That's All She Wrote

As I wrote to you guys last time, I mentioned that Wednesdays game might be our last. And indeed it was. We got off to a terribly slow start and couldn't overcome poor shooting and too many turnovers. It was a long and quiet 7-hour bus ride back to Athens, getting us back to the gym at 3 in the morning.

It's been a weird 2 days since we got back. I've been doing lots of stuff with Lykendra but I'm also trying to get all of my stuff ready before I have to leave on Monday. All of my things are packed, with the exception of the clothes and toiletries I will need for the next 2 days. My suitcases and bags are packed to the max and I'm sure they will go over the weight limit but there's nothing I can do to change that! I'm leaving a decent amount of clothes here and I'm even leaving a couple of pairs of shoes! Now if you know me this is a HUGE deal! It hurts me to know that I have to leave shoes behind but I'm sure my mother is rejoicing because she knows just how many pairs of shoes I still have back home!

It's odd to not go over to the gym at night and see the girls and the coaches. It had become part of my everyday routine and now that I'm not doing it, part of me feels empty. I've mentioned this to some of my closest friends and my family but I'm not sure that I want to play again next year. This might come as a shock to a lot of people, but part of me feels ready to move on to the next chapter in my life. I really want to go back to school to get my Masters and stay involved in collegiate athletics by helping student athletes make the transition from being a student-athlete in college to a non-athletic professional after college . Basketball has provided me with some incredible experiences and I've met my best friends thanks to basketball. While there is this big part of me that feels ready to walk away, there's still the competitor in me that isn't ready to hang up her shoes quite yet. To think that Wednesday's game might have been my last basketball game makes me sad. I've got some really big decisions to make coming up.

This season was difficult for me in multiple ways. As hard as it was, it was an amazing life experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, but that doesn't make it any less difficult! I went into this experience extremely naïve about what to expect for it being my first year playing professional basketball overseas. I'm very lucky that I had such a great support system back home in the form of my family and friends. 

I have a lot of incredible opportunities available at my fingertips, which can make my decision about what to do next that much harder! I will definitely have to weigh all of my options and take the pros and cons into consideration when deciding, but I know that whatever happens next is the direction in which my life is supposed to go. I'm a firm believer that 'everything happens for a reason,' whether it be the people that come in and out of your life, the places you live, the jobs you do or do not get, or the triumphs and the tragedies you experience. All of these situations shape us into who we are supposed to be. Of course we have some power to decide what direction we want our life wants to take, but I know that I met some of these people for a reason and I will always cherish the memories and friendships I have with them. 

I'm definitely excited to get home and see all my friends and family back in Chicago. I land on Monday night and already have plans filling up my whole day on Tuesday and part of the day on Wednesday. I'll head back to Missouri on either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning and then my cousin and I are leaving for our Coachella road trip on Sunday! My life is going to take a 180 degree turn between leaving here on Monday afternoon and getting into Chicago on Monday night but I'm ready for what comes next! 

I won't be writing on here as much and will probably be changing the name of the blog at some point. I plan to sit down in a few weeks and reflect more on this experience and all the life-lessons I learned (that post will most likely be quite long!)

I just want to say thanks to those of you who check in and read this thing. I don't know who you are, even if there are any of you or if it's just my family, but either way, it's been fun to journal about my experiences. There are quite a few things I didn't write about just to save your eyes from the boredom of reading about another botched Greek speaking attempt on my part or my every day boring life but I think I gave you guys a pretty good glimpse into my life over here. I look forward to being back and will gladly share my experiences with anybody first hand if you want to hear more!

I've got some last minute things to take care of- like cleaning my apartment!! (Aren't you proud, mom?) See you all very soon!

March Madness!

I'm currently writing this post while sitting on the bus to what could potentially be my last game here in Greece. Talk about surreal.

