Italy: Day 7

My last day. Today will be my last full day in Italy. I will fly out tomorrow morning. I can't believe it has come to the end already. This week really did fly by. We've got a lot on the schedule for today so I woke up, took a shower, and went for a walk. It started as a search for an ATM, but it was such a beautiful morning I decided to walk along the beach just for some quiet time with me and the Lord. It was so peaceful.

I found an ATM and for the first time the entire week I handled my first Euro. I have been spoiled here with all my meals paid for and gelato twice a day. Thank you UPI! I hope to take some wine back with me so I want to have some Euros ahead of time.

Because of scheduling conflicts, and I am sure other reasons as well, we were at a different field today. It took about 30 minutes to drive to the field. We jumped on the Autostrata (the highway) and blazed through many round-abouts (they are everywhere!) and just to the point I started feeling the Nutella begin to unsettle we were there.

This field was so neat! The actual field itself wasn't in great shape, but it's location and surrounding view was gorgeous! It actually sat down and was surrounded by hills and bunkers. Tall trees lined the outfield fence all around except in right field. Right field was left open to this miraculous view of the Italian countryside. A beautiful, green hill with small, Italian houses atop it. At one point during practice today, I was sitting on a bucket giving instructions to a person hitting off a tee really thinking nothing of the situation, for it's something that I do daily. I turn my head for an instant and I can't help but marvel at the view that was provided through the gap in right field. It was such a surreal feeling to be taking part in an activity so normal but in an environment that is anything but normal for me. Amazing!

We had a lot of fun today. During warm-ups everyone was complaining about how hot it was. I think the fact that the field was surrounded by hills and was closed off from the breeze had something to do with it, but I thought the weather was incredible. In fact, we had perfect weather all week. I told them that I was going back to Texas where it would probably be 90 degrees. They gasped at first, until I realized that this beautiful 68 degree day was actually 22 degrees Celsius for them. Oops.

We started the day with base running. I had them run a base circuit so they could understand when to run through certain bases and how to properly turn as they run. I then had them do a base running drill. They were very tired so I told them 5 minute water break, in German. They were impressed! They even complimented me on my proper accent. They made sure to teach me a few more things before the day was over. I can properly say, "five minute water break", "heads up" or "pay attention", "new hitter", "great hitter", "one more", and can successfully count to 20 in German. Baby steps.

They took their water break and it surprised me how many of them drink carbonated water. All over Europe. When you go to a restaurant in Italy and ask for a water, they'll ask you, "With gas or without?" OR "naturale or frizzante?" Only Naturale for me, I think water with gas or carbonated water was disgusting. It was probably the only thing I ate or drank in Italy that I did not care for.

While we were at this field, I noticed a soccer ball that was left. We had fun kicking it around and then some of them told me they played kickball here last year. I decided we needed to have another game of kickball this year. Brian and I explained the rules, and there were some that had never played kickball. Many of the new girls were offended that you throw the ball at someone to get them out! As the game progressed, they became more accustomed to it and would laugh and start throwing the ball and anyone not touching the base. It was a lot of fun!

After a long week of softball, I was exhausted, but I have to admit I hated to see it end. I couldn't believe that this was the last day, and that I wouldn't be going to the field with all of my new friends again tomorrow. We drove back in our cars passing more inspiring country sides and zooming through endless round-abouts until we reached Hotel Byron, our destination.

Here is where the fun begins. (And the reason that I am posting this 3 days later.) We got home at 4:45. I quickly showered because we had Bible study at 5:30. After my shower I sat and had a great conversation with a girl who is Christian Scientist. I have never spoken to anyone who was a Christian Scientist and she literally blew my mind with some of these concepts. The 2 of us went to listen to Brian speak in Bible study and we all ended up discussing some of the basics of our faith. She was very adamant that her beliefs were right, and in a way I admire her for standing up to 5 of us throwing questions at her. I am confident in my faith and in my beliefs but sometimes I wonder if I would have the guts to stand up to 5 people of a different faith/religion and fight that hard for what I believe in. Let's just say that I am definitely praying for this girl.

