Grounded and reflecting by Lisa Schriver

Friday evening/Saturday morning was an airport day. We flew out of Rio at 8:00pm. Everyone made it thru security and bags met the weight requirements (were never weighed). We landed on US soil in Miami at 3:30am. I am sure this is the quietest the airport is so it was a good time to have to go thru customs. We were a little worried as some have never gone thru this process but was fast due to the system being done. Comforting on how many illegals made it into the USA. (This has been a joke with us and Ligia). From Miami we boarded to Dallas and then to Minneapolis. We had a couple of gate changes but all in all the trip back was smooth.

While at the airport in Rio, we asked our group to write their best moment/memory of our 12 days. Here is what we had to say:

Kayla - "My favorite part of the trip was working with the kids in Sao Paulo. It was amazing to see how happy they are despite the hardships they face everyday. It was inspiring to see to say the least

Steph - "My most memorable experience was the second day of volleyball clinics for the kids. There were a couple of shy little girls when we first got there who I noticed when we were done, were smiling, and running around and having fun. It was cool to see".

Megan - "Having dinner with the Paulistana volleyball girls at the club".

Amber - "Coaching all the elementary and middle schoolers' and seeing how excited they were to learn about us and how much we learned about them".

Whitney - "My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Statue of Christ in Rio. I have always loved it. I even have a poster of it in my room. It was beautiful and the views from the top of the mountain were spectacular".

Katy - "I think my memorable part of Brasil would have to be Rio. From the flight in to the flight out, I was shocked by the sheer beauty of the city. Sugar Loaf and the Statue of Christ are views that can't be mimicked but won't be forgotten".

Claire - "My most memorable moment is when we were at the school (the second day) and after we were done tutoring them 3 girls came up and gave me a hug and said "you are beautiful we love you". They were giving lots of hugs and were just happy to receive one back".

Kelsey - "My most memorable moment was the first clinic we did. It was awesome to try to communicate with the kids. The attention that they craved and gave stood out. It made me feel very thankful for the things I had growing up. It also reinforced how much I want to work with youth".

Kaili - "My most memorable moment was the coaching clinics. Those kids were so amazing for having so little. I know what it is like to come from a family with no money and I can honestly say that every bit helps. Those kids were so grateful for a miniature volleyball and I couldn't help but love each and everyone of them for their energetic spirits. It was a priceless experience".

Ella - "My most memorable part of the trip was going to the school and teaching the kids how to play volleyball. I thought it was a great opportunity to work with kids who may not have much and make them feel loved and appreciated in just an hour of our time".

Lynn - "Being at the volleyball clinic at the school. Watching those volleyball kids play was so fun".

Jackie - "Christ Statue"- the size and the beauty and the view from the top".

Greg - "Going to the schools and working with the kids. I really realized how good we have it".

My reflections - Meeting Ligia's parents and Paula (our incoming freshman from Rio) were great moments for me. Ligia and I have spent lots of time in the car recruiting and lots of talking and getting to know each other. I have heard many stories of her family and formed pictures of them in my mind. I was able to see pictures of Terea (mother) so I knew what she looked like but was able to see what a wonderful woman she is. She has American likes from being in the States for two months. She is a shopper so Nike, Calvin Kline, TG Maxx - all brought smiles to her face. Orlando was taller than I pictured but skinny like Ligia said. We had a hard time finding a belt at the market for him as they were all two long. He was a wonderful 4th coach (behind Murley of course). Lots of good information from him when we played as he would listen to the other teams huddle and transfer the information to us as they must have thought he was American. We were always amazingly one step ahead of our opponent.

Paula came to the beach and hotel to meet us in Rio. She couldn't stay as they had a practice the following day but we got a chance to finally meet her and introduce ourselves in person and not just over the internet. The next day we wanted to go and watch her practice and spend a little more time with her so we hopped onto the city bus, traveled across the bay in a ferry and took another bus to her gym. We were able to meet three other players and two coaches and picked up some good drills. This is great to be able to spend a bit more time around her and we are looking forward to her arriving in Aberdeen the first of July.

Things that stood out: the hospitality of the people (Steve thinks other countries hate Americans - not the case in Brasil with us) - the traffic - how well they utilize space - the great food - how safe we felt at all times - how fortunate we are and how much we have in comparison - the love of the game from the players and coaches - how we stood out and drew attention everywhere we went - how people wanted to come and communicate with us when they heard we were from the USA - how few American's we saw in Sao Paulo but how many we had in our hotel in Rio - the beauty of the country - how Soccer is more than a passion it is everything - how a beach in Rio is like our YMCA or Parks and Rec program, all kinds of activities and lessons take place on the beaches in Rio - how a speedo swim suit can be worn on all ages and actually looks OK on 70 year old's (with no belly of course)

and finally how proud I was of our players and group on how well they represented themselves, Northern and the USA in Brasil.

I will never experience a trip like this with such a great group of people. Thanks Ligia for pushing us to Brasil and thanks to all of you who helped us make this possible.

We are back!!! by Ligia Zobolli

We are now back in the States after spending 12 wonderful days in my home country. We all had such great time in Brasil and this trip was very special to me. Being from Brasil, I was able to help the team with the language, ordering food, shopping, sightseeing, and so on. I was also able to spend 9 out of the 12 days with my parents as they came to Sao Paulo to stay with us. I am from a city called Cuiaba, close to Brasilia, and since I was not going to be able to go home after the trip, they met us in Sao Paulo. Even though my parents don't speak a word of English, they were able to communicate with the team through hand gestures and body language. let's just say it was very interesting:) I did my best to translate, but after a couple days doing all the translation my brain started to get confused and I would speak Portuguese with the girls, English with my parents and it was a mess. It got better toward the end:)Unfortunately, I did not get to see my sister this time due to work, but hopefully I will get to see her soon.

Seeing my parents after one and a half year was very remarkable to me, but going to those two high schools to run the volleyball clinics really touched me. So many things reminded me of my time growing up and going to school in Brasil. The outdoor courts in very bad shape where we had our PE classes, sharing my snacks with the kids who didn't have what to eat at home, the classrooms with broken chairs, etc, etc. After leaving the schools, all I could think of was how blessed and lucky I am to be where I am today. Going to those two schools was also an eye opener to our girls as well. I could see on their faces how shocked they were when they learned about those kids' lives. We for sure made those kids' day by just giving them attention, hugs, and love.

Brasil was great and I already miss it! Can't wait to go back! Everybody is invited to come home with me :)

Goodbye Brasil - Jackie Witlock

We got up early and had our final breakfast of fresh fruit, fresh juice and cheese bread. We boarded our bus and headed to the Christ Statue. Rain made us change our plans. We could not ride the train up to the Statue because of a mud slide, but our tour guide Hugo worked out a deal with a company who transported us half way up the mountain. We met another group who took us almost to the top. The roads were very small and wound around the mountain. The van drivers were very good but a couple of us got a little car sick going up the steep hill. When we arrived we had to walk up ten flights of stairs to get to the statue. Of course Lynn and I had not been doing coach Berners work outs so it took us a little longer than it did for the girls. The statue was breath taking. It is not as big as the statue of liberty but similar in many ways. France gave it to Brasil as a gift and it's a wonderful way to end our journey. On the way down from the statue we had to switch van's and we came upon a deserted hotel. We thought it would be a wonderful place to have a wedding or some type of celebration. We found out that the hotel had sat empty since 1975 and someone had purchased it and was going to start to refurbish it in August. Of course we thought maybe one of the girls should have a destination wedding there so we could all go back to Rio.

While we were off having fun on our last day Ligia was trying to get her visa paperwork completed. She had to fly back to Sao Palo to try to get everything done. It was very stressful for everyone. We did not want to leave her behind because she had done everything the American Consulate had asked and had not received it. They had told her 5 working days and she applied on June 2nd. Thanks to Janice Wiersma - International Employment Manager South Dakota Board of Regents. Also, a big thank you to Senator Tim Johnson and his staff for helping. She arrived back in Rio to meet us at the airport @ 5:30. She is able to stay at NSU as the assistant coach with a work visa for the next three years.

I felt honored to go to Brasil with the Volleyball team. I work to help fund raise scholarship money for NSU Athletes. It was nice getting to see how well this group of girls represented Northern State University. They never complained about anything. They had to be up early to practice and lead clinics. They worked as a team and always made sure everyone was involved. I have 10 new daughters and a wonderful friend in Lynn Gilbraith.

Rio IS beautiful by Lynn Gilbraith

Whenever we told someone we were ending our Brazil trip in Rio de Janeiro they said, “You will love it. It’s beautiful there.” Well, they were right. It is and we do!
We started our day with breakfast at the hotel, then walked down to the beach so the girls could participate in a beach volleyball clinic. They worked very hard for two plus hours. Jackie and I got tired just watching them! Haha
After the hectic pace of the trip, it was a treat for everyone to spend the day relaxing on the beach. Time was spent playing in the surf, sun tanning, reading, and people watching. The girls managed to get invited to participate in some beach sports - volleyball, futvolleyball and beach tennis. (Coach Daw, you would have loved it!)
Tonight we went to a street market near Copacobana Beach to do some souvenir shopping and had a great meal at a nearby restaurant for our “last supper” in Brazil.
It’s been fun being here with all of my NSU volleyball daughters. The Brazilian people have been great to us and I think part of that is due to how enthusiastically the girls have interacted with everyone we’ve met. They have really tried to learn more about Brazilian culture and speak Portuguese whenever they could. (And on top of that, those girls from the US play some pretty good volleyball, too!)
I feel really lucky. Lucky to have been part of this trip, and lucky to be going back to all that we have back in the States. We are truly blessed.

RIO BABY!!! By:Megan Gilbraith #1 :D

We left Sau Paulo early this morning after a tearful goodbye to Ligia’s wonderful parents, Orlando and Teresa. Breezing through a 45 second security checkpoint, we headed north to Rio de Janeiro on a very short plane-ride with a very short landing strip. (Some of us thought that we might not make the landing and end up in the ocean!) After getting off the plane we quickly realized that Rio and Sau Paulo are very different. Sau Paulo is very New York City-like and Rio is more scenic with beaches, greenery, and speedos.
The first thing we did as we arrived in Rio was drive straight to Sugar Loaf, a famous Brazilian scenic tour that takes place on three different mountains. Tourists and residents take gondolas from mountain to mountain to give people a fabulous view of Rio! We got a great view of the mountains, beaches, ocean, and could even see the Christ statue. Sugar Loaf was a great start to our time in Rio de Janeiro!
After Sugar Loaf we drove past the beaches that seem to go on for miles. Great news: our hotel is only a couple blocks from a beach! So after some twisting of the arms, we put on our swimsuits and headed to the beach. They are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! The sand is so soft and the water is really nice. All kinds of activities took place on the beach as we arrived. Futbol (soccer), volleyball, sand tennis, futvolley, running, walking, swimming, body surfing, boogie-boarding, and people watching were some of the activities that the girls participated in today.
One of the highlights today was meeting our newest teammate, Paula! She lives about an hour and a half from Rio and made quite the effort to come meet us (she took a bus and a taxi to get to our hotel). It was so exciting to finally meet the new Brazilian on the team and all of us are ready for her to come to Aberdeen!
Day 1 of Rio is over, but many if not all of us are excited to get a day of beach in tomorrow...Go Wolves!

Last Day in Sao Paulo

This morning was a lot the same as yesterdays only this time we had our coaching clinic at a private school. The kids who attend here must have a family income of less than 200 real’s a month. It was a huge eye opener for many of us to know that these kids cherish everything they receive since they don’t have much. Their enthusiasm to work with us was priceless. All of our Portuguese has definitely improved from day one because most of us were able to communicate much better without the need for a constant translator. Although, Ligia’s translating has gotten a bit mixed with having to switch back and forth between the two languages. In other words, when she tries to speak Portuguese to Murley, English is definitely still the best option.
Lunch was fabulous for our pre-game meal. A small café/grocery store served some delicious sandwiches. We liked to call it the Sao Paulo version of Kesslers. After lunch we had some time to choose what we wanted to do before our 6 pm match. Many of us packed for the fact that we got home rather late tonight and leave early for Rio tomorrow.Our Bus driver has been Awesome in getting us from place to place as well as parking in extremely small places. The hotel staff has been great as well.
The absolute highlight of the night was ending our game with a WIN in the 5th set. We had Ligia’s father, Orlando, as a coach from the stands motioning what strategies would work best. Penetrating our blocks seemed to be the most suggested from Orlando. The most exciting part of the night however was after the game. A player asked me if we could switch jerseys since we had the same number and to my surprise we were able to. Their entire team began bargaining items to switch, anywhere from shirts to shoes. They informed us how expensive shoes are for them and most of us left them with a used pair of volleyball shoes that to our surprise made them extremely Happy. We ended the night with Pizza at a nice restaurant close to the hotel and are now ready for our journey to Rio.

Helping the Community of Sao Paulo

This morning the team ran a volleyball clinic at a local elementary school for students ranging in ages from about 10 to 13. Most of the students there came from poverty and for some students the lunch they got at school was the only meal they got each day. The gym at the school was outdoors and very run down. Although it was difficult to communicate with the students, many of them were very enthusiastic about learning both the language and the skill of volleyball. Our team broke up into groups of two and taught skills of our own position. After the clinic, were took pictures with the students and signed autographs. All of the students were very excited to get their t-shirts and volleyballs signed by the team and you could tell that it was a very good day for them. It was also a very good day for us. Running the clinic was a very eye opening experience for out team. The school was very grateful for our time but we were even more grateful for the opportunity to experience something so great.

Later, we had lunch at a restaurant near our hotel and then relaxed for a little while before out game. Our four o’clock match was in a very nice community. We played a 17’s and 18’s club team and won all four sets.

Ahhhhh Sao Paulo! By: Claire Kopfmann #7

Hola! Today started out on a good note because everyone got to sleep in! While some of us laid around, or went to get Starbucks, Jackie and Lynn went to a Gay Pride parade! It was the world’s largest gay parade, with one to three million people in it! They took some very interesting pictures, and had a blast.
After our relaxing morning we went to the Japanese Street Market. It was a giant blocked off area with a ton of little vendors. They were selling everything from jerseys, to bracelets, and even food. We all tried something new for lunch. There was shrimp on sticks, fried meats, and fried ice cream! We all had a great time and left with a souvenir.
Immediately after the market, we got on the bus to head to the soccer game. The weather was beautiful and the atmosphere was awesome. There was one fan section diagonally above us that stood the entire game and never once stopped chanting or yelling. We also made a little friend at the game that brought us treats and helped us learn their cheers and chants. He was fluent in both English and Portuguese so he could translate what the fans were saying and learn the player’s names. We were all cheering for Sao Paulo’s club team, whose colors were black, red, and white. Sao Paulo won the game three to one. After the game, most of us bought some Sao Paulo or Brazil jerseys that were super cheap.
For supper we went to a mall that we had visited a couple of days ago to eat. We ate at this Texas buffet that was super good. After a little ice cream for dessert, we headed back to the hotel! And...Happy Birthday Steve!

Relaxing in the Park by Whitney Morsching #18

After a long night of dancing at the club, we needed a day of restful activities! We started off the day with a bus ride to Cantareira Park, which is atop a mountain and overlooks almost all of Sao Paulo. We were going to hike up the mountain to see the views, but, with all the rain we had last night, there was a mudslide in the park. So we weren’t able to do the hike, which was a little disappointing. But I’m sure most of the girls were ok with giving our legs a little rest!

Then it was off to lunch, where we ate at, of all places… SUBWAY! All of us have been craving some sort of American food, but we still didn’t get to satisfy our ranch cravings (they didn’t have any!). It was nice to have a little reminder of home, even if we had to point out what we wanted through the glass instead of just rambling off our order.

After lunch we went to Ibirapuera Park, which I would describe as Sao Paulo’s version of Central Park in New York City. The park was beautiful, and so was the weather! There was a huge open grass area where there were tons of people playing soccer, Frisbee, reading, or just going for a walk. We sat there soaking up the Brazilian sun and just relaxing for awhile, which felt amazing! A few people started wandering around and exploring the rest of the park. Murley and Schriver even decided to get a little running in! Kaili and Jackie found a few (very good looking) guys playing volleyball and asked to join in. Soon enough, we had the whole team over there wanting to play. So we grabbed the guys and went over to an outdoor volleyball court and joined in with some more guys that were already playing there. We had an intense 4’s tournament going on after a little bit, with quite a few spectators! All of whom would cheer for our girls whenever they got a kill against the guys :) We had a ton of fun playing with some really good players and made some fun new Brazilian friends. Oh, and everyone got a good laugh when I tripped over the ropes holding the net up... thanks guys!

