It's that time again. Sometimes I really don't feel like writing a blog and when I told this to EJ through gchat she completely understood and told me to wait until I feel like it. I don't completely feel like it right now but if I don't write now then my news will be old, lost and never told.
So with that being said, yesterday on May 1 I played in my first club match for Blankenese. I realize I misspelled that in the last entry. We showed up for the match at about 8:20 and I (playing number 2) and number 4 and number 6 played our singles match at 9:00. I dominated my opponent 6-0, 6-0 and really enjoyed dropshotting her even though I kind of felt bad. Oh well, not bad enough to stop! She, along with most Germany girl, toss the ball like 10-15 feet in the air. I just kind of stand there and wait until it is freefalling back into her racquet to really get ready. She really was very bad and should have played like 6 for them, Claudia didn't understand why she played 2 either. Oh well, a win for me and my first match on the clay finished. After my match I watched the other girls finish their matches and THEN the next three went on...It is part of their system to have long and drawn out matches. They had extra courts but it's just what they do so I don't even ask. At the end of the singles matches the match score was tied 3-3, so we had to win 2 out of the 3 doubles matches for a team victory. Considering Claudia had told me that we should easily dispose of this team we all knew it would be bad to lose to them, esp. with the first match of 'the season.' (the season is beg. of May to end of June) Claudia and I won our dbs and our number 3 team won as well which meant we pulled out a victory! Yay!
After that I was really tired from spending an entire afternoon at the courts to play about 1.5 hrs of so of tennis. It was, however, an absolutely beautiful day of sunshine and cool fresh air so I couldn't complain about being outside. After the match Claudi and I scampered inside to take a shower and she remarked that we were the first ones is...a good thing. I took my clothes, towels, etc. into the shower area and my eyes bugged out when I saw my fear was a reality: community showers. I asked Claudia about this and she said, 'We are all God's creation...' and I was thinking, 'Yea, guys take showers together but not girls where I come from!' Anyway, I took a shower as fast as possible and couldn't believe that the team we had just beated was in our 'locker room' talking to my team...This thing is very social. After all this, we went upstairs to the restaurant at the club and had a meal. Once again, our opponents joined us and everyone pretty much spoke German to eachother except when Claudia announced that I wasn't used to taking showers in the vicinity of other girls. We had a great dinner but I really wished I could have used my phone to text people or something because I just couldn't understand a thing. I wonder how long it would take me to pick up on a few words or phrases when they are speaking. Hmm...we'll see by the end of the month if there is any progress.
Tonight is Friday and tomorrow we are going to a city an hour north to some Christian convention. I am really excited about it. We are taking three other people from her church and will also be meeting up with her sister. They have workshops in English ( :) ) so that will be great. We will all be coming back tomorrow night.
Thanks!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Hallo aus Hamburg, Deutschland!
Big News! My oldest sister, Amy and her husband Alex Steele, had their first child this morning at 6:00am! Hip Hip Hooray! He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz and is 20.5 inches long. Oh yeah, his name is Ezekiel Foster. Cute! I really wish I was there to see him (and the parents, too :) ) and that was one reason why I even went to KY before coming over here...Oh well, I will get a little bundeled surprise when I get back and he will get cool German stuff. We just all win, now don't we?
It is 10:15 pm here on Mon. night and I'm finally taking some time to fill you in on the happenings here. Basically, I'm loving every second of it...Well, ok not really. When I woke up this morning at 2:30 and couldn't go back to sleep until 8:30am, I was a little disappointed. Although it did allow me ample time to read like 10 chapters of Lonesome Dove, my Bible, stare at my calendar for about half an hour, use the restroom, listen to the birds chirping precisely at 5:00 and scrutinize a J.Crew magazine that I had originally brought to give to Claudia...Other than that, I have beent treated wonderfully by the Spincke family. They are a Christian family who have 6 kids and the youngest two are still at home. Claudia (20) is the girl I met in Portugal. Her sister, Johanna, is going to be an exchange student starting this fall in Arlington, TX! I am planning on meeting up with her. She was the one at the airport with her mom to pick me up so I got to spend some time with just her. She is the youngest with older sisters so she is already cool. Claudia was in Croatia playing tournaments so I saw her on Sunday.
One of the sisters, Stephanie (26), was married last summer but is still close to her family and came over for dinner twice this weekend. I asked her where her husband was and she responded, 'Oh, he's getting ill...' as she was having a big warm meal at her mom's, leaving him with only the tv. Haha, she is hysterical and has a huge smile and is always laughing or making others laugh. She will play on the club team as well. We have our first match this Thursday at 9:00am but it is supposed to rain..we'll see.
