So it's been one week in the new place, and it feels like I've been here for a month! I haven't had too hard a time getting used to things, because there is much that is different than in the states.
Starting with my house, it is very "homey" and came equipped with almost everything we needed. We had to buy some towels, detergent, and soap, etc, but there were blankets and pillows for us. My roommate/teammate from the US is named Tina and she is 27, engaged, and a health and workout nut! She majored in some sort of health and physiology thing in college so she educates me on all the things i should eat and not eat, etc.
Anyway, our house is two levels, we live on the top floor. There are 3 bedrooms, a dining room with a tv, and a kitchen, pantry, and bathroom. My room is second biggest, after Tina's (she arrived a day before me, haha)
They gave us each an old school cell phone to use, but it is a bit expensive to use, so I will pretend I don't have one. Skype is enough for me :)
The beach is beautiful, and so close! On a typical day, I will go to the gym around 10:30-11:00am and do a little workout, which is required. We just have to sign in, and then get 100 shots up, which is not a lot if you think about it. I do some ballhandling and other things while I'm there, too. Then around 12:00 I will shower then head to the beach or go walking around town to discover new shops. Around this time of year, there are hardly any people at the beach, because at 74 degrees, it is cold for them! I like it better when there is no one there, very peaceful and pretty. I'll normally stay at the beach until 2 or 3, which is when I'll walk to our restaurant called Vela Atlantica. We eat there twice a day, and our meal can be up to 8 euros, otherwise we pay the rest. It is easy to get full and I only paid 2 extra euros one time, because they gave me a large pizza when I said "small". Only about 2 waiters there can speak english, so the rest of the time we have to try to explain ourselves using my little Portuguese book or pointing. :) After lunch I'll go to the gym (where our games are; because we practice in a different gym) in the lobby upstairs to use the internet for a couple of hours. Then I go home to either nap or get ready to walk to practice, which is about 15 minutes away. We practice from about 8-10pm and we might lift after (only Tina and I) then get to dinner at the restaurant around 10:45-11:00pm. So by the time we get home, it's around midnight sometimes. If i'm not tired i'll use the internet again, only outside of the gym in a little area where i can get signal. Then it's home to bed around 1 or 2am, then it's back at it again!
Our games will be on different days, but mostly either on Saturday or Sunday. Some weekends we will play in a "Cup" tournament, which will be our first set of games next weekend, on Saturday AND Sunday.
The coach was very pleased with my playing in our first exhibition game last Sunday. He did not see me at the tournament in Germany, only the manager for our team did (who is also the men's coach). I guess that was a good sign, one that means I will not be sent home any time soon :). I played the whole game, up til about 2 minutes left. We play 4, ten minute quarters and have a few minutes between, so it gives me a little break, not having those media timeouts that I'm used to in college! I had 26 points, and that's the only thing I'm sure of because the coach couldn't find my email to let me know the rest.
That's enough for now, I'll update again soon!
