Sorry it has been so long since I last posted, but I wanted to get through the last two months before I posted again. As you know I was home form Christmas break, and it was just what I needed. Although, having to leave home – again – was very difficult. I flew back to Lithuania on the 30th of December, and the next day was right back at it. It took me about two weeks to adjust to the time change. I have officially been in Europe for five months!!!! And I have a month-and-a-half left, which is crazy to think about!!
We have been playing a lot of games and traveling over the past two months. I traveled to Spain, Russia and Turkey, which are all awesome countries. Spain and Turkey were beautiful. I would love to play in Spain. The only problem is that I’m not sure I would ever come home if I went – that’s how spectacular it was. We visited Salamanca, which is a very old and “romantic” looking historic city. I did not get to see a lot of Russia. The only thing I have to say about Russia is everything is HUGE. As my roommate likes to say, "dramatic." The buildings are ginormous. It's almost as if they are trying to make a statement: "Hey, we are big and powerful." So, yeah, that's what I took away from Russia. Turkey was interesting. We were in Istanbul. I got to see the Black Sea and Blue Mosque. As my teammates and I were walking around the city, there had to be about 30 people who stopped to ask if we play basketball. I said I was going to make a sign that said “yes” and wear it on my shirt and point to it as I passed by people (only if they asked if I played basketball, of course). The people in Turkey were extremely friendly and warm. Everyone we saw wanted to stop and speak with us. Out of the 6 countries I have visited thus far, my favorites have been Spain and Croatia. Both are very beautiful and the people made you feel welcomed.
We finished up our Euro-League season last week in Turkey. We played against a lot of great teams and players, and I am thankful to have played against some of the best competition because it has helped me grow as a player and has motivated me to be an even better player. So I have new goals in mind moving forward.
Truthfully, I will be sad when I leave. The first three months here were brutal. I told myself I was never coming back, and I could not do it. But my mom always told me "anything new you must try for at least 6 months to determine if it’s for you or not." Well, like always, she was right, haha. Maybe not always, but nine out of 10 times she is ;). The end of the fourth month things got a lot easier. I started to enjoy basketball more and I started to get closer with the girls on the team. And the fifth month was a breeze. I didn't get upset once or have thoughts about leaving. Of course I always miss home and my family and friends but I am adjusted and I have chosen to enjoy my time here and not take it for granted.
People ask me what I have been doing for fun......watch tv shows. Haha. Truthfully, I did most of the site-seeing in Lithuania the first couple months I was here, and when I am not playing basketball I am tired and want to lay around. We also travel a lot, and seeing other countries is very exciting. Being able to see different cultures and how people live is very enlightening. Also, my roommate and I have gotten close to a Lithuanian family who lives in our building. They come to our games and they also had us over for a home-cooked Lithuanian meal. It was amazing. Soon we are going back over to help them prepare dinner together. They are going to teach us how to make a national dish for when we return home.
Well, I will be home in less than 60 days, I think it's like 55 days, something like that. So get ready :)
BYE!
ps. I can count to 100 in Lithuanian!
Are there any chances to see you playing in Lithuania next season? I've seen only one euroleague match with you, which was very exiting :). It would be great to see more of those :).
ReplyDeleteI've meant "exciting", not "exiting" :)
DeleteFound this blog completely by accident. Best of luck in your career!
ReplyDelete