Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer

I've been a little absent to the blogging scene since my return to the good ol' US of A. A lot has happened for me during my summer back, but instead of boring you with a bunch of individual stories about my American adventures, I will instead just list them for you month by month:

APRIL/MAY - Niki, my teammate from Hungary, and I flew to Orlando from Budapest over Easter weekend. Of course, we were delayed like 4+ hours in the Budapest airport--something we attributed to Chuck Norris' excellent strength and Marth Stewart's absence. Upon our arrival, we would be making 2 week Tour de Florida, which included a detour up to Clemson, SC to pick up my sister from her first semester at college. Niki and I went all over, hitting up the House of Mouse (Disney World) and Busche Gardens, visiting St Augustine and Tampa, and of course, spent as much time as possible at the beach. She got to visit my alma mater (its so weird to be able to say that) and meet many of my college friends. After she went home, I began coaching 4 nights a week at the JJVA center with the club teams who were heading to Nationals and AAUs. In the 3 weekends that followed, we had a friend graduate from law school (Matt), another friend get married (Lauren), and a family reunion for Memorial Day weekend. Before I knew it, it had already become June.

JUNE - This month brought forth more family time, as everyone gathered in Ponte Vedra to watch my sister walk across the stage for her high school graduation. Combine that with it being my mom's birthday weekend and BAM! craziness. I began nannying for a local family near my parent's house during the week, but managed to keep my weekends free so I could still visit with friends and boyfriend. After spending a week in Siesta Key doing some condo work for another family (yeah basically I had a free vacation while "assembling" their nearly-almost-complete-condo), I had to bid my mom and sister farewell as they ventured across the pond for the BIP summer tour to Italy and Montenegro. I got to go to Busche Gardens again, as well as take the kids I nanny for to Universal Studios + Islands of Adventure. Finally, another month had passed me by and it was time for me to head over to Tampa to begin UT volleyball camps.

JULY - 3 weeks of volleyball camps made this month FLY by. Most of my time in Tampa was spent in the Bob Martinez Sports Center, however, I was able to get out and engage in my favorite social activities every now and then. It was during my first week here that I received my official contract from my new team in Ljungby, Sweden - Ljungby Volleybollklubb. I gladly accepted this new job and will be heading over August 30. I found out that there is another American girl who will play with me from University of Illinois; we've been facebooking back and forth and will be meeting on the flight over from DC-Copenhagen. The last week of July, my mom, cousin, mom's friend, and I headed up to visit my dad's parents in Maine. 22 hours after being stuck in the Newark airport made me decide that Jersey wasn't all its cracked up to be. Finally we arrived and got to spend a week on the beautiful island off the coast of Maine where they spend their summer months. Yes, I have grandparents who are snow birds in the winter. Whatever, they're cute. Finally we flew home, without much delay, and thus I would begin my final month in America.

AUGUST - to be continued.....

Ok, so I know I said I wouldn't bore you too much with my stories, but I have to explain random things here and there so my randomness makes some sort of sense. Besides, you know you liked it.

"I'm happy to report that my inner child is still ageless"

Last week, our match play finally ended with a victory as we secured 7th place in the top women's volleyball league in Hungary. After a somewhat challenging first professional playing experience, I was somewhat sad to see the season finish. Living in Bekescsaba for the past 4 months has provided me the opportunity to meet people and experience a culture that otherwise would have gone unnoticed on my world radar: witnessing a pig slaughter, chicken talons floating in my soup, the Hungarian language; among other things.

For those of you who don't stalk my life, cough-you know who you are-cough, my birthday was last Thursday. In the weeks leading up to this blessed event, I am always super giddy and overjoyed with excitement, but once the big day finally approaches I tend to simmer down. I have a super sneaky friend here who, during that week, had many random "jobs" to do around town. Insert here my first ever surprise party. Niki had planned this, probably right in front of my face since I understand very few Hungarian words. I was told that Thursday night, she, Zsoka and I had would hang out at Zsoka's house and talk about the season, maybe speak about plans for next year, but just have a good evening. Of course, I thought nothing of it. As we walked into her apartment, I was greeted by the whole team and a lit birthday cake, as they sang a Hungarian birthday song.

After the initial shock and awe, I was told "boldog születésnapot" by each member on the team before receiving the traditional cheek kisses. Kajla had made a dirt mound cake, similar to our worms and dirt cake that we Americans enjoy as children. We drank, ate, and enjoyed our end of season/surprise birthday party together. Zsoka made me a special sandwich consisting of pig fat spread like butter (of course from the pig slaughter I had witnessed) and onions. Despite how it sounds, it really wasn't all that bad. We went around the circle, asking everyone on the team what they planned to do for next season--information I am not at liberty to divulge--and what was happening in their lives. Unlike the team at UT, the team here doesn't spend every waking moment living together, so our lives are not so intertwined. It was a great evening and definitely a birthday I will never forget thanks to my many Hungarian friends!!

