Hungarian Championships: Round 2

After a week free from match-play, the Hungarian Championship will resume this week. Matches for the final four will be played March 15, 17, 19, 21, and 23. REMEMBER: In the final four, you must win 3 matches to advance to the finals. Matches for the consolation bracket (places 5th-8th) will be played March 16, 19, and 22. Here, teams must win 2 matches to advance. Competing in the Final Four will be BSE, Vasas, UTE, and Godollo. Last year's final featured BSE and Godollo, with BSE coming out victorious. In the consolation bracket, you can see NRK Nyiregyhaza, Albrect MVSC MISI, BRSE, and MAV.

During this week, most teams practiced, however 4 teams competed in a single-elimination Hungarian Cup. BSE defeated NRK Nyiregyhaza to advance to the finals, where they would face Godollo. Godollo defeated Vasas--Vasas defeated NRK in the 3rd place match. BSE won this match in 4. It is possible that these same two teams will meet up in the Hungarian championship finals, which I know everyone will be eager to see.

Our first match will be played in Shaky-shaky-feyhava against MAV, before we will return home to Bekescsaba to play them again on Saturday of this week. After splitting with MAV earlier this season, we are looking forward to getting a chance to play them again. Look for more Hun-Volley updates as this week progresses.

Quarterfinals, Part II

Well, unfortunately we were unsuccessful in our attempts to defeat Gödöllő tonight, losing in 4 again...18-25, 25-21, 18-25, 24-26. The scores were much closer and we played better, but made a lot of mental mistakes and unforced errors when we couldn't afford to. We had many long rallys and put forth a great effort out on defensive plays. Anyways, we will most likely play MAV from Székesfehérvár in our next round of match play. Matches for the consolation bracket (5th-8th) begin Wednesday, March 16 and then Saturday, March 19; you only must win 2 to advance. If we have to play a 3rd, it will be Tuesday, March 22. Practice will resume on Monday.

In other news, its still snowing here--apparently that is not the normal weather pattern for this time of year, despite common misconception. Rumor has it that temperature should be warming up dramatically in the next week or so...something this Florida girl can only hope to be true.

I think we have a slight language barrier issue here..

I have had the honor, nay, the privilege to spend a lot of time with my dear teammate Niki, whom I now can call my friend. During our times together, we have a lot of random conversations filled with various, sometimes strange, topics. Initially, we struggled with some explanations, finding it necessary to bring a Hungarian-English dictionary to find the word we were trying to say. As time has progressed, we have resorted to pantomiming or drawing when words fail us. Our most recent team trip to Budapest provided us with the opportunity to stay together in a room, along with Zsoka. What better chance to talk with a friend then right as you are trying to fall asleep? Cue hours of what American girls call "pillow talk". I have found a few excerpts from that night's conversation that demonstrated just how exactly it is that she and I communicate.

Situation A. Niki: "Green bikini? What is so sexy about the color green in America?" Me: "Nooo, I said whipped cream bikini, you know, like what you put in your coffee. But instead you wear it." Niki: "Oh, yeah that makes a lot more sense."

Situation B. Niki attempted to explain "land pirates", which I still believe are similar to Robin Hood, she was stuck on one word. She described it in Hungarian, and the only part I understood was "szex stílus", to which I immediately guess the word "whip". She looked at me and said, "yes, exactly!" Whoever said that my catch-phrase abilities were useless? Boom. Roasted.

We also compared the differences between pronunciations of names in English and Hungarian. Unfortunately the video is too long to post on here, so you'll have to check facebook--if that works.

Let the games begin!!!

Tuesday marked the start of Március Madness: Magyar Edition. Our team drove to Gödöllő for the first round of quarterfinal matches. In order to advance to the semifinals, a team must win 2 matches. Since Gödöllő is ranked #2, they would host the first match; we would host on Thursday. If necessary, the third and deciding match would be played at the higher seed's hometown.

My team seemed antsy in the lock-room, eager to begin the match. Pregame warmup went well, as everyone looked to be finding their groove well. During hitting lines, Sisco's "Thong Song" played and I knew things were looking up for us. You can't just head songs like that and NOT win. The match started out showing nerves on both side before Gödöllő went on a run; they would beat us 12-25. The second was a little closer, 18-25, but our opponents were in control the entire time. In the third, we came alive, competing hard when Kicsi sprained her ankle. The game was close, both team's point in the 20s. We came together and decided that we would win this game for Kicsi. And we did, 25-23! Going into the 4th set, we all believed that would to take the match. Forgetting about the first two sets, we felt confident and were fighting hard for each point. The scored stayed close the whole game, with neither team taking the lead. Tied at 22-22, the Gödöllő team managed to pull away, sealing the match with a score of 22-25. We would have another chance on Thursday, this time playing at home.

