Silently cruising along in one of the AVE Trains at 300km/h or 186mph, we were northeastern bound, final destination, Barcelona. Our first victims de la Temporada (of the season) were Siglo XXI or Century 21. Now, this team is a bit different than any other team that we will play against in our conference and here is why. The average height on this team is 6’1’’, and the average age is 17.4. If you look at the team’s roster online you will find that many of these girls were born in 92 and 93. I am pretty sure that my whole world came to a jolting halt when these dates crashed painfully against my eardrums. I know, I know, I am not OLD, but, when you find out that you will be playing against 17 and 18 year olds, you do not exactly feel young. Just for the heck of it, why not add more salt to the wound? Not only are these girls young, but they are quite talented. The school that these girls attend is private, only female athletes can be found in the classrooms, and the only way that you can get in is through an exclusive invitation. Essentially, these young women are being groomed to one day play on Spain’s Senior National team.
So, these girls were tall, fast and talented, but they were young and there was absolutely no way that we were going to lose to a bunch of teeny boppers. 14-2, that was what the scoreboard read as I looked up during the first quarter. We were losing. 21-19, it was half-time and we were still losing. I tried to think on the positive side of things; we were playing such awful basketball yet we were only losing by 2 points. 47-28, the game was over. What a strange and low scoring game. In twenty minutes of play, these young spit fires had only scored seven points. We had continued to fight, digging ourselves out of an early deficit and had forced the young wiper snappers into 26 turnovers. I was very happy for my team and for Charly; it had been six long years since he had won a game in Barcelona. The win, however, was bitter sweet. Obviously it is always nice to win, especially on the road. On the other hand, there is this annoying little voice in my head reminding me that some of these girls were not even 18, and that our win was as easy as taking candy from a baby. I almost feel bad about beating them, can you believe that?! Perhaps this is why Charly has nicknamed me, Bambi, because I am such a softy off the court.
What better way to start off the season than to be 1-0. This Saturday we will face Zaragoza at home. Rumor has it that Zaragoza will be a force to be reckoned with this year, however, so will Alcobendas, the people just do not know it yet.
A quick little story about Madrid and why it continues to capture my heart on a weekly basis. Several nights ago a few of us were walking around the city with no particular destination in mind, quite typical for us really. Anyway, as we sauntered down the glowing walkways and threaded ourselves through the narrow “streets” we suddenly crossed an invisible threshold that transported us from the subtle sounds of everyday life into a pulsing mob of young people who were jumping up and down with their hands thrust up into the air, hailing the group called, Taxi, that was performing on stage. As I scanned the crowd I realized that the concert was a street concert, no fee required. A radio station of Madrid called, Los Cuarentas (the 40s), was hosting the concert and had contracted several different groups to perform. The whole event was taking place in Plaza de Espana, so we proceeded to hang out for a bit longer and soak up the ambiance that was floating all around us. Every day as you walk through the streets of Madrid, there is always the potential of stumbling across something you have never seen before, something free, something beautiful, something old, something loud, something quiet, and this is why my thirst for this city has remained unquenchable.
On a different note, I have quite a few random thoughts and observances going through my head at the moment so we will skip right on down to the loose ends...
Leslie’s Loose Ends:
In Serbia, every family has its own Saint day. Families always adopt the saint of their father. This saint is extremely hard to trace, but has been passed down from generation to generation. On this day it is quite common for the family to have a pig or lamb roast.
Both Elena and Tanja’s families make their very own Sauerkraut. Does anybody know of anyone who does this in the U.S?
When a bird is so generous to leave their mark on your shirt or in Claudia’s case her hand, it is said in Bulgaria that this is good luck. Claudia was not too excited about her good fortune.
Friday the 13th is a normal, care free day in Spain, BUT, Tuesday the 13th is not! There is a saying in Spain that goes like this, Martes y trece ni te cases ni te embarques. In other words, Tuesday the 13th, don’t get married and don’t travel.
In an Irish pub this past week, there was a futbol (soccer) game being displayed on several flat screen T.V’s while an American Football game was being shown as well. Where do you think all the people were sitting? Correct! Everybody was enthralled by the futbol game and not a soul was paying any attention to the American Football game. I found this to be quite comical.
Walking down the street this past week with Elena, a man stared at us and proceeded to say, “Madre Miaaaa.” He either said this because A.) we were stunningly beautiful in our baggy basketball clothes, or B.) we look like giants compared to the average spanish woman. We laughed all the way home.
Migas is the spanish word for, Crumbs, and is a very common dish throughout Spain. Depending where you are, the ingredients are sure to vary, but the closest thing I can compare it to would be the stuffing that we eat at Thanksgiving. Small pieces of bread are mixed with small pieces of Chorizo (spicy sausage) which are then tossed in a mixture of olive oil and garlic. A nice light first course.
I ordered a salad from McDonalds the other day and was automatically given two packets of dressing, olive oil and vinegar. Are there any McDonalds restaurants back home that offer these two condiments?
Take care everyone,
love,
Leslie
No comments:
Post a Comment