Have Ball, Will Travel

While sitting in history and geography classes during high school, I always imagined what it would be like to visit the far away countries often discussed. Studying world maps and examining pictures of historical landmarks started to give me an itch. I wanted to travel, to get outside North America and experience different cultures and customs. I was never sure how I would get the money or whom I would go with, but knew someway, somehow I was going to make it happen. With this new found passion to explore different worlds, I needed to make it reality. Thankfully, it was my one true love that made this dream come true…

As an athlete I’ve always had the drive and competitive fire to succeed in the sports I participated in. I played for fun, but I also played to win. Whether in gym class playing floor hockey, or on the basketball court shooting the game winner – I was in it to win it. There was no in-between. Through hard work, determination and countless hours of practice, my successes on the basketball court have allowed me to see parts of the world almost expense free. Basketball has been great to me. Besides paying for my university education, it has allowed me to globetrot and see places I would have never thought of visiting. Since the first time I dribbled a ball at one of my dad’s men’s league games, I knew it was the start of a beautiful relationship. From playing outside on the asphalt courts in elementary school, to running up and down the hardwood in high school, working as a unit on Provincial teams, representing Canada on National teams, bleeding purple and gold for UW and now making a living overseas as a professional in Finland, basketball has given me much to be thankful for. By bouncing ball I’ve been able to travel through 4 Canadian Provinces, (BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick) 19 US States (Hawaii, Illinois, Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, Utah, Indiana, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Washington) and 7 countries (South Korea, Turkey, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Estonia and Finland). If you had told me 6 years ago during Mr. Seney’s grade 11 history class that I would have visited all these places, I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.

I’m so thankful for the opportunities basketball has given me. Not only allowing me to travel, but to experience the diverse customs and cultures that are present around the world. In August 2003 I flew to Daegu, South Korea with the Canadian National team for the World University Games. South Korea is a country that I would have never dreamed of visiting. When you think of going outside North America, countries that come to mind are places like Australia, Thailand, France, Greece, etc – not South Korea! Nevertheless, I was extremely excited to experience this new environment. After spending almost 3 weeks in this green, humid country, I learned more about the Buddhist religion, explored holy temples, watched monks practice prayers and witnessed the different nightlife. It was fascinating to see how people lived, what they ate and how they interacted with one another. Ever since the Korea war, animosity has been present between North Korea and South Korea. In 2003, the countries still were not getting along. North Korean athletes were viewed by their South Korean hosts as hostiles and didn’t receive the warm welcome most countries did. The South Korean military heavily guarded the opening ceremonies for the games, as tens of thousands of fans cheered for athletes and countries entering the stadium. Our athlete village was fenced in with security checks and patrolled 24 hours by unfriendly, machine toting men in black hummers. It was a scary sight, but thankfully, nothing violent happened. I’m happy to report that as of October 2007, North Korea and South Korea have agreed to pursue peace between their nations. South Korea was a very gracious host and I enjoyed my time spent in this Asian country.

