January 2010

Annabelle is in Colorado trying to figure out what to do with her life. Any suggestions are welcome and any job offers as well :) I am working part time at an investment company and taking classes for nursing school. I have town home and a little adorable puppy.

Willnett Crockett in Latvia

December 6, 2008

Hey, Hey, Hey....It's Willnett aka Will coming through to say hi by way of Cesis, Latvia. For those of you who don't know, (which probably is 99.9% of you) Latvia is a country right next to Russia. Unlike some of my other teammates, I have had the opportunity to experience life in Latvia for a year and a half now. Most people tend to move on to different countries, (JessMo! I miss you...come back loser!) but no, no, no, not I. I was asked to come back, and how could I have said no? I mean, come on now, the weather here brings back such fond memories of good 'ol CT my freshman year! (If you know anything about CT winters, then you know what I am looking like right now!)

All jokes aside, life overseas has most definitely been a learning experience for me. I can truthfully say I have grown in more ways than one. Not only on the floor, but off the court as well. I believe it has to do with the fact that being overseas I tend to find more time to just be to myself, talk to God, think about where I am, where I am going, and most important, what I am going to eat the next day! lol. I know, I know, that's so fat of me to think of food, but it's been a very long period of time since I've seen things I'm used to and I don't eat everything they serve here. (Chicken has become my new bff) Occasionally, I  might just wake up in a cold sweat from dreaming about a burger and whatever else! haha.

We live like an hour or so away from the city, Riga, which has a McDonald's and TGIF. When we get the chance, me and the other Americans (some of you might know NyKesha Sales) are on the highway to the city to get a good meal. That's not to say the food here is all bad because that's not true. It's just when you're used to something, it's hard to change. But I have made strides in my time here.

To sum up life overseas, it is just like any other job or thing you love in which you must adjust and compromise in order to make the most of it. It's definitely a blessing in disguise that we get the opportunity, not only to use this vehicle called basketball to make a better living for ourselves, but to also travel to places that I believe none of us would have imagined. Basketball has taken me to places such as Africa, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Italy, Austria, and Slovakia. (And that's only a portion of the places I have been.)

Most recently, our team traveled to Greece to play a game and I must say it was sooooo nice. One thing that stood out was the weather. Being from California, warm weather is always a plus. We play in the Eurocup, but most of the time when traveling, we don't get the opportunity to take time out and see the city. But there, we had the chance to tour the city, take in the culture, and visit the Akroplis. That was a workout in itself. If I had known there were so many stairs, I would have not worn flip flop. (Just imagine me trying not to have a sniper catch me off guard..lol!) If you have ever been to the Akroplis, you know that the marble/limestone is smooth so you have to be careful and watch your step. But being there was like a history lesson. (I had flashbacks of history class all over again.) We learned so many things that I had no idea came from the Greeks. For example, did you know that the Nike sign was from the clipped wings of the virgin goddess Athena? Or that the stairs from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the rocky balboa movie...yo, adrienne!..lol) are modeled after the stairs in Greece. It's amaaaazing to learn so many knew things to take home and tell my family.

This brings me to my next subject: IT'S DECEMBER YA'LL!!! I am so excited because before I know it, I will be back home surrounded by loves ones. Man, oh man, you have to have tough skin to live the life overseas. Honestly, I believe it's impossible not appreciate and cherish the things and people in your life a whoooole lot more. Don't get me wrong, my teammates here are so cool and I really like them, but I am a homebody. Like Dorothy sings in the Wiz, "When I think of home, I think of a place where there's love overflowing.." Okay don't get me started, but you get the idea...lol. Anyone who's overseas right now is in what we call "COUNTDOWN" mode:-) and please believe I have a lot more x's on my calender then I do open spaces. So I guess you know what that means...yea boy!! I know I am talking a lot, but I just wanted to give you some insight on my live overseas. It's definitely filled with many places, crazy stories, new beginnings, old and new faces, and most importantly, blessings! I am so grateful for them and I thank God everyday for His love, forgiveness and His mercies being new every morning.
 