Immediately following our discussion, we went in late to dinner. I get my plate of appetizers and just when I am about to sit down some of the girls come grab me and want me to participate in a birthday parade for one of the fastpitch guys who was turning 40 today. Being a good sport, I put down my plate and follow Nuncia, our hotel director, and five other girls to a storage room below the hotel. I dress up as a rabbit, Nuncia is Tweety, Betty is Sylvester, Sabine is the Pink Panter, Barbara is a Brazillian dancer, and Kathi is a clown. We made our appearance to music as we conga-danced around the room, and then ended with the chefs bringing out a giant sheet cake with sparkling flames for candles. Yes, there is video of this. (Brian sent it to me today.)

I scarfed down dinner really fast. (The best part of dinner tonight was that cake. Just plain delicious!) We all were headed to a professional Italian baseball game, the Rimini Pirates were playing and we were going as a group to experience it. When we got to the field, the scoreboard was off. I thought it wasn't working. I was told it wasn't turned on because there wasn't enought people of validate running it. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, another large group of 30 people show up and the scoreboard pops on in the middle of the 4th inning.

It really made me recognize how we as Americans can be so wasteful sometimes. I had this discussion with the Germans over lunch today. They told me that at McDonald's in Europe, you have to pay for any ketchup you want, not to mention any other sauces. And I noticed while being in Italy and driving around all week, there are a lot of small ristorantes but no fast food places. Even the small things were put in perspective for me.

Tony, Brian, and I left the baseball game early. I was able to head back to the hotel and get some wine from Nuncia. I brought it upstairs to try and pack before everybody else got back from the game. Everyone finally made it back around 11:00.

We had our end-of-camp meeting where we handed out certificates. It was my job, as the rookie coach, to read off all of the German names on the certificate. I was feeling pretty good as I could say 3 complete phrases in German and I was complimented on my accent earlier. I said about 10 names and then I read a name and everyone started laughing. I looked around and had Alex come help me with the pronunciation. I said it again. They laughed some more and the guys raised their hand. A nice guy next to me informed me that I just said, "I need a man" in German. That explains why all the guys raised their hand in the audience. I have to admit, that was a pretty good prank!

I continued reading, and I caught another one that didn't look like a name, so I glanced over it really fast and continued on to the next name. About another 8 or 10 names later, I confidently read a name and sure enough laughter ensues again. I was informed that I am asking for Babe Ruth to come get his certificate. There were some former baseball players at this camp, I just don't think he was one of them. Pranked again. I finished up nicely, and I was smart enough to skip over Frank Sinatra. And that was it. Camp was over.

It was about 11:30 now and we all hung around and said our good-byes, exchanged email addresses, took some last minute photos with so many new friends that we made. The Krasshoppers, the fastpitch softball team I worked with all week, presented the coaches with a Krasshoppers mug and some German beer. It was not only to thank us, but to celebrate that this was their 10th year to come to the Easterball camp. Amazing. When asked why they return to this camp every year, the most common reply was, "Because we like you guys." It really shows the relationships that are being formed and cultivated year after year. I am so thankful to be one who has been changed by these relationships, even after just one year.

I finally went up to my room about 12:45. I finised packing, got to Skype with my mom and let her know the travel plans for tomorrow, and went to bed about 1:30. I set my alarm for one hour later. I woke up at 2:30 to leave the hotel by 3:00 to make it to the airport for our early 6:00 and 6:30 flights.

And this is where I leave you for tonight. Tomorrow I will tell you about my long journey home...

Italy: Day 6

Thursday. Today is the last day that all of us will be practicing together in the same complex. We are at the Rivabella fields again, which means we can ride our bikes to the field this morning. In fact, because of everyone’s hectic schedule today and the lack of cars to get everyone where they need to be, we have to ride bikes. Yahoo!

After breakfast and our meeting, I am waiting by the reception desk for Tony and Brian to come down so we can ride together to the field. After waiting a while, they still haven't shown up and just about everybody else has left already. I see Alex and I asked him if he had seen the other two coaches. He then told me they left already. My jaw dropped. I explained that I thought they were upstairs in their room and Alex insisted they had left and that I should hurry.