Two years after my experience in Korea, I was once again off to the World University games with the National Team in Izmir, Turkey. Turkey is another country I never thought I would visit. Perhaps Istanbul, but Izmir? Before jetting off for 3 weeks to this Middle Eastern nation, I had images of it being a dry desolate area. I had no idea this beautiful city would be located on the Aegean Sea with elaborate boardwalks making me feel as though I was walking in paradise. Turkey has been one of my favorite countries I have visited so far. It’s very different from all the places I have traveled to. You almost have to experience it to understand what I mean. The people are wonderful. Friendly, helpful and always making sure you're enjoy your time spent there. The women are beautiful and the men extremely handsome. The beaches were amazing, the buildings old and rustic, with mosques being found around every corner. It was here I first heard about the religion of Islam and witnessed prayer on a regular basis. People would stop everything during certain hours of the day, face the mosque and bow to say a prayer. Moments later they were back to what they were doing. Very different to what we are used to in North America. Our athlete village overlooked the Aegean, giving us a wonderful view of the western coast. On a clear day you could see Greece across the water. However, being in this part of the world with neighbors like Iraq, Iran and Syria, security, especially for the Americans was no joking matter. Once again we found ourselves faced with an extremely secured village and armed guards wherever we went. It was nice to know we were protected, but scary to have to be protected like that. All and all my Turkish experience is one that shines brightly in my mind. It’s a place I’ll never forget and forever cherish. Some of the friendships I made will last forever. (Shout out to HoRo!)In the summer of 2006 my team at the University of Washington was taken on a foreign tour of Italy. It was amazing! Aside from winning all our games we played against professional clubs, we were able to explore the cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, Verona, Pisa, and Como. Spending time in these cities and taking guided tours along the way allowed us to appreciate the historical significance of monuments like the Coliseum, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, Trevi fountain, statue of David, Leaning Tower of Pisa, St Marco’s square, Juliet’s Balcony and Lake Como among others. The country was beautiful, the food amazing and games worthwhile. I’m pretty sure I ate gelato everyday! Mmmmm…Italy was everything I expected it to be and more. The character and history this country has is unbelievable. The sheer size of monuments and detail of architecture is very impressive. It’s hard to believe that these monuments were built in ancient times where there were no cranes, trucks or the technology we have available today. Amazing. Standing by something like the Coliseum brings you down to size, making you appreciate the manpower and teamwork it took to complete these beautiful sites.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. I am truly thankful for what basketball has done and where it’s taken me. But my travels aren’t over yet! Before I leave Finland we plan to visit St. Petersburg and maybe Stockholm if we have time. Mid-summer will hopefully see me spending 2 weeks in Paris and next fall the plan is to be playing in France, Spain, Greece or Germany. Only time will tell!

-BW

Sidenote: Happy Birthday Keeler!!!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

If there was one thing I learned growing up in the Northwest, it was to recycle. From a young age I was taught to put cans, paper and glass among other things into the big blue bin. As I’ve gotten older, I feel as though I’ve taken this routine to another level. Oddly enough I’ll find myself get very irritated or upset when I see a pop can in the garbage or perfectly good paper thrown in the trash. Why is it so difficult to hold onto something until you get home or place it in the proper dispenser? I’m no tree-hugging hippie, but I am very protective of the environment. It was here before us, so we should treat it with respect! If people are ignorant enough to throw their trash or recyclables wherever they want whenever they want, pretty soon our planet is not going to be such a nice to place to live.

Not knowing a whole lot about Seattle before moving there, I remember wondering what the city’s take would be on recycling. To my delight, I found Seattle’s ideals were almost identical to BC’s. It didn’t hurt that one of my roommates was more of an environmentalist than me, making sure everyone in our house followed the recycling rules. I remember when Kelly tore out a magazine page highlighting everything that could and could not be recycled. This page was posted on the wall above 3 different bins: paper, plastic and glass. Trust me when I say I’m pretty sure we recycled everything that was recyclable. And don’t forget to take the caps off those pop bottles before putting them in the plastics bin, because Kelly would be on you! Living in the 5556 only fueled my desire to recycle anything and everything I could. Recycling makes me happy and allows me to believe I’m doing my part. Friends have poked fun, but don’t be shocked if you see me picking something out of the garbage or collecting a random beer bottle on the street. I’m not extreme enough to rummage through the trash like a bag lady, but if I see something at arms length, I’m going in!

