personal chef from Thailand!!)... He works as a specialist in the whisky and spirits industry. He's in Tours learning French and researching the wine industry. Not a bad lead... I gave him a flyer!
4. APARTMENT! There is a really, really perfect apartment for rent in Les Halles (an amazing area on the perimeter of downtown Tours) that I checked out today. The manager showed me around and it really seems like exactly what I need (except that there's no bedding, cookware, laundry, etc., hmmm...)
I returned home triumphant today. After a week here, I finally feel like I'm organizing my life and settling into France in my own lazy-American-accent-driven sorta way. :)
I went shopping to the little organic market and got home at around 4pm ready to cook! On the menu today? Quinoa with almonds and raisins, sauteed salt and pepper carrots, and roasted garlic and rosemary summer squash (in hindsight, I'll admit I should've roasted the carrots and sauteed the squash...). I guess they have a convection oven here, so it cooked the shit outta that squash in twenty minutes flat! We didn't eat until after practice (11pm-ish) anyway, so I planned on blaming any faults on the microwave... Hehe!
Tonight, was our first practice with the entire team. There were ten girls in all. Maggy sat us down all together. We introduced ourselves and listened to her philosophy. Looking around, it felt like a team we can invest in and be proud of! If we miss a practice, the girls agreed, we have to bring snacks for the entire team (Isn't that awesome?!?! I love them!). I have been tasked with coming up with a pre- and post-practice cheer for our team - OH MY GOD THE PRESSURE!!!! Anyway, we had a hard practice (a lot of running and passing and jumping). I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow and I can't even imagine how the other girls must be feeling right now... Ey!
Here are a couple of fun words I've encountered recently and their meanings:
piquer - to sting/to be spicy hot (like food)
grignoter - to snack
clignoter - to blink
une cloque - a blister
la sueur - sweat
respirer - to breathe
transpirer - to sweat
s'égoutter - to drip
pleuvoir - to rain
la tonnerre - thunder
le coup de foudre - lightning
...and YAY, yoga tomorrow, so I'm quick studying body parts vocab - you had it coming! ;)
to stretch - s'étendre
head - la tête
back - le dos
neck - le cou
chest - la poitrine
shoulder - l'épaule
shoulder blade - l'omoplate
arm - le bras
armpit - l'aiselle
elbow - le coude
wrist - le poignet
hand - la main
finger - la doigt
stomach - le ventre
belly button - le nombril
hip - les hanches
leg - la jambe
knee - le genou
calf - le mollet
ankle - la cheville
foot - le pied
arch - la voute plantaire
heel - le talon
That's all I can think of for now! More later!
Good finds:
1. Simply - grocery store right on the bus line where I know I can buy Nutella, the coffee capsules I've been using non-stop at the house, and also price out shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste against the organic brands here.2. Farmer's market - one farmer! That's right. The farmer's market was comprised of one farmer. I bought six apricots, four carrots, two lemons, two gigantic summer squash (one green, one yellow), and a bunch of chard (which would spend the rest of the afternoon wilting in my bag unfortunately) - all for just five euros!!!! We spent a while talking and he told about his family (his wife and daughter) and how he grows his produce. Really beautiful stuff. I gave him one of my personal chef flyers. He said his wife works on the radio and that he can pass that along to her. Woohoo!
3. Bike shop - I tried out a bike that was only 93 euros, but it was too small for me and the handle bars were all whack. Everyone likes to ride upright here... Bleh! In one shop I met a guy from Poland (whose household employs a personal chef from Thailand!!)... He works as a specialist in the whisky and spirits industry. He's in Tours learning French and researching the wine industry. Not a bad lead... I gave him a flyer!
4. APARTMENT! There is a really, really perfect apartment for rent in Les Halles (an amazing area on the perimeter of downtown Tours) that I checked out today. The manager showed me around and it really seems like exactly what I need (except that there's no bedding, cookware, laundry, etc., hmmm...)
I returned home triumphant today. After a week here, I finally feel like I'm organizing my life and settling into France in my own lazy-American-accent-driven sorta way. :)
I went shopping to the little organic market and got home at around 4pm ready to cook! On the menu today? Quinoa with almonds and raisins, sauteed salt and pepper carrots, and roasted garlic and rosemary summer squash (in hindsight, I'll admit I should've roasted the carrots and sauteed the squash...). I guess they have a convection oven here, so it cooked the shit outta that squash in twenty minutes flat! We didn't eat until after practice (11pm-ish) anyway, so I planned on blaming any faults on the microwave... Hehe!
Tonight, was our first practice with the entire team. There were ten girls in all. Maggy sat us down all together. We introduced ourselves and listened to her philosophy. Looking around, it felt like a team we can invest in and be proud of! If we miss a practice, the girls agreed, we have to bring snacks for the entire team (Isn't that awesome?!?! I love them!). I have been tasked with coming up with a pre- and post-practice cheer for our team - OH MY GOD THE PRESSURE!!!! Anyway, we had a hard practice (a lot of running and passing and jumping). I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow and I can't even imagine how the other girls must be feeling right now... Ey!
