May 21, 2009
SOMEWHERE IN BRAZIL....
- May 19, 2009- from Ali Schaefer and Danielle Toney
Hey all!
DTones and Vegas here. Today we arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We all hadn't seen each other in a long time so meeting up at JFK for our flight out to Brazil was like Christmas morning! We were all excited to see that the plane had individual TV screens on the back of each seat head. We could watch movies, play games, and even view where the plane was in respect to the world. When we arrived after many restless hours attempting sleep on the plane, Gill decided to film our trip through customs. that got shut down fast. After we got through customs and collected our luggage, our tour guide was waiting to take us to our bus. We all boarded and fought to keep our eyes open on the three hour ride to our resort. Along the ride, we caught glimpses of hundreds of small homes crammed together created of scrap wood.
The sight was very humbling. Alas! We arrived at our resort. There are two full size soccer fields, indoor and outdoor pools, and much more. Our team filled up all of the rooms available and the only other people we've seen are staff. Almost as soon as we got here we changed into our bathing suits and went to hang out by the pool. We sat there for hours swimming and playing cards, even Coach and Mariel joined us. Then we had a training session which was supposed to be a light session, but was really like a normal practice just a little bit shorter. haha , jk. We split into pairs and played a soccer tennis tournament. After much controversy due to our competitive fight, we finally declared Mons and Kay the champions! Now we're off to watch a movie about Pele, then we're going to hit the sack. After an exhausting day, we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
May 20, 2009- from Emma Thomson and Tara Davies
We woke up this morning feeling refreshed after a long day of traveling. Following breakfast, we had several hours to relax before we left for the game. A few of us chose to soak up the sun with Sheryl Crow while others opted for a nap.
Eleven thirty quickly approached and we entered the bus excited to play. With Gossip Girl Season 1 out of the picture we resorted to Tom Hanks movies with Korean subtitles (it was not quite the same, but we made due). Three very long hours later we approached the field.
We prepared ourselves in the locker room and Coach gave another motivational speech. We were eager to play and quickly made our way down the steps toward the stadium. Carly and Rachel were so inspired that they ran toward the steps but their cleats got the best of them and they tumbled to the bottom. For future giggles we will replay this moment over and over since it was all caught on camera by Kaleen!
We entered the stadium and were greeted by one fan and his cat. Slowly the fans began to trickle in, eager to see the much awaited "University of Philadelphia." They screamed and jeered for Jachie Hakes, Melisha Hayes and Erica Wish.
After another long and grueling warm-up we began to wonder where the other team was. They showed up two minutes before kickoff, did some light stretching and were ready to go. The game began and we were a bit rusty. In true Brazillian style, they came out skilled and poised.
About ten minutes the nerves wore off and we began to play our game. Unfortunately they scored halfway through the first half with a "dink" (compliments of Emma Thomson) over the top which was then slotted into the far corner. We played well throughout the rest of the match but struggled to put the ball in the net. We had several close opportunities but could not capitalize on them. The game ended in a 1-0 defeat. We were disappointed about the loss but considering it was out first game in Brazil, the performance was good.
The two teams came together and despite the language barrier attempted to exchange jovial banter. When this failed, we chose to pose for a friendly picture instead. We quickly hopped back on the bus eager for more Tom Hanks movies. We returned to our resort at 8:30 and ate a delicious dinner.
May 22, 2009- from Nikki Watts and Jackie Hakes
Bright and early this morning at 6.15am, we were forced to crawl out of our warm beds for breakfast as we were departing for Rio. Breakfast was unusually quiet as many of us were still half asleep. Following breakfast, we gathered our bags and set off on our bus journey to the airport, only to find out when we got there that our flight had been delayed for 45 minutes! When we finally took off, the flight was very short with the highlight being Assistant Coach Ann Cook captured looking beautiful (cough cough) on candid camera.