Of course when moving to Finland, the last thing on my mind was recycling. I was too busy worrying about what my teammates would be like, where I would be living, what I was going to eat and how I was going to get around. After a couple of weeks adjusting to everyday life in Scandinavia, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the country is very concerned about the well being of our planet. While shopping at the grocery store, or any food/beverage type store, I found I needed to bring my own bags. If I didn’t, I’d find myself carrying out my purchases or paying, yes paying for grocery bags. They don’t set you back much (.20/bag), but if you think of how many times you shop during the week and how many bags you’re buying, it adds up. Though something small, this great idea encourages people to reduce and reuse. Every little thing helps! On the West Coast we put most of our recyclables into a specific bin, but packaging and other miscellaneous material that often is recyclable (i.e. cardboard boxes our tube of toothpaste comes in) frequently get thrown in the trash. Here in Finland, everything that can be recycled is. If it’s cardboard, it better be sorted into that pile – not the garbage. When your collection at home is getting too large and it’s time to dispose of your trash and recycling, you simply walk to an enclosed building that has 10+ labeled bins. Paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, cans, metals, etc. Once you start tossing all your ‘garbage’ in the correct bins, you find you have very little actual waste. It’s great, and makes you feel as though you really are doing your part. The great thing is that the majority of Finns follow these strict rules. I’m not familiar enough with the system to know if there are any reprimands for not following disposal instructions, but most people seem to do what they're suppose to when comes to garbage. Food here is disposed of in a different way too. When eating at a cafeteria, restaurant, café, etc and there is left over food on your plate, you don’t dump it in the trash. Instead, you scrape it into a labeled bin or bucket. I find this a little extreme and kind of disgusting. Nevertheless, this excess food is apparently put into compost and used as fertilizer on farms or fed to animals. Not to gross anyone out, but things like meat should not be fed to animals or used as compost…

Besides recycling any way they can, Finnish people are doing other great things to preserve our environment. Almost all cars here are compact, and I have yet to see a SUV roaring down the street. I’d guesstimate that 90+% of the cars are driven standard, which is better for the environment. As I discussed in last weeks post, a large percentage of people bike everywhere, also cutting down on pollution. Even some of the clothing I see people wear looks recycled…I swear some of the t-shirts, shorts, running shoes and winter jackets I’ve seen here look as though they are straight from the 1980s! Haha… Additionally, washing machines and refrigerators are compact, with dishwashers and dryers being non-existent. Europe is not messing around. Interestingly enough, the amount of flyers we receive in the mail seems to counteract all the recycling, as it's close to 20 each day!

Along with recycling what we can, Charlee, Liz and I have become obsessed with collecting bottles while living in Jyväskylä. A bit strange, I know, but when a pop bottle is worth .20-.35 cents each, a large collection brings in some nice gawp. We use this money for going out or paying for necessities like laundry detergent. If we’re at the gym and see 3 empties on the sideline - it's go time! We’re pretty slick, with one of us acting as the cover/distraction while another goes in for the swipe. The third has her backpack open and ready to complete the mission. It’s a great system. Aside from recycling, we are also profiting with almost 20+ Euros collected from our little obsession!

On a completely different note, last weekend was rough one for our team as we played the two best teams in the league back to back Saturday(away)/Sunday(home). With sore bodies and bruised egos, it was time to enjoy ourselves. Oddly enough the 3 of us, Monty (our men’s player), Piia (Finnish teammate) and Tuukaa (men’s player) ended up meeting and going out with 2 American girls and an American guy from the rival city 30 minutes away. It was weird at first; I mean these are our enemies on the court! Nonetheless, after chatting about home, university and basketball among other things, we became fast friends. Even though we may of never hung out together if in the US or Canada, Finland brought us together. It was an awesome evening, allowing the 7 of us feel as though we were back at home. I’m sure all the Finnish people in the club thought we were crazy when Alicia Keys’ song No One came on, (one of the only English songs they played that night) as we all sung (screamed) the song at the top of our lungs! We have another rendez-vous played for next Saturday night…

We won our game this week and are now in the hunt for playoffs. And you know what? I think we’re going to make it…

-BW

Sidenote: I’m sorry if I offended any of my fellow Canadians in my last post. Alas, I have been informed that people from BC don’t know how to survive a real winter ☺

Winter Wonderland

Brrr…it’s cold! As a Canadian from the Great White North, you’d think I’d be right at home in this freezing climate. Wrong! Despite all the stereotypes you’ve heard about Canada, southern BC is not cold. I know this, especially after living near the Arctic Circle for the past few months. Vancouver definitely gets chilly, but temperatures rarely fall below 0°C. Snow is uncommon and when it does fall, we’re lucky if it sticks for a day. More often than not it melts immediately, turning to slush or black ice. Seattle and Vancouver have essentially the same type of climates. And get this, sometimes when it snows in Seattle, it doesn’t in Vancouver! Crazy, I know.