So my first time on red clay was a HUGE shock to me, but not in the way you may be thinking. It is so incredibly similar to American green clay that I was almost disappointed in how 'easy' it was to adjust. I still play much more tennis on hard court, but I have played on clay since I was young. There are a few differences and i have not played a match on it so it may end up being harder than I think. This does not make sense, but green clay feels more slick like ice because it has that layer of sand. I don't seem to get my footing on it. The red clay is just clay, kinda just dirt. It is much easier to slide on and I love dropshotting people. I am so excited about this Thursday as I represent one of the best clubs in Hamburg, 'Blasenese.' We won't have any fans, no music, no body paint or even a mascot. It will be different with 3 singles matches playing at a time while our teammates are on the court coaching us. Following the singles will be the doubles and Europeans really don't play doubles. Old, young, good, bad, everyone pretty much just plays singles. I have not seen one court of doubles on the surrounding courts since I have been here.
Today Claudia's dad (a President of a bank) and her mom (church board member and volunteer) took both cars so we biked! Oh, I loooooooove this! I use her mom's bike...they are the 'old fashioned kind' I guess with wide handle bars but are much more comfortable to ride than the hunched over kind I am used to. Claudia says I bike slow because I am not used to it...She's probably right! It takes about 20 minutes to get from her house to the club...we start out going down country roads with horses and fields on both our right and left. If I didn't know better I would say I was in a small town in Kentucky...pretty much identical with green green grass, huge trees and horses. Then we see a sign, 'Hamburg', and the scene changes a little bit with more cars, little shops and bakeries. The cars yield to bikers so I feel pretty safe. I like this biking because it is a good warm up and cool down and because Claudia and I talk the whole time. I feel like in cars the coversation starts and stops so much for some reason, like when we get in and out of the car. We played for about 2 hours and it started drizzling. I was surprised at how long the ladies (3.0, maybe 3.5 level) playing singles of course waited until they took a break because of the rain. I am used to the panic stricken woman grabbing her way expensive purse and scurrying off incase she gets a little damp. That reminds me, Claudia says this is one of the nicest and richest clubs in Hamburg. Cool!
There is so much I could say, but if I keep a more consistent account hopefully I can portray my time here to you fully.
It is 10:15 pm here on Mon. night and I'm finally taking some time to fill you in on the happenings here. Basically, I'm loving every second of it...Well, ok not really. When I woke up this morning at 2:30 and couldn't go back to sleep until 8:30am, I was a little disappointed. Although it did allow me ample time to read like 10 chapters of Lonesome Dove, my Bible, stare at my calendar for about half an hour, use the restroom, listen to the birds chirping precisely at 5:00 and scrutinize a J.Crew magazine that I had originally brought to give to Claudia...Other than that, I have beent treated wonderfully by the Spincke family. They are a Christian family who have 6 kids and the youngest two are still at home. Claudia (20) is the girl I met in Portugal. Her sister, Johanna, is going to be an exchange student starting this fall in Arlington, TX! I am planning on meeting up with her. She was the one at the airport with her mom to pick me up so I got to spend some time with just her. She is the youngest with older sisters so she is already cool. Claudia was in Croatia playing tournaments so I saw her on Sunday.
One of the sisters, Stephanie (26), was married last summer but is still close to her family and came over for dinner twice this weekend. I asked her where her husband was and she responded, 'Oh, he's getting ill...' as she was having a big warm meal at her mom's, leaving him with only the tv. Haha, she is hysterical and has a huge smile and is always laughing or making others laugh. She will play on the club team as well. We have our first match this Thursday at 9:00am but it is supposed to rain..we'll see.
So my first time on red clay was a HUGE shock to me, but not in the way you may be thinking. It is so incredibly similar to American green clay that I was almost disappointed in how 'easy' it was to adjust. I still play much more tennis on hard court, but I have played on clay since I was young. There are a few differences and i have not played a match on it so it may end up being harder than I think. This does not make sense, but green clay feels more slick like ice because it has that layer of sand. I don't seem to get my footing on it. The red clay is just clay, kinda just dirt. It is much easier to slide on and I love dropshotting people. I am so excited about this Thursday as I represent one of the best clubs in Hamburg, 'Blasenese.' We won't have any fans, no music, no body paint or even a mascot. It will be different with 3 singles matches playing at a time while our teammates are on the court coaching us. Following the singles will be the doubles and Europeans really don't play doubles. Old, young, good, bad, everyone pretty much just plays singles. I have not seen one court of doubles on the surrounding courts since I have been here.
Today Claudia's dad (a President of a bank) and her mom (church board member and volunteer) took both cars so we biked! Oh, I loooooooove this! I use her mom's bike...they are the 'old fashioned kind' I guess with wide handle bars but are much more comfortable to ride than the hunched over kind I am used to. Claudia says I bike slow because I am not used to it...She's probably right! It takes about 20 minutes to get from her house to the club...we start out going down country roads with horses and fields on both our right and left. If I didn't know better I would say I was in a small town in Kentucky...pretty much identical with green green grass, huge trees and horses. Then we see a sign, 'Hamburg', and the scene changes a little bit with more cars, little shops and bakeries. The cars yield to bikers so I feel pretty safe. I like this biking because it is a good warm up and cool down and because Claudia and I talk the whole time. I feel like in cars the coversation starts and stops so much for some reason, like when we get in and out of the car. We played for about 2 hours and it started drizzling. I was surprised at how long the ladies (3.0, maybe 3.5 level) playing singles of course waited until they took a break because of the rain. I am used to the panic stricken woman grabbing her way expensive purse and scurrying off incase she gets a little damp. That reminds me, Claudia says this is one of the nicest and richest clubs in Hamburg. Cool!
