9 Things I Learned in My First Season Abroad

Check out my feature article on 9INE POINT!!!

9 Things I Learned in My First Season Abroad

Highlights include learning about talking to strangers, charades, winter, driving, cooking, cell phones, and solo travel!

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17 Places Sports Took Me

Sports have taken me all over the world. These seventeen places are on so many people's bucket lists, and I got to see them for free!

You can blame it on my sports-coaching and P.E.-teaching parents. From the moment I was born on a basketball game day in January, I lived in the gym. The legend is that I had been to sixty basketball games by the time I was three months old.

I associate sports - and maybe, more specifically, a gym - with home and familiarity. I even wrote my best university essay (according to my very particular and not-prone-to-liking-anything writing professor) on why the idea of the gym was more associated with the concept of home for me than any house ever was. You can read that piece about "Getting Stuck in the Right Place" here.

We were always traveling for sports as a family. I was a sports camp apprentice to my dad, being the ever-ready demonstrator of techniques and activities, and eventually becoming his right-hand gal for every camp he ran.

Almost anywhere I've ever traveled to has been because of sports. Even if I were to consider my European travels as non-sport adventures, I have to admit that the only reason I'm able to live in Europe is because of sports.

Two of my really awesome sport vacations have not been included in this list because I had to raise the money and pay for the trips out of my own pocket. It was my very first trip to Europe with my family on a volleyball tour in 2001, and another volleyball tour with my university to the Dominican Republic in 2007. But, yes, that means the rest of the trips in this list were: free.

My sporty adventure is really more of a definition for my life, and, as such, this post is going to highlight seventeen - because it is my jersey number this year, after all - of the coolest places I've been that were made possible because of sports.

1. Arizona: between playing university volleyball tournaments in the fall and coaching youth tournaments in the summer, I learned that Arizona is always hot. But we had nice hotel rooms and survived on air conditioning and smoothies.

2. Florida: my university team played our level's national championship tournament in December - when it was still warm and definitely still very humid.

3. Minnesota: in an opposite destination to Florida, we went to another national championship tournament year with more snow than I've ever seen. Welcome to Minnesota in December!

Driving through Alberta, Canada.

4. Alberta: we tied our honeymoon into a sports camp work trip, spending a week in Banff before heading down to Edmonton and Calgary for coaching. We literally got paid to go on our honeymoon, and met a ton of wonderful Canadians in the process!

5. Colorado: I partnered with a Denver-based camp coach and spent a week in Colorado three summers in a row. It's a beautiful state that I probably would have never gone to if I hadn't been handed free plane tickets.

6. Wyoming: my coworkers (more like best friends) and I road tripped through Wyoming, not once, but twice, on our way from Denver to Billings. We went through Cheyenne during Frontier Days, Chugwater for the most epic photo, Yellowstone for Old Faithful, and stopped anywhere else along the way that sounded interesting or like a location from the Oregon Trail computer game.

7. Montana: has been a destination four times, and I've grown familiar with Billings, and even ventured as far as Sidney (basically North Dakota). Billings' best ice cream? Softies. And the downtown brewery has the coolest selection of macaroni and cheese!

8. Czech Republic: trying out for a volleyball team really launched me into the European scene. This Californian had to immediately buy a real coat and wear three (or four) layers everywhere I went. I spent three glorious days in winter Prague before being sent to...

9. Belgium: where I lived with a Czech teammate and officially began my first sports contract abroad. I quickly learned that the next three months would be more like a vacation with a bit of sports sprinkled in each week! The club handed me paychecks for volleyball, and I "invested" it in the following places, while still managing to return home with enough saved up to start again the next year!

10. Italy: was my first solo trip in Europe, and I went to the cheapest and warmest place I could fly to, Trieste. This was also the place I had my steepest learning curve of how to travel alone properly: plan transportation in advance, know opening and closing times of sites, I don't have to climb every mountain, I hate caves, and 50 degrees Fahrenheit/10 degrees Celsius weather still needs a coat and scarf.

11. France: Paris was really the only city I truly cared about visiting, and it was my first destination on my Eurail pass on Valentine's Day, 2011. I was lost most of the time I was there, but I'll never forget turning around in the Tuileries Gardens and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Paris will always have my heart.

12. Germany: I included Germany and the Benelux (Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg) on my Eurail Select Pass with France so I could see as much of Europe as possible. I was still very concerned that these three months could be the entirety of my time in Europe, and I had to take advantage of it! I spent the whole day on trains along the gorgeous Rhine River.

13. Austria: after Paris, Salzburg was my next obsession because of the Sound of Music. I still frolic about and sing out loud when I trace the steps of Julie Andrews in the movie. I also learned that Salzburg is indeed a wonderful city on its own, and now I only live an hour and a half away from it!

14. Switzerland: Geneva was my first experience spending time with American expats in their adopted country. My college friend, John, and his family made it look so natural and effortless to me, and I could tell that this was actually their home. They weren't feeling like they were missing out on things back in the USA; their life was here. I began to realize that this picture could be Marc and me twenty years down the road.

15. Hawaii: I returned to America that summer after my Eurail adventures, and my camp company needed another player/coach to send with a Canadian university volleyball team to...Hawaii. Oahu, Maui, Pearl Harbor, volcanoes, beaches, snow cones, dolphins, and more! I still tell the story like I won a contest, and made even more amazing Canadian friends - one of whom also came abroad to play in France and is now married to her French husband!!