Dinner tonight was amazing! We went to an extremely upscale mall to a pizzeria buffet. It was just like the steakhouse we went to our first night in that the waiters would bring you all the different kinds of pizzas. Once again, we thoroughly enjoyed the hint of American food, but it definitely had Brazilian flavor. The best pizza in my opinion was the chocolate dessert pizza with coconut and white chocolate on it… amazing! Needless to say we all came back to the hotel nice and full!

Hope all is well back home… we miss you!

Finally... SHOPPING! by Amber Bloom #17

We finally got the chance to sleep in today! Because of the Catholic holiday the team we were scheduled to play was unable to make it. So after breakfast some of the girls make the trek up the hill to Starbucks for some much needed caffeine, although Jackie sprinted up the hill and make some question if it was worth the trip. We all piled into our bus and drove down to the center of the city to the market after another sprint down the hill. When we finally arrived the market we walked down the main isle and tested tons of fresh fruits and talked to the vendors. They were all very excited to meet us and some even wanted their pictures taken with us! One of the vendors was a little TOO friendly and another one gave Kaili his email address. But, the market was very cool and we all were excited to buy chocolate covered strawberries and bananas, dried fruits, and to taste some new things too. After the market, we waited for our bus outside for a very long time… and of course as soon as a couple girls went to the bathroom the bus decided to show up. Since the bus can’t really stop in the middle of downtown Sao Paulo that long, the girls got another sprint in trying to catch the bus (Luckily, they made it on time). Next, we got the chance to hit up the mall and do some shopping. This mall was much bigger and much nicer than the mall we went to the other day and we spent a pretty long time looking through all the shops. It was still a big challenge trying to communicate with some of the sales people, but it was still a successful trip, not to mention that they had gelato… yum!! Around 4:30 we jumped back onto the bus and headed back towards the hotel. Some of us decided to do some more shopping around the hotel before dinner and others went up to the room to relax. I obviously chose to go shopping and had a lot of fun looking for dresses and shoes to wear out to the club that we are going to go to tonight. And that pretty much sums up today! Hope everyone back home is enjoying the summer, miss all of you!

Please send peanut butter and ranch dressing.. By Kayla Ysteboe #5

Today we had the unique opportunity to be coached by the Brazillian coaches. No one knew what to expect. Our leader Hugo and Ligia started off as translators for the Portuguese speaking "Professors". The practice focus was blocking, even for Ella and Drake. Once we got started, the use of the translators shortly gave way to a game of charades. We acted out what we had questions on and they acted out the answers. Somehow, it worked. Everyone, even the libero's, got better at blocking.

After lunch and a short break, we drove to a new gym where we played our match. Sadly, we drove through the second largest slums in South America. It was a real awakening to see how some people are forced to live. Houses were stacked on top of houses and there was no room for anything. Sao Paulo is forced to grow up, because there is no room to grow out.

Tonight's opponent was a team of the best girls in the state. We knew it would be a challenge but after a while, we started playing just as well. We ended up going five games and lost in the fifth. Even with the loss, we are proud to say we had 20 blocks in those five games. Probably a Northern State record ;).

A few of us also figured out how to use calling cards so everyone can expect calls home!

PS- Please send peanut butter for our toast, and ranch for our salad! Even though we are enjoying natural fruit jelly and olive oil.

Quite Possibly the Longest Blog of the Trip By: Katy #13 :)

What a day. So much happened today- I don’t even know where to begin!

Starting the day with a nice Brazilian breakfast was easier today as we knew more of the things we liked (aka things we would eat for breakfast in the US). After breakfast we headed to the public club we had been to for practice Monday and the match last night. Lynn and I tried to follow the bus route on a map, but we failed due to the crazy twisting and turning of the one-ways in this city. Our practice went pretty well- we are getting better every time we play here! Lynn and Jackie had a little adventure while we were in practice- they went to go for a walk around the club and ended up being beckoned into a dance class! While we were working hard in practice they were working up a sweat learning the samba!