There is so much I could say, but if I keep a more consistent account hopefully I can portray my time here to you fully.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Goodbye, America....!
Hello!!!!!!!! Here is my email: sfoster85@gmail.com
Ya know those weird family traditions you have that nobody else would understand? Well, when I was little (like 5ish, Em was 8ish and Amy was 11ish) I know a few of us shared a room so I think there was a queen bed in one room. My dad was always present when we would do this and the three of us would stand up on the side of the bed, simultaneously and very seriously say, "Good. Bye. Amer. Ica." Then with our hands by our side we would all three fall straight back onto the bed trusting that no skulls would not be cracked as we all fell like a tree falling in the forest.
Well, on that note...Good-bye, America! I will be leaving for Hamburg, Germany tomorrow (April 25th) at 12:45 pm from Cincinnati. I arrive back here sometime on June 30th. I'm staying with a girl and her family for a month in Hamburg. I met her in Portugal and she is a very sweet girl. Then, it's on to France! By myself! I am still trying to drum a girl who wants to play the same tournaments. We'll see what happens. Typically things fall into place and you end up meeting so many people at tournaments so I really should be fine.
Kent surprise me two weeks ago by telling me that he's coming to Hamburg for a week!!!!!!!! YAYYYYY! He wasn't planning on coming over but he ended up booking a ticket and will experience his first trip overseas. Last night on the phone, I said, "It's going to be great! We'll get to do all this neat stuff and see this and that..." He responded, "Sarah, I'm coming over to see you and support you and your tennis." Awwwwwww, right? Hmmm, maybe we can do a little of both~
I'm trying to take 1/2 of what I took to Portugal. No computer. No frills. No extra "stuff." I bought Lonesome Dove at Half-Priced Books for $2.98! I'm downsizing in everything: jewelry, cosmetics, clothes, "just in case" things...Note: I am saying this before I actually DO pack, so who knows..?
Please do not text or call me after 11:30am on April 25th. I will probably not answer my phone and I will have to pay for any texts that are in my phone even if I did not open them. BUT please email me all you want at sfoster85@gmail.com. I will have internet access for at least the first month.
Next blog will come from Germany, Lord willing!
Love,
Sarah
Ya know those weird family traditions you have that nobody else would understand? Well, when I was little (like 5ish, Em was 8ish and Amy was 11ish) I know a few of us shared a room so I think there was a queen bed in one room. My dad was always present when we would do this and the three of us would stand up on the side of the bed, simultaneously and very seriously say, "Good. Bye. Amer. Ica." Then with our hands by our side we would all three fall straight back onto the bed trusting that no skulls would not be cracked as we all fell like a tree falling in the forest.
Well, on that note...Good-bye, America! I will be leaving for Hamburg, Germany tomorrow (April 25th) at 12:45 pm from Cincinnati. I arrive back here sometime on June 30th. I'm staying with a girl and her family for a month in Hamburg. I met her in Portugal and she is a very sweet girl. Then, it's on to France! By myself! I am still trying to drum a girl who wants to play the same tournaments. We'll see what happens. Typically things fall into place and you end up meeting so many people at tournaments so I really should be fine.
Kent surprise me two weeks ago by telling me that he's coming to Hamburg for a week!!!!!!!! YAYYYYY! He wasn't planning on coming over but he ended up booking a ticket and will experience his first trip overseas. Last night on the phone, I said, "It's going to be great! We'll get to do all this neat stuff and see this and that..." He responded, "Sarah, I'm coming over to see you and support you and your tennis." Awwwwwww, right? Hmmm, maybe we can do a little of both~
I'm trying to take 1/2 of what I took to Portugal. No computer. No frills. No extra "stuff." I bought Lonesome Dove at Half-Priced Books for $2.98! I'm downsizing in everything: jewelry, cosmetics, clothes, "just in case" things...Note: I am saying this before I actually DO pack, so who knows..?
Please do not text or call me after 11:30am on April 25th. I will probably not answer my phone and I will have to pay for any texts that are in my phone even if I did not open them. BUT please email me all you want at sfoster85@gmail.com. I will have internet access for at least the first month.
Next blog will come from Germany, Lord willing!
Love,
Sarah
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Gypsy Queen
Hey!
For Easter Sunday Kent's parents and sister came up to Corpus to visit us. At the time I was in transition of houses and my Buick was overloaded with cargo. Rhonda made the comment that I am a "Gypsy Queen" and since then that's how I've been describing my life to friends and people I've been meeting. For almost a week now I've been in Houston working with a girl who is about to go to a big tournament in California. It's been great for me to have several hits/work outs a day with her and I've also been hitting with some guys who used to play college tennis. This blog update is my last thing to do before I go up to Dallas!