Welp it's been real, so until we meet or speak again....
 
Be blessed & much luv,
 
Will:-D

Brittany Hunter in Philly

December 5, 2008

Hellooo World! I am in Philadelphia, coaching at Temple University. (STRANGE I KNOW!) If you know me at all, or even got a chance to know me for about a month or so, you would know that coaching was the LAST, absolute LAST thing in the world that I would do or wanted to do. Soooo you can only imagine everyone’s reactions to me accepting Tonya’s job offer. She told me that I would be a good coach for a number of reasons, but the reason that stood out the most for me was, “You do really well at camp." Now I didn’t know how camp was going to correlate with “coaching” young women my own age, but I soon realized, that just by being myself…full of energy and having the ability to empathize with the arduous task of being a D1 student athlete, that I would be just fine.   

I can honestly say that I LOVE coming to work everyday. Part of it is because I get to work with Tonya, and if you know Tonya, she is one of those people who you just want to do everything right for. You don’t want to disappoint her. That’s how I feel everyday, and more importantly, that’s how the team responds to her. Tonya is in rare form here at Temple, I must say. Her Uconn guards would not recognize her AT ALL!  Tonya Cardoza = Geno Jr.! lol...not I’m just kidding!  But seriously, RARE FORM!. Another great part of coming to work is being around this new group of people. I didn’t think they would like me, and I just KNEW there were going to be people that I didn’t like. But, in actuality, that’s not the case at all. I love the players, and I really like everyone’s different personalities--no matter how flawed. J

The one thing that I find the most striking about how I've changed (being in a coach’s shoes) is that I sometimes find myself being CD. Just the other day before our game, I made them line up in a STRAIGHT LINE and walk out onto the court military style for the National Anthem. Of course, they hated me for it, and someone called me “hypey.” (That’s their term for being extra.) But I didn’t care. They looked so much better in that one act. The little things that I hated CD for making us do (except walking outside before games…that’s just ridiculous J) , are all of the things that I want these guys to do because it shows we have standards. It shows that we carry ourselves a certain way. We are particular and precise and we are a group to be taken seriously. Of course, we are no where near a UConn, but I think that can all change, by just doing the little things. I sit in practice and think to myself, "OMG if I EVERRRRRRR did that, I think Coach would have taken my scholarship." They all don’t think that way, and its only because their standards aren’t that high, but BOOOOOOYYY has there been a vast, and I mean VAST improvement. Starting last week, we finally made them MAKE 10 in a row on the 3-man weave bank shot drill. Before we just had them make 20, and that could take a long time. As a group we actually have people step up and get pissed when others get lazy and abandon their teammates, instead of just letting the coaches do it. Now much credit goes to these young ladies because we are comprised of ROLE players from the previous year. They were all mere afterthoughts in being an offensive threat because their program revolved around 2 players. But it’s obvious, just in watching some of them, that they were yearning to finally get a chance to prove what they can do.  

That’s enough sappy talk. I love living in the city. It's not where I want to live forever. I don’t even know how long I’ll want to coach, but I am really, really, really enjoying my first year in Philadelphia. It is THE most diverse place I have been since I left Duke. “There are so many things to do” is the understatement of the century! The architecture reminds me slightly of being in Italy. Meanwhile the Parthenon is not comparable to the Rocky Steps, but they sure are nice! I can honestly say that I am “LIVING MY LIFE LIKE ITS GOLDEN!”  

P.S. the kids call me BHUNT…makes me sooo mad!   

J J J J J 

Jessica Moore in France

November 21, 2008

Bonjour mes amies. Hello from France. I am currently playing in the city of Nantes, France which is in the Northwest, about four hours from Paris. I am so excited to play in France again. My first year here was the 2006-2007 season. Last year I went to Latvia and played with Willnett Crockett.