Kaila and I before we knew she'd someday become French!

16. Netherlands: I could have included Holland in that chunk of three months above, but now I go back every August to help coach the volleyball camp at the American school. I've been twice to Keukenhof in the spring as well, but now I have the chance to keep pace with the locals (and expats) for a week every summer.

17. Alaska: while Hawaii might be the most popular destination I've ever been flown to for free, Alaska is actually the most expensive. And I've gone for free...five times!!! These volleyball camp trips have been tons of wild fun, from finding bears and moose on the loose to exploring waterfalls and glaciers, from fishing for rainbow trout to trying all the delicious restaurants. I have lifelong friends from Anchorage, Wasilla, and Kenai, and I would have never made it to Alaska if it hadn't been for volleyball.

Gly, one of my favorite Alaskans ever.

I didn't even bother including all the places in California I've experienced for free through volleyball, like Yosemite, San Francisco, Santa Monica, San Juan Capistrano, Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Diego, Manhattan Beach - I could go on forever. But California was my home for twenty-three years, so it always felt local.

I'm not an Olympian or the record holder for wins as a coach. I'm an average-sized volleyball player at 5'9"/175 cm, and my husband, Marc, is a 5'6"/168 cm shorter-than-average basketball coach. I could keep on counting the places I've been to just since moving to Europe in 2011. But this list should suffice as evidence that sports - whether you are an athlete or a coach - can really serve as a vehicle to see the world.

Maybe a good attitude of happy/crazy helps, too.

The only thing that probably makes us different from the gym teachers down the street at your local high school is that we take the time to ask about and explore creative opportunities. And this concept, my friends, is something that can be applied universally in every field.

I have just one favor to ask of you. Send this post to that young athlete you know who could use some motivation and a dose of hopeful reality. We may not all become gold medalists or NBA stars or millionaires, but we really can make an incredible life out of sports. I wish I had been able to read a post like this when I was seventeen years old - when I was actually considering dropping volleyball forever.

Thanks for joining me on my sporty adventures. I hope you are inspired to start your own or help someone else begin theirs!

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Our favorite posts from last week were...
Telc & Its Beautiful Square by Cynthia at Adventurings
The Pools and the Ponds, Krabi, Thailand by Joanna at Me and My Itchy Feet
Sheep in the Big City by Simply Sara Travel
Surfing in San Juan del Sur by Mishfish13
Skydive Interlaken by Courtney at Adelante Blog

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My Moving-Across-Europe Road Trip: Holland > Belgium > France > Germany!

My final days of summer were spent in the gym, at the beach, and prepping for the complicated road trip I was about to embark upon.

Holland

My week of volleyball camp with the American School of the Hague was awesome, as usual. I've been working that camp for four years now, and have had the chance to watch several of the athletes grow into their own, some of them even going on to play in college. One of the recent graduates (and an excellent player) thanked me this summer, letting me know that I was the reason she learned how to jump serve. This may seem like no big deal to some people, but to have an athlete actually remember and take the time to credit a coach for teaching them something specific is rare and makes the work so much more rewarding.

I had several grand plans before I arrived, but the beach won out, and Gouda and Delft will just have to wait until next year. I did, however, manage to make it to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. After a long line and an expensive ticket, every painting and story was thoroughly enjoyed. Plan ahead better than I did and buy your ticket online!

The Road Trip Itinerary

The start of the journey was not by car, but since I had to wake up before 6am to catch buses and trains to get to Brussels, it definitely still counts as part of the trip. The idea was to get from Holland to Brussels, pick up the rental car at the airport, drive to Amiens, France, to retrieve our belongings from the storage unit, sleep in eastern France, drive to Colmar, drive to Lake Konstanz, sleep north of Lake Konstanz, then finish the drive to Vilsbiburg on day three. There's a reason people say I'm a good planner and very organized. It's because I can put itineraries like this together.

Brussels

I lucked out with a larger vehicle than I had reserved AND a built-in GPS system. When you begin a trip where a lot of things could go wrong, it's always a good sign when the first step has two bonus features!

Amiens

This was a little bit tricky, as the gate code we had been given to access the storage facility had expired two days prior. I drove around Amiens for about thirty minutes before doubling back - and, thankfully, the facility was open and I could access our storage unit. I carefully loaded everything up, then realized I had forgotten to include the two chairs. Let's just say that after three packing arrangements, my rear view mirror could still see through the window!

Colmar

Colmar flies a bit under the radar compared to its neighboring city of Strasbourg. But if you're in the Alsace region of France, this medieval darling of a village will keep you wandering for hours.

I only had time to stop for a delicious lunch (and last French meal for a while!) and to admire La Petite Venise - Colmar's own system of canals and bridges.

Entering Germany

Marc and I had discussed my various route options, and had decided together that it would be wiser for me to drive through Germany, than trying to do too much and looping through northern Switzerland.

We kind of forgot that the Black Forest loomed large and treacherous in the middle of our chosen route. Between crawling through insane switchbacks (see photo) and sweating over bridges that only get higher and higher in hindsight, I basically bit the bullet and went for it. I tend to be a lot tougher when I'm by myself, anyway, and I had no choice but to just keep driving.

All you need to know about the autobahn is that I was averaging between 75mph and 90mph, and multiple cars were literally flying by me. At least 40% of the cars (so, not the semi-trucks) were going over 100mph.