I proceed to run down to the garage, pick out the first bike I see and bust it down the street as fast as I can. The ride seems off somehow, but I continue to pedal while reassuring myself that it seems odd because I am riding a men’s bike today and I'm in a hurry. I get about four blocks down the road and I don’t catch up to them, nor do I see them ahead. I don’t really panic because I feel pretty confident that I know where I am going so I slow down and enjoy the ride. Now that I have a second to assess the situation, I realize the ride is awkward because my rear tire is completely flat. Since I know that this bike will be my transportation home this evening as well, I decide to turn around and get a new bike, perhaps a smaller one with two properly inflated tires. As I turn around and head back to the hotel, I notice Tony and Brian coming up behind me. They didn’t leave after all! They waited for me to get a new bike so I wouldn’t have to ride over there by myself after all. What nice guys! We made it, and with plenty of time for me to still lead warm-ups.

Our practice was fun today. Brian was going to work with the pitchers at the baseball field, so Tony was with me the majority of the morning. He taught me some new drills that I have written down to hopefully try with my team when I get home. Today consisted mostly of competitions. Ironically, ‘competition’ isn’t really in the Germans vocabulary, nor is ‘scrimmage’. I tell them that we will compete this morning and they look at me confused. And, when I say ‘game’ they think they are playing an actual game. I have learned so much when it comes to communicating with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you. Hand gestures are very important.

We played one competition where I hit them ground balls and if they bobble it or miss it they’re out. I explained this drill to them and told them that the last person in would win. They wanted to know what they would win. Thinking on my feet I told them they would win my autograph. Thinking on their feet, they quickly replied, “Where?” My face was red!

We finished early in the afternoon, because we all had plans to do a little sightseeing. We ended practice about 2:30 and left about 3:30 to take a short jaunt to San Marino. San Marino is its own country, much like the Vatican City. In fact, it is the oldest republic in the world. It’s a small city that sits high up on a hill top about 45 minutes outside of Rimini. One side of the hill is a steep drop that would be almost impossible to scale, even today. There is a road that winds up the hill on the other sides and that’s how we made it to the top. The people of San Marino had built this huge fort/castle atop the hill many, many years ago. With the protection of the thick stone walls and the natural boundary of the cliff it made the city impossible to overtake. It was so interesting. You can walk the grounds and tour the city. Much of the rooms and town in the castle have now been transformed into souvenir shops and boutiques.

At the highest point we stop and look at the beautiful Italian countryside that can be seen in all directions. There is also a small restaurant where we sat and ordered a pizza. I know I mentioned this before, but Italian pizza is so good! I ordered the magherita pizza again. Brian got the salame, and some other friends each order the formaggio (cheese) and the funghi (mushroom) pizzas.

I didn’t buy anything in San Marino, but I took a lot of pictures. I spent the time mostly admiring the sights and the architecture. We drove back down the hill and made it back to the hotel for dinner. Tony and I had a deal that if the food wasn’t very good tonight, he would take me down the street to a ristorante and get some good lasagna. Ironically, they served lasagna. We tried it, and it wasn’t very good, but ate it anyways. We did go out later, but it was for gelato and not lasagna.

Most of the campers took the same trip to San Marino today, but they didn’t come back for dinner. Rather, they stayed and ate out somewhere else. Since it was such a crazy afternoon, we decided to have our Bible Study after dinner. It didn’t end up starting until almost 9. We got a pretty good group where we discussed anger. We all congregated down by the pool afterwards, mostly talking and hanging out. Brian, Simon, Tony and I played a game like Spades, called Pluck. It was fun, but went pretty late into the night. (That’s why this post is delayed.) With tomorrow being my last day in Italy, I need to get to bed.

***Most of you know I made it back safely. I will post Day 7 and the story of my trip home, soon. Thanks to all of you who have been reading and keeping up with me. But most of all, thank you to all of you who prayed for me! I feel so blessed, especially after this trip, to be surrounded by people who share my same faith in God and recognize His saving power and grace!

Italy: Day 5

Relationships. I just ended a wonderful conversation with a lady that I was introduced to yesterday. If you were to listen to our conversation you would have thought that we have known each other for years, or at least have met on a few occassions in the past and were catching up. That is one of the wonderful blessings from God that I am so thankful for.

