Ola!

A & D are back for another edition of The Adventures of Portugal!! So this is Dan and I'll get the volley news out of the way and then pass the microphone over to Alli.

So we had two matches this weekend. The first was against Castelo Do Maia who is the same team thats Meers played for when he was in Portugal. They are considered one of the top teams and the game was away so we knew it'd be a good one. Anyway, the match started off very lousy as we were not clicking as a team and Castelo came out very hot. They took the first game pretty easily. Luckily, we rebounded nicely in game 2 and pulled out a win. Game 3 was the turning point. It was back and forth the entire time and there were some huge rallies. We were neck and neck at 22-22, and then lost 3 straight points to lose the game. We weren't able to maintain our level in game 4 and lost the match 3-1. Sunday brought new hope as we played the worst team in the league and our first true home game (our other home game was in a different gym due to the acrobat gymnastics). We came out smoking and took game 1, 25-11. I think I failed to mention that our backup setter injured himself 2 weeks ago so our assistant coach has been backing me up since. He's about 35, balding, with a nice big gut. Anyway, when we were up big that first game, my coach pulled me out and put him in to set. The crowd went crazy when he went in! I'm hoping it's cause he was going in and not cause I was coming out! Anyway, it was fun to be a part of. We took the next two games and won fairly easily 3-0.

Hey, it's Alli! Just wanted to add a couple of things that Dan forgot to mention about the volleyball part. First of all, and most importantly, Dan is getting his ankle and knee taped for preventative reasons. The best (or worst) part about this is he had to shave his legs! haha. He definitely does not look Portuguese now with his white legs exposed with the short volleyball shorts. Secondly, he is playing pretty well! I may be just a little biased, but he is really starting to play well with his teammates and you can tell that they trust him and are happy he is on the team. Hugo's wife told me that Hugo likes to give Dan a hard time because Dan is so tall! Dan is more often than not, one of the tallest in a match. This picture is at a Brazilian restaurant with Hugo to Dan's right along four other teammates.

We went to a Brazilian restaurant in Porto to celebrate Rui's 34th Birthday. Almost the entire team was there, plus all three coaches, and most girlfriends and wives. It was all you could eat and drink... 8PM-1:15AM for a birthday dinner on a Monday night! There was live music and it was really fun! The favorite Portuguese and Brazilian drink is called a "kipanena" (I definitely butchered the spelling, but that is how it is pronounced) with some kind of vodka (you can choose black or regular vodka), lime, and tons of sugar. Needless to say, it was delicious. They also had red and white sangria which was better than any sangria I have tried (well better than the cheap boxed sangria that Annie and I would buy in college). However, the guys told me that they recommend the boxed sangria here and they fill your cup all the way to the brim just like Annie likes! Annie, another reason why you need to come visit! Okay the food was amazing. Rice, beans, meats, scallops, fish, skewers of shrimp, peppers, onions, potatoes, salad, and lots of other things that we have no clue what it was. The coaches were having a great time drinking with the players... oh how things are different here than at home! Some of Dan's teammates who said they don't speak English well were chatting with us like crazy! I told them that their English is better when they drink and they agreed because they aren't conscious about their accent! haha. Overall it was a really fun night and everyone was asking all about America and how they want to come visit. I actually think that a few of them might!

Since I have a little bit of time on my hands, I am becoming very knowledgeable about Portugal's history and learning about different landmarks, etc. So, running through all of Vila do Conde are these arches.... there were 999 to be exact. These arches served as an aqueduct back in the day (see how educated I am) to bring water from the lower grounds to the higher grounds. How it worked is beyond my wisdom because I would think that the law of gravity would make it difficult to move water to a higher ground (Dan and his teammates agree and don't know how it would have worked either).. Anyways, the arches are huge and beautiful with most still standing and remnants of others. This picture is taken right outside of the gym where Dan's team plays. I am also learning how to perfect my Portuguese accent. For example, Dan and I went to a bakery for breakfast. We got the order of things wrong as apparently you are supposed to order your coffee and then tell them what bread you would like to have with it. However, we just walked right up, pointed to the bread we wanted and then went to get coffee. I decided that we needed to eat the bread on a plate like everyone else, not just out of the bag. So I got out my dictionary and asked for what I thought was "two plates please". So the lady brought us over two sweet rolls. I am still learning...

Also with the time on my hands, I am becoming a chef. Dan and I eat wheat pasta, pre-made meatballs, and a vegetable for dinner twice a week. ha! I will become more Portuguese once someone shows me how to cook one of the dried, salted codfish that line about 6 shelves in the grocery store. We do enjoy our dinners that overlook the water and sunsets! We are also learning how to use the timer on my camera so that we can have pictures together, not just the awkward solo ones by a cool landmark. So here is a picture of us having dinner with the sun setting in the background (although it didn't turn out well in the picture). Oh ya, I am also playing volleyball with a women's team (the team Lia is on and a couple other girlfriends of Dan's teammates) about 45 minutes away. They don't have much money so I don't think they can afford the USA volleyball transfer fee to have me play with them, but they are looking into it. Either way, it is fun to practice with them a couple times a week! We hope everyone is doing well at home! Happy Birthday to my mom on Thursday, October 22 and Happy Birthday to Dale (Dale O'Dell, not Dale Dillon) on Friday, October 23. Oh and Dan wants to make sure that I say Happy 1/2 Birthday to him tomorrow. Love and miss you all!

Love,

A & D