I've had some negative reactions to the format of my blog. Apparently the style I use ignores paragraph spacing and indentions. Sorry, hope this is better! So I'll be in Dallas a few weeks, then back to Lexington for a week to see my first niece/nephew! Alex and Amy don't know what it will be yet.
I finally got my ticket to Europe so there's no turning back now! I leave for Hamburg, Germany on April 25th and I arrive back in the U.S. from France. I'm very excited but am still taking one day at a time here since my schedule and plans change very often.
Love,
Sarah
For Easter Sunday Kent's parents and sister came up to Corpus to visit us. At the time I was in transition of houses and my Buick was overloaded with cargo. Rhonda made the comment that I am a "Gypsy Queen" and since then that's how I've been describing my life to friends and people I've been meeting. For almost a week now I've been in Houston working with a girl who is about to go to a big tournament in California. It's been great for me to have several hits/work outs a day with her and I've also been hitting with some guys who used to play college tennis. This blog update is my last thing to do before I go up to Dallas!
I've had some negative reactions to the format of my blog. Apparently the style I use ignores paragraph spacing and indentions. Sorry, hope this is better! So I'll be in Dallas a few weeks, then back to Lexington for a week to see my first niece/nephew! Alex and Amy don't know what it will be yet.
I finally got my ticket to Europe so there's no turning back now! I leave for Hamburg, Germany on April 25th and I arrive back in the U.S. from France. I'm very excited but am still taking one day at a time here since my schedule and plans change very often.
Love,
Sarah
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Mayberry
Howdy!
I am now "living" in Portland, Texas, just 25 minutes north of Corpus Christi. It's great to be back in Texas! The population sign of 16,160 needs to be redone to 16,162~ Yippee! Kent's mom, Rhonda, who actually ran another marathon after Disney World, went to high school in Portland. Crazy, huh? After being here in this little Mayberry for about two weeks I have finally settled into somewhat of a routine. I typically hit with some tennis players in Corpus and teach in the afternoon in Portland. I come to the library about everyday to get online and I've started checking out books, too. I am falling in love with the library! I love quiet places and plus it's FREE! At this point, FREE has become my middle name. I also visit Wal-Mart regularly. The best part: The Country Club, Wal-Mart and the library are all on the same street about 3 minutes from one end to the other! The couple who started a Young Adult's Ministry on Friday nights called "The Net" have let me come into their home and stay with them for few weeks. Within a few days I am hoping to move into another home in Portland and possibly stay with them for the remainder of my stay here. In April I plan on going back to Lexington to see my new and first niece or nephew of my oldest sister, Amy, and her husband Alex. I am super excited about the new addition to the family as well as spending 5-7 days in Lexington! Bring on Joe B's! and Pazzos! and Cheddar's! and spending time with my family! I am in the process of making plans to play Club tennis and European pro tourneys this May and June. Through a few contacts I have overseas I've been able to communicate and make plans pretty efficiently.
As a Christian I serve an amazing God. This time last year I was in the meat of my A&M season, getting through school and still had 5 months left to graduate!~ Since then, Kent and I have both had the opportunity to spend 3-4 months in Tampa, Fl with Steve Smith in an intense learning environment and now move back to Texas only 2.5 hrs. away from his home. At the club in Portland I am able to teach and come and go as I please due to traveling. I have also found some super practice partners around the area. Kent gets to continue working and learning and playing tournaments as well. Being under the couple who run the show, he sees firthand how a club operates and he is not limited to being a teaching pro. We don't know what our future holds but I do not doubt God will continue to bless us with provision as we do our best to serve Him wholeheartedly. I am learning (or trying to learn) to live day by day and not be anxious and worry about the future. Just going from house to house without knowing where I will be in a week or so makes me stop and live in the moment and let tomorrow fend for itself. Matthew 6:27 says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?" v. 34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Finally, I am able to actually give this worry to God! Phil. 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Ok, I'll back down from the pulpit now. Don't worry, be happy! :)
I am now "living" in Portland, Texas, just 25 minutes north of Corpus Christi. It's great to be back in Texas! The population sign of 16,160 needs to be redone to 16,162~ Yippee! Kent's mom, Rhonda, who actually ran another marathon after Disney World, went to high school in Portland. Crazy, huh? After being here in this little Mayberry for about two weeks I have finally settled into somewhat of a routine. I typically hit with some tennis players in Corpus and teach in the afternoon in Portland. I come to the library about everyday to get online and I've started checking out books, too. I am falling in love with the library! I love quiet places and plus it's FREE! At this point, FREE has become my middle name. I also visit Wal-Mart regularly. The best part: The Country Club, Wal-Mart and the library are all on the same street about 3 minutes from one end to the other! The couple who started a Young Adult's Ministry on Friday nights called "The Net" have let me come into their home and stay with them for few weeks. Within a few days I am hoping to move into another home in Portland and possibly stay with them for the remainder of my stay here. In April I plan on going back to Lexington to see my new and first niece or nephew of my oldest sister, Amy, and her husband Alex. I am super excited about the new addition to the family as well as spending 5-7 days in Lexington! Bring on Joe B's! and Pazzos! and Cheddar's! and spending time with my family! I am in the process of making plans to play Club tennis and European pro tourneys this May and June. Through a few contacts I have overseas I've been able to communicate and make plans pretty efficiently.