I mention that not only because of the great feeling I have at this moment from this conversation I just had, but because it was the foundation on my day. From the topic at Bible Study this morning to just about every encounter I had throughout the day, it was all about relationships.

This morning started off as the last few days. Breakfast consisting of mostly Nutella and then off to the field. I really wanted to ride the bikes again, but come the end of the day I am thankful we didn't because I don't know if I could have physically made it back. Practice in the morning was mostly hitting. We did 6 station hitting which took more than an hour. I pitched live batting practice to all 22 campers. I was already tired, and a bit sore, to begin with but I made it through. It wasn't pretty, and I can't move now. It might an Advil PM kinda night.

Bricks/Panini's for lunch on the field again. I was able to sit and talk with many of the women and men attending this camp. I am learning, and understanding a little more German. What really amazes me is the difference in culture. I can't get over how different we all are, but amazingly how simplistically similar we are also. It has challenged me to think about my belief system, not as I question whether or not it is right, but how I as an American have come to believe the things I do. The Germans, as well as most Europeans, are very analytical and VERY intelligent. It is almost foolish for them to believe in something they do not see, and I have often heard the words spoken here that "Jesus was a great man with good teachings and the rest of the Bible is just fluff". They have no desire to want to know God, nor do they care about what comes after Heaven. It reminds me of how thankful I am that I can have a real relationship with a living God that has created both Heaven and everything on this Earth. As I have these theological conversations with these wonderful people, I am lead just to pray for them. My heart breaks for them because not only do they not know Jesus, but they have no desire to get to know him at this point either.

We finished the afternoon off with an intersquad scrimmage again. They played for over 2 hours and I played with them some. At 2:30 I was completely exhausted!(I believe some of them were too.) I hit them extra ground balls because they desperately wanted to go until 4:00. I will be honest when I say I struggled to hit these balls. I had no energy, not muscle strength at all left to hit. We made it until 3:00 when we decided as a group that we are going to end our practice time with the understanding that I would take them to the beach to work on sliding, diving, and laying out for balls. Of course I needed gelato before that, but they were ok with that.

As I got back to the hotel and waited on the girls, I had a great talk with Tom Roy and even Simon joined in also. We sat for a while until I remembered I needed to walk across the street to the beach. We worked on diving, catching, and sliding and I tried to explain as much as I could to them. Of course, I had to get in the water. I can now say that I have stepped foot/knees into the Adriatic Sea!

We all sat around on the beach and talked for a while afterwards. It was a gorgeaous day and I was learning so much about life in Germany and how they have come to play softball. They were fascinated that people actually get burnt out from playing and wished that they could have played so young and for so long. It made me very thankful. I had a great one-on-one conversation with a girl I would consider a great friend now. She opened up and shared some of her beliefs on heaven and God and she let me share some of mine with hers. Please pray for her and for many of the others here.

Tonight's dinner was actually just average. Pork chops and french fries were the main course again. I was discouraged because I can get that in America and because it wasn't very good. We are going sight-seeing and shopping tomorrow afternoon and I am having Brian and Tony take me to a good Italian restaurant. I will be happy if I get lasagna and a canoli. That is my goal.

After dinner we had a bible study where we talked, actually discussed Jesus even more. Relationships again. We are here building relationships and I feel very close to many of the people here. Even Sarai. The wife of a German baseball player. He is a Christian and helps coach this camp. She speaks some English, but German is definitely her native language. I feel as if I have met her, or know her more than just meeting her a day ago. Thank you God, for these relationships and the friendships I am forming. I pray that the Holy Spirit contiues to move on the hearts of the people here, and I pray that you please use me as you desire. Amen.

Italy: Day 4

It was hard to wake up this morning. I don't really think it was from jet lag, as much as it was just lack of sleep and probably from playing and participating in camp yesterday. Breakfast was good once again, but I think a waffle or pancakes beats anything they have here. I ventured to try the bacon this morning. It was not fully cooked and they serve it cold. Not my cup of tea in any aspect, but I am glad I tried it. I brought 2 packets of Nutella back to my room with me. This stuff is amazing! Is it as good as this in the states and I have just been too chicken/lazy to try it?

