tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91672419026550033422024-03-20T04:47:40.659-07:00The Adventures of Sonja and KylePro Season #5: Back to Turkey.
New volleyball season, team and city. Now in Trabzon, Turkey for the next 6 months. Sharing my adventures along the way.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-48594218183480272622014-12-09T05:19:00.002-08:002014-12-09T05:42:55.518-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been almost 2 months since I've update this. I won't apologize for not updating it more regularly. Things have been busy and I've procrastinated. Instead I'll tell you about the last few weeks and all of the things that we have been up to. Mostly we have been busy with games, playing up to 3 a week. We usually alternate home and away so there has been quite a few trips back and forth to Istanbul as well as Ankara and Cannakle. The team is 6-3 on the season with a couple of 5 set thrillers. The league is so tough and every game has been a battle for us. Even if we won a game in 4 sets it has gone into extra points or only separated by 2 points each set.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">League started off with 3-2 win vs Illerbankasi in Ankara. Then we played Yesilyurt and won 3-1. After we went to Istanbul to play Fenerbache and lost a close match in straight sets. We got our first 3 set win against Besiktas at home, which made the fans and president happy. At Cannakle we won in 5 and then won in 4 vs Saryier at home. We were then handed two losses in a row from Galatasary and Bursa Nilfer but got back on track this past Saturday with a 3-1 win vs Bursa Bld. Next we head to Istanbul to take on Eczacibasi on Sunday and then our final home game of the first half of season vs Vakifbank.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Normally we fly to games, there are 7 teams in Istanbul alone and it's only an hour and a half flight to get there. Our longest road trip of the season was to Cannakle. We took a plane from Trabzon to Istanbul then drove on a bus for 5 hours to catch a ferry and another bus ride to make it to our hotel. Although it was the longest trip of season it was nothing like the 24+ hour train rides that I took in Russia to travel for a league game last year. We all were thrilled to pull out a 5 set victory in Cannakle and then head home the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We are currently tied for 5th place in the league with 16 points. Like I said we have 2 games left against the number 2 and 3 teams in the league and we are hoping to take some points off of them before we get a break for Christmas and the New Year. Kyle and I are so excited to be able to go to Colorado for Christmas time this year. It's been 4 years since we have been home for the holidays. I am looking forward to recharging and spending time with both mine and Kyle's family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We haven't had a chance to do much exploring since we have had lots of games but we are lucky and the team has allowed for Kyle to travel to many of the away games. He made the trek with us to Cannakle and several trips to Istanbul. I loving having him in the stands both at home and when we are away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Several of my teammates (shout out to Damla, Asli and Cansu!!!) have been great about </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">taking us to local restaurants including a restaurant that has been in operation since 1860's. They serve rice pilaf, stewed meat and beans in tomato sauce. Of course for dessert they serve baklava and çay. We have gone there at least once a week because the flavor and taste is just that good. We also have found a restaurant that serves semi traditional American food but they also have a great Turkish style breakfast which we enjoy on occasion. We have taken several walks around town including the 5 minutes it takes to walk to the seaside from our apartment. I have so enjoyed the warm weather that we have had for the past weeks and I am not missing my parka from last year at all. We have been in the 60's all of October and November and have just recently dipped into the 50's in December.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One night that was particularly memorable was when we were invited to my coaches house for dinner made by his wife and traditional music played by coach. My teammate Judith plays the guitar and she brought it along to try and play with our coach which he throughly enjoyed. Her brother was visiting at the time and he also played the guitar so he could play as well. The food was all hand made and delicious. Several salads and potatoes cooked different ways. Puff pasteries stuffed with veggies or cheese and fresh fruit for dessert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Another fun night we had away from volleyball was cooking for some teammates for Thanksgiving. Kyle and I cooked stuffing, mashed potatoes, crispy chicken, fresh veggies and basil carrots. Judith made homemade pumpkin soup and a delicious death by chocolate double layer cake. We had 7 of us all together in my apartment and had a great time watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade vis Slingbox. Even though it wasn't the most traditional of dinners the girls really enjoyed it and liked celebrating a very traditional American holiday with us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the week coming up we have lots of practice, lifting and video. We will travel to Istanbul on Saturday and then play Eczacibasi on Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing Jordan Larson Burbach this weekend as she plays for Eczacibasi. It's always great to see another American on the other side of the net. After that we will travel home and our last game will be on December 20th. After that game we will start our travel home and hopefully be in Colorado by the afternoon of the 21st.