Here are a couple of fun words I've encountered recently and their meanings:
piquer - to sting/to be spicy hot (like food)
grignoter - to snack
clignoter - to blink
une cloque - a blister
la sueur - sweat
respirer - to breathe
transpirer - to sweat
s'égoutter - to drip
pleuvoir - to rain
la tonnerre - thunder
le coup de foudre - lightning
...and YAY, yoga tomorrow, so I'm quick studying body parts vocab - you had it coming! ;)
to stretch - s'étendre
head - la tête
back - le dos
neck - le cou
chest - la poitrine
shoulder - l'épaule
shoulder blade - l'omoplate
arm - le bras
armpit - l'aiselle
elbow - le coude
wrist - le poignet
hand - la main
finger - la doigt
stomach - le ventre
belly button - le nombril
hip - les hanches
leg - la jambe
knee - le genou
calf - le mollet
ankle - la cheville
foot - le pied
arch - la voute plantaire
heel - le talon
That's all I can think of for now! More later!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
First Practice
Welp! After our first practice, it's clear that our Head Coach has her work cut out for her.
For two solid hours straight we focused on getting in quality touches. Coach said no jumping at this practice, which reminded me of some good advice Naoto gave me when I was going to try out for the dream team in 2012 - "stay grounded". :) I didn't jump once! Haha! Oh, and my serving looked a lot better today (thanks to Coach's focus points)! For a lot of reasons (but mostly to protect the privacy of my coach and teammates) I don't want to write too much here... Coach stopped us about fifteen minutes early to do partner stretching and massages. A great way to end the team's first week back! So far, I feel great about the team, the work, and the community. Everyone is really really nice and hard working! Possibly my favorite combination!!
net - le filet
court - le terrain
team - l'équipe
coach - l'entraineur
game - le match
practice - l'entrainement
serve - le service
to pass - balancer
to set - passer
setter - passeur/passeuse
to hit - attaquer
hitter - attaqueur
to block - bloquer
to go block - aller au bloque
to dive - plonger
to jump - sauter
in - dedans
out - dehors
short - court
deep - long
mine - laisse
sorry - désolée
good play - bien joué
Linguistically, I'm following most of what is said around me, but when I try to chime in, all I do is joke and my vocabulary and grammar is all wrong, so I'm getting a lot of blank stares - which I'm kinda used to anyway - Haha! I'm gonna keep at it... Right now, I'm just reading everything I can get my hands on and enjoying my silence. I've always envied introverts - so I'm mimicking a little bit of that and trying to observe and listen more: skills I've been wanting to hone more for about as long as I can remember! :)
There are still some players on vacation, so we won't have the whole team until our next practice on Tuesday night. We have private meetings with the Head Coach (Maggy Paes - yes, she's a badass - google her!) on Monday.
More later!
For two solid hours straight we focused on getting in quality touches. Coach said no jumping at this practice, which reminded me of some good advice Naoto gave me when I was going to try out for the dream team in 2012 - "stay grounded". :) I didn't jump once! Haha! Oh, and my serving looked a lot better today (thanks to Coach's focus points)! For a lot of reasons (but mostly to protect the privacy of my coach and teammates) I don't want to write too much here... Coach stopped us about fifteen minutes early to do partner stretching and massages. A great way to end the team's first week back! So far, I feel great about the team, the work, and the community. Everyone is really really nice and hard working! Possibly my favorite combination!!
Vocabulaire du Volley Ball
ball - le ballonnet - le filet
court - le terrain
team - l'équipe
coach - l'entraineur
game - le match
practice - l'entrainement
serve - le service
to pass - balancer
to set - passer
setter - passeur/passeuse
to hit - attaquer
hitter - attaqueur
to block - bloquer
to go block - aller au bloque
to dive - plonger
to jump - sauter
in - dedans
out - dehors
short - court
deep - long
mine - laisse
sorry - désolée
good play - bien joué
Linguistically, I'm following most of what is said around me, but when I try to chime in, all I do is joke and my vocabulary and grammar is all wrong, so I'm getting a lot of blank stares - which I'm kinda used to anyway - Haha! I'm gonna keep at it... Right now, I'm just reading everything I can get my hands on and enjoying my silence. I've always envied introverts - so I'm mimicking a little bit of that and trying to observe and listen more: skills I've been wanting to hone more for about as long as I can remember! :)
There are still some players on vacation, so we won't have the whole team until our next practice on Tuesday night. We have private meetings with the Head Coach (Maggy Paes - yes, she's a badass - google her!) on Monday.
More later!
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