The baseball coaches were lazy this morning, they must have been tired too, so we decided to drive in cars to the field. It's really too bad because I was looking forward to the wonderful bike ride again. Either way, it was a nice relaxing 2 minute drive to the field.

Tony asked me if I would help lead stretches, which in turned into me leading stretches on my own. Luckily he did most of the active warm-up/dynamic warm-up I do the day before, so I just copied him and added a few more things. Warming up 50 Germans (guys and girls) ages 20 and over, is a lot different than my 13 teenagers at China Spring. Some of them complained that their arms were hurting, so I asked a few of them to come do some more arm stretches that they would typically do. I asked them to "teach me". They got a kick out of it, but actually taught me a lot! It is amazing the time and the exercises they actually put into stretching their arms. Movements we would normally do with weights, they do with body weight and it really warms the shoulder joint and back muscles up.

We had a long day of practice. In the morning we warmed our arms and did a relay drill. We spent most of the morning time going over situations and really talking about back-ups and bunt coverages. They play at a lower level so I am sure I confused the heck out of all of them, but they asked many questions and seemed to really be learning.

That is one thing that amazes me about the Germans. They haven't been playing long and most of them play just out of love for the game. They might play when they are younger, but there is no little league. There is no organized travel teams. There isn't really sports in college. When they are studying in college or are done with school they play of club teams or in certain divisions. They practice 1 or 2 days a week and play on the weekends. It's been amazing to hear how things are run in their country. They are most surprised, that I don't play any more. I told them once I am out of college there really isn't an opportunity for me to play, which they have often told me "is too bad", and I agree.

Needless to say, their desire to play the game shows in practice. They know the game, but where many of them are in their 30's, 40's, and even some in their 50's they play at such a lower level. My high school team could probably beat them. In fact, we were beaten 16-2 by an all girls German team which my high school team might have beaten. Either way, they are excited to play any game they can and it's amazing what I still need to teach them.

We spent most of the afternoon today going over bat angles to hit outside pitches and inside pitches. I can promise you this is the first time they had ever heard that. It was like they were drug addicts and I was selling cocaine! They love it everything I am teaching them. Many of them asked me at lunch if I would move to Germany and coach their team.

Speaking of lunch... Luigi, our hotel manager, drove over to the field to bring us salame and formaggio paninis. (Salami and cheese on a baguette) I thought they were delicious. The veterans here affectionately refer to them as bricks, but I think they secretly enjoy them too. We had some good discussions over lunch. Some of the girls that I am coaching were trying to talk me into moving to Germany, coach their team, and they would in turn find me a German husband. When asking what I like in a husband, I told them a few things, but that he must be Christian. One of the guys behind me, without hesitation said, "My name is Christian. Does that count?" I was left speechless and everybody laughed, including myself. That was pretty good.

After lunch we did an intersquad scrimmage. Since there are 23 softball campers it made for a pretty good game. Brian and I played just out of fun. In the last inning, I was playing short stop and a slow back was hit me to me. Let me first explain that the fields are not great here. Very uneven ground, all dirt infield, just not great quality. So I charge hard going for this ball, i go to scoop it to throw on the run, but I miss it. Still going full speed I try to pick it up again and I stumble over the undulated ground and trip on the mound (yes, a mound, it's a little league baseball field) and slide head first across the back of the dirt. I am pretty sure everyone was laughing again. Including myself.

Dinner tonight was salad, pasta (spaghetti and pesce--fish), and then our choice of roast beef or fish with mashed potatoes. I chose the fish, which was alright, and followed it with some custard. Over dinner, we had a really good conversation with 2 of the girls we invited to come eat at our table. They asked some good questions about God and Jesus. We shared the gospel and our love for Jesus to them, and they are certainly thinking a lot about what it all means. Please pray for them, Martha and Kathi. (Pronounced without the h's Mart-a, and Cat-ee)

This is unlike any camp that I have ever been to. The culture differences, language barriers, age gaps, etc. So many things are different even down to the way we share the gospel. At FCA camp we have huddle groups and prayer with everyone. At Baylor's camp we have nightly bible studies and even a sharing of God's word in the morning. Here, it's all about relationships. I am learning so much about the German culture and how they think about God.