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family friends and good food. Kyle and I missed being with our families but we are loving all of the time that we have together and all of the adventures that we have had this season so far. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLudUZ4Ax1Soe8nHIGbvgygmRBtRxtx2g3NtvIpWdQbovOiuWfJ4xKpwMY8wg7D5hw5_SrsHq9DQmIPSqRJeai-NBTpDXCrWiCNpxjkKTpGjuoC76Y8uYfHdF7dHuofT3LZlALhQc6NIy/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLudUZ4Ax1Soe8nHIGbvgygmRBtRxtx2g3NtvIpWdQbovOiuWfJ4xKpwMY8wg7D5hw5_SrsHq9DQmIPSqRJeai-NBTpDXCrWiCNpxjkKTpGjuoC76Y8uYfHdF7dHuofT3LZlALhQc6NIy/s1600/IMG_6734.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Top Left: Enjoying Starbucks in Istanbul with my teammates. Left: The team gave Kyle a polo. He is officially part of the team. Right: On the Black Sea beach in Istanbul at a preseason tournament<br />
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Left: Yoga on the lawn at a hotel in Istanbul before a match. Enjoying the sunshine. Right: Yimei and I, pregame selfie ritual.<br />
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Gettting my serve on.</div>
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Top and bottom are a pictures around our apartment in Trabzon. Only a 5 min walk to the seaside!</div>
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Top: TV match vs Fenerbache. Left: Asli birthday dinner with Cansu, me and Damla. Right: Leaving a note at our favorite pilaf restaurant in town.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gQyLCk63XM-P0Dz3RhL216a4AcWKIKGsZxw3v9lKB6IDcewXnnxrssk8sHXQ6ofiNXpOwWr9TCHnf_d1rYFOmJSKnyWsC5GH7Oo_CPjiBob89qyreL_WDtKkyaUMkB7EX6ceRWPcUSBv/s1600/IMG_6902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gQyLCk63XM-P0Dz3RhL216a4AcWKIKGsZxw3v9lKB6IDcewXnnxrssk8sHXQ6ofiNXpOwWr9TCHnf_d1rYFOmJSKnyWsC5GH7Oo_CPjiBob89qyreL_WDtKkyaUMkB7EX6ceRWPcUSBv/s1600/IMG_6902.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a> Top: Coach showing Judith his traditional turkish guitar. Left: Judith and her brother at our music filled dinner. Right: Cay (tea) and pasta (cake) for dessert.<br />
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Me, Asli and Damla.</div>
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Above Traditional and below Awkward team photos</div>
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Me and my main squeeze.</div>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-21921295779018281902014-10-13T06:08:00.000-07:002014-10-13T06:08:15.172-07:00Trabzon, Turkey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first post in a new country and season is always the most difficult for me. I feel like there is so much that is happening and I want to write about all of it. I'll try to give you a good picture of what's been going on and what things are like here in Trabzon for Kyle and I. We have been in Trabzon since September 20th, its hard to believe that this is week 4 since we have arrived. Time is flying!<br />
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For those of you that don't know this is our second time playing and living in Turkey. I played for Pursaklar in 2012 in my second pro season overseas. Ultimately that did not work out and I left early. That being said, I was a little reluctant to return to Turkey but excited none the less. <br />
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Kyle and I received the warmest welcome from my manager/teammate here in Trabzon who I played with in Pursaklar. When we landed in Trabzon the President of the club, head coach, manager, president of the airport and several others greeted us right off the plane, escorted us to the VIP section of the airport for pictures and of course tea. It was so great to first see a familiar face and then receive such a warm welcome after such a long travel day. <br />
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Trabzon is located right on the Black Sea. We have views of the sea from our apartment, we drive along the coastline every day to practice and when you fly in you can see the coastline for miles in either direction. I wasn't sure exactly where the team is located in Trabzon but I was hoping that we would be close to the sea and I'm so happy with how close we are. Kyle and I have our own apartment, we live in a new building and our apartment is brand new. So new, that some things aren't finished! We are waiting for the gas to be permanently hooked up and some more permanent blinds to be put in. There are several grocery stores and restaurants within walking distance and a school right across the street. So along with the call to prayer 5 times a day we have the school bell going off about every hour, lots of noises but a good area as well. My other teammates that are foreigners live in the same building as us. Its the Americans, a Chinese and a Dutch player, yes we draw lots of funny looks when we walk around town but people are starting to realize that we will be here for a while and are recognizing us more.<br />
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4 days after we got to Trabzon we left for Ankara for the first round of Turkish Cup games. We played in a 4 team pool and had 3 games in 3 days. We lost the first game in 4 sets, it was good for us because it sparked some good conversations on how we are going to improve and what are the expectations for the season. I should say that most of my teammates speak English and so does the coach. I am so happy and lucky to have so many teammates that I can talk to. This is the first time that I have been able to really communicate with so many of my teammates and it makes a huge difference. After that first loss we came away with two wins in 3 sets in the next two days. We got a little lucky and advanced into the next round of Turkish Cup! <br />