Following practice we ate at a café in the club. Ligia and Hugo tried to convince us that a strange substance was delicious, so we all tried it and came to the same conclusion: it tasted like sand. Thanks guys.

We then got the choice of swimming or going shopping, so we obviously picked shopping. This was a different experience as many of the workers didn’t know English, or even Spanish, so we practiced playing charades to see where the fitting rooms were and how much items cost.

After our short shopping trip we headed back to the club and played Club Athletico Paulistano, the same club as yesterday, but the younger team. We played very well overall and won all four sets we played. Our hitters were really connecting with the setters. Proof of this is Whitney’s hitting percent: over .600! NICE :) Following the match we did another of Berner’s workouts outside on the cement as all the gym spaced was being used. The team we played today got a kick out of our workout and some even tried a few of the exercises. They didn’t like them so much, as they thought the bands were a bit too resistant. However, they thought our legs and butts were nice and big. (Apparently this is a good thing here…) After trying some of our workout they wanted to show us their workout area so we followed them and attempted to communicate. Many of the girls were very good at English, and Spanish, so it wasn’t too difficult to communicate with them. In their workout area they showed us how they dance and wanted to see a few of our moves.

Following the dance fest we took down the “Do not enter” sign on the pool entrance and stripped down to sports bras and spandex so we could swim in the pool. It had gotten pretty cold by that point so we knew the water wasn’t going to feel too great. It was quite frigid, so basically we were ice bathing while we were in there. We got a few strange looks from onlookers, but for good reason: its winter here! They are all walking around in jackets and jeans, and we are swimming in an outdoor pool…

Later we watched the team we played yesterday play a match against a different team. We cheered them on as our stomachs growled. They won in five sets! Brazilian matches are much different than American matches because after each team wins a point they go to the end line, scream, and then get together and scream some more. They also yell while the other team serves and while they are serving as well. As you can tell, it gets pretty loud in the gym.

When we finally got to eat dinner we ate in the café at the club again, but this time we ate with both teams of Club Athletico Paulistano. This was very fun as we were both successful, and unsuccessful (Claire) at communicating with the girls. They were very interested in us and wanted to get our names so they could add us on facebook. Overall it was a great time.

Sorry for the length of this blog, but as you can see we did a lot today!
Chao,
Katia :)

Day 2: Socially Awkward by: Kelsey Aden

After a much needed nights rest in our gigantic beds (as you can see in the picture) the team woke up to eat some toast, cereal with warm milk :s and some fresh fruit! After breakfast we got ready to head to another practice. For this practice we went to a country club that was extremely exclusive! We found out it costs at least $70,000 to be a member, plus monthly fees, plus charges for everything you do! After the practice we got to take a tour of the entire country club and see all the amazing things it had to offer; volleyball, basketball, squash, fencing, badmitten, tennis, clay tennis, soccer field with a track around it, swimming (olympic swimming pool), handball, gymnastics and probably many more! They also had a nice dining area, computer center, pool tables, movie theater. Needless to say this place was amazing!! After the tour we had some lunch near the hotel and got back on the bus to play our first match here in Brazil! We all enjoyed a great laugh at the beginning of the match while the woman coach from Brazil greeted Murley :) Sorry Murls had to do it! Once we started our 9 minute warm up (little shorter than our 1 1/2 warm up we usually have before matches back home) the game got started. It took a little for us to get going but once we figured out the speed of the game and relaxed we played better and better and had a great finish. We played 5 sets to 25 winning the last 2 sets. After the match we enjoyed (or not so much) the bus ride home, lets just say multiple people felt sick from the stop and go traffic here! We headed to the same Italian restaurant as we had for lunch yesterday and enjoyed the great pasta, steak, fish, salad, chocolate :) and the insides of a palm tree (can't remember the name but it tastes delicious!). We are all back in the hotel room once again to get some rest and prepare for our second match tomorrow!

Picture on the left is in the hotel before we left for dinner a the steakhouse.