July 30, 2001
Dori Pap #10
I wanted to begin today’s entry by talking a little more about last night at Maja’s house. We had delicious food (I heard the “Oh, I am so full I can not have another bite” at least three times – first after the salads and sausage, then once again after the pudding with plums, and finally once the chocolates were passed around!)
Opa, Maja’s grandfather, the most energetic member of the group was running around with a pickel in one hand and his photo album in the other full of black and white pictures of Maja in diapers and of him dressed up as Santa Claus. He also gave the team a full tour of his house and garden, the house that he built in 1960. A very lovely family who made our stay at their house a wonderful experience. Danke Sehr Fuer Alles! (Thank you for everything!)
Today we had some time in the morning for shopping, which was pretty crowded because this is the first day of the summer sales in Germany. Also, it must be the day for grass cutting and since our hotel is next to a soccer field, we could enjoy the “romantic” sound of the lawn mower for about three hours, beginning at 6 a.m. The hotel that we are staying at, is only for athletes, teams who come for training camp or games in Schwerin. The hotel has a very nice restaurant with a terrace, a big gym, and a track, – everything that athletes need to get better and stronger. And, the team’s manager of the complex is a very friendly man despite the fact that he’s an ex-boxing champion.
Before our match today, Shelton had a meeting with our team on how we should use this trip to have fun and a good time, but when it is game time, to forget about everything else and just concentrate on getting better and use this unique opportunity to play exceptional games with the good competition here. Well, said and done.
This afternoon, we came out with an energetic team with inspired plays. Our defense and passing was two of the basics which helped Kele run our offense and many times caught the other team off guard. Everybody put in a great effort during the game and at the end, despite the loss in the fifth set, the coaches were satisfied with the game and everybody’s attitude, which set a great tone for the dinner this evening.
For dinner, we went to the top of a television tower, which had a restaraunt about 110 meters above. The view was amazing. We could see the castle, fields and fields, and even Maja’s house! While we were ordering, we saw the sunset, which was beautiful, and then enjoyed a delicious meal – thanks to Maja’s help in translating!
Off to a new city tomorrow!