Countless times I’ve had Americans (love you guys ☺) ask me “so when you cross the border, is it like a blizzard?” Or “but you’re used to cold weather, I mean it’s freezing in Canada!” And my favorite “so do people really live in igloos?” Ummm, no. Even though I live 2.5 hours away from Seattle, I’m continually faced with these types of questions on a weekly basis. I blame U.S. television and pop culture. Since they enjoy poking fun at their northern neighbors so much, it has resulted in a lot of inaccurate Canadian stereotypes. I’m used to it and take it in stride. But people, Avril Lavigne is not one of my best friends! She’s from Ontario, which is on the other side of the country!

As a native western Canadian, the Nordic weather has definitely been a shock. Whenever I walk outside I am immediately freezing cold. And please believe I prepare myself for this. Boots (thanks Santa!), sweatpants, long underwear, long sleeves, sweatshirt or fleece, gloves, winter coat and scarf. Don’t even think about leaving the house without a scarf – your neck might fall off! All I’m missing is the burglar mask that covers everything but my eyes, and trust me – I’m thisclose to buying one! Our dress and constant gripes about the cold have made the 3 of us a butt of most jokes among the team. They’re always saying things like “it isn’t even cold yet!” What!? Apparently this is the warmest winter Finland has seen in the last 20 years – lucky me! Instead of being -15°C to -30°C everyday, the temperature fluctuates between -1°C and -15°C on any given day. It seems colder because the air is a dry cold. My lungs loved living near the ocean where I breathed in the luxury of moist, warm air. With my Finnish city being so far inland, this cold dry air burns my lungs. Imagine working out and running in it everyday. Even though I worked out religiously during Christmas break, upon returning to Finland I found myself doubled over every 5 minutes in practice. Thankfully, my body has adjusted to the different air and I can now breathe painlessly. Warm…yeah right!

Since living in Finland I’ve learned to hope for snow. When it snows, it means the temperature is warmer. I never knew that. The first week back was bitter cold with -14°C temps almost everyday and no snow. Just whipping cold freezing air – so cold it was actually hurting my knee joints and I’ve never had knee problems (*knock on wood*). After a week of living like Mr. Freeze in Batman, the snow came….and came…and came. It’s been snowing almost everyday since and the snow flakes are huge! I’ve never seen so much snow. Unlike on the West Coast, nothing shuts down in Finland when the ground and air are white. Not school, not work, not anything. Blizzard today? (We get a lot of 20-minute whiteouts). No problem, just leave 10 minutes earlier for work. It’s actually quite amazing to see how people here have adapted to their environment – which obviously they’ve had to.

They craziest thing I have witnessed since being in Finland is the amount of people that bike in the snow. No joke, everyone bikes everywhere... no matter if it’s snow, ice, slush or rain – everyone is on their bike. It’s insane! These people are biking in 4+ inches of snow! You would never see me doing that. Mainly because 1.) I would for sure wipe out, 2.) the air is way too cold for me to be biking through it and 3.) because it’s CRAZY! Plus, the bikes used aren’t even mountain bikes with super re-enforced winter tires. They are rickety old bikes with the curved U handlebars! Nordic people are built for this weather. They are short (low to the ground, you know us tall people have a higher center of gravity – making it easier for us to fall ☺) and tough. It’s not uncommon to see elderly people walking to the grocery store and running errands. Their progress is painfully slow and it’s tough to watch sometimes – I always think one of them is going to slip and break a hip! The majority take precaution however, using ski poles for traction and support. Little kids on the other hand are so bundled up in their snowsuits they can barely walk, tumbling all over the place. I feel I fall somewhere in-between. Too cool to wear a snowsuit, but secure enough to be thinking about purchasing ski poles so I don’t fall again…