The reason why UPI keeps coming back here afte 13 years is because they people keep coming back because they experience something different that in their home country. They don't keep count of the people that are "saved", but they keep investing time into cultivating the minds and hearts of these people. So many times, we as Christians, are quick to share the gospel and want to do the "harvesting" but don't put the time into actually talking, discussing one-on-one, and showing the love of Christ over a period of time. It was neat to experience this difference tonight.

I have taken the time over the last few weeks to memorize a verse everyday with 2 of my friends, Daniel and Carolyn Lehmkuhl. One of the verses, I used tonight as I spoke with these girls. 1 Corinthians 4:4 says, The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they can not see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Listening to some of these Germans talk about Jesus and God, brings this verse to the forefront. What a work Satan is doing in the lives of so many in this time, but what a greater work has God already done and continues to do not only in this world but for eternity. Please continue to pray. There is still a lot of camp to do and so much is active and God is at work!

Italy: Day 3

This morning started off very interesting. I mentioned yesterday that my room is incredibly small. Well, I don't remember if I mentioned that included the bathroom as well. I have a 4 x4 bathroom complete with a toilet, sink, heating towel rack, and a shower. Here's the kicker... the shower is not separated and it sprays over the toilet and everything else in the bathroom. Made for a new experience while getting ready this morning. There also is this heated towel rack. You put your wet towel on it in the morning and it dries it throughout the day. It also heats the bathroom over night so you aren't freezing while getting ready the next day. Brilliant.



I followed my shower with breakfast. Breakfast was a bit interesting as well. They had the yellowest (almost orange) eggs I have ever seen. They were very good eggs, but it took a few seconds to get past the color and actually enjoy them. The hotel also laid out lots of meats... cold bacon, salami, other stuff I don't really know. I went for the safe orange with my eggs. Turned out it was a blood orange. Kind of a surprise, but not too bad. I also went to get a glass of orange juice...it came out blood red as well. I opted for the cappucino instead which was delicious! The best part of breakfast, by far, was the bread. They didn't just have sliced bread like we do in the states. They had croissants, and many sweet breads. Add their chocolate Nutella to it and I couldn't stop eating!



The coaches met for a "team meeting" and prayer time. Then we met with all of the campers together. They interview or have someone share their life story every morning. Today, Tom Roy interviewed me. It was interesting. The Germans we work with can speak English, but many of them have a very limited vocabulary and most of that is softball/baseball words. So, Tom would ask a question and one of our German coaches would translate. I would answer, he would translate again. Just one more thing that added to the very interesting morning.



Now it's time to head to the fields. Mostly everybody drives, but since the fields are so close today 4 of us decide to ride bikes. By far, the best part of my day. (Even better than the gelato!) It was a gorgeous morning and we rode right near the water. It took less than 10 minutes and it was so worth it. At practice, baseball and softball warmed up and stretched together, then we split for separate practices.



Here's what our looked like today: Warm arms, Four Corners throwing drill, Throwing competition, Double Fungo, Infield/Outfield (split), 6 station hitting stations, modified scrimmage.



We practiced until almost 1:00, rode our bikes/drove our cars back to the hotel and at a delicious 4 course lunch. Usually the lunch is a panini, but today we had salad, pasta, pork chops and french fries, and ice cream for dessert. My softball team (of 23 guys and girls) had a game today at 5:00 so I was able to get a nap in before the evening session. I really think it helped with my jet lag. So far I haven't seen/felt a lot of it's effects.

We drove to a different field, still in Rimini, for our game. I was able to see a little more of the sights. A lot of agriculture here... grape vineyards, apricot and apple trees, everything... can be seen from the road. The buildings are really neat, not only because of the architecture, but the age. Many of the buildings I have seen have been hotels, but they aren't your typical Marriotts and Hiltons, they are the Hotel Byron and Hotel Belvedere. They are all privately owned and operated. They are so unique and each one has so much character, even to the physical look.

I am staying at Hotel Byron. It is run by Luigi Pasquini and his girlfriend Nuncia. It is amazing the hard work they put into this place, including the 4 course dinners every evening and panini sandwhiches we have for lunch everyday.

