June 1, 2008

Day five in Pula began with an unexpected alarm in the middle of the night. The fire alarm went off for at least 10 minutes at 2:30 in the morning. This was not a happy time for TUVB, but thankfully it was a false alarm and there was nothing to worry about. We quickly fell back asleep and enjoyed a solid five more hours before our wake up calls arrived at exactly 7:30 a.m. We had a pleasant surprise on the breakfast buffet on this glorious morning... Croatian cocoa puffs AND cocoa crispies!!! I guess the hotel wanted to accommodate for their American guests.

Please note: Today was to be devoted to volleyball only. Because of our less than stellar performance the night before, we were basically in "Hotel Pula lock-down mode" in order to focus and mentally prepare for our match at 6:00 pm. Therefore, it wasn't the most exciting day of our tour. So please bear with me...

We still had two more hours after breakfast before we needed to leave for practice. So what did we do? You guessed it, right back to bed. We knew we had an intense practice ahead of us after our poor showing against Pula the night before so we were sure to be well rested. Sure enough, practice was tough, but well worth it. Everyone worked hard and we felt prepared for a rematch against Pula. We went back to our hotel for a carbo-loaded lunch and for most a little down time. But when I hear "down time" only one thing comes to mind... SLEEP! They don't call me "sleep-mo" for nothing.

So I caught some z's and Lauren and Ash whipped out the catch phrase. By the way, Catch Phrase is quite possibly one of the greatest games ever invented. (Besides volleyball, of course) And so convenient! We bring it everywhere, always a guaranteed good time.

Ok, game time! We loaded the bus and headed for the gym. It's always fun playing a team a second time because we pick up on certain tendencies they might have and it makes for a more intense game all around. We started off strong in game one but fell short in the end. No worries, we got the next two. Everything seemed to be coming together for us. It was a total team effort with everyone involved. We were ahead most of game four but couldn't hang on to it all the way through.

I know the weather is wonderful here on the coast of Croatia and AC is rarely a necessity, but we're a team full of heavy sweaters. No joke. So here we are about to enter game five in a very warm gym and everyone, including the ref is getting annoyed with the constant mopping up of the floor every time one of us hit the floor (Although Ash and Shepard did wonders with that mop - props to you).

Jenn Miller, Steph, and I all opted for a quick jersey change before the start of game five. Totally worth it... well, for about ten minutes- then Ash and Shep swiftly stepped in again. We played the fifth game to 25 points and dominated the whole way through. It even included a long awaited fist pump from the one and only--my girl Ksen. A great, hard fought win for us and a huge improvement from the night before.

We got back to the hotel for a late dinner and a little relaxation on the pool deck. A few of us lounged about and reminisced of some high school happenings (compliments of Steph). And, no matter how hard we try to avoid the subject of volleyball, we're always unsuccessful. It's what we do. It's hard sometimes, but it's our life and we wouldn't have it any other way.

This trip has been quite an experience for all of us. We've learned a ton not only about an entirely different culture, but also about each other. What am I saying? We still have another week to go and so many more of our Croatian antics to tell you about, so don't be a stranger. And, I promise we'll get some more pictures up soon!

Well it's just after midnight and I'm starting to understand why two naps in the middle of the day isn't the best idea. Don't worry coach; I'll be asleep in a jiffy.

Goodnight!
Roll Wave,
Rachel Lindelow

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