The roadside scenery changed as I traversed through southern Germany. The Black Forest shared its dark trees and mountains, then Lake Konstanz was surrounded by hundreds of vineyards. Arriving in Bavaria, the land turned to farms and fields, relaxing into rolling hills.

It was around 7pm when I arrived in Lindau, Germany, and planned to sleep in a nearby town. I checked the GPS: Vilsbiburg was just two and a half hours away! I went with my gut, canceled my AirBnB reservation, and pressed on toward my new home.

Vilsbiburg

I got out of the car, and it smelled like: Christmas. Check out "German Swag 101: Week 1" for the complete update, and to see whether or not I was able to get a job in my first week in Germany!

Let the #SwagVilasbiburg journey begin.

(If you're really far behind, read up on why we moved from France to Germany in Four Years in Paris.)

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2014-2015 Review: Get Out of Town!

It's like...we moved to the middle of nowhere, and, all of a sudden, I had so much free time that I was going everywhere!

Our "years" begin and end in the summer. Every time I've tried to do a "real" year-in-review at the end of December, I always feel halfway through whatever we're doing. I've just always been on a school year schedule; my parents were both teachers, and our life refreshed and restarted every summer.

I don't think I can really count all the days I went to Paris this year, but I blogged about most of them, and you can read about my museum and wander days here.

Marc may have been bored and unemployed in La Fère, but we took advantage of his free time and he went to two destinations he'd been wanting to see his entire life: Berlin and Athens. Berlin exceeded his expectations and Athens was a disappointment. But he's glad he got to decide for himself and now all he talks about is going back to Berlin!

The only travel plans I really had for this year were Spain for Christmas and I was hoping against all odds that I'd finally get to do my Iberian Insanity (#ibin2014) trip that I started planning way back in 2012. There was also a hint of "perhaps Morocco" when my college friend, John, moved there in the fall, but nothing was for sure, or even a priority.

These quaint little ideas ended up exploding into glorious travel dreams all over my calendar!

A Week in the Netherlands

Every August, I get to do a volleyball camp in the little, but well-connected, town of Wassenaar. Between coaching volleyball and eating strop waffles, I made it to the Mauritshuis museum in Den Haag, Corrie ten Boom's home in Haarlem, and a local castle in Voorschoten.

A Night in London

When the Eurostar train goes on sale, it must be bought! For 69 euros each round trip, we sped under the English Channel for a night out at the theatre. Conveniently, my uncle and aunt also happened to be in town (this has happened to us twice now, in London and in NYC!), and we enjoyed drinks at the Savoy after the show.

Two Weeks in Spain

It was only supposed to be about 9.5 days, but an EasyJet airline strike grounded our December 31st flight until...January 3rd! What began as our already grand trip of Madrid, Toledo, Granada, and Málaga, became all of those places plus Córdoba, Ronda, and Gibraltar! My Iberian Insanity trip was now only missing Seville and Portugal!

An Evening in Belgium

We chugged up to Belgium in the team minibus for my first European friends to finally meet Marc! It was the first time I'd been back since 2011, and it was wonderful to communicate in French with so many of the people who opened up Europe to us.

Four Days in Morocco

John's move to Morocco did end up working out for me after all! It's really nice having friends who live in cool places. It was my first time in Africa, my first time in a predominantly Arab country, and the most interesting trip of my life.

Four Days in Sweden & Norway

I'm now old enough that the teenagers I coached are studying their master's degrees abroad. Maggie was based in Sweden for 6 weeks, and we had sadly given up hope that we'd get to see each other. But a canceled practice and a plane ticket later, and #Swagandinavia was up and running!

Two Weeks in Portugal

My ultimate year in travel finished with my ultimate vacation destination. My time in the south of Portugal was pure and organic and perfect.

Our 4th Year in France

But how can I forget my adopted home?! Aside from my Paris jaunts, we cracked open an entire new section of France to us in the Picardy. I have to say that the best 3 things were castles: Château Mennechet, Pierrefonds, and Coucy-le-Château. We also were able to spend some time in Bayeux for our friends' wedding.

We don't know everything about where we'll be going next year, but we do have our return to Europe planned for a visit to Scotland! I feel like I definitely maximized my time in Europe this past year, and right now I think I'm ready for a more laid back travel schedule for next year.

I mean, I feel that way today, but I may change my mind come September!

Thankful for all the learning and mind-opening experiences that travel has brought me because of volleyball. These years have been golden and grand, and I know we will continue to shine wherever we end up!

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Podcasting with Fit Across Cultures

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet, befriend, and chat with Susan Salzbrenner of Fit Across Cultures this past year.

If you're an athlete abroad, considering the idea, or a parent of an athlete who wants to keep their dream alive, following Fit Across Cultures will answer so many of your questions and concerns! Susan has dug deep into the professional sports world overseas, and her collection of podcasts reaches far and wide.

Susan's about to come out with her amazing e-book guide to playing abroad, and I'll be sure to give you all the information for that, too! (Check it out! Play Abroad 101: Your Ultimate Guide To Success As An Athlete Abroad.)

If you've ever wondered just how I ended up overseas and wanted to hear it through the real sound of my voice, you can check out our podcast!

Exploring Europe While Playing Pro Volleyball With Christy Swagerty, Episode 33

Enjoy!

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Back in Time to Those Days in Belgium

I know you can't trap time in a bottle.

I hate it.

I never did write my promised recap of my first magical season in Belgium. Probably because of time. And if you've even been reading this blog since 2011, in time, you probably forgot I was going to write it, anyway.

We were the champions!

I think I was really hoping Marc and I were going to be able to move to Farciennes together, and the blog would have become a sort of "happily ever after" story. But in my first days back to America, the club and I decided it wasn't going to work out between us because of the housing situation. The club was totally fine with Marc coming to Belgium with me. The problem was that all of the foreign players were going to have to live in one house together. I know other couples have been able to pull it off, but it just wasn't going to work for us.

It was the first week of May, and there I was on another volleyball trip in Hawaii, unemployed, and quite a bit freaked out. I didn't have news of another job until two months later, and, by that time, I was into the full swing of NBC Camps all over the Western United States.

The recap didn't get written. It was the fairy tale ending that never got told - because I wanted the happy ending to be much later than it actually was.

We were Belgian, Slovakian, American, Czech, Russian, and Italian: we were Farciennes.

But we all moved on, and we devoted ourselves and this blog to France instead.

Do you have a series of moments you wish you could keep on "repeat" forever?

An epic door handle.

It could be that time in your childhood you remember as worry-free. It could be your first romance. It could be when your children were young. It could be that once-in-a-lifetime vacation. It could be when you were working with your best friends.

Or you could still be looking for this time.

I have four.

1. The house on Clover Court with my family.

From 3rd to 7th grade, we lived on a half acre with 35 oak trees, an awesome jungle gym, a backyard drinking fountain, a front yard for baseball, and a cul-de-sac for bikes. It was a simple life before city sidewalks, one where I knew every neighbor's home, and the community was our family.

2. Coaching at NBC Camps with my dad and best friends.

From ages 17 to 21 - before I took over directing the volleyball camps - I was a happy-go-lucky coach and master teacher, always with the youngest girls for basketball and volleyball. I loved it. The very best days of my life were at camp, and all thanks to my dad for taking me. NBC was full of hilarious laughter and deep tears. Lives were won at camp, and mine was one of them. It was also where I met Marc, and best friends Stacia, Jes, and Kia.

3. Volleyball at The Master's College with my coach and even more best friends.

From sophomore to senior years, volleyball was at the insane level I always dreamed it could be. We didn't win very much, but I wouldn't trade those hours of sweat, tears, and injuries with my very best friends (Amanda, Jenn, and Tanya) in the world for anything. Coach pushed us to places we'd never been before, and we'll never be there again.

4. My 3 months in Belgium with the people of Farciennes.

From January to April, I jumped alone into a completely different life in another language, country, and culture. I took advantage of my last year as a "youth" (age 25, according to Europeans), and let my Eurail pass open up Europe in the most extraordinary ways. My volleyball team won every single match to claim the championship, and every day only got better and better. This club also ended up becoming the connection to another best friend, Tanya Schmidt.

Visiting Mons.

All this to say: yesterday, we time-traveled.

We climbed into the clunky team van (essentially the volleyball version of a DeLorean), and headed due north. We stopped to take in the adorable charms of Mons, the 2015 European Capital of Culture.

The clock tower.

The main square, Grand Place.

Then we headed east to Farciennes.

The flag of Wallonie, the French-speaking south of Belgium.

It was another perfect set-up: France has a rather amusing system of vacations, and right now, we have no matches for 4 weekends. This Sunday, Farciennes played against Barbar-Ixelles, where we know the coach through some work we did with international school volleyball tournaments.

Those Belgian waffles.

The gym was completely remodeled. The team is entirely new, four years later in the top division. But the people who hold the club together - the people who made my experience in Belgium so deep and meaningful - were still there, and still incredibly generous with their time and love.

It was Marc's first time seeing into those 3 months he's only ever heard about. I say we time-traveled because honestly, it felt like I had never left - it even felt like Marc had been there the whole time with me, too.

Monique's trip to California, 2013.

I don't quite understand the deep bonds that I've developed with my French tutors, but they are always the people I love and miss the most. Maybe they are the ones who gave the most love back? All I know is that Alfred & Stella, and then Monique, will always be why my experiences in Europe have been so wonderful. They will always be my favorite stories, and they are far and away the best and most giving people in our Europe saga.

For four hours, we were back in my beautiful Belgian world of enthusiastic "ça va's," clanking Leffe glasses, and connecting smiles and laughs.

Coach Olivier, his mom, Stella, me, and his dad, Alfred (my first French tutors).

The people of Farciennes convinced me beyond a doubt to move to Europe, and they changed my life forever.

There's your long overdue recap.

Whatever it is to you, I hope you have your "those were the days" memories somewhere - or with someone.

I hope even more that you have chance to go back to them.
  

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Monthly Musings with Marc - September

Welcome my awesome husband, Marc, to the blog! He will be posting monthly on his experiences in Europe, and my disclaimer is I will only sometimes add an introduction and edit for grammar and spelling. What you get is all Vilas! Enjoy!

What To Do, When To Do What,

and Who To Do What With

Life is a journey full of twists, turns, and forks in the road. When you're growing up, your parents help point you in the right direction, put a roof over your head, and tell you where you're supposed to be. If you are lucky enough to have siblings, then you have some company with you on your travels. Friends add to this, but if you have moved as much as I have, then friends come and go while adding to the experiences, but brothers and sisters are there from start to finish.

When you get married all of that changes.

Now you and your spouse have to make decisions on the path to take, how to handle the twists that come with those choices, and be prepared to make a turn when an opportunity presents itself.

For Christy and I, we have had two major directional decisions as husband and wife. Moving to Simpson University and moving to France. Both were tough decisions, but both were made with each other and both journeys strengthened our marriage and gave us many great experiences.

The journey to SU was a pretty easy one for me: I wanted to coach college basketball, period. The only thing I wasn't sure about was moving to NorCal. For Christy, it was different and multi-layered: she didn't want to teach high school, and she wasn't sure if she was qualified to be a college head coach, but wanted to live in NorCal. So we were looking at the situation from different sides of the spectrum. Ultimately, the athletic staff, namely Joe, Derrick, and Robin, made us comfortable and SU was such a beautiful campus we decided to take this path.

The second intense decision as a married couple came two years later: the decision to move to France. After spending our hearts and souls building the volleyball and basketball programs at SU it was time to move on. Christy, who was 25 at the time, missed playing and felt she had too many good years left in her body to sit on the sideline as a coach. She was right and I had to support that. This was a twist in my life journey as I was about to achieve a long-time goal and become a head coach at the college level.

Christy got herself in top-shelf shape and went off to Europe to see if she could get herself a job as a professional volleyball player.

After three months in Belgium she knew that was the life she wanted.

What did I want? I wanted my wife to be happy. When traveling on the road of marriage the words, "Happy wife equals happy life," are words to live by. Leaving the relationships, the players, and the coaching position at SU was going to be tough, but moving to Europe with Christy was the obvious decision.

Three years later that decision is even more obvious. Our marriage is even stronger; traveling together and living in small spaces helped this, and we love our life in France. God has added some twists and turns during our journey in France, but having a wife like Christy makes the journey that much sweeter.

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Weathering the Seasons

Every volleyball season in Europe has been drastically different from the last. As has the actual weather. But the thing about seasons is that they have a beginning and an end, and we must be prepared for the worst - and yet still hope for the best.

A Californian enlightened by cold weather clothing.

The first half-season in Belgium was a real-life fairy tale. I wouldn't trade those 3 months for anything. We completely dominated teams, and achieved our objective of moving up a division. Western Europe had an insane snowstorm that winter just before I arrived in January, so I got to deal with a lot of frost and ice. I also learned how to wear scarves and coats properly.

The second season in France was pretty easy. The goal was to maintain our position in Nationale 3, and see how we could improve over the year. We finished right in the middle of the pack in 5th place after an unexpected great start (9-2), and a less than stellar finish. The fall was dubbed an "Indian Summer," but when winter came, it stayed cold and wet through the spring.

The third season in France was extremely frustrating. The pressure was on now to move up to the next division, and while crazy people like me flourish under that kind of expectation, our team as a whole fell apart from top to bottom. We finished in 4th place, barely any change from the previous season. It didn't help that the winter started at the end of September and went all the way through May. I have never been so cold for so many days in a row in my entire life.

This fourth season in France with a new club is once again, totally new. We are currently defeated. Like we have won zero matches. We are heading into what we hope will be the three matches we can win in the next month, but it will depend on how well we can move past the fact that 75% of us are new to the team and still figuring out how to play as one. We really only need to be better than two other teams in order to stay in Nationale 2, so these matches are going to be very telling of what the future holds for me and my team.

But on the brighter side, it's the middle of November, and winter is just starting to peek its head around the corner. I haven't even had to start wearing leggings under my jeans yet! We are still enjoying some sunny, albeit cold (40s), days and it has made anything unpleasant that much easier to handle.

Of course, I'd love to have what I had in Belgium all over again, and who knows, that kind of season might be waiting for me somewhere in the next few years. And Marc and I would definitely go for living anywhere in the South of France for more reliable sunshine!

One of the many things my parents taught me while growing up was not only to accept change as it came, but to find how I could thrive through change. Changes can be good and bad, but they are inevitable. It is who we become through the changes presented in our lives that dictates our course.

Sports have often been used as a lens to reveal one's character. My dad taught me how the winning and losing aspects of sports only serve to magnify how much we actually love or hate the game, our reactions to success and failure, and whether we will choose to stick together as a team or drift away from each other.

"Cuatro" at championships. In Minnesota. SO. COLD.

I'm thankful that my life in sports has never been entirely defined just by wins or just by losses. I've had the opportunity to be a part of amazingly successful and incredibly awful teams, with some plain old mediocre groups throughout. I'm blessed to have been grouped with like-minded people often enough to make lifelong best friends.

What have I learned from being on and/or coaching an average of 3 teams each year since 1995?

I have learned that every season is different, and good and bad for different reasons. I have learned that I love volleyball, even when I'm losing, and I won't change this career until my body finally quits on me. I have learned that seasons come, and seasons go, as do teammates and coaches. I have learned that no matter how discouraging the coldness of losing can be, that the warmth of a win is always somewhere in the future, and sometimes closer than we think.

God has used everything in my life to teach me how to be durable. Durability is an attitude; it's showing up everyday with a smile on my face that says, "I'm here, I'm ready, and I'm with you, so let's do this."

#lovedoes

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The T's of Transformation

I knew leaving America would change me. I didn't know how, or when it would happen, and I didn't know if it would be for better or for worse. I didn't know if I could make Europe work for me, let alone for our marriage, or if I could keep the pace of the locals and run in stride.

Catalina Island, 2009 (Photo by Lindsay Swagerty)

But two years later, we are still here, still in love, and still smiling at our surroundings. Looking back, now it is easier to pinpoint the main things that have changed me so far, and have allowed me to adopt the perspective of an earth exploring expat instead of a tourist on a really long vacation.


#1 TRANSPORT
I used to hate walking to the mailbox. Now I walk to work. To the grocery store. To the metro. To the café. To French lessons. To shopping. Walking has become so normal, it doesn't even count as exercise anymore.

My inner compass is about as active as my biological clock (read: dormant). North has, and always will be...UP. But walking and taking trains and buses everywhere has challenged me to memorize the maps of roads, metro stations, landmarks, and so forth. Walking has also driven me to eliminate carrying anything except the bare essentials. The lighter my load, the longer my adventure.

Also, I cannot say enough about how not driving has taken loads of stress out of my life that I didn't even know existed. I could happily never drive again.

#2 TALKING
Honest communication has always been my top priority, and to be limited in this area has been crippling in the best possible way. It really is like learning to walk all over again: finding the words to express my needs, understanding the rush of French tumbling into my ears, and everyday putting a little bit more of the mega-lingual puzzle together.

Every time I feel like I've arrived to a higher level and can take a break, the conditionals and tenses swarm around me, reminding me I have still only just begun. My "American accent" has been scrutinized much more this year, and I'm not sure yet how to overcome this. I finally can empathize with newcomers to America when they are not understood because of their difficulty with words or sounds.

#3 TIME
Belgium trapped me in a kitchen without a microwave for the first time in 25 years...and I didn't die of starvation! Cooking was always a bit of nemesis for me (all I had mastered was Kraft mac n' cheese), but I have learned that it was only intimidating because I had never tried it - or felt like I had time to try it. I actually enjoy spending time by the stove top, chopping vegetables, trying new recipes from the internet, and throwing my own idea of substitutes and good flavors into everything.

It's an experiment, and as long as I taste it as I go, I am happy with the final product! We've happily transferred this mantra into our escapades as well.

#4 TOLERANCE
Where I come from, this is a dirty, liberal word that creates political and religious controversy. It was one of my biggest concerns coming overseas: would I be accepted or rejected because of my faith and nationality? But it wasn't about being liked, or only becoming friends with people who have identical doctrines; life is about loving God and loving others. Love reaches across all possible stereotypes, then beautifully shatters them!

However, I have not learned how to be tolerant in Europe. Rather, I have learned that I am tolerant, and that in and of itself has been enough of a surprise. I find other belief systems, cultures, and worldviews intellectually fascinating. And the greatest thing is when genuine interest in learning is shown from one party, it is almost always reciprocated back with intelligence and respect.


Living in Europe makes me grow up more everyday. I am just so (#5) THANKFUL to God for a life full of people from all over the world that push me in every direction to have clearer knowledge, vision, and conviction.

"...So we learn to stand by falls, and get strength by weakness discovered - we take deeper root by shaking." - Richard Sibbes

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

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La Belle Vie, S'il Vous Plaît

It is as my French tutor, Monique, told me today, "You are living the beautiful life!" Every session with her makes me wonder how far away my first completely French blog posting will be....

This year I definitely focused my adventures in France, especially in Paris. I only went out of the country five times: twice to visit friends in Belgium, on our Mediterranean Christmas cruise, a solo weekend in Munich, and the repeat tulip weekend in the Netherlands.

Last year it definitely helped having the Eurail pass for those two months - the freedom to explore was incredible! But without it this year, my trips had to be much more calculated and significant in purpose. My schedule also changed tremendously with the addition of coaching two teams, which crammed nearly every weekend of the year with volleyball. This is not a sad story, but just a difference between my few months in Belgium and this year in France. (Adding volleyball to life can never be a sad story.)

I have happily run-a-muck in Paris instead. If I had to be city-locked, this is the one place I would choose anyway. As we progress toward mastering the metro and bus systems, we continue to find even more of the treasures that the City of Light holds for us. Plus, France is such a huge country, we are not even close to having visited each region, let alone the cities!

On the priority tourism docket for next year are the following locations:

1. Chateau de Chantilly
This is just a day trip north of Paris, so it will be the easiest adventure to pull off after we return in August. There is always room in my life for more chateaux!

2. Mont Saint-Michel
I believe that next to the Eiffel Tower, MSM is the second most visited sight in France. It is an incredible island village built around a massive monastery. This place deserves its own weekend next year for sure.

3. Normandy Beaches
We got close this year in Caen, but this is a very time-consuming endeavor that requires well-planned transport - or your own car. There are several beaches and cemeteries that are not friendly to the walking. Both our American and French friends have all told us that "every American should see the D-Day beaches." It's relatively near Mont Saint-Michel, so we could technically combine these trips, but it will all depend on calendar availability.

Outside of France, I would really like to make it to Prague to visit my old roommate from my Belgian team. Marc and I also really want to do more of either Italy or Greece. We would also be ready for any last-minute deals hailing from Berlin, London, Zurich, Vienna, Dublin, etc. It's all a matter of matching up time and money, then jumping in and going for it!

The first week after I return, I am going straight to Den Haag, Netherlands, to work an American volleyball camp. Coaching in English never sounded so good.

