Thursday, May 25, 2007
By Ashley Miller
Our morning began with our arrival to the city of San Francisco after an easy 8 hour drive from Buenos Aires. We traveled through the night in the same bus as the Argentinean National Team. Nevertheless, the bus was incredibly accommodating with large comfy seats that allow you to lean far back and get a good night¹s sleep, so the 8 hours went by fast. The rest of the day was spent at our discretion. Walking around town allowed the players to experience the culture and people of Argentina, who are incredibly helpful with our lack of knowledge in Spanish. The shopping was also a lot of fun since there are 3 pesos to the dollar. Following an afternoon of experiencing the town and the people we began to prepare for our first public game against the Argentineans. The townspeople had already shown interest in us throughout the day and 650 tickets had been pre-sold (almost 2,000 total Argentineans came out to watch the match). The gym was packed and filled with loud music and the scent of food being sold to the spectators. Tons of children wanted autographs and pictures with all of us even before the game began.
The game started well, with our team solidifying a lead until the end, when the Argentineans came back and won 25-23. The next couple of games involved different lineups and everyone got the chance to play. Our team¹s cohesiveness is starting to take hold and our knowledge of each other¹s capabilities and communication is also developing and is evident the more we play and interact. We will continue to work on what we do best and come to play with more aggression and an attitude of professionalism, as exemplified by the Argentineans. It¹s definitely a different game here, where the focus is more of a ³bangerang² mentality, however our team is hungry for a victory and I am sure that we will soon be successful. After the game, it was time to wash our jerseys, which turned out to be a lot of fun, since we wash our clothes in the shower.
The most satisfying part of our day was the dinner we shared with the Argentinean national team. We sat with them and attempted to carry on a spanglish conversation, which included a lot of laughing and a lot of hand movementsŠ The girls on the other team vary in ages from 18 to 30¹s, but all are very willing to get to know us and help us learn Spanish. We leave tomorrow for another city, but so far San Francisco has been the best part of our trip. The people, the town and the volleyball provided such memorable experiences. I can only hope that the other towns we will visit are as enjoyable as the town and people of San Francisco.
Johana Hilbers Video - AVI Format
LINK TO ARGENTINE VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION PRESS RELEASE — May 25
Link to Official Argentinean FEVA Page