As I mentioned in my last post about 2 weeks ago, we are in the play-outs with PAOK with our division 1 standing on the line. We won the first game of the playouts by 17 and we played an all around really solid game. I had what was maybe my most complete game of the season in terms of offense, defense, rebounding, steals, assists, etc. It felt great to play such a solid game and for our team to win on the road at their gym. After that win, we had a week before playing them again at our gym. We got off to a slow start and could never really recover. We made an admirable comeback in the 4th quarter but couldn't get the win. The refs were a little questionable with consistency of fouls calls but I've come to expect sketchy reffing since being here. I'm sure this is something a lot of Americns players abroad can attest to!

So that brings me to today, Tuesday April 1st. We are heading back to Thessaloniki for the 5th game. If we win this game, we stay in the first division and we continue playing with a game on Sunday against Elliniko. If we lose the game tomorrow, our season is over and the team will drop to a lower division next year. It's do or die time for our team!! I really think we can win this game and I fully believe that we deserve to stay in the division.

While all of this basketball is going on, I'm also only 5 days away from coming home! My flight back to the states is on Monday and I'm pretty excited. It's crazy to think how quickly things will change for me upon leaving Athens and returning back to the states. I'll be working basketball camps and miscellaneous basketball events this summer while also trying to get a more reliable job. 

Less than a week after landing back home, my cousin Maggy and I will be taking off for a 2 week adventure driving from Missouri to California and back. Our moms are meeting us in Las Vegas after a week to drive back with us. We will be driving along Route 66 and making stops in some famous small towns on our way to California for the Coachella music festival. After Coachella, Maggy and I will head to Vegas for a night of gambling and debauchery before meeting up with our moms and continuing with the road trip. Once we've conquered Vegas, we're heading to the Grand Canyon for some site seeing and then the remainder of the trip is to be determined. We aren't sure which route we will drive back to Columbia due to possible weather restrictions in Colorado.

I'm really looking forward to this two-part road trip for multiple reasons. First, I love my cousin dearly and am really excited to spend quality time with her in the car and at Coachella. We decided on a whim to go on this trip and I think it'll be a really great experience. When we were younger, our two families along with our other cousins spent a lot of time together and since my cousin and I are so close in age (she's only 8 months younger than me) we were extremely close and played together all the time. Secondly, I haven't been on a road trip like this in probably 10 years. I love the time spent on the road seeing things you wouldn't otherwise see, like small towns and local restaurants, stores, hotels, etc. It will be a great experience to see the Grand Canyon and go to Vegas when it's not a basketball 'business' trip! Thirdly, Coachella is going to be a blast! I went to Lollapalooza in Chicago a couple of years ago with my brother and had the time of my life. I know this is going to be similar, if not more fun!

I've been trying to keep up with both the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments although the time difference proves to be challenging when you have to stay up till 4 just so you can watch your beloved DePaul Lady Blue Demons in the Sweet 16! I honestly don't know why I bothered spending an hour looking up teams records and watching highlights in order to help me fill out my men's bracket because it was ruined the first day (thanks a lot Mercer!!). But I love to see the excitement and joy on the players faces when they manage to pull an upset win or move to the next round! In my opinion, March Madness is the best time of the year!! I'm looking forward to the Final Four games this weekend!

While I'm really excited to be back in the states with my family and friends and the familiarity of my 'home' life, it's going to be hard to leave Athens and all of the people here. I'm not going to sugarcoat this and tell you that I never had problems or tough days that made me want to give up and come home, but I also met some really amazing people and have had some incredible experiences.

Win or lose tomorrow, I'll be leaving in 5 days. I have 5 days to spend with my team and to appreciate their culture and lifestyle. I have 5 days to pack my apartment (!!). I have 5 days left being a pseudo-citizen of Greece. I've come a loooooong way since arriving in Athens on September 20th. I've made a lot of personal growth and done some things I will be proud to say I did. I traveled to some major European cities by myself and managed to figure out living alone for the first time, much less in a foreign country! I learned some Greek and was fully exposed to a new culture and lifestyle. And I did this all while being fortunate enough to play basketball.

I've got 5 days to really make this experience count! Now, it's time for me to get to the back of the bus and continue my Greek lessons from my teammates ;)

See you all very soon!