We lost our game to another German softball team. Many of the Germans speak English, although their vocabulary is limited, it is amazing how much they can communicate and really how much they understand! During the game, some of the girls taught me how to count to 10 in German. That's about all I know, but I am sure it will come in handy later. I actually met a girl on the other team who is from Austin, Texas but she has been staying in Munich for the last 3 seasons to play softball.

Tonight, after dinner we had a HUGE game of Texas Hold'em with everyone. Six tables of nine people at each table. The Germans love to drink and to play cards. We all chipped in a Euro and played poker. Most of them spoke German the whole time, but I have met a few friends that will translate for me and only speak English when I am around. I lost my money pretty early, but I have fun talking and socializing with everyone.

It's another late night, and I need to go to bed... Until tomorrow, Ciao!

Italy: Day 1 and 2

I am in Italy! I can't believe it. I made it safely and pretty much on time. So much has happened in this one day alone that I don't want to forget any of it. So, I am going to try and spend a few minutes each night recaping the things that I have done, experienced, ate, etc. while on my trip. This will probably be rough, as I am just going to jot a few things down, but I don't want the days to get mixed up, and I certainly don't want to forget anything that happened. I started off my whole trip with my wonderful friend Jennifer bringing me to the airport in Dallas. I got there super early, but there was NO ONE there! I wasn't searched going to the gate, I didn't have to sit on the floor while waiting for my plane, in fact it was glorious to just sit and read my kindle. As the time got close to board my flight for Philadelphia, they announced that our plane would be delayed an hour and half to 2 hours. Cue the anxiety attack. I had to make it to Philly on time or I would miss my next 2 connections: one that would take me overseas, and one that would get me into Italy. Deep breath. Ten minutes later they announce they will begin boarding US Airways flight 710 to Philadelphia. Thank you, Lord! With a slight delay in take off, I knew I would be cutting it close to make my connection. Either way I was sitting in a row by myself in a practically empty flight. Relaxing. We landed, taxied, and then a hustled, running the last 200 yards caring my laptop-burdened backpack. They announced a last call...I made it. Whew. I made a few phone calls from my seat, since it would be the last time I would use my phone. With an extra few minutes to spare, I use that time to play QRANK and earn the award for playing in Philadelphia -- BONUS. US Airways flight 750 to Brussels, Belgium was underway. The flight to Brussels would only take 7 hours. I really enjoyed the flight. They served us a dinner with the choices of chicken or pasta -- I chose pasta. The inflight movie was Chronicles of Narnia, along with a bunch of random shows. I know I wanted to get some sleep so I chose to read on my Kindle for a while and then turn out the light. I surprisingly got about 3 to 4 hours of sleep. It was not restful and I woke up a few times, but I would soon find out that those few precious hours would be helpful. I woke up to watch the sunrise over Europe, they served us a hot danish for breakfast, and I listened to How Great is Our God as I watched the sun appear for the first time. Glory and splendor. I landed in Brussels, which I will admit, I wasn't aware it was Belgium. All week I thought I was heading to Belarus. I learned a geography lesson from the map in the back of the Sky Mall magazine and actually sat next to an American who lives in Brussels. His Dad works for NATO and he was looking at colleges in the states. Another few lessons learned about Belgium. Did you know they speak french and flemish there? It really sounded like an interesting place to visit and from the view from my Airbus window, it looked beautiful and rich in history. Thankfully, almost every sign in Brussels was also written the English translation. It made finding my flight, gate, way through customs (my first passport stamp!), and check-in SO much easier. My first stop after customs was of course the bathroom, which was probably the one thing that was the most different. From the door knobs, to the stalls, to the way the toilets flush. Crazy. I found my flight and my gate, and managed to choke out "I need to check in" to the french-speaking gate attendant. (I am sure, me handing her my passport was a dead give away.) So much time wasted in the passport line and bathrooms that in less than 15 minutes we were on the plane. Airport secruity in Europe is so much easier to get through than the US. It reminded me of the good ol' days before taking off your