Life in Germany

Well what do you know, another month has passed since my last post.

What has happened in the last month?

Basketball: Our team has performed quite well in the last month. We have improved our record to 7-1. Unfortunately, the last two weekends we had no games, which left us with 3 weeks between games. The next two weekends we have tough games that will prove to be mighty tests for our team. This weekend we play a team who is currently in the middle of the pack, but in previous years has always been a force to be reckoned with. Along with 3 weeks since our last game, we received news that the other American on our team will not be able to play these next two games due to injury. With these factors it is easy to say that this weekend will be a tough, tough game. I hope that we can fight hard and inevitably come out victorious. It seems like this season has been a test of wills and definitely a test of team play. So far we have met the challenge, this weekend is just another obstacle in our way!

School: It's my last few days of school and I couldn't be more excited! Well, excited that class will be done, but definitely not excited for the paper lying in my way to get there. This sports law class has been a great experience. I have never taken an online class before, so needless to say I was nervous. As I've said before, my professor has been great through the semester and has helped out with all my inquiries. The information itself that I have acquired has definitely been eye opening. I've been forced to look at sports and athletics from yet a different angle. Never before did I have to worry about the legalities that came along with the territory. But now, I could tell you about contracts, more in-depth than that I sign one every year to come back overseas. I could tell you about crowd management and the things that should be taken into consideration when dealing with different venues and size crowds. My current project is writing about workers' compensation and the relation to collegiate student athletes. It is definitely a touchy subject, since there are so many rumors and ideas of possibly paying college athletes since the idea is strong that they are exploited. A whole different blog post in itself! Hmmmm, we'll see, maybe in another month I can let you know how it all went ;)

So, I'm clearly not good at this blog thing. Yet another month has gone by before I write again. In my defense, things have been pretty busy over here, considering. But enough of the excuses, I shall update you =)

First let's talk basketball. We are currently 5-1 in league. After dropping our first league game, we have fought back strong with 5 tough wins. With each win has brought the team together, playing as a team should. The biggest improvement has been our defense. As a team, we have made a commitment, or so it seems, to have helpside rotation, talking on defense, making great scrambles to force tough, rushed shots from our opponents. It has been a great thing to be a part of, and hopefully we can keep the good basketball up. We have definitely fought our way through our fair share of injuries this season. I don't think that we have played a single game with a full roster. One or more people haven't been able to play due to sickness or injury or work every game. Although we have played undermanned and at times looked to have a tough game ahead of us on the weekend, we have prevailed as a team. One of the best parts of the game of basketball is the sense of team. After all, it is a team game. You win as a team. You lose as a team. Yet again this weekend we will be down a couple of players. We play a strong team. As always, the challenge is put in front of us. I can't wait to see how we do and I hope that we continue to play hard and as a team. It's the only way to success!!

Alright, next on the agenda, lovely school. As most of those who read this blog know, I'm currently taking the final class of my Masters while over here. It is a Sports Law class. This is my first encounter with any sort of law education, and needless to say, it has thus far been educational! With lots of reading, papers and assignments due, even Skype sessions that occur in the middle of the night my time, the class has been both a challenge and a total learning experience. This is the first online class that I have taken, and personally, I hope it's my last. I'm definitely a big fan of physically being in the classroom and being able to get a better grasp on the information instead of self-interpreting it through reading a text book or performing a Google search for clarification. Even though there have been struggles with understanding, I have to give lots of credit and thanks to my professor. First of all, she allowed me to take the class online. Usually she teaches it in the classroom, but because of my circumstances, playing overseas and this being my last class, she made an exception and allowed me to due it online. While being over here, she has been more than helpful with questions that I have had. I realize that she has her own classes and other work back in California to deal with, and that helping me out is only another task to add to her plate. I'm so thankful that she gave me the opportunity and has continually been there for all my questions and struggles. I am almost halfway through the class and have already learned so much, but am definitely excited for when the work is done!

I want to make a shout-out to my mom who recently, in the last couple weeks, has finished her Masters and is an official graduate!! I'm so proud of her for going back and getting the degree, when she had to stop her pursuit of a Masters when I and my brothers came along. She shows that it is never too late and if you truly want something, you should just go after it. Excuses will never get you very far!

Lastly for this go around, I'm finally including pictures of my apartment. We, my teammate Tara and I, live in basically a one bedroom apartment, that we have craftily made, well, my teammates did before we got here, into a two bedroom place. Where my bed and desk stand is about half of the technically living room. To separate the "living room" and my "bedroom" there is a big closet that is to the right of my bed joined by a section of, um, what is that called? We got it from Ikea, it hangs, like curtain kind of things? But not as heavy. I just added a picture so you can see it. Clearly much easier than me trying to explain it. Hope you enjoy the pics...and until the next time!!!!!!

our kitchen table, and clock that doesn't work