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After 4 days in Ankara I headed back to Trabzon to rescue Kyle. He stayed behind this time and our internet wasn't set up before we left! Yikes!! The weather has been consistently above 65, it varies between sunny and overcast but overall very good for exploring and walking around the city. When I got back Kyle had figured out all of the shortcuts, which grocery store was the closest, which one carried soy sauce and tortillas and where the specialty beef store was.<br />
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Once we got back from the Turkish Cup games we were able to get in a full week of practice. This was helpful to get to know each other and play together more. My national team system and the Chinese system in general is much faster than the system in Turkey so it took a couple of days for us to find a good compromise with our setters so that we could connect on a regular basis. <br />
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After that good week of practice we had Sunday off to relax and explore. My teammates have been great about taking me to some local restaurants and the mall so that we could find some things we need for our apartment. We also found out that there is a movie theater at the mall that shows movies in English, I'm sure that will come in handy on a rainy day. One more week of practice and lifting and then it was a huge Muslim holiday called Bayram. It goes on for 5 days so the 3rd-7th was a holiday for most people. We practiced most of those days but the team organized a fishing trip and a BBQ on Sunday and Monday after our morning practice so that we could enjoy the holiday a little too. We went fishing on the Black Sea in my assistant coaches yacht. After catching 25-30 relatively small fish we cooked them up when we got back to shore and had dinner. The next day we drove east and into the mountains about 30 minutes so that we could have famous BBQ from Trabzon. We had corn bread, traditional Turkish salad, kofte (beef), and milk rice pudding for dessert.<br />
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This week we are preparing to go to Istanbul for our last preseason tournament. We will play 4 teams in 4 days. Also our last foreigner from the Netherlands will join us so we will be a complete team. She was playing in Italy at World Championships with her national team earlier in October. Speaking of World Championships I couldn't be more proud of Team USA for the effort and fight that they showed throughout the tournament! Gold at World Championships has been one of our goals from the beginning of the quad and it was great to see the team that was there achieve it. I couldn't be more proud! USA! USA! USA! ALL IN!!!<br />
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Ok, back to our preseason tournament. We will play two Turkish teams, a team from Romania and one from Bulgaria. I'm looking forward to playing someone else on the other side of the net! We start normal season games on October 29th which is fast approaching. We want to work out some of the kinks and solidify a starting 6 at this tournament.<br />
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I also want to mention how proud I am of the Ducks volleyball program. They are off to a great start this season and even though the have two tough losses in the last two weeks I am so proud of how they are playing. I was able to play with them for a few days before I came to Turkey and was impressed with their competitive spirit and willingness to learn. GO DUCKS! <br />
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Follow me on Instagram snewcombe Twitter @sonjanewcombe and facebook for updates and pics on a regular basis. <br />
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Some more of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!<br />
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Homemade dinner by 3 of my teammates. <br />
Best way to try new foods.<br />
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To the left fresh fruits at one of the grocery stores nearby. Above my haul from the weekly street market all for 18 lira or $8.<br />
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Team dinner, Trabzon specialty Pide. Similar to pizza. Really delicious!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-20038723015775187522014-01-25T02:20:00.004-08:002014-01-25T02:20:38.734-08:00Game Update!<br />
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I actually have games to report on! We played 3 games in January and won 2 out of the 3. That was the goal from the start but its funny because the game that we lost was one that we were counting on winning. Its ok, 2 out of 3 isn't bad and it has us tied for 7th place and just a few points behind 5th and 6th place. Our goal as a team for the season is to finish in the top 8. Personally I would like to finish 5th and I think we can do it. We are in a good position and just made the turn into the second half of the season so we are playing teams for the second time now.<br />