shoes, pulling out your laptop, and pat-downs were a necessity. Brussels Airways flight #3123 was the last puzzle piece to Italy. I tried to read a little on the plane, but I dosed off for a minute or two during take-off. I thought it was a minute or two, but when I awoke I had missed the drink cart. So far, I had not eaten or driken anything since the small hot danish on my past flight. I was thirsty! Oh well, I tried to take advantage of my window seat and put my limited knowledge of European geopgraphy to use. I was in awe of the lush green lands, the perfectly outlined houses, and right as I looked up to remember that we would have to fly over the Alps, there they were along the horizon. I spent the next 30 minutes or so watching the plane grow ever closer to this amazing mountain line. They were thicker, bigger, whiter, and more amazing than I had pictured in my head. I was amazed that any one could travel through those, let alone Attila the Hun on foot with an army of hundreds of barbarians. (My geography is bad, but I am fair in history.) We land in Bologna and I am supposed to get my bags and meet Alex Dix and Tom Roy as I walk through the glass doors. I am told that Tom is 6'5'' and will stand out like a sore thumb. Easy enough. Not. They aren't there! Or at least I don't notice them. I sit and wait for 10, 15, 20 minutes until I decide that a $5 phone call might be worth trying to find my ride with guys that I don't know who they are or what they look like. I decide to wait a little longer. At last a guy comes up to me and says, "English?" I responded with a hearty Texan, "Yeah!" We introduce ourselves and I trustingly give him my bag and follow him to his car. This guys is not 6'5'' and does not stand out like a sore thumb. I meet Alex which puts me at ease a little more. At least this guy is traveling with someone named Alex, who knows a little more about me. Come to find out, MUCH later in the evening, Tom didn't pick me up. It was Tony. Relief. Alex (who is German) drove us to the hotel in his Audi. As I sat in the backseat talking, I noticed he was doing 160 kmh. I was thinking it was about 75-80 mph. The conversation later told me that it was more 95-100 mph. Wow. We made it safely to Hotel Byron. A tiny, old hotel right across from the Adriatic Ocean. Home for the next week. I clean up quick and meet Tony and Tom for lunch. I am not only thirsty, but very hungry by this point as well. The three of us walk along the beach-lined street getting to know one another and looking for some sort of restaurant that is open on a Sunday afternoon. Surprisingly, we fins a little pizzaria. I had an Italian Cocoa-Cola and a Magherita pizza. DELICIOUS! We sat and talked for a while. The Italians have no sense of urgency and you don't need to leave a tip. It was so enjoyable to sit outside on the porch overlooking the beach, talking and eating unforgettable Italian pizza. On the way back to the hotel we stop for gelato. My first time of many that I will have this week. I got a small, which was a tiny cup, but you chose 3 flavors and they fill it to the max! I wish I could remember the flavors of the gelato I got today (I can't spell them, or say them) but they were all really good. I will try something different tomorrow. I now had a spare hour or 2 in my room before dinner. Dinner...I can't even think about dinner. I skyped my mom, took a nap, cleaned up and headed downstairs about 6:15. Many of the Germans are in town and I am introduced to name after name. I so desperately want to remember all of their names, but finally convince myself that I will get them over the week. Much to my surprise though, I will be coaching girls and boys that range in the ages from 25-50! There were actually 40 and 50 year old men on the team I will have the next 5 days. (Heart begins to race, but I am calm.) We enjoyed a four course meal which tonight consisted of: salad of your choice chosen from the salad bar, pasta (tonight was a spiral noodle with a traditional tomato sauce and what appears to be hot dog chunks, but is so much more delicious), our main course which was a pot roast and potato but cooked with veal instead of beef, and to finish it off an unbelievable Tiramasu. There was a lot of drinking from the Germans going on and a lot of German speaking. These players can speak and understand English but it is sparingly. Enough to communicate fully, but not enough that you get that strange look if you tell a joke, start speaking too fast, or speak with a Texas twang. I might be in trouble. I spent the rest of the evening getting to know some of the players and mingling around the room. This trip will be all about building relationships. It is now 11:40 pm and I really need to get to bed and get on Italian time. Please pray for rest tonight and not too harmful of effects of jet lag tomorrow. Until then...