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Day Three
By
Susan Halverson, U-16’s team
Today we woke up at 8:30 am and went down for the continental breakfast which consisted of sandwich fixings once again. We then had an hour to get ready for our big day of shopping and sight seeing. Cory took us to “The Dom”, which was an absolutely gorgeous church. The Dom was destroyed in WWII, but restored beautifully. Next we were let loose to shop and we admired the architecture around this very fancy town. Almost everyone bought something, and many of us had fun in a store called Tendance. Everyone ate different things for lunch, but Tawny, Kresson, Pat, and I enjoyed a familiar tasting pasta and pizza joint. By then it was time to head back and get ready for the match. Kresson and I found time to lie in the sun, while Hailey, Alyssa, Mary, and Abby played an intense game of ping-pong.
Northern Lights shopping in Munster
We left at 4:30 pm for a 45-minute bus ride to Waldendorf where we were to play the German Youth National team again. This time though we competed against the other group of girls that the seventeen’s played yesterday. When we arrived we had time to spare so we started a game of tag, talked about the trip so far with Adam, and then began the match. Our goal was to win one game. We lost the first four sets, two of which ended up being 23-25, but pulled through by accomplishing our goal in the fifth set with a score of 18-16.
 U16’s vs. the German Youth National Team
The playing was not quite the highlight of our day as after match we had a barbecue, which the German team hosted, this was definitely the best part. The sport center had a campus-like feel to it with many buildings and different facilities for other sports such as; swimming, horse riding, and track. At the barbeque we got to meet the youth teams that we had played earlier. We communicated through English and a lot of signing. Each table consisted of a few people from our sixteen’s and seventeen’s, as well as, three or four of the girls from the German team. Kresson and Mary were able to do a one-on-one interview with two of the girls, which will also be posted on the Bringitusa website for everyone to read.
 Mary and Denise (German Youth National Team)
We talked about school hours, volleyball training, favorite foods, favorite stores to shop, and of course…boyfriends. The dinner that they served us consisted of; bratwurst, noodle salad, a form of coleslaw and beefsteak. We also had a side of bread, and for drinks, we had the choice of a Coke or carbonated juice which seemed to be the popular choice. Last, we traded warm-up jerseys, which was awesome. Theirs are bright blue with Zurich written on them and they seemed excited about ours as well. To end the night the seventeen’s team played the “look” game with the German’s and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. All in all, it was a very eventful day.
 Enjoying dinner with the German Youth National Team
So today we played the same German National team. The first game was pretty bad and we thought today might be a repeat of the first day but then the craziest thing happened. We picked it up the second game and we actually won! Can you believe it? And the third game was really close with us losing 26 to 24…dang it! But we played better and gave them some competition so that was good because they weren’t totally bored. The fourth game was another blow out and they kind of kicked our butt, but at least we proved that we could play volleyball. Today I got hit in the face again and since Alyssa failed to tell you about how the first day I got smacked in the face I will tell you. The setter was left-handed and she had an amazing swing. Her team passed perfect passes and we had no block up when I was right back. So she wailed on the ball and it came at what felt like a million miles per hour towards my face and it hit my nose and eyes. It was hilarious and embarrassing. She came over to see if I was ok though and gave me a hug. But otherwise nothing that exciting happened except for us winning a set.
 U17’s with the German Youth National Team
Afterwards we had a barbecue. The food and people were amazing, it was so much fun. Thankfully they knew English, which made it easier to communicate. They were so much fun and we all had a great time. To everyone back home, I know you aren’t having as much fun as us as I wish you were because I am having an amazing time!
 Northern Lights and the German Youth National team having dinner
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