One month!

Hola!

So it is officially one month until I get to come home for Christmas break, and I am so anxious!  The past two weeks my mom has been here – she leaves tomorrow actually.  It was nice to have her here and spend some time with her and show her around Vilnius a little bit.  There isn't too much to do here but we covered a lot of different things.  We climbed the hill with the three crosses, went to Trakai Castle, walked around Old Town, visited the National Museum of Lithuania and went to the mall almost everyday.  The mall is like the place to go here, especially because the grocery stores are inside the mall.  She also got to see four of my basketball games.  Three Lithuanian League and one Euro-League. I have gotten used to her being here, and it’s nice to have a familiar face around.  The ten days she was here went by very fast, but it was a great visit! I am going to miss her, but I keep reminding myself one more month until I am home!!!!! It’s literally on repeat in my mind.

Also, for the two weeks my mom has been here she has made friends with people in our apartment building.  The first day she arrived in Lithuania my mom waited in our apartment for Sophie and I to be finished practice. When we returned there was a pile of cigarette buds all over our front door mat.  My mom told me that the people in our apartment building thought that WE were smoking in the building.  She approached a lady walking down the stairs to ask why someone would do this, and that is what the lady explained to my mom.  So my mom had to explain to her that we were basketball players and smoking is the last thing we would be doing.  We found out later that our neighbor had a visitor who was smoking in the staircase, but considering we are new, I guess we are easy targets.  But we have been here for over a month already, so why would we all of the sudden start smoking? Beats me…moral of the story, get to know your neighbors, or just don't smoke.  

My mom also met another girl, Lina, who lives above us who is my age and is studying to be a doctor.  Later that week she brought us down a homemade Lithuanian cake as a welcoming gift.  Lina and her mother also stopped by our apartment last night and brought us many Lithuanian desserts.  One of the desserts was what they call "apple cheese."  All it is basically is chopped up apples with sugar and the texture is almost like a gelatin.  AMAZING!  Lithuania knows how to do dessert, that's for sure.  

On the basketball side of things, in the past three Lithuanian league games we have scored 100 points against the other teams and we are currently undefeated in the league as well. The funny part is that in the three games we scored 100 points, I have scored the 100th point on a three pointer in all three games.  The third game I was sitting on the bench at the end of the game and there were 97 points on the board and my teammates were like "Coach, you need to put Hollie in."  So she put me in the game and I passed the ball three different times for one of my teammates to score the 100th point, and finally the next possession down the trainer for our team yelled just shoot the ball Hollie, so I did, and again I scored the 100th point.  It was very comical.  The best part is, I was like 2-10 from the three-point line…go figure.  

Wednesday we played our second Euro-League game against Spain.  I was so excited for them to come just so I could speak the VERY little spanish that I know, but its more than the Lithuanian I know.  All I got to say was Hola though...We won our second Euro-League game which is huge.  We are now ranked as a top 10 team in Europe and also beat the team who was Euro-League champs in 2011 and have two WNBA players.  One of the girls actually is represented by the same agent as me and we recognized each other and spoke after the game.  She has been playing professionally for six years and also plays for Chicago Sky.  As a team we are playing very well together, and obviously winning is fun.  When I first got here I was struggling a little bit, but I am doing better and better with each game.  The more comfortable and experienced I get, the more I am able to contribute on the floor.  We were underdogs going into the Euro-League and now we are the talk of the league because of how well we are doing! 

Our next Euro-League game is next week in Croatia.  I get excited to travel because I get to go to countries I have never been before, and probably would have never gone to if it wasn't for basketball.  There are links to watch the game, so I will post it on my Facebook for the next game. 

I am trying to find things to do to keep me busy.  Sophie and I usually go to Impulse, which is equivalent to a YMCA in America, and workout.  There is a hip-hop class that they teach every Tuesday and Thursday nights with a professional male dancer who is great ;) !!!! The class is actually more of a dance class than it is a workout. Don't get me wrong, you still get a workout in, but the focus is more on doing the moves of the dance properly.  By the end of the class the instructor has choreographed an entire dance for us to perform at the end.  It is a lot of fun.  Although I am not the greatest dancer, I love to dance so I am going to pick this up as my new hobby in Lithuania.  It's something to do that isn’t basketball.  It's nice because I don't have to understand what the instructor is saying because I can follow the moves visually, and he also counts out the steps and I understand Lithuanian numbers.  

Well, I will be home in no time!!! For a solid seven days.  I am working on getting a couple extra days home even its just a day more.  Can't wait!!! See ya soon!

Byee!!!