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Our first game was at home vs Zarachie Odinsovo who was in 5th place. It was the first game that Kyle got to see since we came back to Russia after being home for the holidays in early December. The Russian Superleague schedule is crazy this year. They are accommodating for Champions League games as well as international competitions so we have huge gaps in the schedule for when we do and don't play games. The game on January 8th was the first time that I had played since early November. That's a long time considering I was "in season" the whole time. I was injured for our 3 games in late November and then we had a break from games in December. Needless to say I was anxious about the upcoming game. I wanted to come back strong for my team and it was an important game for us to win. We went up 2 sets to 0 and then were ahead in the third set 24-22. Unfortunately we made some careless errors as a team and we lost the third set. I know! Can you believe it?! We had it in the bag. Luckily we were able to pull out the match and get the 5 set win 15-6. I got the match kill from the pipe. I'm really proud of my team we pulled together in the end and overcame some adversity. That's what this game is all about!<br />
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Our next match would require a 12+ hour travel day the very next day on the 9th. We arrived on the 10th in the morning and had to play on the 11th. Lets see if you can follow this one? Fly from Tyumen to Moscow, take a train from the north of Moscow to the metro, metro to the south of Moscow to take another train to another airport in Moscow then a final flight from Moscow to Ulan Ude. Whew! Oh and all of this was done running, literally running, through the train and metro stations because we were delayed out of Tyumen so all of our connections were really tight. Coach didn't want to sit at one airport in Moscow to wait for the flight to Ulan Ude so thats why we had to change airports. Let's just say I'm really glad that that road trip is over. We lost 3-0, this was the one that we were supposed to win. The team was very close to us in the rankings and we very easily could have beaten them. That's what I like about Russian league though, if you don't show up anyone in this league can and will beat you.<br />
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Our last game was against Fakel. They were ranked ahead of us in the standings and we lost to them in the first game of the season. I was also particularly happy to be playing against them as an outside hitter this time because last time we played I was the libero for our team. It's the first game of the second half of the season. I'm always happy when the turn comes around, it means time is moving along. I'm proud to say that we took care of business and won 3-0. My team played really well and for the first time really was running on all cylinders. It was fun to play in a game where we executed the entire time and didn't let off the gas.<br />
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Now we don't have a game until February 16!!! That's a long time without a game. We have an extra long break because at the beginning of the season one team from the league folded because of money issues so essentially every team has an extra "bye week" and ours just happens to be in this stretch where we only have one other game. We will be having double days during this time and lots of lifting. We were given some extra days off after winning the game vs Fakel but Kyle and I decided to stay in Tyumen. Russia is a tough place to travel to and from, it takes a lot of time to get anywhere. Also Kyle will have to leave a little later in February or March to fulfill his visa requirements so we might try and take a couple of days then to go and travel somewhere.<br />
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For now we are super excited for the Broncos to be in the Super Bowl and are looking forward to that in a couple weeks. We are also watching lots of Champions League playoff games both mens and womens and cheering on lots of former and National Team teammates. I'm looking forward to all of the awards shows coming up especially the Oscars. The weather has been pretty mild overall and we have enjoyed exploring some more and taking walks when we can.<br />
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Be sure to check out this website headed up by my National Team Teammate Rachael Adams and her friend Geena Urango. It's a great resource to learn more about what its like to be an athlete in a foreign country. There are lots of testimonies and blogs to check out through the website. I've written a couple pieces for her as well, so hopefully they will be up there soon. Check it out!<br />
<a href="http://athletesabroad.wordpress.com/">http://athletesabroad.wordpress.com/</a><br />
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Dinner out at a thai food restaurant in Tyumen.</div>
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Walking through Moscow airport #1.</div>
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Train in Moscow.</div>
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Trying to figure out who we lost while we were running rough the metro. We lost 6 teammates, only temporarily though.</div>
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The sign in the distance says Moscow. This was outside the metro station when we were waiting for our final train.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-38890471300212719322014-01-06T20:58:00.000-08:002014-01-06T20:58:29.187-08:00Happy New Year 2014!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Celebrating the New Year in Tyumen was quite entertaining. Kyle and I debated about trying to go somewhere either to visit friends or to explore somewhere new just the two of us. Ultimately we decided that we would stay in Tyumen and celebrate here. We cooked an awesome dinner and watched movies until midnight. We popped open a bottle of Russian champagne (we decided that we should try it since we are here and everyone leaving the grocery store for the last week had at least one bottle in their basket) sat in the window sill overlooking an open area outside my apartment building and watched people set off their own fireworks for the better part of an hour. We talked with both our families and reflected on what a good year 2013 was. New jobs for both of my brothers and me, I made the National Team this summer, lots of traveling for Kyle and me as usual, getting to celebrate an early Christmas with my family and my in-laws, Kyle and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary and my parents celebrated their 30th. I could go on and on but ultimately Kyle and I are very thankful for how blessed we were in 2013 and we enjoyed reflecting on it.<br />