I arrived last week with my dog, Coby, and we are adjusting to the time difference pretty well now. All of my teammates are very nice and the people of the city are warm. Everywhere you go people always smile at you and say Bonjour or Bonsoir. Over my past years going overseas I have always played in small towns, and this is my first time playing in a big city. There are other major sports teams here: men's basketball, volleyball, rugby, handball, and futbol. The men's basketball team plays in the second division. (There are three; first division is the highest) There are a few Americans that play. French food is AMAZING but they still have a few American restaurants like McDonalds, Subway, KFC, Dominos, and Pizza Hut.

So far I like my team. We practice everyday and on some days, there are two practices. My coach is a very funny person and brings that energy to the court. Because I have played in France before, I know most of the French basketball terms- for the most part. So they do not stop to explain what we are doing very often. This helps me learn the language. At times, there will be no English said on the court. I will be right with everyone else yelling screen right, help, and push the ball in French. Sometimes I smile to myself that I am learning so well, and I feel very proud that I still remember. Hopefully, I will pick up even more of the language. The French culture is very different from ours. For instance, whenever you see people you know or meet new ones, you give them kisses on both cheeks. Mostly its just a cheek to cheek motion, but some people actually kiss you. I had to get used to this one and it took me a few times! haha! Also, meals are a big deal. Dinner can take a few hours if the feeling is right. They really enjoy conversing with one another, along with the food. There is no hurry to finish. Ok, I have to get going, Coby and I are going to take a walk to the boulangerie for some mille feuille. Au revoir!!!!

Ann Strother  in China

China Diaries #1: October 26, 2008

Hello from China! It is about my eighth day here. Even though I haven’t been here long, I think there will always be something to surprise me. This morning I woke up to loud fireworks, firecrackers and cannon balls — literally being fired out of five cannons sitting below my windowsill. My first reaction was to jump on the floor. After a few seconds of feeling odd, I got up and wandered over to the window. Seven black Audis with pink balloons on the back rode slowly down the front entrance to our hotel. A wedding, of course! (Just like our wedding celebrations!) What a way to wake up — fireworks, cannons and feeling like I was under attack.

I should clarify that I am staying at an army base hotel. Therefore, the cannons may be a special situation, but I wouldn’t have thought that this hotel was the hot spot for weddings. It’s a small hotel with tiny rooms that have a television and two twin beds (if you can call them beds — more like slates.) The bathroom has a shower right next to the toilet, but there is no curtain and no tub. There is only a spigot sticking out of the wall and water goes everywhere in the bathroom.

The game here is so much faster than I expected, and they play with so much intensity and movement. It’s really fun to play with them. I feel like this is going to be a good fit, even if I am playing in the post. The girls on the team are really nice and welcoming. They hardly know any English, but they bring me oranges, pears and chocolate almost every night. I think that alone is enough for me to want to stay here!

There are two girls who speak very rough English but want to learn. As a result, they spend a lot of time in my room and next to me on the bus rides. Their names are Shan Shan and DaBowl (Big Baby.) They are a little younger than me. They have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable and always try to communicate. They come in my room every night and ask me to quiz them on their English. I point to different objects around the room and they race to answer correctly. It’s quite entertaining — especially the garbage can, which Shan Shan calls “rubbish box.” Close enough J

Well I have to pack up and get going to the next city that sounds something like HarBing. I will write more from there and talk about the interesting food I have tried. Interesting is the only way to put it. More soon…

Lots of Love,

Annie

P.S. I recently started a non-profit organization called Outward Bounce. Our mission is to promote healthy lifestyles in communities around the world through sports and community involvement. We are currently raising money to build a basketball court for a small village in Costa Rica. I plan to build this court and also travel to the village to hold a basketball clinic for the kids in the community. We hope to expand our work building basketball courts in poor communities in the United States and around the world while continuing to host clinics at existing sights. To learn more about this organization, please visit:  www.outwardbounce.org

China Diaries #2

My second night in Yixing, there was a party to kick off our season at a restaurant owned by a friend of my teammate, Bian La. She is a hero in China and plays for the National team. The restaurant was out in the middle of rice fields and surrounded by lakes. Once we got to restaurant, they wanted to take us on a boat ride. Most of the boats in the area are made of wood. I was surprised to see two little motor boats — wooden boats with motors attached on the back — waiting for us. After we all piled in, they took us around the lakes. It was beautiful and made me appreciate the opportunity to experience a boat ride in the middle of China. It was incredible to see the countryside and how people live. There were four to five small houses that were built on the lake for fishermen. They were little sheds that seemed to be barely floating on the water. We also passed by some farmers who looked like they spent everyday in the sun working on their rice fields.

After our boat ride, we walked across a skinny bridge to the restaurant. Inside there were ten fish tanks filled with crabs, eel, shrimp, and all sorts of unknown fish. We walked through the tanks and into the back where our rooms were waiting. Most of the meals I have eaten here are in back rooms that fit about ten people to a room. They have closed doors and are like little casitas. I sat in the room with the owner, the coaches and Bian La. As the dishes started coming out, they were placed on a rotating round table. People pick bits and pieces off as it passes by. The first dish was a simple plate of vegetables: carrots, peppers, lettuce, and celery. The next plate was mystery meat #1. More and more dishes continued to come. The one that caught my eye was the giant fish that was probably 20 pounds. I asked my translator, Alice, about it. She said that fish was a huge delicacy because it was 20 years old. If I didn’t try it, it would be rude. Of course, I tried it and it wasn’t too terrible. But a 20-year-old fish?!

Next came a bowl of bird-looking creatures, which Alice translated (through her cell phone) as “sparrow.” Delicious…no, just kidding! I passed on this one because the head was still attached. It looked like they had just plucked off the feathers and boiled them. That was just too much for me. The crabs came next, and I was very excited. I cracked open my crab legs and was happy to have something I recognized. However, after I was finished eating the legs, they opened the middle and told me I must eat all of the crab. This was new to me and was really not very good. I’m not sure what the orange stuff in the middle was, but I’m pretty sure it was what the crab had for dinner the night before! As all the food passing was transpiring, I was watching how everyone was eating. Chopsticks are the only “silverware.” Even with soup, the chopsticks are used to grab the meat in the bowl, and then there is lots of slurping, spitting, and burping. There are no table manners except to eat everything and make sure you really eat it all.

As the food was going down, there were little teapots full of “wine”. I say “wine” because this is not your typical wine. It is vodka x10. They have little shot glasses and everyone must go around and thank the owner for his hospitality and challenge him in a shot. I had one glass and could barely gulp it down. Our coach and the owner were good friends and would challenge each other often. After about five glasses, both their faces were red and the table had become a booming conversation. The night ended with fireworks over the lake and me hoping not to get sick!

China Diaries #3: November 2, 2008

I have been in China now for about two weeks and our team is doing fairly well.

My team is owned by a steel company in Nanjing, where there is a big training center and dorms for all the athletes. They spend most of the year there and train all year round for these four months of competition. Because of the "one child" law, I've noticed that they really treat each other like sisters and have so much love and respect for one another. It is the most welcoming situation I've ever been in. From the second I got here, they have done everything they could to make sure I'm happy and comfortable. Although they don't allow me to go out of my cell (room), they run and get me anything I need.

Although Nanjing is the home base, we play our games in a city called Yixing. It's about 90 minutes outside of Nanjing. We bus there two days before every home game. We have two home games this week, so we will be in Yixing from Friday until after the game on Tuesday night. After the game, my translator and I will get on a bus and head to Nanjing. The rest of the team will come on Wednesday. I do not stay with the team in their dorms; I stay in a hotel with the American men's coach and the two American men's players. The guys are really nice, and we have had a little time to hang out and have dinner together. This brings me to the first good story to tell of the past week.