In other matches:

#1 BSE defeated #8 Albrect 3-0

#3 Vasas defeated #6 MAV 3-0

#5 NRK upset #4 UTE 3-0

Match play resumes across the country on Thursday. Stay tuned for more röplabda updates as the week continues!

Budapest Trip with Niki

My weekend in Budapest began with an hour+ drive to Szolnok, courtesy of Adam. He was going home for the weekend and offered to drive Niki and I to the Szolnok train station as it would reduce our travel time. After that day's training, we packed our things and started on our way. The train ride from Szolnok to Budapest would only be an hour. From there, we took a city bus to the outlying suburbs where Niki's family lives. Her mother had taken the day off of work to prepare for our visit. We were greeted by the traditional Hungarian cheek-kiss, which of course I botched, before being ushered inside for a snack of lunch meat, cheese, and various vegetables. Finally we showered off our travels and headed to Niki's room for bed.

We woke a little after 10 and had a family breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried ham, crescent rolls, various meats and cheeses, and veggies. Niki's father Istvan (Stephen) took us to his auto repair shop - the 2nd largest in Hungary - and then to the phone store in hopes to get Niki a new iPhone. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful on our mission. Instead, we ended up shopping for Istvan's birthday gift from the family: a new watch. Back at home Kati, Niki's mother, had lunch waiting. The food was delicious! We ate garlic and red onion soup with cheese, ground meat with rice and green beans casserole, add some sour cream and VIOLA! For dessert, Kati made apple pie...yummo :) Niki and I drank some coffee before venturing out back into the city for some sightseeing and shopping.

First stop: Hősök tere. "Hero Square", as it is called in English, is surrounded by the Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Arts. Located at the end of Andrassy Avenue located near the City Park. There is a giant column erect in the center of the square, with the archangel Gabriel located at the top holding the crown of St Stephen, the first king of Hungary. At the base of the column sit 7 horsemen, who represent the Magyar chieftains who led the Hungarian people to the Carpathian basin. Behind this monument are two semicircular colonnades, each with 7 statues representing great figures in Hungarian history. Next we ventured towards the city park, taking in the various historical sights. We passed the Műjégpálya Ice Rink, which is currently under construction before stopping for photo opportunities in front of the Vajdahunyad Castle. Further down the street, you could find the famous Széchenyi thermal baths and swimming pool. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs; the water has many minerals that include sulphate, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and a significant amount of fluoride acid and metaboric acid. Our walk back towards Hero Square took us past the City Zoo//Botanical Gardens and the famous Gundel Restaurant. We took the yellow M1, Millennium Line downtown to Vörösmarty Square to meet up with Niki's sister, Ivi, for some shopping. After a few purchases, we went our separate ways: Niki and I to Oktogon intersection to have dinner, and her sister met with their parents to head home. Niki and I went to TGI Fridays for some American hamburgers and cocktails. Taking the metro and bus back home, we were exhausted and unsure if we would make it out to the disco with Ivi. Nothing a cup of coffee can't cure. We dressed quickly and rushed to catch the tram. Cue a series of unfortunate events:

1, it was raining.

2, we left the flat too late to catch the last subway so after being dropped off by the tram we sprinted through the rain in attempts to catch our bus.

3, we went to the wrong bus stop. Once realizing this mistake, we ran further down the road just in time to

4, watch our real bus speed past us. BOSMEG!

Luckily, the bus driver from the first bus stop we went to took pity on us and offered to drive us part of the way so we could try to catch the bus again. Köszönöm szépen!!! We rode the bus a few more stops to where we would catch a tram to take us to the...mall? Apparently at night, this mall opens a few pubs//bars as discos. Interesting. We met up with Ivi, split a bottle of champagne before heading upstairs to the party. We danced the night away, meeting some of the local Hungarian basketball players. Many of the American bball players were out that night, and I was definitely overwhelmed by all the English that was spoken. We finally were ready to call it a night around 4:30, heading out to find some kebabs to cure our midnight-munchies.

We slept until around noon the next day, packed our things and headed to the train station to head back home to Bekescsaba. It was a great weekend full of fun and laughter.

Until next time readers...szia!

Orange you glad its valentine's day?

