Cincinnati Women's Volleyball news

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Day 12

Good morning! It's Annie again. It is our last day in Brazil. Tear! Lindsay, Turner, and I woke up at 10:30 and rushed around and packed. We were in a bit of a hurry only
because we wanted to go to the beach one last time before we had to check out and leave. Lucky for us it was the weekend and the hotel was still offering breakfast. Lindsay
feasted on the sausage and I ate almost every kind of fruit they offered. Then we hit the beach and met up with Jordanne, Karen, NIemer, Myanna, and Reed. They had already
taken on the ocean and were ready to make their last purchases. They went off and Lindsay and I stayed. We waded in the ocean, laid in the sun, and enjoyed watching the
people of Brazil for the last time. At 1pm we checked out of the hotel and packed our bags into the bus. Then we were told to grab something to eat. Lindsay, Bruce, Jeff
and I went to Bob's Burgers. It is Brazil's version of fast food. Bruce had the biggest burger I had ever seen and Lindsay and Jeff had burgers that were not even comparable
to White Castle. Gross. My chicken was decent ;) Then Lindsay and I got frozen yogurt with strawberries and kiwi! We boarded the bus at 2 and headed to see Christ Redentor Statue.
We bussed to the bottom of the Corcovado mountain. There we switched from the bus to a 15 passenger van. We rode that half way up the mountain then switched to another 15
passenger van. This time we made it all the way to the top. Unfortunately the clouds were out and we couldn't see anything. After some time the clouds started moving and we
got to see Christ a little more clearly. At one point the sun shined on Christ and everyone cheered and whipped out their cameras. We went to the very base of the statue and sat
at a little deli where some of the girls ate some chicken rolls and mango juice. Then we all decided we wanted to get rid of our centavos so we piled it all together and
bought three rolls of cookies. We were very unimpressed with their cookies. Right before we got on the vans to make our way down the mountain the clouds cleared. We could see
all of Rio! It was beautiful!! We could see the city and the ocean! Amazing! We rode back down the mountain and at the halfway mark there was a little building and a tiny tv
with the antenna taped to it. Obviously the world cup games were playing, a bunch of people were huddled around it. The image was terrible and you could see two of everything.
One of my favorite parts of this trip is the amount of tvs everywhere playing the World Cup. The next van we got in had a tv in it too! These people are obsessed! At the bottom
we boarded our bus and said our goodbyes to Camila. She was incredible this trip! She really showed us a good time! Thanks Camila :) We got to the airport at 6:30, said
goodbye to Reed, and ate the only food they offered at the airport. We all had chips and a panini. Not too bad! Now some of us are watching a terrible movie on the plane
and the rest are fast asleep. Lucky little Niemer behind me has two seats to herself! Well Ladies and Gentlemen it has been quite a trip. An experience of a lifetime. Tchou!

Day 10

Oi! It's Annie here. We are officially on vacation now that the volleyball is over! We started the day bright and early with breakfast in the hotel.
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!