As a Christian I serve an amazing God. This time last year I was in the meat of my A&M season, getting through school and still had 5 months left to graduate!~ Since then, Kent and I have both had the opportunity to spend 3-4 months in Tampa, Fl with Steve Smith in an intense learning environment and now move back to Texas only 2.5 hrs. away from his home. At the club in Portland I am able to teach and come and go as I please due to traveling. I have also found some super practice partners around the area. Kent gets to continue working and learning and playing tournaments as well. Being under the couple who run the show, he sees firthand how a club operates and he is not limited to being a teaching pro. We don't know what our future holds but I do not doubt God will continue to bless us with provision as we do our best to serve Him wholeheartedly. I am learning (or trying to learn) to live day by day and not be anxious and worry about the future. Just going from house to house without knowing where I will be in a week or so makes me stop and live in the moment and let tomorrow fend for itself. Matthew 6:27 says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?" v. 34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Finally, I am able to actually give this worry to God! Phil. 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Ok, I'll back down from the pulpit now. Don't worry, be happy! :)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sevilla, Espana
Hola. Ahora estoy en Sevilla con my mejor amiga de muchos anos, Acacia. Fuimos a la escuela el junto en Kentucky para seis anos a Lexington Christian Academy.
Hi. Now I'm in Sevilla with one of my best friends, Acacia. We went to school together en Kentucky for six years at Lexington Christian Academy. Although I have not seen her or kept up with her consistently for about a year and a half, we were able to pick up right where we left off. I arrived on Wednesday by bus and headed up to the ticket office. I could see her in the distance after a few minutes of turning my head in circles to find her and her first reaction when she saw me was to throw her head back and laugh really loud. Don't ask me why, (well, I know why, I'm a rookie at traveling internationally) but I brought my huge A&M travel bag which is stuffed, stuffed, stuffed with stuff. Needless to say, it is probably close to 60 lbs or something, and the airlines have put "Heavy-assisted lifting may be required, bend your knees" stickers on it that have a picture of a stick figure doing a squat with a huge suitcase. So, up the three flights of narrow twisted stairs to her apartment we go. She kept saying, "Sarah are you sure you don't want me to lift the back of it?" I felt convicted to carry it myself since I had the stupidity of taking everything with me for 2 days and 2 nights. Somehow I got it up the to the third floor with a few rest breaks on the way. We wasted no time in going to her work where she helps promote and organize trips to Gibraltar, Morocco, and Lagos, Portugal . Then we walked about another 30 min. to the train station to go babysit two little girls who she tutors in English. I love how much people walk here. I could really get used to it! The girls were so cute in little sweaters and plaid school skirts with tights and little leather shoes! (I'm a huge advocate for school uniforms. I've experienced both sides and strict uniforms work best.) During the walk and train ride we really started talking and catching up. I loved having a day where I just followed her around and got to go through a day in her life. Thursday was another great day where I woke up to the sound of children laughing, screaming, playing = recess. She lives close to a school and it was in the background all morning as she went to work and I rested, read and made a few phone calls. When she got back from work we headed out again for the rest of the night. We first stopped at a little market where several vendors wanted to sell us earrings, pashmias (thin wide scarves), leather wallets and other other authentic very cool stuff. She took me through what seemed to be confusing skinny streets where we had to get on the foot wide sidewalk to let cars go by. After browsing through several stores where I bought hundreds of dollars of stuff in my mind, we landed at a busy and unique cafe. We both ordered a big chocolate covered heart shaped croissant and either coffee or hot chocolate. We planted ourselves there and after our waiter brought our goodies, he never bothered us again until over two hours later when we asked for la cuenta, the check. We had talked, laughed, pondered, reminisced and jibber jabbered for over two hours without even looking at our watches. Our next mission was to see the sites around town, and I loved to see the city at night with all the lights. There is a beautiful river with several bridges and restaurants running along the side. Private kayaks and dining boat expeditions are very popular here. We passed a nice park and continued through downtown where two dancers were suspended from a harness and dancing "on the wall" of a store equivalent to our Best Buy. Apparently they were promoting a new Harry Potter movie which is already out in the U.S. They dancers flew, jumped and did flips all perpendicular to the wall and created a large audience on the street. For dinner we met up with one of her friends and ate an authentic Spanish dish, paella, at a restaurant we trusted, Paellador. With my tinto verano, 1/2 red wine and 1/2 orange Fanta, my paella consisted of chicken, veggie and rice. It was sooo good! We finished dinner at about 10:30 b/c people eat incredibly late here and headed to this local bar. From an outsider's view, one would never know there was a bar through this random door on the street, but it proved to be a huge two rooms with a fireplace, two bars, rows and rows of wooden benches and a little dance floor that was the focal point of the night. At 11:00 and 12:00, a flamenco dancer performs to the rhythmic sounds of the band behind her as they clap, snap, stomp their feet, sing and play the flute and guitars furiously. The female dancer claps off beat and makes a sound that is new and different to my ear and one that I think takes more talent to create than