Valentine's day is a day for love and romance, X's and O's, candy and flowers; one that celebrates affection and intimacy between lovers. It is a day to shout from the rooftops your undying love for that special someone who has won over your heart. This day, created by Hallmark, is one that people are to overly express their emotions and gush upon their loved ones. I hate this day. Lucky for me, I have the great Atlantic Ocean separating me from my valentine so I was able to avoid any and all romantical gestures.

Instead, I went about my day as usual, enjoying lunch at Holsten's with Adam and Niki. We had the day off from practice, so instead I was able to catch up on some shopping at the Csaba Center before doing some grocery shopping. Tonight there would be a valentine's day party at Orange Club, near the main city center, just a block or two from Niki and Adam's apartment. Around 5:45, I headed over to Niki's so we could begin our preparations for the evening. First on the agenda? shop for cocktail ingredients. We wanted to make our own fruity pre-party drinks at her apartment to get us in the festive mood. Back at home, we ordered pizza, showered and started to get ready. Selecting the perfect party outfit is a long and grueling process, the earlier it can begin, the better. Toncsi came over and helped as hair-stylist, a job she was quickly fired from; it was nothing personal, my hair just has a mind of its own and is often better left untamed. As we added the finishing touches, Barbi joined us for a few drinks before heading over to the disco. Let the fun begin!!!

Upon entering the club, we had a decision to make: green or red? Green if you are "single-and-ready-to-mingle", red if you are "taken-and-therefore-have-nothing-fun-to-rhyme-with". We selected our hearts, danced, laughed, and drank some more, constantly entertained by the random happenings around us. We ran into two of the local football players and FFTT (f**king famous touchdown Tony) and hung out with them for most of the night. One person in particular was able to provide laughter for days after.

Here, I shall share her story:

Her name is not important, just her valentine's day actions. My first introduction to this lady of the night was rather abrupt. I was sitting at a table, talking with Barbi and Toncsi when out of nowhere two bodies come timbering down. You would assume that people would rush to their aid as they painfully gathered themselves upright, but no. Instead they laid there, half-intertwined sucking each other's faces. Upon conclusion, the girl got up with a dazed look on her face, wiped her mouth, and walked back to the bar. The guy, on the other hand, seemed to have suffered more from the fall, and took his time recovering. Unsure of what I had just witnessed, I asked Niki if she had seen it as well. The look in her eyes confirmed this was real life. Later that night, this girl was spotted dancing somewhat sloppily with, you guessed it, the same boy she tackled. Obviously he hadn't had enough of her tender lovin'. A few days later, I received an anonymous tip about the rest of our lady friend's evening. It appears that she was a virgin at the start of the night, however, this changed after a romp in the sack with none other than the boy from the bar. That night they somehow "lost" the condom and she's not on birth control (being a virgin and all) so she went to the doctor to get Plan B just in case...well they found the condom. Clearly this would be a valentine's to remember.

Everything you need to know about the Hungarian Championship

Due to our performances Feb 11 and 13, the BRSE has secured their 7th place ranking in the Extra League (1st league in Hungary) by defeating Kaposvár. We will face the 2nd ranked team, TEVA-RC from Gödöllő in the quarterfinals; the first match is away on March 1, then we play at home March 3. In order to advance on to the final four, you must win 2 matches, so if necessary we will play against Gödöllő in a 3rd match to determine who stays en route to the championship and who will play in the consolation matches for places 5-8. In order to better understand the Hungarian championship post-season, I have developed a bracket for those of you at home to follow.

TEAMS/MATCHES:

1. BSE FCSM vs. Albrecht-VSC-Misi Miskolc
2. TEVA-RC Gödöllő vs. Békéscsaba RSE
3. Vasas Danube Buda Car vs. SC Pre-MAV
4. NRK-Nyiregyhaza vs. Ujpest TE

You must win 2 matches in the first round, as mentioned above, in order to advance on to the semifinals/final four. From there, you must win 3 matches to advance to the finals, where you must win 3 matches to be crowned Hungarian Champion. For those of you who are visual learners, like myself, see the bracket below. I'm not sure exactly which teams will play each other in the next rounds, but this can give you a general idea.

If at any time, you lose, you will move to the consolation bracket. If you lose in the quarterfinals, you are now fighting for places 5-8, and must only win 2 matches to move on. If you lose in the semifinals, you will play for 3rd place; I believe this is also 2 matches to win, but not completely sure. See the loser's, I mean, consolation bracket below: