New News

I know I've been MIA for a little bit, but I have some good news to share with you! I recently signed a contract to play for a team in Limoges, France for this upcoming season. Naturally, it was difficult to tell my Swiss teammates, who truly became a home away from home for me, but this advancement in my career was just an opportunity I could not pass up. So off to Limoges I go!

I don't know a whole lot about the place I'm going (other than the fact that Limoges is famous for its china), but I have the next 8 or 9 months ahead of me to figure all that out.

Mr. Big Paws

I'm just about winding down my summer back in the States and preparing to head back over to the other side of the pond. My days are filled with work, working out, and family and friend time until I leave. Oh, and of course I can't forget about my newly adopted kitten either: Lenny/Butterscotch/Butters/Pinkerton/Tuckerton (feel free to help me pick which name should stick)! It'll be hard to say goodbye to this little bugger.

Bisous!

Find the Courage

Since I’ve been home I’ve been working at my Alma Mater’s Alcohol and Drug Education Program. One of the first projects I got to work on while I was home was helping to coordinate the Peer Institute, a 3-day conference where colleges all over the tri-state area gathered together to share the healthy messaging programs they have on their campuses. This year, my coworkers and I themed the Peer Institute Harry Potter, slipping in Harry Potter spells, events, and references wherever we could.  The conference was a lot of work, but it was also a TON of fun.  I think I’m one of those lucky people that can really throw themselves into any cause and feel incredibly passionate about it. During the Peer Institute I was surrounded by over 175 people who all cared about delivering healthy messages to their peers, and who took the time to become trained in the facts so they could bring the best messages back to their campuses. That in and of itself would have been fun, but honestly, getting to put on a cloak and hold a magic wand made my month.

Click here to Find the Courage  

Another project I'm continually working on this summer is updating TCNJ's Peer Education webpage. I know, this sounds like loads of fun, but I am really enjoying it. Lately I’ve been looking up different healthy message campaigns to learn about, join, and share with peer educators, students, and anyone else who will listen to me. I have to say that one of my favorite campaigns so far is The Trevor Project, otherwise known as “It Gets Better,” where people from all over the world are uploading videos to talk about vexing times and how they made it through. I realized a lot of the “It Gets Better” contributors mention that what made them odd-balls as kids is making them interesting and unique adults. I think this campaign is amazing, and encouraging kids to 'stick with it,' and 'keep riding it out' because "IT GETS BETTER" is a really important message.

Recently, I’ve been thinking more and more about the “Find the Courage Campaign,” which dares bystanders to use the courage they exhibit in other areas of their lives to help them speak up against bullying.

When I was younger I remember having a couple pretty rough years where I was unsure of who I was and who I wanted to be. I remember feeling a little out of place in school as a competitive athlete who felt most comfortable in the band room. I think shows like Glee and videogames like Rockband have really helped to take away some of those old stereotypes associated with the band, but I got my fair share of jokes tossed at me thanks to good old American Pie. No matter what came my way though, I was always able to brush it off after going home and watching an episode of 7^th Heaven, where I realized in comparison to the homeless, abused, and beaten children on the show, I didn't have it so bad. I was lucky to have survived high school; I had amazing resources around every corner I turned. I can’t help but feel for the kids and teenagers who have taken their lives because they didn’t have the same resources I did.

My point is: high school is hard enough for EVERYONE without adding bullying to the equation.  

So what can we do?

I know I probably exhaust my friends when I interrupt them and demand they choose a different word to add emphasis to their stories (check out Spread the Word to End the Word), or when I start a debate about whatever headline story busts my bubble, but really I think these conversations are super important to have. Knowledge is power.

Encourage your friends to use their power, leadership, and social roles to promote kindness, inclusion, and support for all people, no matter their differences.

If you see someone being bullied, or hear someone say something that is offensive, take a stance. Let them know it’s not okay.

Speak up. Find the Courage.

The Survival Race

This past Saturday I ‘competed’ in The Survival Race, a 5k with a bunch of different obstacles thrown in. I’m going to use the word ‘competed’ loosely, because let’s be honest, running is not my forte. Even so, I think that this was the first time I ever went on a run over three miles long and came out thinking, “Wow! That was a good time!”  

Karen, me, & Jess before the mud

Naturally, as soon as I saw that one of the guys running was dressed up as the old WWF wrestler Golddust , I knew I was going to be entertained. On the run I got a chance to talk to him and told him that my friend and I discussed wearing costumes, but the heat really outweighed the pro list for putting on such attire. He agreed he hadn't really thought that through. I saw him after he completed the race, looking hot and sticky with makeup smeared all down his face. Although honestly, hmmm… I guess I fit the same visual criteria after the race too; maybe I should have dressed up.

I think a big part of making my workouts fun involves keeping my mind actively engaged in what I’m doing. Since I sometimes have a hard time walking and chewing gum simultaneously, The Survival Race forced me to keep my focus on the muddy/hilly/sandy/hole-y ground. Oh, I also envisioned someone chasing me with a chain saw, you know, to make it a true Survival Race. Doing so completely kept my mind off of how much I hate running, whether or not my knees hurt, or thinking about the million things I like doing more than running (no offense to those real runners out there). I think it also helped that around every corner there was some little obstacle to keep me enthusiastic about what I was doing.

The first obstacle we encountered was this pit of mud we were supposed to trudge through. I saw some people running up on the sides of it trying not to get their sneakers dirty, but I immediately decided, “No Hill, you’re going right through it, you’re going to commit to getting dirty,” and I did. Naturally though, that mud stuck to my shoes like Glee on Lady Gaga. Mud isn’t so lightweight, but fortunately it hardened pretty quickly, crusted, and fell off throughout the race.

I continued the run, actually passed some people (cyber high-five), and shockingly finished as the second girl in our time slot (I did not get a medal though, WWWAAAAHHHH). There were definitely a couple things that I found more short(er)-person friendly. For example, we had to go through all these tunnels that were really low to the ground, crawl through bungee-chord created spider webs, and crawl under logs. I guess you could argue that I had an easier time climbing up the nets and jumping over the wall of fire (okay, so the wall of fire consisted of dura-flame logs that fueled about 4-inches of flame …on a good day), but still…I really like to complain. J. 

Karen, Jess, & me after the mud!

 Right at the end of the run there was this pit of mud, gravel, and water that we had to basically army-crawl through to go under these branches that were only a foot or so above the water. I came to this one branch which was particularly low, heard the crowd yelling at me to embrace it, held my breath and plunged. Thank God my friend waited until after the race to tell me that she was thinking of all the worms that were probably in that pit. I repeat, thank God. I don’t do worms.  

I got to donate my sneakers to the Crown Ministry Group after the race, which runs the GreenSneakers program for local charity; a really interesting cause.

Anyways, I had a good weekend; I got to do this race and spend a lot of time with my family and catch up on some much-needed rest.

À la prochaine!

Transition

This cow knows what I'm talking about...

I wish I was talking about fast breaks or defense here, but that's not the way this entry's going to go. Now that I’ve been home for well over a month, I’ve got to say that I’ve kind of been feeling a little out of place back here. There are definitely a number of habits that I’ve picked up while I was not in the good ol’ US of A.  For example, when I was in Switzerland ‘participating’ (and I use that term loosely, since French is still so incredibly foreign to me) in a conversation, my role was to listen; I would pay attention for whole conversations and not once give my feedback or input. By the time I left Switzerland I could really keep up with a conversation happening around me, but I still struggled to contribute. I would just listen, soak up what people were saying, and respond to myself in my mind. Guess what happens when I do that now, back home, where people actually speak my language…I’ll tell you! I come off as kind of a weirdo. When I’m talking to a friend, or anyone for that matter, I’m noticing that the people I’m listening to are wondering if I’m actually listening. Sometimes I get the impression that they think I’m judging what they’re saying because I just keep my mouth shut and don’t respond. I mean I am listening (usually!), but it’s just that sometimes I forget that I speak the language here and can actually respond.