Don't hét us 'cuz you ain't us

Sunday, April 10, the BRSE took on opponent Albrect VSC-Misi Miskolc at home, defeating them 3:0 in under one hour. After jumping on Miskolc (pronounced Meesh-kolts) in the first set, 25-9, we let up a little in the 2nd, winning by a much closer margin of 25-15. Finally regaining our composure, we put an end to the match with a 25-12 victory. According to some of my teammate's, the best player for Miskolc was sitting on the bench. We found out later that she had been skipping practices for the past few weeks, and that the coach was punishing her for doing so. Brava!

Side note: Miskolc was the 1st place team from the second volleyball league at the end of regular season, allowing them to move up to the first league for playoffs. The 8th place team from our league dropped down to the second league. Not sure if anyone remembers the wildcard playoff match that we, as the 7th place team from the 1st league, played in January/February against the 2nd place team (Kaposvar) from the 2nd league...but whatever, that determines who else moves within the two divisions. Clearly, we won, so HAZZAH! we stayed in the top league. Now back to the regularly scheduled entertainment...

Wednesday, April 13, we traveled almost 4 hours to the northeast part of Hungary, allowing me my first glimpse of the Hungarian mountains. The gym is crazy small, the roof is maybe 30' high, and the floor was super slick. Oh, and did I mention that the gym was FREEZING? Needless to say, these were perfect playing conditions! As most of you may know by now, our team tends to have frequent mental lapses--constantly varying between highs and lows throughout matches. Its fair to say that we never know which BRSE team will really show up. That said, we lost the first set 20-25. Miskolc's best hitter, who was benched on Sunday, was playing and definitely helped their team; however, we were able to pull it all together, winning the next three sets: 25-10, 27-25, 25-20. It should be said that the 1st and 3rd sets we played on the colder side of the gym, so its possible that the dramatic temperature drop slightly affected our play. Regardless, we came out victorious, securing the 7th place in Hungarian Women's Volleyball Extra Liga for the 2010-2011 season!!

For those of you who don't know, the number 7 in Hungarian is "hét" - pronounced "hate". Just in case you were wondering.

Let's see how many times can I say "lawn mower" in one post?

So it's apparently the "Unofficial Lawn Mowing Day" here in Bekescsaba.

On our walk back from lunch, Niki and I came across a 20-something year old man mowing his front yard area. Most of the yards here are pretty small, so it takes roughly 7 minutes to cut the grass. This guy obviously decided that today was as good a day as any to mow his lawn. As we approached, Niki gawked at the guy, trying to figure out if/where she may have seen him before while I stared, mouth agape, at the lawn mower. Sure, the guy was tall, so maybe mildly attractive--clearly that's not where my attention was--regardless, I was much more concerned with the lawn mower. I know that I sound like such a boy, staring bewildered at his lawn equipment, but you weren't there.

First, there was hardly any sound, despite the lawn mower clearly running. It made just a slight hum, and an occasional crunch as it passed over a twig. Then, I noticed an orange extension cord. Apparently their lawn mowers are plugged in, like a vacuum. Hence my confusion. Do we have electric lawn mowers in America??

We continued walking, turning down the next street, Niki laughing at me for only noticing the lawn mower machine and not the lawn mower person. Despite my efforts, she refused to accept my reasoning, claiming that I was a "weirdo" for checking out the lawn mower and not the guy. The next street over, we saw two more of these electric-style lawn mowers. Naturally, I whipped out my iPod to video this anomaly. Enjoy.

Oh, and the final "lawn mower" word count is 11. In case you were curious.

Its already April...how did that happen?

It's been a couple weeks since my last post. It seems surreal that my first overseas playing experience is coming to an end. Anyhoo, I decided it was time to update everyone with the latest news from Hungary...here goes:

1. It's officially springtime! Yes, my dear friends, the birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blossoming. The trees here are absolutely gorgeous, covered in white, yellow, and pink flowers. Living in Florida for the majority of my life, I have only experienced the hot-really hot-hot as hell-back to hot cycle that we claim to be our 4 seasons. Having finally endured my first real winter, I can truly appreciate the spring weather that much more. Niki and I have been spending more and more time outside, just sitting in the sunshine, wearing our fancy sunglasses--to which I have a slight addiction, but its fine--and eating ice cream. Its crazy how many more people seem to live here now that the weather is warmer.

2. Our trainings have begun to wind down. We have our last home match (hopefully) on Sunday against Albrecht MVSC MISI; Wednesday we will travel to Miskoltc (pronounced Meesh-kolts) to play again. Remember: you must win 2 matches in order to win the series. If the matches are 1-1, we return to Bekescsaba to play the final match April 20. We are fighting for 7th place in the Hungarian extraliga, or the top league in Hungary. Many girls, including myself, have been fighting off colds and some viruses, but hopefully all will be well for the matches this week.

Ok, so when I sat down to write this blog, I was sure I would have more than two points to share with my now not-so-captive audience. Whatever, I guess its better than nothing. Really this blog is more to prove to my friends and family I'm alive and somewhat well, having a grand ol' time living abroad. Or to help you procrastinate doing whatever it is you're supposed to be doing with your day.

The expected's just the beginning. The unexpected is what changes our lives.