Our owner had a dinner to welcome all of us at one of his hotels in Nanjing. The dinner was similar to my first dinner in China. There was a round table with many different and unique dishes sitting on the middle, glass turn table. Everyone just picked at things and the waitresses bring out more and more dishes. The fried rice is always a safe bet, but don't think I can get away with only eating what I know. The owner was so proud of everything he had to offer, so he prepared the best dishes for us. The first meat came out on large bones that looked like they had just been chopped off the cow. As soon as everyone had their meat, the servers came around with plastic gloves for our eating convenience. We were to eat it caveman-style. Classic. So we all put on our gloves and tried to figure out how to eat these huge chunks as the "wine" came out. This wine was very similar to Italian Groppa — extremely strong and disgusting. Our table settings consisted of three glasses — one large, one medium-sized, and a shot glass. My medium-sized glass was filled with this "wine" and whenever the owner wanted to toast, it was necessary to abide. Needless to say, after about an hour the table was loud and the language barrier didn't really matter.

After some crab legs and fresh watermelon, our dinner was over and we headed back to our hotel. The night ended with the men's coach suggesting that we visit the third floor of the hotel — the karaoke floor (every night.) We spent a few hours singing and listening to many of the locals try their hand at Britney Spears over and over and over. They absolutely love her over here. It was another great night in China.

My other little story is about my day today. We had our game last night and as a result, only had one practice today at 3:00 p.m. We had an early breakfast, some film, and then lots of time to relax and sleep. My friend and teammate from Atlanta played for the Beijing team, so it was nice to have someone to talk to and spend some time with.

At 2:30, we left for practice. As we are driving to the gym, I'm noticing the amount of people on motor bikes and regular bikes. There are so many people here that bikes are much more reasonable and affordable. Few very people can afford cars, which always makes the driving interesting. You must have a license to get a bike and I can see why. I saw my first accident today, but I am amazed that it's the only one I've witnessed thus far. People drive in every direction and no one really has the right away. If a bike goes first, he wins the right away, even if he's in competition with a bus. It's funny to see, although a little scary at times.

Practice today was from 3-5. When we arrived at the gym, I noticed about 15 nets set up around the court. About 30 people were playing badmitten, and the gym was full of energy. People were diving all over and screaming — really getting into their games. I never knew badmitten was such a popular sport. Our practice court is right in the middle of all of the badmitten courts, and so we have practice as usual and try to dodge stray birdies every now and then. After an hour of shooting, we all packed up to leave. As I was walking out, a little girl came up and handed me a basketball that had gone astray. She was absolutely the cutest little girl I have ever seen. I think Asian children/babies just have something about them stands out. It might be their shiny black hair or the fact that their eyes always look like they are smiling, but they are adorable. After she handed me the ball, she said "hello" in English and just stared at me. I said “thank you.” She didn't know what else to do but hug me. She just jumped into my arms, looked at my face, and then ran off. It definitely made my day.

Well, I'm off to bed but more soon…

~Annie

China Diaries #4: November 10, 2008

The first story I will tell happened just five minutes ago. I was sitting in my room listening to music and writing my journal. One of my teammates came in with a big smile on her face, acting a bit sly. She pulled out a round, plastic package, which she threw it at me, whispered "ice," and ran out.

I have learned that the Chinese are extremely healthy and consider watermelon and tomatoes to be dessert. There has been one other time that I have had ice cream. Another teammate snuck out late at night to buy a little tray of ice cream bites. Both times they came by acting strange and secretive, pulled the little ice cream out of their pocket and ran off to the next room. This ice cream really made me laugh. The first ice cream I had was Nestle crunch bites, which were delicious. But this looked like a frozen short stack of pancakes. I opened up the wrapper and saw two pancakes with green "ice cream" in the middle. I took a bite and actually really liked it, but decided to do a little more research to figure out exactly what I was eating. I called my translator in to ask for some clarification. I was eating frozen, green soymilk cream with red soybeans mixed in, smashed between two pancakes. Delicious! They really don't know how to be unhealthy here. Coldstone will be a stop on the way home from the airport, I do believe!