may be heard. This passionate and creative dance is unlike anything I have ever seen and I couldn't take my eyes off the stage. The lady uses her arms and hands expressively as she seems pretty free to twist and maneuver them sort of like a ballet dancer. There are clear foot steps, almost like a tap dance, and it includes a lot of stomping and aggressive quick jumps or long strides. The female dancers wear really tight colorful dresses that poof out at about the knees to create a dramatic twirling affect. After watching both perfomances I was so impressed and wanted to try my luck at it, but that can wait 'til I get home when I explain it to others. :) Oh boy! Acacia said it was by far the best two shows she has seen here even though the same girl performs. At the second show a man that the band knew went up to the stage in regular leather shoes and tested his skills that were a little spastic but brought the house down. We had a wonderful time and there is no other place I would rather visit than a relatively low key flamenco exhibition. The tourist stuff is only a portion of the real thing. After a wonderful and exhausting afternoon I crashed on her couch again and have woken up to inform you of my few days in Spain. I go back to Portimao, Portugal tonight and will depart from Faro on Monday, spend the afternoon and night in London and be on my way back to the U.S. on Tuesday. Yay! Anna has won her first two rounds in the main draw of doubles! :) Hopefully they'll pull through today so I can cheer them on tomorrow. Abrazos y besos!
Hi. Now I'm in Sevilla with one of my best friends, Acacia. We went to school together en Kentucky for six years at Lexington Christian Academy. Although I have not seen her or kept up with her consistently for about a year and a half, we were able to pick up right where we left off. I arrived on Wednesday by bus and headed up to the ticket office. I could see her in the distance after a few minutes of turning my head in circles to find her and her first reaction when she saw me was to throw her head back and laugh really loud. Don't ask me why, (well, I know why, I'm a rookie at traveling internationally) but I brought my huge A&M travel bag which is stuffed, stuffed, stuffed with stuff. Needless to say, it is probably close to 60 lbs or something, and the airlines have put "Heavy-assisted lifting may be required, bend your knees" stickers on it that have a picture of a stick figure doing a squat with a huge suitcase. So, up the three flights of narrow twisted stairs to her apartment we go. She kept saying, "Sarah are you sure you don't want me to lift the back of it?" I felt convicted to carry it myself since I had the stupidity of taking everything with me for 2 days and 2 nights. Somehow I got it up the to the third floor with a few rest breaks on the way. We wasted no time in going to her work where she helps promote and organize trips to Gibraltar, Morocco, and Lagos, Portugal . Then we walked about another 30 min. to the train station to go babysit two little girls who she tutors in English. I love how much people walk here. I could really get used to it! The girls were so cute in little sweaters and plaid school skirts with tights and little leather shoes! (I'm a huge advocate for school uniforms. I've experienced both sides and strict uniforms work best.) During the walk and train ride we really started talking and catching up. I loved having a day where I just followed her around and got to go through a day in her life. Thursday was another great day where I woke up to the sound of children laughing, screaming, playing = recess. She lives close to a school and it was in the background all morning as she went to work and I rested, read and made a few phone calls. When she got back from work we headed out again for the rest of the night. We first stopped at a little market where several vendors wanted to sell us earrings, pashmias (thin wide scarves), leather wallets and other other authentic very cool stuff. She took me through what seemed to be confusing skinny streets where we had to get on the foot wide sidewalk to let cars go by. After browsing through several stores where I bought hundreds of dollars of stuff in my mind, we landed at a busy and unique cafe. We both ordered a big chocolate covered heart shaped croissant and either coffee or hot chocolate. We planted ourselves there and after our waiter brought our goodies, he never bothered us again until over two hours later when we asked for la cuenta, the check. We had talked, laughed, pondered, reminisced and jibber jabbered for over two hours without even looking at our watches. Our next mission was to see the sites around town, and I loved to see the city at night with all the lights. There is a beautiful river with several bridges and restaurants running along the side. Private kayaks and dining boat expeditions are very popular here. We passed a nice park and continued through downtown where two dancers were suspended from a harness and dancing "on the wall" of a store equivalent to our Best Buy. Apparently they were promoting a new Harry Potter movie which is already out in the U.S. They dancers flew, jumped and did flips all perpendicular to the wall and created a large audience on the street. For dinner we met up with one of her friends and ate an authentic Spanish dish, paella, at a restaurant we trusted, Paellador. With my tinto verano, 1/2 red wine and 1/2 orange Fanta, my paella consisted of chicken, veggie and rice. It was sooo good! We finished dinner at about 10:30 b/c people eat incredibly late here and headed to this local bar. From an outsider's view, one would never know there was a bar through this random door on the street, but it proved to be a huge two rooms with a fireplace, two bars, rows and rows of wooden benches and a little dance floor that was the focal point of the night. At 11:00 and 12:00, a flamenco dancer performs to the rhythmic sounds of the band behind her as they clap, snap, stomp their feet, sing and play the flute and guitars furiously. The female dancer claps off beat and makes a sound that is new and different to my ear and one that I think takes more talent to create than may be heard. This passionate and creative dance is unlike anything I have ever seen