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The last time that I posted I was headed home for the first Anderson/Newcombe Christmas where we would be all together. Even though it was early in December it was so wonderful to have everyone in the same place. Jane and Greg (kyle's parents) came in from Fort Collins, CO, his sister Lauren came in from Seattle, WA, Eric came from Williams, AZ, Chad from Palm Desert, CA and I made it from Moscow, Russia. The reunion in Lake Arrowhead was great! We had a fresh snow on the ground when I arrived which made it seem even more like Christmas time. My mom had the house all decorated and we all exchanged gifts in a secret santa fashion that was organized by Kyle via email since we were literally all over the place before we met together. I enjoyed the time that I got to spend with my family in the morning, up at the crack of dawn sitting around the kitchen with a cup of fresh brewed coffee laughing and sharing stories. I also cherish the times that we all got to sit around the table and eat together, the Sunday brunch that we had at Grandma and Grandpa's house and the annual gingerbread houses.<br />
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Oh the gingerbread houses, its always lots of fun. It had become quite the family tradition to build gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and all of the other candies you can imagine. You don't have to build a house but you must stay within the cardboard platform that you are given. This year we had a train, football stadium, log cabin, country club, castle, barn, log cabin and a windmill! Check out the pictures below. I think this year was one of the best years yet.<br />
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The other great thing about going home is that I got to first see Kyle and second it meant that when I returned to Tyumen he would be coming with me! Yahooooooo! Don't get me wrong I like a little alone time myself but playing in Russia was meant to be done with a significant other by your side. Ever since being back I have thoroughly enjoyed having my exploring buddy, cooking partner and best friend around 24/7. His visa came 2 days before we were supposed to leave for Tyumen and I am so thankful that it did. Lesson learned, getting a visa to Russia is NOT easy or fast.<br />
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Since being back we haven't had any games but we have had lots of practice. This is ok for me since I had been out for quite a while with my ankle issue. When I was home I got new orthotics , x-rays and was diagnosed with tendonitis from overuse. Good thing was I was able to see my pediatrist and he said that the bone spurs and calcifications were totally normal and nothing to worry about. So with lots of rest behind me I started practicing again and wearing my new orthotics which seems to be really helping. For those of you that know me well I have serious foot issues so new orthotics are making a big difference oh and I was wearing shoes that were about a half size too small. So with all of those changes I am doing well and have been back at practice for almost 3 weeks now.<br />
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We have a game coming up this Wednesday at home. It will be the first game that Kyle gets to see me play in, in Russian League in person! We have a bit of a packed schedule coming up, on Thursday after Wednesdays game we leave for Ulan Ude, never heard of it, me either but its close to Mongolia and my teammates said that it is an "exotic" location that should be nothing short of an adventure. We play Saturday and then turn around and come back home to Tyumen. We have a short week of practice and then play again the following Sunday. If we come out of these next two weeks with 3 wins I'll be one happy girl.<br />
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Hope this finds you sticking to your New Years Resolutions! Cheers to 2014!!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-90810068829100597292013-12-04T17:40:00.001-08:002013-12-04T17:40:05.905-08:00Happy December!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last 2 weeks have been tough for me (Yes I know I said that in the last post too, seems like an unfortunate theme here for a little while, hopefully that pattern breaks soon). First my team didn't have any games for 3 weeks and then when we finally made it to Kazan to play I injured myself in our morning serve and pass right before the game. Needless to say the last 2 weeks which were supposed to be full of hard work and games was full of physio and doctors appointments for me along with lots of watching instead of participating. The injury is nothing too serious which makes it even more frustrating. Getting to the bottom of what it actually is has been the most difficult part. The language barrier in this case is so giant some days its more overwhelming than anything else. Due mostly to overuse and poor mechanics I have some calcifications and a bone spur that are causing many tendons in my foot to be inflamed and painful. I took one step in serve and pass the morning of the Kazan game felt some pain and by the time game time rolled around I was in major pain even just when I was walking. Consequently I have been out for the past 2 weeks and by the end of this third week I will have missed 3 games.<br />
