Exploring Berlin, Nikki Is Back, and Home Opener - Blog #38 (Sep. 29 - Oct. 5)

Basketball Update:

We had our first game of the season on Friday. It was a much-anticipated matchup at home against Wałbrzych. They are known for having very passionate fans, and it was our home opener. The atmosphere was electric. There were about 5k fans there. It was an awesome crowd. We definitely showed some first-game jitters, myself included, and had some uncharacteristic turnovers and stupid plays. It was a back-and-forth game with both teams having controlled the game for certain stretches. I got in a little foul trouble in the first half. I played more in the second half, and it came down to the wire. We were down two with like 10 seconds left, and our big man, Phil Fayne, nailed two clutch FTs to tie it up. They missed their shot at the buzzer, and we went to OT. Then, we couldn't get a stop and had some crucial turnovers that resulted in a loss, 79-86. Definitely a lot to build on and get better at. We don't play until Monday, so a lot of practice time to get better.

Leadership Lesson:

My favorite movie of all time is Good Will Hunting for a ton of reasons. I am surprised I haven't talked about it yet, because I think there are an abundance of classic life lessons in this movie. One of my favorite scenes is when Robin Williams' character, Sean, is talking to Matt Damon's character, Will, in the park. In a previous scene, Will really got under Sean's skin by talking about his deceased wife. Sean pushed him against the wall and threatened him. The current scene takes place the next time the two see each other. Not to recount the whole movie, but Will is an insanely intelligent and well-read person whom Sean is counseling to reach his potential. Sean has an amazing monologue to Will. He tells him that he's just a kid who doesn't really know anything. He says that Will may have read all there is to know about art, love, and war. However, he has never been out of Boston and experienced those things or let himself be vulnerable enough to experience them. He has read books about all these topics but does not really know them due to lack of experience.

I was thinking about this scene while I was in Berlin walking around Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall. Now, I have not experienced war, but my takeaway from this scene was the realization of how lucky I am to be in a new, exciting place doing what I love. I get to do what I love while also experiencing things that have defined us as humans in our history. Sean's message is an important one because learning about something is one thing, but having experienced something is completely different. I am happy to experience different parts of Europe and to do a lot of it with Nikki. It may not be as much of a leadership lesson as it is a life lesson, but some things you can only truly understand by experiencing them. Here is the monologue which is a must-watch.

Top 5 of the Week:

Places I Want to Visit

1. Croatia - This has become a very popular vacation destination in last last few years and for good reason. Split and Dubrovnik look amazing, and I would love to do the Game of Thrones tour in Dubrovnik. High on my bucket list for sure.

2. Portugal - Nikki and one of my teammates who played there have really hyped it up. Unreal looking coastal towns in a tropical climate. Definitely want to go there at some point while I am in Europe.

3. Banff, Canada - Some of the dreamiest views based on pictures and videos I have seen. Amazing hiking with cool mountains, lakes, and wildlife. Definitely will go at some point.

4. Spain - This is lower on the list than it used to be because it has become so overrun with tourists that the people of Barcelona will spray you with waterguns. Still definitely want to go and maybe catch a footy match.

5. Hawaii - An amazing combo of beaches, mountains, and good vibes. I definitely want to visit and get my hula on.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

We had an amazing team dinner on Wednesday at il Vicolo which was the same place Nikki and I had gone a few weeks back. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. They brought out some great appetizers. Then, we had mac & cheese, salmon, chicken, beef cheek, and an outstanding lava cake for dessert. It was a fun team bonding dinner before our first game.

Nikki was scheduled to fly into Berlin at 8:30 am on Saturday morning. We made plans to stay the night there on Saturday before going back to ZG on Sunday. It is just two hours away. Some poor guy on her flight had a seizure, so the flight had an emergency landing in Hamburg. Then, her flight to Berlin got cancelled, and she had to bus four hours to Berlin. It left me with half the day to explore Berlin solo. I went to check out a bunch of the Berlin staples on the west side of the city like Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate. I was pretty hungry when I was at Checkpoint Charlie which has huge significance in American history. Then, I saw those golden arches and knew I had to have McDonald's. It was probably the most American thing I have ever done. McChicken and fries overlooking Checkpoint Charlie was an awesome experience. I also got a ticket to the German Espionage Museum. It had some cool history about spies during WW2 and the Cold War. It was a bit more tailored toward kids with interactive exhibits and lots of props from history to look at. My favorite exhibit that I tried was a booby trapped room with lasers like you see in the movies. It was a fun time!

Nikki got in around four, and we checked into our hotel. We went to check out the biggest part remaining of the Berlin Wall in East Berlin at the East Berlin Gallery. It was an awesome area, and the standing wall has been turned into murals. There was a rainbow, and it was right alongside the river that runs through the city. It was very cool. We had dinner reservations at a Korean BBQ restaurant in Kreuzberg which is a neighborhood in Berlin. Neither of us had experienced that style of restaurant where you have to cook the food yourself. My compliments to the chef because it was an outstanding meal. We got sirloin steak strips and pork as well. We also got kimchi and some fried chicken wings. During our dinner, some hooligans outside were lighting off fireworks that were very loud and some were even hitting the window of our restaurant. Some police came out with riot shields, and we did not hear any more commotion the rest of the night. It was a great dinner, and we got this apple pie/crème brûlée dessert on our walk back to the hotel.

Sunday, we did a ton of sightseeing. I took Nikki to Checkpoint Charlie, and then we hit a bunch of other touristy spots. We walked through the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial for the Mudered Jews of WW2, and Museum Island. The Berlin Cathedral is one of the biggest, most beautiful churches I have seen. The TV tower was cool, and there are a bunch of other buildings with museums in them that are gorgeous. Berlin obviously was severely impacted by WW2 and the bombing the city suffered. Museum Island has a lot of awesome buildings like I mentioned, but I can't imagine what the rest of the city looked like before the world wars. Berlin is unique because it kind of has three city centers. One from West Berlin, one from East Berlin, and another for current Berlin. It is an awesome city, and I will definitely be back at some point. We drove home after an awesome lunch at House of Small Wonder. It was an awesome restaurant with a Japanese influence that makes a lot of their dishes interesting. Nikki had avocado toast, and I had an eggs with biscuits dish. Both unreal and would totally recommend to someone going to Berlin. Finally, we made our way home in time for me to go to practice. Awesome Berlin weekend with Nikki!

Top Meal of the Week:

I had a ton of good food this week, but the il Viccolo team dinner we had was outstanding. If you come visit me in ZG, you have to go there. I'll put some pictures below.

European Cultural Difference:

The influence of the wars and related events that happened in the 1900s (WW1, WW2, and the Cold War) is huge. In America, we think of these events differently. For me, it wasn't something I thought about frequently before being here. Being in the places where Anne Frank lived, where World War II began, or where the Berlin Wall once stood feels completely surreal. In America, all of these things happened so far away and almost seem like stories that were told through school, movies, documentaries, etc., versus having actually lived through them. Thanks for reading!