and I couldn't take my eyes off the stage. The lady uses her arms and hands expressively as she seems pretty free to twist and maneuver them sort of like a ballet dancer. There are clear foot steps, almost like a tap dance, and it includes a lot of stomping and aggressive quick jumps or long strides. The female dancers wear really tight colorful dresses that poof out at about the knees to create a dramatic twirling affect. After watching both perfomances I was so impressed and wanted to try my luck at it, but that can wait 'til I get home when I explain it to others. :) Oh boy! Acacia said it was by far the best two shows she has seen here even though the same girl performs. At the second show a man that the band knew went up to the stage in regular leather shoes and tested his skills that were a little spastic but brought the house down. We had a wonderful time and there is no other place I would rather visit than a relatively low key flamenco exhibition. The tourist stuff is only a portion of the real thing. After a wonderful and exhausting afternoon I crashed on her couch again and have woken up to inform you of my few days in Spain. I go back to Portimao, Portugal tonight and will depart from Faro on Monday, spend the afternoon and night in London and be on my way back to the U.S. on Tuesday. Yay! Anna has won her first two rounds in the main draw of doubles! :) Hopefully they'll pull through today so I can cheer them on tomorrow. Abrazos y besos!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Raining on Sunday
A few days ago I let my iPod roam free without any playlist or album selected. I'm always surprised at how many random songs I have on that thing! A song by Keith Urban, "Rainin' on Sunday" came on and I remember thinking how sweet it was. It turned out to be a foreshadow of today's *gray*, rainy, cold, windy, damp, drizzly Sunday. Anna and I were planning on playing our second round matches (yes, I FINALLY won a round) today but all tennis was cancelled by midafternoon. We're staying at a very nice and new hotel which is about a 15 minute walk to the host hotel. Today we trudged down the long cobblestone sidewalk against the wind with our little thin cotton hoods, stopped for a picture, then stepped down the 100 twisted stone stairs of this old fortress that has been here a couple hundred years that we must go through in order to get to the road of the host hotel. It's a nice walk and about midway through the stairs when I tend to stop for a little brake, you can look out to the ocean. Today I was in awe of the huge crashing waves that blasted (is that a word? don't think so...) into rocks and dams. The ocean was more furious today with the exceedingly howling wind and the waves made a cool postcard glimpse as they hit a red and white striped lighthouse at the end of a long pier. After finally ending at the host hotel, we decided to not even take the bus since it was so wet. We started talking to some girls from England and Scotland and they helped pass the time with stories and mutual contacts between us, including my sister! The tennis world is a small world. Anyway, we hung out there all day, using their computer, sneaking into their free breakfast place in which nothing we ate was good (maybe it was punishment for not actually staying there) and using their work-out room. At about 2:30 or so Anna and I trudged back down the street, up the fortress steps and back down the sidewalk with our tennis bags that we try to make as light as possible but still seem too heavy. I finished one of my books today, "Three Cups of Tea," and now will borrow Anna's "Three Weeks With My Brother" by Nicholas Sparks. I didn't realize he wrote "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember." I looooved those movies, esp. "A W T R"!
So tonight I went to dinner by myself b/c Anna was talking to her mom on Skype and I would use it after her. I decided to try a local tiny place very close to our hotel. I ran into a Portuguese girl who is staying at our hotel and talked with her a little bit. Get this: She actually knows several players who play for Texas A&M Corpus Christi! Um yeah, that's where I'll be training in a few weeks! Once again, the tennis world is a small world. I took full advantage of her and her native language and pointed to several desserts, saying, "What's that?" to way too many. She was so nice and truly didn't mind at all. She helped talk to the nice young waitress lady for me and made my night easier. After she went back to the hotel, the waitress brought my big hunky piece of chocolate cake with walnuts. I just had to have some chocolate. It wasn't one of those, "I might die if I don't get some chocolate NOW!" but more like, "This will make my night and help me sleep better and make me happier" kind of thing. ( I know, I know, chocolate cake before a match???? Well, there is a "time for everything" and it actually will probably rain all week!) So she brought it on this adorable multicolored plate with tons of Portuguese words and a few animals on it. Well, I just loved it! Portugal has the absolute most beautiful pottery and hand painted ceramics that I have fallen in love with. Although this wasn't handpainted, I just had to have it. So when she came back I pointed to myself and said, "I" and then made the gesture that I am crazy by motioning my pointer finger in circular motion by my ear to prepare her for my next request. I said, "Bonita" which means "pretty" in Spanish, which is very similar to Portuguese and pointed to the plate. She understood that I liked it, and I said, "Euros" motioning that I'd giver her $ for it. She immediately said, "No, no" and shook her head. But then all of a sudden either she completely realized what I wanted or something, but she said, "Aw, for you..." and went behind the little kitchen, wrapped a plate in a grocery bag and told me not to tell by putting her finger against her mouth. So sweet! I couldn't believe it and almost felt awkward, kinda like a criminal. Needless to say I gave her a heck of a tip and hopefully made her night. Tips aren't a big deal here, usually just give the leftover change, so I was happy to help her out as she helped me out giving me the coolest souvenir I've picked up so far and a great story to go with it!
Like I said, there is a bad weather forecast. They will cancel the tournament when they find they are so behind that the tourney cannot end by Sunday. I am hoping to get the show on the road, do my thing and head to Sevilla, Spain for the remainder of the trip. One of my best friends, Acacia, lives there now! I sorta have a notion that it's going to be rainy. I hope they make a decision quick so we don't end up spending our last days here wasting away in a hotel room when we could be in Spain.
This trip has been nothing short of an eye opening experience. I have CNN on right now, which I thing is live from Hong Kong or something. I enjoy hearing the international news and talking to people from around the world. I also just finished that book I wrote about which tells of an American man who failed at his attempt to climb K2 (I wouldn't even say he failed, but that is what everyone says) and got lost on the way back down and ended in a random village. He ended up starting a school back there after coming back to get funds in the U.S. I think he has now established 55 schools. He has quite a story to tell and it was a great book to learn about the Muslim culture and religion, remote villages in Pakistan, the Taliban and Asia in general. A little controversial at times, but I still enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we are trying for the same sked., Anna is at 10:00 and I'm first on after that.
Question for you: 1. Do I use too many commas when I write? I feel like I do.
2. Is there anything in particular you want to hear about or want me to write about?
Have an awesome day!
So tonight I went to dinner by myself b/c Anna was talking to her mom on Skype and I would use it after her. I decided to try a local tiny place very close to our hotel. I ran into a Portuguese girl who is staying at our hotel and talked with her a little bit. Get this: She actually knows several players who play for Texas A&M Corpus Christi! Um yeah, that's where I'll be training in a few weeks! Once again, the tennis world is a small world. I took full advantage of her and her native language and pointed to several desserts, saying, "What's that?" to way too many. She was so nice and truly didn't mind at all. She helped talk to the nice young waitress lady for me and made my night easier. After she went back to the hotel, the waitress brought my big hunky piece of chocolate cake with walnuts. I just had to have some chocolate. It wasn't one of those, "I might die if I don't get some chocolate NOW!" but more like, "This will make my night and help me sleep better and make me happier" kind of thing. ( I know, I know, chocolate cake before a match???? Well, there is a "time for everything" and it actually will probably rain all week!) So she brought it on this adorable multicolored plate with tons of Portuguese words and a few animals on it. Well, I just loved it! Portugal has the absolute most beautiful pottery and hand painted ceramics that I have fallen in love with. Although this wasn't handpainted, I just had to have it. So when she came back I pointed to myself and said, "I" and then made the gesture that I am crazy by motioning my pointer finger in circular motion by my ear to prepare her for my next request. I said, "Bonita" which means "pretty" in Spanish, which is very similar to Portuguese and pointed to the plate. She understood that I liked it, and I said, "Euros" motioning that I'd giver her $ for it. She immediately said, "No, no" and shook her head. But then all of a sudden either she completely realized what I wanted or something, but she said, "Aw, for you..." and went behind the little kitchen, wrapped a plate in a grocery bag and told me not to tell by putting her finger against her mouth. So sweet! I couldn't believe it and almost felt awkward, kinda like a criminal. Needless to say I gave her a heck of a tip and hopefully made her night. Tips aren't a big deal here, usually just give the leftover change, so I was happy to help her out as she helped me out giving me the coolest souvenir I've picked up so far and a great story to go with it!
Like I said, there is a bad weather forecast. They will cancel the tournament when they find they are so behind that the tourney cannot end by Sunday. I am hoping to get the show on the road, do my thing and head to Sevilla, Spain for the remainder of the trip. One of my best friends, Acacia, lives there now! I sorta have a notion that it's going to be rainy. I hope they make a decision quick so we don't end up spending our last days here wasting away in a hotel room when we could be in Spain.
This trip has been nothing short of an eye opening experience. I have CNN on right now, which I thing is live from Hong Kong or something. I enjoy hearing the international news and talking to people from around the world. I also just finished that book I wrote about which tells of an American man who failed at his attempt to climb K2 (I wouldn't even say he failed, but that is what everyone says) and got lost on the way back down and ended in a random village. He ended up starting a school back there after coming back to get funds in the U.S. I think he has now established 55 schools. He has quite a story to tell and it was a great book to learn about the Muslim culture and religion, remote villages in Pakistan, the Taliban and Asia in general. A little controversial at times, but I still enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we are trying for the same sked., Anna is at 10:00 and I'm first on after that.
Question for you: 1. Do I use too many commas when I write? I feel like I do.
2. Is there anything in particular you want to hear about or want me to write about?
Have an awesome day!
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