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For me, especially this season, being overseas and not being able to play is heart breaking. I've told you some about the issues with Kyle's visa so he can't be here with me, which was unplanned which makes things difficult. And with every overseas team there are difficulties/challenges/adventures whatever you want to call them but at the end of the day if I can practice and work hard at what I love to do I'm ok. Having to sit on the sidelines and watch absolutely crushes my spirit. I am proactive and try to take care of my body as best as I can and when it fails me I'm frustrated to say the least. All that being said I also have learned to listen to my body and take care of it when it says "hey time to take a break and fix me now".<br />
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Luckily, I get to go home for a week after our game in Moscow this coming Friday! That will mean that I will have had 3 weeks off and I should be feeling much better by then. We have another break in the season, our next game will not be until the beginning of January. So actually if there ever is a "perfect time" to have an injury it is this one because I'll have time to get back into the groove after being out for so long.<br />
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Back to me getting to go home. Yes! I'm so excited to get to have some time at home. My team is letting me have a week off so that I can collect my husband, see my family and have a little rejuvenating time state side. This break comes at a perfect time for me. Unfortunately I won't be home for Christmas and New Years but Kyle's family and my family are going to have Christmas a little early this year. Its still not 100 percent but Kyle's visa should (finally) be ready for him so that he can come back to Tyumen with me after the week at home is over. We have plans to exchange gifts, build gingerbread houses, eat lots of mexican food (my request), watch Christmas movies and most importantly spend time together. I can't wait to be in the same place as my family and get lots of bear hugs from everyone. Time together is so precious and I plan to make the most of every minute.<br />
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A little volleyball update is that we lost to Kazan 0-3 in Kazan 2 weekends ago and we beat Proton 3-1 last weekend. To travel to Kazan we took a train from Tyumen to Kazan, it took 22 hours each direction. We left at 2 am on the way to Kazan and 11pm coming back. Departure times are adjusted based on the 2 hour time difference between Tyumen and Kazan so that you arrive in either place around 10 pm. 22 hours on a train is BRUTAL! Yes you sleep for most of it but there isn't a lot of space to move around when you are awake. We each brought our own food for the train and luckily I remembered to bring my pillow so I was actually pretty comfortable most of the time. I got to have dinner with Jordan Larson-Burbach after the game. It was great to see her, catch up on how the Grand Champions Cup went in Japan and have someone that I can share stories with, many that make me want to pull my hair out, and she totally understands. Plus we had some pretty good pizza too! Our game vs Proton was at home last weekend so luckily we didn't have to travel again. My team showed some great fight and pulled out the win with the sets being close and having to come from behind a few times. It was interesting to me to be on the outside and watch the game, it allows for a unique perspective.<br />
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Getting on the train.</div>
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Train life, snacks and tv shows.</div>
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I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgivings and is getting into the holiday spirit. Trying to explain Black Friday to my Russian teammates was pretty funny. I got all different kinds of reactions from them. I'm learning about holidays here in Russia as well. We have practice on Christmas Day here, since most are Russian Orthodox here New Years is the big holiday. And man do I mean big! Presents, dinner, parties, and reservations being made now so that you can get a good spot to celebrate. We still don't have concrete plans yet but I've heard lots of ideas being tossed around that sound like fun. <br />
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Treatment</div>
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You can always spot us in our blue jackets when we are traveling.</div>
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Exploring Kazan before the match.</div>
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Our nontraditional Thanksgiving, Mexican style. It was surprisingly yummy.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-9083758596814066752013-11-17T08:23:00.002-08:002013-11-17T08:24:41.271-08:00Trains, Planes and AutomobilesThese past 3 weeks have been pretty boring to tell you the truth, in the sense that not much has been going on volleyball wise. We currently have a break from Superleague games because of World Grand Champions Cup that is going on in Japan Nov. 12-17. I am happy to report that USA took silver at the tournament! I got to watch several of the games on the internet and it was great to cheer the girls on. They had a thrilling 5 set match vs Russia and won 15-13 in the 5th. I was quite happy that they pulled out the win so that I could continue my trash talking at practice with my teammates. To explain more about the boring part of these 3 weeks is that we have been practicing and practicing and practicing and... well you get the picture. We have double days and lifting Monday - Wednesday, day off Thursday and then double days again Friday and Saturday and Sunday is a day off. While I like only having one day off at a time so that I don't stir crazy in my apartment, my body craves two days off to recover from practicing so much. I miss playing games and competing most of all.<br />
