Lights, Camera, ACTION! The room was dimly lit and cameras were constantly flashing as the Mayor of Alcobendas welcomed all the teams and expressed his anticipation and excitement for the upcoming seasons. Men’s and women’s handball (both division one), men’s and women’s basketball (men’s D4 and women’s D2), men’s roller hockey and men’s rugby; these were all the teams that came together for media night this past Tuesday.
The program was short and sweet with a couple speakers and then the introduction of each team which required the whole team to go up on stage for a team photo while the head coach answered a few questions. Each team was dressed in a team polo, ours were white. Out of the 6 teams that were in attendance I think that I was the lone North American. I have a growing curiosity to attend one game of handball, roller hockey and rugby. I am sure that we have handball and roller hockey in the States, perhaps as club sports, but I have never witnessed a game. After viewing the physical prowess of these athletes there is no doubt in my mind that they are very good at what they do. Unfortunately, all of these sports play on the same day, Saturday, so unless we have a day off I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to attend.
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| Here's the team. From left to right starting in the front, Natalia, Me, Ana, Marta, Sheila, Nat, Angie (back row) Sarah Crooks (roommate), Marta Cobian (roommate), Ana, Laura and Sara Castrillo (roommate) |
A couple days before media night, last Sunday, I had the pleasure of touring the city of Madrid. After practice on Sunday morning, myself and two of my roommates, Sarah and Marta, climbed into the convertible of our assistant coach, Javier. A smile sneaks across my face every time I think about this car ride because Marta and I were crammed into the backseat looking like absolute tourists. First, I say “crammed” because Javier is a large man and no one can fit behind his seat since it is set back to capacity and secondly I say “tourists” because Marta was given a large straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes and the mass of curls atop her head under control while I was sporting a bright red cap that had Ferrari written in big letters across the front. As we rolled leisurely down the streets of Madrid we were greeted with well, perhaps not the most friendly of salutations from the passing cars. See, Javier knew everything about every building and neighborhood in Madrid and he was bound and determined to give us a 5 star tour; which included slowing down at any time to make sure that we were able to calmly gaze at whichever fascinating object he happened to be talking about. Meanwhile, his 6 foot 9 inch long wing span was flailing across the car and out the sides in order to better describe what he was informing us about. I am sure that the 4 of us were quite a site to see:)
Madrid is many things, it’s hustle and bustle, it’s new and old, it’s tasteful restaurants and grande parks, it’s people from all over the world and those who have never left their home town. As we took our time and strolled through the different plazas we saw many things, my favorites being the street performers, spider man and mickey mouse, and a group of normal bystanders who decided that now was a better time than any to engage in the rhythmic movements and sounds of Flamenco. I am having trouble finding the right words to express how these experiences made me feel, but it is these exact moments that encourage me to fall deeper in love, with Europe. The people seem completely carefree, dancing when and where they want, without a care in the world. On Sundays, the cafes and terraces are full with people who are enjoying each others company while taking hours to finish their coffee, why? because they are not in any sort of rush. We didn’t rush, either.
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| Sarah and I enjoying our first couple days in Madrid! |
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| Ana, Marta, Me, Sarah and Sara in La Latina, a neighborhood in Madrid, eating Patatas Bravas and drinking wine. |
Our first stop was a small little restaurant just bigger than Al’s Breakfast in Dinkytown. Here, I ate my first calamari sandwich while standing shoulder to shoulder with the stranger next to me. Next was Tapas. Tapas is another word for appetizers. In Spain it is common for groups of people to descend on a bar, order multiple tapas and drink beer, sangria, lo que quieres (what you want). Including Charly and his wife, there were six of us and we had no problem polishing off several different tapas. There were clams in a spicy sauce, sauteed green peppers, stuffed mushrooms, potatoes drizzled with sauce, bread and Sangria. The day was wonderful and I count my blessings that I have coaches who care about my well being and want that I enjoy my experience abroad.
A few more tid-bits from this past week.
-Remember when I said that in Spain everything takes place at a later time than in North America? Well, this past Wednesday we had our first film session (from an inter-squad scrimmage) that started at 8:30pm, we then had weights from 9-10pm and after that was practice from 10-11:30pm! Mamma Mia! Oh, and during the film session there were motivational movie clips inserted between our game clips and so I found myself watching Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington speaking Spanish.
-Sarah and I explored a nearby mall the other day and to my dismay, the shoe sizes are similar to those in Switzerland. I asked a young man if they carried size 44 and he politely smiled back at me and said that their largest size was a 41, sigh.
-Yesterday was September 11th, so Sarah Crooks asked me what I was doing on that tragic day. I was in Math class, sophomore year. She on the other hand was driving a tractor on her way to milk the cows before school. Sarah grew up on a farm in Canada and has 11 siblings! Marta was in Spain and remembers watching it unfold live on the news.
-I think that there are about 7 women on my team who smoke. So, a common pre-practice ritual is to sit out on the balcony, drink coffee and have a cigarette. The culture is different and I am learning quickly.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It’s so good to hear from you all!
love,
Leslie
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