On another note, I’ve also noticed that I’m having a hard time being around people for an extended period of time. Let’s be honest, I basically felt like I was in solitary confinement for the majority of my days (minus lunch and practice time). I was left by myself and whatever quirky thoughts were going through my head on any given day. When it came to space, I got to lay all of my stuff out in my apartment and organize everything the way I wanted to. I guess to put it bluntly, I was spoiled. I’m finding that now that I’m around people for extended periods of time, I’m a little more edgy when someone starts cramping my space or going about doing something in a way that seems bizarre to me. I’m constantly telling myself that although I like things done a certain way, that doesn’t mean it’s the right way.

I think the best way to put this is just to say that I'm actually feeling  the effects of having been away for a while, which I wasn't entirely expecting. I mean, I re-organized my lifestyle to fit where I was, where even basic everyday tasks felt incredibly different. I have a feeling that I’ll be fully adjusted back to the American ways of things just in time to leave again.

It's T-Shirt Time!!!

This past weekend I headed down to Wildwood, NJ with one of my best friends (who helped give me the idea to write my blog, create it, and spice it up), Megan. On the car ride down she asked me how my blog was going and when I told her, "I signed off for the summer," she got really upset with me and told me, "that's not how it works." So, this blog post is dedicated to Megan for a) making me laugh all weekend, and b) reminding me that people enjoy hearing my awkward/crazy/competitive/[insert whatever adjective you want here] stories even if I am stationed in NJ for the summer. Plus, since there's only so much Hillary to go around, my Swiss teammates can get a little piece of my craziness while I am so far away from them =). Today, I'm officially signing 'back on.'

 

Unfortunately, I don't have as much time to write while I'm home, since I am working, training, and trying to see as many of my friends as possible. Even so, I can give you one anecdote from my weekend.

Each night while I was in Wildwood with Megan, her family and I sat down for dinner. Now, her family knows me pretty well, I've been visiting Wildwood at least once a summer for about five years now, although I have to admit that I'm still generally pretty quiet around them. This year, however, there was a new addition to the household: Pippy. 

Pippy & Chippie

Pippy is a Chiweenie. Pippy enjoys biting anything and everything, from fingers to flower heads, rocks, cigarette butts, and wood chips. Pippy doesn't like to let go of the things she bites. Pippy is very cute and lovable, but Pippy is not the only dog in Megan's family. Enter Chippie. Chippie is a 9-year-old chocolate lab, and probably my favorite dog of all time. Chippie is a trained therapy dog and nuzzles right up to your legs when she sees you. Chippie puts up with Pippy's tugging and nipping and playing like an incredibly patient older sibling, only lifting her lip every once in a while to show Pippy her teeth when she's getting out of control. 

After our last day and dinner in Wildwood I went around and said goodbyes and thank yous to my friend's family. Then came time to say goodbye to Chippie, at which point I started bawling. I can only imagine what Megan's family was thinking when I started crying after saying goodbye to their dog. It's a little bizarre when I think about the things that make me cry. Take, for example, when I got really attached to a stray cat down by school one year. I tried all year to coax the cat into letting me pet it, only succeeding in chasing it into Megan's house and watching it hiss at me. About a week before school ended that year, I saw a similar-looking cat on the side of the road and just lost it. I mean, I didn't know that cat, and Chippie isn't my dog, but I just love animals so much. It's good to have a friend like Megan though, who encourages me to laugh at myself when I become ridiculously overly-attached to things. 

That's all for now! Till next time...

Love you Chippie (and Pippy)!!!

Au Revoir Switzerland…Hello USA

Me @ Mont Saint Michel w/ Quicksand!

 Tomorrow’s the big day; I’m heading back to the good ol’ US of A!!! Gosh, thinking back to my first blog posts I feel like I’ve gone completely full circle– I’m sad to be leaving where I am, but also looking forward to going where I’m going.