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Next week we travel to Kazan and get to finally play a game! Fellow USA teammate and American Jordan Larson-Burbach plays there. I am so looking forward to seeing her and catching up on how things went in Japan and just how she is doing in general. As an overseas athlete it's always a moral booster when you get to see another American. Unfortunately Jordan and I are the only American women playing in Russia this year so we don't have many of those opportunities. So each time that we see each other really counts. We are going to take the train from Tyumen to Kazan. It is going to take 20 hours! My teammates prefer traveling by train rather than plane because they can sleep on the train and move around. Ummmmmm I say YIKES! 20 hours?! Guess I'll get some reading done and hopefully some sleeping. Seems like quite the trip to me but everyone else doesn't seem to worried about it. I'll keep you posted on how all of that truly shakes out.<br />
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We have played 4 league games and 5 Russian Cup games. We hosted the first round of Russian Cup games so we didn't have to travel for those. I have flown to Novy Urengoy which is a town that is so far north that people who aren't born there have to leave after staying for 6 months because the oxygen level is so low that they can have health issues. So far I've taken one other train ride this season, an 8 hour train ride east into Siberia to play in Omsk. There were two sets of bunk beds to each car, so me and 3 teammates shared a sleeping car. We were given clean sheets and had to make the bed before we slept, when we woke up in the morning we stripped the bed and gave back the sheets. It was actually quite an old train that was much shakier than I expected. Many of my teammates asked if I traveled by train in the US. I said I hadn't and especially not overnight. They were shocked at that. <br />
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Our record is 2-2 in league games and we went 4-1 in Russian Cup and are waiting to see if we made it to the second round of Russian Cup or not. There are 11 teams in the Russian League this year because one team had to withdraw because of financial issues, so we will play a total of 20 games, home and away for each of the teams. The season should finish mid April. I'm not sure how playoffs will work this year. I've heard a few different ideas but I'm not sure that one has been decided on just yet. <br />
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Last note is can you believe it that I am without snow in Siberia?! Well by Siberian standards anyways. There is a light dusting on the ground that isn't melting because the temperature is in the low 30's and high 20's. My coach asked if I liked the weather the other day after practice. He said the unseasonable warmness is just for me. (This is all translated to me through my Croatian teammate because she speaks both Russian and English. I would be truly lost without her.) I said thanks and that it's like California weather and he just kinda smirked and shook his head, guess he didn't quite like that suggestion! The girls have been telling me that normally the temperatures are in the negatives and that they have had lots of snow by now. I'm not complaining! I'm sure that we will have plenty of snow this winter.<br />
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Heading to the train.</div>
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View from my hotel room in Omsk.</div>
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Gym entrance in Omsk. Their court is laid on top of a hockey rink so it was extra cold in there. They gave us individual foam pads to use when we stretched so our little butts didn't get too cold sitting on the court.</div>
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Of course I had to document my first train ride. Me, Dasha, Mira and Anya.</div>
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Assistant coaches caught writing in the dirt on one of their former players cars. Cars are so so so dirty here, lots of exhaust and loose dirt.</div>
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More hotel room views. I stuck my head out the window to enjoy the sunshine for a little bit.</div>
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Our bunks for the train ride. I took a lower one. For those of you who know me well you know why...</div>
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Flying into Novy Urengoy.</div>
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My translator, teammate and friend Mira and I before our first game. This is in Novy Urengoy in late September and it was already 0 degrees F there. Hence the puffer jackets.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9167241902655003342.post-3167513664899468012013-11-07T06:13:00.000-08:002013-11-11T07:35:22.729-08:00A little about Tyumen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello family, friends and all those who stumble upon this page. I'll use this blog to replace the previous one that I had on nfinity.com. That one has since been discontinued but I still want to do a blog so that you all can keep up with my adventures in my pro volleyball career.<br />