Don’t get me wrong, people drive cars here, however, they are not as popular as you would think. Average cars are extremely expensive in Scandinavia. A small 2-door Civic like car that is a couple years old will set you back about 15,000 €. Obviously cars need gas to run and that too is expensive in Finland, costing approximately 1.45 €/per liter (!). In addition, insurance costs approximately 1000 €/yr and you need to add the annual government tax of about 150 € just for owning the car. No wonder the main means of transportation is biking! If you think you’re smarter than the system and decide to buy the same type of car elsewhere for a better price, the jokes on you. That car likely won’t survive a Suomi winter. Most cars imported to Scandinavia are specially designed to perform in extreme cold weather. The average car built for temperate winters won’t start in double negatives and if it does, the engine will freak out and break (yup, that’s a technical term ☺) Even though these cars are reinforced for the cold with huge winter tires, many still need to be plugged into electrical posts when sitting overnight or out for long periods of time. These plugs keep the engine warm and allow special interior heaters in the passenger foot bed to quickly warm the car when it is turned on. The dangerous driving conditions in Finland don’t seem to affect Finnish people, as I have yet to see an accident.

To combat the cold this week Charlee, Liz, Gavin and I decided to spice things up by having a Mexican Fiesta night at our apartment on Thursday. It was a lot of fun. After scouring the grocery store for North American ingredients we found tortillas, Tabasco, salsa (Finnish style), plain yogurt (as sour cream) and Tex-Mex. With the shopping done, we cut up tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and cooked it all up while preparing the meat. Our final touch was sprinkling shredded cheese on top of our delicious tacos. It was a great evening filled with great food and entertaining conversation. A perfect way to prepare us for another snow filled week.

-BW

Back to the Grindstone...

Dorothy couldn't have said it better – there’s no place like home. I didn't click my shoes, but 2 plane rides later I was home. It was great to be back on the West Coast for the holidays and catch up with the ones I hold closest to my heart. In a previous post I wrote about how I missed the little things while being away; I now know I will never take them for granted. My break allowed me to cherish these little things and strengthen already strong relationships. It's funny, when you are gone for a long time you find out who your real friends are and the people that are most important in your life. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a lot of great people.

Stumbling off the plane, jet lagged and tired as heck only to find out it was 4:30 pm, I was unsure of what do. Sleep and be out of sync for a couple of days, or rough it out until 9 pm and try to get my internal time clock on track. Since I was excited to see my family I decided on the latter and grabbed some coffee at Starbucks, (Starbucks - yay!) caffeinating myself enough that I could hold the conversation without nodding off. It was great to be able to hang out with my parents and be in their company. They are wonderful people who have been so supportive throughout my athletic career. I love them! Of course the two of them wanted to hear anything and everything about my first 3 months, so it became a one sided conversation for the better part of an hour. With my voice becoming raspy and my stomach rumbling I knew exactly what I wanted to eat - Japanese food! I had been craving chicken teriyaki and California Rolls like it was nobodies business for the past 4 weeks. After my hunger was satisfied, it was time to go home. Home sweet home. As I walked in I paused to appreciate how much I missed the comfort of the house I grew up in. My mom outdid herself this year and the Christmas decorations were gorgeous. After a quick walk around the house to enjoy each room, I went straight to bed. What a luxury - sleeping in a Queen rather than a twin...

The next couple of days allowed me to hang out with my parents and grandparents, catch up with old friends, joke around with my brother and become a movie buff. While home I was able to catch National Treasure 2, Atonement (great movie, go see it), I am Legend and Juno (another great movie, see that one too!) After finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping and buying tons of groceries to bring back to Finland, (I needed my Shreddies and peanut butter, ok?!) I felt I had completed most of my errands before I had to fly back on the 1st.