I am not ignoring Spain. Rather, I am insanely anticipating my Spain excursion, which is currently planned for the summer of 2014. There is just so much I want to see and do in Spain, there was no way I could pull it off in successive weekends. So instead, I am dedicating an entire month of my future life to Spain and Portugal. A trip like this is worth waiting for and doing right.

The very distant future (2015 and beyond) tells tales of Scandinavia, Russia, and Northern Africa. We are also very interested in the potential lifestyle Australia presents to us. But this is all way down the road. For now, we'll gladly stick to our Old World ways with the castles and fabulous food.

As far as your chance to experience any of this with us, we are going to be much more organized in our calendar next year. Now we better understand French holidays and our own hosting strengths and weaknesses, thanks to our willing "test visitors" this year (Jes, Kia, Tanya, and the 8 Simpson men!). I will be posting a calendar sometimes this summer on the blog that shows "open dates" for possible travel times.

We will be stateside in less than a week! It's going to be a very different kind of summer...

À bientôt!

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How To: Move To Europe (Or Anywhere)

EXHIBIT A
You say things like...
"Oooohhhh, that would be really fun!"
"Someday, for sure."
"Oh, I totally will, I just have to finish A, B, and C."
"It's on my bucket list!"
"I definitely would, except I have all these [name your nouns] keeping me here right now."
And everyone around you echoes whatever you just said because they feel the same way, too.

Guess what?! You ain't movin' to anywhere anytime soon! You ain't even takin' a trip!

Here's the difference:

EXHIBIT B
You are literally OBSESSED.
The thought of your dream place...
a) gives you chills,
b) alters your breathing,
c) dims the current reality, or
d) all of the above, at the same time.
People make fun of you because they either do not believe you, or are terrified you are telling the truth.

Check it out:

In 4th grade I did my California Mission report on Mission San Buenaventura because my mom had lived close to there growing up. I learned the word "buttresses" and received a hated A- for only drawing the mission instead of making a 3-D model like all the other 9-year-olds. The missions still fascinate me, and rightly so - they are some of the only buildings in California boasting 200 years. But my heart would not latch onto 21 nearly identical stucco churches.

In 5th grade I did my state report on Ohio because I was born there and had never been back. I learned that Ohio was not very interesting at all, but for reasons that I still do not understand, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland. Actually, the most interesting thing we now know about Ohio is that a certain basketball player was also being preened for supposed greatness during this time, but he even skipped out of the state when he got the chance. I visited this middle-of-America state after I had written my report and realized I had done an incredible job making Ohio look like The Place To Be! If you like a lot of humidity, snow, and an occasional tornado, feel free to obsess over Ohio. I cannot.

But in 6th grade I did my country report on France because I wanted to live there. Someday. Someday, like never, according to the doubts of my own mind and the laughter of my peers. It was then that I became obsessed. Birthdays and Christmases showered me with Eiffel Tower imitations: picture frames, purses, photos, miniatures, fact books - you name it, I got it. I had found my dream place, and it took up permanent space in my soul and on my bureau.

I am positive I had more bought-in-USA Paris souvenirs than most people who had really been there.

It actually broke my heart that my makeshift high school didn't even offer French as a class. I trudged through two years of Spanish, every class sad it wasn't French. Then my first trip to France back in 2001 was amazing! Except we only went to the very north in Lille, and our European bus driver refused to drive the extra 3 hours to Paris. So close - but at 15 years old, there was only so much I could do in controlling my own destiny (a.k.a. nothing).

Ten more years passed before I stepped off my train from Belgium into the Paris Nord train station. I had no idea how to get anywhere, so I got on a tour bus to the Louvre. I was wandering around outside the Louvre when I turned to my left and there...there it was...

To break it down:

Step 1: Find your "spark." Hopefully it's not just something you're passionate about, and you're actually decent at whatever it is. [For me: volleyball and travel.]

Step 2: Find your spark job. Teach English at a French or International school. Teach anything at the American and British schools. Guide walking tours. Find a company in your field that has interests or offices in France. Work at Starbucks, or any of the other hundreds of American food and clothing companies here. [For me: volleyball. And I'm not even in the highest tier of my field.]

Step 3: Jump. It's not really off a cliff, it's more like just up and down. What is the worst that can happen? Really ask yourself that. They say "no." That's really the worst possible thing, and then you're still just in the same place you were before (on the ground). But if you keep jumping, chances are you are going to swept off your feet. Keep jumping. You have at least Marc and me to cheer you on! [For me: the European tryout I went on last year was psychotic intense - you have only 10 days in Europe guaranteed. If you receive an offer and accept, you stay. As in, you don't go home to re-pack for an entire 3-4 months, you just have to make-do. That is still one of the most outrageous concepts to wrap my head around.]

Step 4: Fall. Fall in love with everything (not everyone, please) around you! [For me: first I fell in Belgium, and now in France. We are currently processing arrangements to stay here for next year as well. This was a really fabulous tumble.]

I'm having to listen to my own advice right now. My summer will be spent submitting my blog articles to various publishers. Again, what's the worst thing that can happen? I've already done all the work anyway, and if nobody wants to pay me for writing, it's not like I'm going to stop. This blog is my ultimate scrapbook.

Why was it Paris and France that first consumed my 11-year-old self? If I recall correctly, I think it had something to do with the romanticism of the Eiffel Tower, the language, and the beauty of every picture I ever saw of the country. All I knew was I wanted to be there, lounging next to the Eiffel Tower. And now I can do that any day of the week.