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Quick update, I am playing in Tyumen, Russia. Where?! you say, yep it's in Siberia, just on the western edge but it still is in Siberia. It is one place that I never thought I would play or visit but Russia is one of the best volleyball leagues in the world right now so here I am. I am still so thankful to be playing volleyball as my "job", I am thankful every day for my health and the joy and love that I have for this game. I've had so many wonderful opportunities to travel, see new places and meet so many different people through playing volleyball. It is a lifestyle that I never imagined for myself but at the same time I can't really see myself doing anything else besides this right now.<br />
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Ok so Tyumen is just east of the Ural Mountains in Siberia on the Tura River. Tyumen was the first Russian settlement in Siberia and continues to remain an important industrial and economic center in Siberia. I can see that the city is growing from all of the roads being expanded and all of the new apartment complexes being built. The population is around 585,000. It is 57N degrees latitude which is the same latitude as Sitka, Alaska. Has anybody seen the movie The Proposal? Sitka, Alaskaaaaaaaaa! I love that movie so I was happy to find out that we are on the same latitude. Tyumen is only 262 feet about sea level, so not quite like the places that I am used to with the high elevation but I'm sure we will still get plenty of snow here anyways.<br />
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The temperature has consistently been in the 30's, sometimes the days get up into the 40's but the days are getting shorter and shorter so the temperature doesn't rise as much during the day. No major snow yet. We have had a few dustings but nothing too severe, we have actually have had more rain than I thought that we would. Right now the sun is rising around 9 am and setting just before 6pm. I can feel the days getting shorter! Waking up in the dark before practice is never fun, it makes it tough to wake up. Russia also doesn't observe daylight savings time so I am now +13 hours from Colorado and +14 from California. With those time changes I literally feel on the other side of the world sometimes. But I do my best talking with friends and family back home through FaceTime and Skype, I'd be so lost without that!<br />
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Kyle, my husband, usually travels with me. We are waiting for some papers from the team to be mailed to him so that he can apply for his visa. One thing that I learned quickly about Russia is that they love their paperwork and they have mountains of it. It has taken so much longer than initially anticipated for Kyle's paperwork to be processed and it is very difficult to be patient. Both of us are hoping that the papers arrive sometime soon and then he can start the application process on his end and hopefully he can come out here by the end of November or early December. <br />
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I truly miss having my best friend and support system with me but I've been very fortunate to have teammates that are caring and welcoming. I'm also happy to be playing for a team that is very professional and helpful with many other things. Every place that I have played overseas has its challenges and things that you have to overcome or adjust to. It is part of living in a different country and learning about their culture. I'm reminded daily that patience is a virtue and to try and take it one day at a time.<br />
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My day typically looks like this. Up around 8am so that I can catch the team bus at 8:30 for practice which is from 9:30-11:30. The drive is typically 30-40 minutes depending on traffic. Post practice we are fed lunch of some meat (I usually go for the chicken) and pasta, some Russian salad (veggies with lots of mayo, no thanks!) and soup. There is always fresh fruit and juices to choose from too. Back on the bus after lunch and back to my apartment where I try and do my devotional and Rosetta Stone. I'm trying to learn some about the Russian language to help me adjust to being here. Then I catch the bus again around 4:15 for practice from 5-7. We shower at the gym after both practices and head home around 8pm. I get in lots of FaceTime after my night practice because that's when most people at home are available. Off to bed and up to do it all over again.<br />
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We have a break from games right now because there is World Grand Champions Cup in Japan that a lot of national teams are competing in, so the next time we play is November 23rd. In upcoming posts I'll update on how the season is going so far and what its like to travel to and from games. <br />
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Hello to everyone back home!<br />
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XOXO<br />
Sonja<br />
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One of our first home games. I'm back in #16 for this season.</div>
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Exploring Tyumen on an off day.</div>
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Me and my teammates.</div>
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Cheering on our men's team at one of their home games.</div>
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Ferris wheel in the center in Tyumen.</div>
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View from my apartment.</div>
<img height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMofDbMwNnuBpc8CatFleoS2bOe1z5ZyEY3OOty8Dig7jYhhbwhnRKQOv0Ve9rNUdByD7_kE8GcCTTqCxUW_uW2js1M5CuDydJnjWxSfg-J1JeLlAgFXWPwBW6959toSEdSauyw7zQpQP5/s1600/pic3.png" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 419px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 40px;" width="96" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045192440711354351noreply@blogger.com2