Last night we had another team dinner and once again, another fantastic night in China. We went back to the same restaurant where our "kickoff" dinner was. I sat in the room with the hosts and coaches, but this time I knew what was to come. They started the usual appetizers of eel soup, peanuts, and boiled sparrow, followed closely by boiled chicken necks, and then the main course of crabs. The wine glasses were filled with a new "wine" that was dark brown. I asked about it and was told that it was made from brown rice. (I came to the conclusion that it was soy sauce mixed with the strong clear wine we had had in the first dinner).

This time I was a little better at eating crabs, but I also had a plan. My teammate Bian-La and I had an agreement — she would eat the middle of my crabs if I would eat the legs. I was extremely happy with this tradeoff. As dinner went on, my coach noticed our little tradeoff and decided I also needed to eat the legs from her crabs. I politely said no and she said, "Why do take Bian-La's but not mine?" Bian-La said in broken English, "Because I find her Chinese boyfriend and she find me American boyfriend.” The rest of the dinner was a discussion about which man would suit me best and how they plan to keep me in China!

My last story is about a little girl that I met in our weight room. She came in with her mother and was riding around on her pink scooter. Most of the kids do a double take when they see me because I look so different from everyone around here, but this little girl was just extremely curious and shy. She would ride her little scooter around me and then race back to her mom and giggle. When I moved from one room to the next, she would follow a few seconds later. Finally, I moved into the room with some dumbbells. She came in, got off her scooter, and grabbed two pink one-pound dumbbells. I was doing some shoulder exercises and sure enough, the little girl doing the same exercises right behind me with her little pink dumbbells. She was so cute! It made lifting so much more entertaining.

We have an important game tomorrow night and I will let you know more details soon!

~Annie

China Diaries #5: November 14, 2008

I want to share with some information about my team and my views of Chinese laws. First my teammates. Here are their names: Dong-Dong, Qua-Qua, Shan Shan, Duck, ShuGa, Lilia, Pian-La, Pepe, Da Bowl, and myself — Ann Sizhou. This is what they told me to call them. Their real names are much more complicated and I would stand absolutely no chance if I had to try to pronounce or remember them. My coachs’ names are Mr. Ding, Mrs. Shu, and Mrs. Wong. Mr. Ding — a strict, tall, skinny man who rarely smiles. He is referred to by everyone as Ding Dong. I still laugh every time I hear it, but this is really the proper way to address him. Mrs. Shu — our head coach who is very nice. She only rarely loses it completely and starts ranting. Mrs. Wong — my favorite of them all because she always brings me grapefruit and chocolate. There is one other coach that I am still searching for clarification with the pronunciation of her name. My translator's name is Shao Lee, also known as Alice.

This brings me to first question of Chinese language and law. How do they come up with their English names? Shao Lee looks and sounds nothing like Alice. When I was at Papa John’s the other day, the waiter’s name tag said, “Shao Fung Yan.” Below that read “GARY.” I'm confused, but I imagine they do the same thing I did in fifth grade at German summer camp. The teacher would allow us to pick whatever name we wanted to be called from the list. I just don't know how else Gary could come from Shao Fung Yan.

My other observations have to do with the traffic laws, specifically the horn usage. I came up with a list of the top-10 commandments of horn usage:

10. Honk when you get in your car just to make sure it's working. It is more important than how much gas is in the tank.

9. Honk as you turn onto the main street, just so that walkers, bikers, cars, and buses and know that you are pulling out — regardless of whether there is oncoming traffic.

8. Honk when you are gaining distance on a car that is moving too slowly in front of you. If it is dark, first blink your lights10 times. If they do not get the clue to move over, then use that trusty horn.

7. Honk when you are next to another car. They need to know that you are there. How else would they know?

6. Honk if there is someone walking in the street in front of you. It tells them they need to continue to stay in a perfectly straight line as you zip by them, leaving a small dust of your paint on their sleeve as you go.

5. Honk if you want the car in front of you to move over. If they do not abide, don't get mad, put your honker in the deep voice gear and hold it for five seconds. This will let them know you are serious.

4. Honk to let someone know that your car is nicer and bigger; and therefore, you are coming over to their lane right now!