Day 11

Oi! It's Annie here. We are officially on vacation now that the volleyball is over! We started the day bright and early with breakfast in the hotel.
It was an entire buffet of fruit! Delicious. We were all dressed in our Brazilian gear and headed to the beach for the Brazil-Netherlands soccer game. On the beach
they have a FIFA Fan Fest which is an area blocked off just for watching World Cup games on a HUGE screen. We got in line at 8:00 for an 11:00 game. People are soccer
crazy here, it is basically a religon to them. I loved being a part of it. They let us in the Fan Fest at 9:00 and we settled near the stage and took naps and enjoyed
the entertainment before the game started.
As game time approached the area filled up with hundreds of people, it was a sea of green and yellow! The game started great and Brazil scored relatively quickly. The
place went wild :) It was really an incredible experience being there and feeling the spirit of the people of Brazil! However, it was super crowded and really hot
so at halftime the team went out and grabbed a bite to eat at a local cafe. Reed, Myanna, Camila, and I stayed back to watch the whole game. The girls were walking
around the streets and noticed that absolutely no one was out and about and every place they walked by people were huddled by a TV watching the game. They hit up the
beach right outside the FIFA Fan Fest, got some good rays, and bought cute jewelry from the beach vendors! The beach vendors were selling anything and everything from
beer and ice cream to henna tattoos. WHich Becca and Turner took full advantage of, Becca is currently sporting a Puma on the back of her shoulder and Turner is rocking
the fish on the wrist. We have really cool freshman... Back at the game the Netherlands took control of the second half and scored twice. Ending Brazil's run in the
World Cup. Everyone was in complete shock and disbelief. It was really sad to see everyone so hurt from a loss that meant so much to them.
After the game Reed, Myanna and I grabbed some delicious food at a cute cafe and met up with the team at the beach. The Brazilian beaches are a sight to be seen.
The men are not ashamed to be in a white speedo and the women sometimes let their butt cheeks hang out. Myanna, Lindsay, and I played in the ocean for a while! We were
enjoying the waves until the very end when we went to get out and the waves just rocked our world. Myanna kicked me in the face, we were losing our suits, and I tackled
Myanna under the water. After a long struggle we finally we made it to land safely. Quite a hysterical journey. We all split up and went shopping or got ready for
dinner. A few of us bought churros filled with chocolate that were delictable.
We all got pretty and headed out for dinner at 7:30. We walked a few blocks down the beach and went to a outdoor restaurant that had great music!Some of us ordered
off the menu and others got unlimited pizza! The food was great as usual. I had beef, vegetables, and rice! Bueno! We caused quite a scene because the little man
playing his guitar and singing at the restaurant kept playing classic jams and our table would bust out in song each time. After dinner we walked across the street
and enjoyed beverages on the beach from one of the little huts. Around 1030 we went back to the hotel and grabbed some cabs to a club. It opened at 11 and we got there
relatively shortly after, it was basically empty and we were a little nervous. Fear not though it picked up! Camila and her husband were teaching us to dance the
Brazilian way and halfway through the night American music came on! We went nuts! Julie, Becca, Turner, Missy, Lindsay and I were dancing machines! We made a ton of
Brazilian friends!
At 4:30am we left the club and decided to take a stroll along the beach instead of taking a cab! Julie, Jeff, Becca, and Lindsay stopped at one of the huts on the beach
with Camila and her husband for fries and beef. Julie and Jeff ended up staying awake until the sunrise! Champs! That finished today!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Day 10

Oi! Hayden here :)

Soooooo, this morning we woke up nice and early and walked to the dining hall ate yet another amazing breakfast consisting of bread, fruit, bread, cereal, juice,
and oh yeah, bread. Then we prepared for our last match of the trip, the 3rd one against The Brazilian Youth National Team. We made the short walk across the
"volleyball resort" to the gym a little before 9.

Our last match of the trip was a fun and victorious ending. We took our last pictures with the girls from the team, receieved an awesome thank you from their coach,
and then said our goodbyes to all of them. We then enjoyed another great lunch at the dining center and then got some time to hang out by either the beach or the pool.


Then, sadly, around 2:30 our group of bronzed beauties had to say "chao" and leave the brazilian volleyball paradise. We then came back to Rio and checked into yet
another hotel, possibly the 27th one of the trip? We hiked our "extremely light and easy to carry" luggage up two flights of stairs and received our rooming assignments.
After "settling in", Missy and I discovered that the length of our room is about the same as my armspan plus one of Missy's arms, and the width.... let's just say that
Missy and I can still shake hands even when we're across the room from each other. Nice and cozy, just the way we like it :) Almost seems as if they just took the rooms
off a cruise ship and plopped it into a hotel!

So anywho, after enjoying the hilarity of our final hotel, we got a little time to walk around, shop a little, and get ready before dinner. For dinner we went to a
restaurant about a two blocks away and enjoyed, dare I say the word I hate, beef, and other great food we got to cook ourselves on our tables. We sat and talked and
had a fun night all together, even getting the chance to do some fantastic people watching.
After talking, laughing, and goofing around, everyone finally ended up in their LOVELY COZY HOMEY beds for an INCREDIBLE night's sleep.