Having touched down in Rio, we had a short drive to our hotel situated just 15m from the picturesque beach!!!! With soft golden sand, perfectly breaking waves and a few scenic islands in the distance, there was never any doubt about where we were going to spend the rest of the day!
After catching a few rays on the beach, we mosied along to dinner at a local pizzaria where we were treated to chocolate pizza for desert (a lot more tasty than it sounds!) We look forward to going into town tonight and experiencing the local culture....
May 23, 2009- from Melissa Hayes and Allie Daus
Mel and Daus checking in from Room 2 at the Itu Training Center in Brazil. Today was a busy day, which included a feisty 90 minute match against the Corinthians, a tour of Corinthians museum, and a fun pit-stop at a Brazilian style convenient store. We woke up this morning to another fruit filled breakfast...we cant get enough of the pineapples and watermelon, they are DELICIOUS!
We left for our 2:30 match versus Corinthians around noon. It was a competitive game under the hot Brazilian sun that ended in a 0-0 tie. After the game we headed to the famous Corinthians stadium and got a tour of their museum. They had two whole floors filled wall-to-wall with all the trophies the club has won over the years. Some of the trophies were even taller than Lexi.
We were all pretty hungry after the tour, so before we made our trip back to Itu we made a pit stop at Graal, a fast food/grocery store/bakery/Sheetz. We walked out of the store with smiles and bags filled with hamburgers, cheese fries, Coca-Cola "Light", sour worms, Brazilian cookies "galletas", Brazilian Cheez-its, and the ever famous frozen Acai treat. Did we mention that dinner was waiting for us at Itu in less than an hour? Don't worry we were MORE than able to devour through plates of rice and beans, chicken, French fries and scrumptious fruit.
The entertainment after dinner was provided by Emma Thomson and our trainer, Andra. Andra had no idea what she was in for when she agreed to treat Emma's blood blister...the blood blister decided to squirt Andra in the face, poor Andra.
After that episode, being well fed and slightly sun burnt we're off to get some rest before another beautiful Brazilian day tomorrow!
May 26, 2009- We woke up this morning feeling refreshed after a long day of traveling. Following breakfast, we had several hours to relax before we left for the game. A few of us chose to soak up the sun with Sheryl Crow while others opted for a nap.
Eleven thirty quickly approached and we entered the bus excited to play. With Gossip Girl Season 1 out of the picture we resorted to Tom Hanks movies with Korean subtitles (it was not quite the same, but we made due). Three very long hours later we approached the field.
We prepared ourselves in the locker room and Coach gave another motivational speech. We were eager to play and quickly made our way down the steps toward the stadium. Carly and Rachel were so inspired that they ran toward the steps but their cleats got the best of them and they tumbled to the bottom. For future giggles we will replay this moment over and over since it was all caught on camera by Kaleen!
Assistant Coach Michael Coll (right) and Nittany Lion Ricardo Villar |
We entered the stadium and were greeted by one fan and his cat. Slowly the fans began to trickle in, eager to see the much awaited "University of Philadelphia." They screamed and jeered for Jachie Hakes, Melisha Hayes and Erica Wish.
After another long and grueling warm-up we began to wonder where the other team was. They showed up two minutes before kickoff, did some light stretching and were ready to go. The game began and we were a bit rusty. In true Brazillian style, they came out skilled and poised.
Kaleen Adami and Zoe Bouchelle |
About ten minutes the nerves wore off and we began to play our game. Unfortunately they scored halfway through the first half with a "dink" (compliments of Emma Thomson) over the top which was then slotted into the far corner. We played well throughout the rest of the match but struggled to put the ball in the net. We had several close opportunities but could not capitalize on them. The game ended in a 1-0 defeat. We were disappointed about the loss but considering it was out first game in Brazil, the performance was good.
The two teams came together and despite the language barrier attempted to exchange jovial banter. When this failed, we chose to pose for a friendly picture instead. We quickly hopped back on the bus eager for more Tom Hanks movies. We returned to our resort at 8:30 and ate a delicious dinner.