3. Honk because you are happy.

2. Honk because you love chicken claws, sparrow or pickled eel.

1. Never, ever honk at a walker, bike, car, or bus that decides to jump out from the opposite side of the street, U-turn right into your lane, and then slam on his breaks. That would be so rude! Remember: there are eight million people in Nanjing and everyone is going somewhere all the time. What is the use of stop lights, pedestrian walkways, street directions, or stop signs? These are a few things that were not invented in China.

So when Alice asked me if people in America obey traffic laws, I was amazed at how quickly I responded “yes, I really believe we do!”

On another note, I convinced Alice to take me to get a "camera charger" last night. This was code for “take me out of my cell and let me search for somewhere to eat along the way!” It was really fate that in such a large city filled with fried rice, mystery meat dumpling soup ,and chicken gizzard, I ran into a restaurant called Bella Napoli. I told Alice I would buy her dinner, and she was sold. I ordered pasta pomodoro, a caprese salad, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. It was a great Italian restaurant with exactly five people inside. I asked Alice what she wanted, but she was so overwhelmed. She had never eaten at an Italian restaurant, so she had no idea. All she said was, "Rice." I ordered her some beef risotto and mozzarella sticks. She loved it. It was amusing to see her try to eat with silverware. I was happy, and the night was amazing!

More soon…

Love,

Annie

Ketia Swanier in Poland

November 16, 2008

Watsup. It’s Ketia Swanier, and I am relaxing in the beautiful country of Poland. This is only my third day here, and it has been quite interesting. Some years ago, my mother and I traveled here, but unfortunately, I don’t recall anything. When I arrived in Krakow, a woman named Magda welcomed me to her native country. She speaks English quite well, but has a very thick accent. She helped me with my luggage and introduced me to our driver Chris, who took me to my final destination. I don’t think our speed dropped below 115 mph the whole ride, but I actually enjoyed it. J We went directly to the gym, where I met the team and the coach. They have all been nothing but helpful and welcoming. There are two other Americans on the team. Some of the Polish players speak English as well. While the coach is talking in the locker room, one girl actually translates for the Americans.

The weather has been cloudy and cool everyday and I can’t wait to see the sun again. My toilet is in a separate room than my shower and washer. (I did not mention a dryer — that is correct.) When there aren’t basketball festivities, I just hang out in my two-bedroom apartment. The internet has become my best friend here, and is my main means of communication to loved ones back at home. I spend many hours watching movies and chatting on the computer. Traveling across the world to play a sport I love is a great experience, and I feel very blessed for the opportunity. That being said, there is really no place like home.

Since this is only my third day in Poland, you are probably wondering what I was doing with my little time off at home. I spent time with loved ones and also created a non-profit organization — ketia4kidz, which supports children of active duty members. I was an ARMY brat myself, as both my parents served in the military. I know what it’s like to be in a single-parent home, while the other parent is off at war fighting for our country.

The purpose of the foundation is to motivate military kids to believe in their dreams and that anything is possible. This will be accomplished by promoting excellence in academics sports. Support our troops, kidz! Check out the website:  ketia4kidz.org.

Ashley (Valley) Woodward in Connecticut

November 18, 2008

Hello! This is Ashley (Valley) Woodward. Yes...that is right. My name is no longer Ashley Valley.L I got married on October 5, 2007 to Mike Woodward (a former player on the UConn men’s team.) We now live in southern Connecticut. Right after I graduated from UConn, I went to Quinnipiac University and received my Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. I am a 5^th grade teacher in the North Haven School District and have the best class in the world. Of course, I had to put a nerf hoop in my classroom and needless to say, it gets used a lot. I have some of best rebounders ever.J With the start of the holidays only a week away, it seems as though this year is flying by. My husband and I will be heading to Cleveland to visit his family, while my parents head down to Towson, Maryland to enjoy Thanksgiving with Morgan. They would all normally come with us; however, Morgan has to be in Towson for practice.  Alright, well I think that is enough for now. I wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday!!!

Morgan Valley in Maryland

December 1, 2008