Look at my map for inspiration. Not everyone loves Paris like I do, but maybe you have another place you have set your mind to.

I hope you get to your Paris even sooner than I did.

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VLOG: U Can't Touch This

Dear Viewer,

This is a video mash-up of free time in my Belgium apartment last year and the gradual lighting of the Eiffel Tower from tonight.

Take notes.

Sincerely,

MC Hammer, Eiffel Tower, & Swags

You're welcome!

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Playing the Travel Game

Part of being an American overseas is making friends with other Americans who have made similar life decisions to be out of the United States for the time being. In Munich, there was another California girl in my hostel, and Eugenia and I spent a very fun day freezing to death and watching a Germanized Super Bowl. Eugenia's vagabonding brought her to Paris this past week, and Saturday we created another memorable day, albeit 30 degrees of Fahrenheit warmer than before.

She had already completed the main sights in our illustrious city: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysées, Louvre, Versailles, etc. I pulled out my pocket pop-out map Friday night and asked myself, "Where to?"

Surgeon General's Warning: the following eight hours are only achieved with Euro Legs.

First quarter: MONTMARTRE
The "Mountain of Martyrs" is one of those places we always associate with Paris, but have no idea what it's called or where it is. But no trip to Paris is complete without it.

Moulin Rouge

It's the Paris with artists, painting and selling their goods. It's that place in Paris movies with the white domed church and great views of the city, but no one remembers this church's name. It's the Paris of steep and narrow cobblestone lanes, and the Paris where the real Moulin Rouge actually exists.

The Basilica

I had only been up to Montmartre one time - the time I got a private tour by happenstance. Despite my anti-sense of direction, we managed to stumble upon all of the sights my guide had shown me: windmills, Basilica Sacré-Coeur, the last vineyard in Paris, and the artists' square. The Sacré-Coeur had a live service going on, and we reverently meandered through the massive halls. To leave Montmartre, we decided to simply wander downhill, and through the luck of the tourist, ended up back at our original metro stop.

Quarter one: done.

Second quarter: SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS
This is one of the oldest parts of the city, but it doesn't really have any landmarks, so if you don't know about it, you'll never find it! It's the Paris with restaurants and cafés literally every other storefront, including Le Procope, which claims to be "the oldest café in the world," and The Moose, our favorite-slash-only Canadian pub. We busied ourselves reading every chalkboard menu for an entire block before deciding upon Chalet Grégoire because of it's cheaper pricing options, and promising tagline of "Cuisine de la Montagne et Traditionnelle." (I am not translating that; be smart and figure it out.) We enjoyed salads, duck, fondue, and some spongy fondant au chocolat (not the best I've had, but still chocolate!).

Okay, so our second quarter was more like a really long halftime, but either way, we were ready for the second half to start after our amped-up French coffees (equivalent to caffeine shots).

Third quarter: QUARTIER LATIN

Palais du Luxembourg

Since we were already south of the Seine, we strolled into the Latin Quarter to get our first looks at the Palais et Jardin du Luxembourg. Again, this is another one of those things on the map that just looks like a massive park with a random huge building, but it's too far away from the Eiffel Tower to matter much to normal tourists.

I beg to differ.

This is one of the coolest places I have ever been to in the city! These are not your ordinary Parisian gardens, people. Yes, of course, there is the run-of-the-mill garden stock: fountains, benches, walking boulevards, a museum, and so forth. But the Luxembourg Garden has real things happening there, all against the flawless backdrop of the gorgeous sculptures, trees with orchard-like intensity, and zigzagging footpaths. We passed by tennis courts, multiple full playgrounds, a basketball court, soccer games, covered picnicking areas with chess boards, and a very competitive bocce ball tournament. There were a few tourists around taking pictures, but for the most part, this was a park full of locals enjoying their Saturday. This is the Central Park of Paris - the sacred ground that has been saved from the "citification" of its surroundings.

Saint-Sulpice

Some towers and domes were also visible from the gardens, luring us away from the Parisians at play. We first hunted down Saint-Sulpice, the church from the story/movie Da Vinci Code. No, we did not find any clues, but we did find this church in particular to be very majestic in its presentation.

Then we found the Panthéon, and now I can finally explain that while it was first built to be a church, it now houses...a lot of famous dead French people (Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Marie Curie, etc.). We actually found the small church behind it to hold more intrigue and beauty, but I am sure the Panthéon is an interesting trip if your hero is buried there.

Fourth quarter: OPERA
Fitting, as this was our grand finale. L'Opera Garnier is always a beautiful sight, and we arrived with just enough light to still see the golden angels on the corners of the roof shine brightly. We then walked to La Madeleine church, intent on finding the elusive macaroons another tour guide had told me about last year. "Behind La Madeleine church..." was all I ever remembered, and for as many times as I had walked next to it, up to it, in front of it, and whatever other preposition exists, I had still never circumvented the entire building.

This day finally brought us to Fauchon, the maker of macarons, where we spent way too much money on what are essentially flavored cookies. The lemon and salted caramel ones were my favorite, and the chocolate was a serious letdown. But all was not lost because we ate our beautiful macarons on the steps of La Madeleine, watching twilight set upon the Place de la Concorde. We parted ways in the Concorde metro; Eugenia to her next adventures in Belgium and Holland, and me to my favorite loft apartment in Melun.

"Anything, everything, little or big, becomes an adventure when the right person shares it." - Kathleen Norris

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