Three months ago, I began a new chapter in my life. Accepting a job offer to play volleyball in Hungary was extremely impulsive, but then again, what else would you expect from this recent college grad? I have a slight tendency to act spontaneously. For the most part, my decisions are harmless and all part of my coming-of-age process. I believe that everything in life happens for a reason, that my choices are all part of my life's journey, blah blah, you get the point.

My life has no constant; my future is unpredictable. I am a brand new “real life” adult. All I have right now is freedom and adventure, both of which are just beginning. I have no concept of time, as everything in my life has always been on a day-to-day basis. I hate making plans, and prefer to create a general outline, allowing for changes to come and go as they please. My goals are extremely broad and general. I am at a point where I am truly just now figuring out who I am. There are very few guarantees in life, even less in that of a 21-year old volleyball vagabond. For now, I will continue to live and play volleyball overseas in the tiny town of Bekescsaba, Hungary. After that, my life plans are pretty much up in the air. My only goal is to live and experience everything I can, for as long as I can before I am no longer allowed to run away from the inevitable grasp of society.

As with most individuals growing up in my generation, I want to leave my mark in the world. I have done some research, and learned some incredible accomplishments that others have reached by the time they were 22. By age 22, Mark Spitz had won 7 Olympic gold medals and Charles Darwin had set sail for the Galapagos Islands. By age 21, Steven Jobs co-founded Apple Computer and Humphrey David discovered laughing gas. By age 20, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and cofounded Microsoft, and Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice (which I still haven't read). By 19, Abner Doubleday created the rules for baseball. By age 18, Billy the Kid was charged with 12 murders (ok this is a little morbid and disturbing, but still, he left his mark). By age 17, Pele won the World Cup match for Brazil, before passing out on the field.

In attempts to create my own legacy, I borrowed a few ideas from “The Bucket List” and “A Walk to Remember”. There’s something about people on their deathbeds in movies that really get you thinking about your own life, and thus I decided to create a list of my own. My goals are solely based on my preferences and meant strictly for my own personal gain; however, many of them would be better enjoyed alongside the company of friends. My list has no order, as life is unpredictable and you never know what will be thrown in your direction. The only stipulation is that the list is to be completed before my demise. My bucket list has ideas about travel, about life, and variations of anything in between. I want to see the 7 wonders of the world, all 50 states, live in 4 countries. I’m not sure why I picked 4, but regardless, I’m halfway there. I want to solve a rubix cube without cheating, ride a mechanical bull, and learn another language. I want to fall in love, start a family, have a dog and teach that dog to fetch beer from the fridge. I want to watch the 10 greatest American films of all time, see the real Mona Lisa, and see a sunrise and sunset in the same 24-hour period. I want to break a Guinness book world record.

Ok, obviously some of my goals are ridiculous, but they’re what makes me “me”. If they weren’t absurdly impossible, than anyone could do them, and what’s so spectacular about that?

Pig Killing Day

Yes, you read right. Apparently, it is Hungarian tradition to have a "pig killing day". The slaughter usually takes place in fall-winter, as the cold is required to help preserve the mass quantities of meat. In the past, this tradition was used as a means to obtain food for one's family. Today, this is no longer a necessity, however, it is still practiced throughout European cultures. Zsoka and Niki came to pick me up from the hostel at 6:30 am. We headed to Zsoka's father's house for the pig killing day.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted and immediately walked over to the pig pen. Here, the men attempted to catch the pig using a metal loop/bit thing that is placed in the pig's mouth. One man grabbed it's tail, another used his body weight to help control the animal as the bit is forced into the pig's mouth. I never realized how many teeth pigs have, its crazy...and they're pretty long. Anyways, from there, the men lead the pig out of the pen where they will stun it with the pistol thing. Immediately after the shot, the pig seemed incoherent and fell to the ground. The shot is meant to knock the animal unconscious, and thus minimize the squealing and pain felt by the animal. Unfortunately, my viewing of such activities did not go as planned.

As the men moved to cut it's throat, the pig let out this AWFUL squealing sound. The shot had not worked! Niki and Zsoka walked away from the area, unable to take the pig's cries. I stood, frozen, unable to look away. I stood there, taking in this whole experience. Once the pig's throat was cut, they collected the blood in a bowl, which would be cooked by Zsoka's mother. Mixed with onions and other spices, this is a Hungarian delicacy that is enjoyed with bread.

The rest of the morning, the men prepared the pig: First, they burned off the hair,

next, they washed the pig, removing its outer layer of charred flesh. Then began the butchering. Every part of the pig would be used in some fashion. The non-meat parts, such as the head and feet, would be used in a stew for added flavoring, while the intestines were used as hoses to hold the sausage. The pig's head is removed and the body was cut into two halves. From here the various cuts were made and taken to be cleaned.

Throughout my experience, the men kept posing and laughing as I took photos. Despite the initial shock, as the day progressed I was able to handle the slaughter better--it no longer looked like the lovable pink pig I had loved from the movie "Babe". After almost 5 hours, Niki, Adam (who arrived just in time for the blood meal) and I returned back to Bekescsaba to rest up for the evening's festivities: MMA/K1 fights in our gym!

(NOTE: I have videos if anyone wants to see..they're kinda overwhelming, but just let me know)