May 27, 2009- from Jess Shue and Rachel Lamarre
Hi everyone! This is Jess Shue and Rachel Lamarre writing to you from Rio de Janeiro. Today was packed with sightseeing and soccer. In the morning we are a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed off to the famous Copacabana beach- "at the copa, Copacabana..."
Once we arrived, the group split up; Rachel and most of the team went directly to the beach to continue working on their tans while I went with Michael, Andra and Jim to try and find some souvenirs for friends and family. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything exciting at the downtown stores, so instead we crossed back over the treacherous six-lane highway and walked along the boardwalk where Andra, Jim and I found a lot of homemade crafts while Michael enjoyed the scenery. After making a few purchases we returned to Rachel and the rest of the group on the beach only to find them completely surrounded by local vendors and even a guy playing a drum and tambourine! We could have saved a lot of effort by staying with the group, but it was still a great morning.
That afternoon we had a quick lunch at another Brazilian steakhouse where they bring the meat out still on the spit and very hot. Everything was delicious, but some of us didn't like how rare some of the meat was but that's the way Brazilians serve it. But if you ever happen to be eating at a Brazilian restaurant try the Picanha, it's incredible!
Next, the group split up again; some of us went to watch the Champion's League Final while Rachel and others stayed at the hotel to relax and enjoy the beach. We went to a local place to watch Man U x Barcelona on the big screen, and it was a great game! Before it started Viv, Ricardo and Ricardo (our guides) wrote the names of players onto slips of paper and let us each pull two names. Then, whoever was lucky enough to pull the name of the first three players to score a goal won a Vasco jersey. Of course I pulled two defenders from Barcelona and quickly realized I didn't have much chance of winning a jersey. Emma and Nikki, rooting for Man U, pulled Barcelona players. Emma won a jersey when Eto'o scored and said, "I don't know whether to cry or laugh right now." She wasn't too please with Barcelona taking control of the game. It got even worse when Messi scored; Nikki won a jersey, but the final result of the match was Barcelona 2, Man U 0, and a disappointment for them both. Overall, it was great to watch the game and the brownie sundae that I ordered was delicious- hot chocolate sauce and everything!
Team in front of the infamous Statue of Jesus in Rio De Janeiro |
Now, so far the day was pretty good, but the night was one of the best on the entire trip. We stopped at our frequent lunch place throughout the week, Big Polis, to grab dinner and then headed off the Vasco X Corinthians game. Matheus Braga, a member of Penn State men's soccer team was able to bring some of his friends onto our bus to teach us some Vasco fight songs. Most of them were difficult because of the Portuguese, but all of us were able to chant along to some of them. They of course told us, very politely, that it is pronounced "Vash-co, not Vas-co." The crowd was already outside the stadium, along with police and other security. When we entered the stadium we had a perfect view from behind the one goal into the Vasco fan section. Now, we all know or have heard how great Beaver Stadium is when there is an infamous White Out taking place. Let me tell you, the number of fans was only 69,000 compared to the 100,000 we sometimes fit into our wonderful football stadium, but they were just as loud and honestly, probably louder than we are sometimes. The passion and intensity of the fans lasted throughout the entire game. The away fans of the Corinthians were the best because they were outnumbered in the stadium, but you were always able to hear them. The final result was 1-1.
Team on a sunshine-filled day in Brazil |
The entire experience was phenomenal. The passion and love for the fame of soccer that we experienced in Brazil is something we will always remember. Everywhere we went there was a field; whether it was green with grass, bare dirt or even goals placed under basketball nets on various courts- the fame is everywhere. This trip gave us all a different perspective on the game that we love to play as well as a great appreciation for all that we have here at Penn State. Hopefully all of us will bring back these memories back and use them as inspiration throughout our next season.
--NITTANY LIONS--