I was fortunate enough to spend my last four days here with my teammates up in Bretagne France, seeing the local sights and celebrating my coach’s 30^th birthday. We visited the town of Morlaix, walked along the coast of Finistere, marveled at Mont Saint Michel (which has quicksand around it– SO COOL), and sat on the beaches of Saint Malo. The places we got to see were so beautiful and well, European. I’m really going to miss it here.

At the same time…

Beach @ Saint Malo

While we were walking along the coast of Finistere, one of my teammates asked if we had anything like that in the USA. I couldn’t help but think of a hike I went on a couple of summers ago in Maine, which led out to the ocean. I remember thinking then how beautiful America was, and realized how in a few short days, I’d be heading home. Every time I see a place that’s calm and soothing, like the coast of France for example, I try to take a little piece of that silence, wholeness, and peace of mind with me when I leave. This year Europe has filled me with that kind of peace, and I’m so grateful it has, but now I feel like I’m ready to go home.

That being said…

My favorite part of the trip was really just talking and hanging out with my teammates. I think I learned more French in these past four days than I learned all year. Sure, I had to actively listen to understand what they were talking about (and sometimes I just zoned out and turned off my ‘pay attention’ button), but by the end of the trip I felt like I had successfully communicated with each and every one of them. Saying my goodbyes was really difficult; I feel like my Swiss teammates really embraced me this year. I don’t think I could have handpicked a better group of girls to spend my first year away from home and in a foreign country with.

My Swiss Team <3

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m having really mixed emotions about leaving. Part of me wants to cry, but the other part is so excited because I know that tomorrow I’m going to be home with my friends, family and of course, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

So where does that leave us, my dear blog readers?

I’m going to say goodbye to you too, since I’m heading back into work on Monday and will be back to my American routine. Who knows though, maybe I’ll let you know what’s going on from time to time this summer. Thanks for reading, and until next year, au revoir!

Cow Contest

Yesterday a few of my teammates and I went to see a ‘cow contest.’ I was a little worried about what the cow contest would entail (I really didn't want to see the cows hurt each other or fight to the death or anything brutal like that...), but I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw! Basically, the cows are split up into groups based on weight. Then six cows enter ‘the ring’ led by serious-looking farmers. When it’s time to fight, the farmers release the cows. Then the cows kick up some dirt, do a lot of standing around, some run around the ring, some eat the grass, and occasionally two cows engage in a fight. The cows butt heads, lock horns, and push one another until one of the two cows retreat (it’s not unlike a boxing out drill we do in basketball…). Then they leave the ring and the next weight class of cows comes in.

me with my cow =)

There were a couple of things that I saw at the cow contest that I thought were really cool/ just observed. I haven’t bulleted in a while, so I think I’ll take that route today:

-       The cows had painted numbers on them.

-       My teammates and I all found cows with our respective jersey numbers, cheered for ‘our cows,’ and took pictures with them.

-       My cow was a fighter; she literally tried to fight every cow that came near her.

-       My cow made it to the finals!

-       Two cows refused to fight because they were from the same farm. They just stood looking at each other. I think this was my favorite part of the day.

-       Cows smell, poop on themselves, and attract flies.

-       There was a turkey at the cow contest.

-       Turkeys have really ugly heads; they creep me out.

-       Turkeys really do ‘gobble.’

-       Next to the turkey were chickens, rabbits, and donkeys.

-       I got to pet the donkey.

-       Like everywhere in Switzerland, people brought their dogs to the cow contest.

-       One husky took a lot of interest in the chickens. He just sat down by the chicken coop and watched them for half an hour.

-       The type of crowd at a contest is not unlike the crowd I once witnessed at a demolition derby.

-       They served cotton candy, but no popcorn.

-       The bells around the cows' necks were really loud.

-       One of the serious-looking farmers got tripped up by his cow; he fell in the dirt.

-       The cows were very vocal.

-       If I owned a farm, I would put a lot of friendly cows on it.

I think that is all.

Some side notes:

-       I forgot to mention that our season is over.

-       We won our last game!

-       I’m headed to Bretagne, France for a few days at the end of the week.

-       I’m home in nine days for the whole summer!!!