On the 21st Kyle (my bro), our friend Elliot and I decided to head down to Seattle for the night and catch the UW game vs. Purdue. After limited success at the Marysville outlets, we reached Seattle and shopped around the U Bookstore, grabbing dinner on the Ave. By that time it was time to head towards Hec Ed. I didn't think to prepare myself for what it would be like walking into the arena - especially as just a fan. It was crazy as I was overwhelmed with a lot of different emotions. I missed this place - a lot. This is where I played basketball for 4 years, where I experienced exciting wins and tough losses. It was the same place where I worked my butt off everyday, sweating and bleeding purple and gold. UW was where I met my best friends and developed relationships with a lot of great people. Sitting on the padded purple arena chairs, I realized how much I missed college and everything it gave me. I was naive to think I could just walk in and cheer on the girls with no problem. During the game I reminisced of what once was. A couple of times I almost ran on the court after a big shot or great rebound. I wanted to be on the court taking part in the win. Watching on the sidelines was a tough experience, but a good one; it was time to move on. After a back and forth battle, the Huskies pulled out a one point win at the buzzer. The last 5 minutes were exciting and it was great to see the ladies pull out the 'W'. I caught up with the girls, some friends and fans during the game, while also managing to chat a bit with Steve and Elise during pre-game. I love UW. I miss UW.

Following the game, Kyle, Elliot and I went over to my friend Kara's place where we met up with a bunch of people I had missed most. It was great to see everyone and we all picked up right where we left off. Kyle and Elliot got along right away with the guys and gals, making the night that much better. Later that evening we hailed a few taxis and all headed downtown to spend the rest of the night at Twist, a trendy bar in Belltown. I enjoyed myself and was thankful to spend it with great people, great friends. The next morning Kyle, Elliot, Kat and myself enjoyed breakfast at Beth's Cafe by Greenlake, then bid farewell. Time to go back to Vancouver! A memorable trip in less than 24 hours.The next couple of days were great, including a neighborhood party on Christmas Eve with appetizers galore, wine aplenty and a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit to close out the night. Smiles were contagious and laughter drowned out the Christmas music. It was good to be home! Christmas day was awesome and the best part was spending it with my family. We enjoyed each others company and spent the whole day together, something we don't get to do a lot of now because of our busy schedules. After a Christmas dinner to make anyone jealous, (nicely done Mom!) the 4 of us spent the night watching my gift from Kyle, the Planet Earth DVD box set (click on the link to watch the trailer). If you haven't seen it, fix that and check it out. It's breathtaking and very educational. The 4 of us were hooked and stayed up later than we should of. On the 27th the fam and I went out for the 'last supper,' as I would be spending the rest of my break in Seattle with friends. We dined at our favorite Greek Restaurant in Steveston and talked about my future i.e. getting a job after the season is over in Finland. Anyone want to hire me? I can start April 1st...

With my short time in Seattle, I wanted to get the most out of it and did just that, seeing almost everyone I had planned to. Dessert with the McDonalds, grabbing drinks at the Kangaroo & Kiwi with Jason, singing in the car and talking about guys with Kara, shopping, eating Mexican, catching a movie and running Greenlake with Amy, beers with Bryce, working out with Lindsey, coffee with Tori, enjoying the sun with Ado, going to a UW men's game with Jill, watching the Seahawks game while eating homemade fried chicken and waffles with the guys in the Winona house and enjoying the company of Keeler, Kayla, Amy and Ado at the Ram. Courtney and I never found time to connect since she's pretty much a celeb in the state of WA, however, we made up for it on the phone - with my 'pay as you go' running out...twice! It was great to see everyone but it started to make me sad as I had to leave them all soon...

I spent New Years Eve at a Black & White themed party our two friends threw at their apartment on Queen Anne (nicely done Eric and Andrew!) I don't think anyone had a better view of the Space Needle than us. It was awesome. With a perfect view of the fireworks and great company, you couldn't ask for a better way to ring in 2008. After bringing in the New Year with style and celebrating a bit more it was back to Kara's place to catch some shuteye. Up at 9 am and on the road back to Vancouver by 9:30, I had to get home so I could catch my 4:30 pm flight out of Vancouver to Finland. As I said goodbye to my parents and stepped on the plane, I smiled and thought "There's no place like home."


Click play on the video above to see the view of the Space Needle from Andrew's deck.

If you would like to see more pictures of my time at home, click here.

-BW