Quick Trip Back to Amsterdam, Chavaughn's Debut, and Home Win Vs. Ostrow - Blog #45 (Dec. 8 - 15 '25)

Basketball Update:

This week started a big stretch of home games for us, and it was also our first game with our new player, Chavaughn Lewis. We added him a week or so ago, and he is a much needed addition for our squad. Ostrow is below us in the standings, but they had just beaten our next opponent, Anwil, who has the top budget in the league by twenty at their place. I played really well in the first half, but I ended up fouling out on a BS call with nine minutes left in the game in the fourth quarter. I really need to be smarter with my fouls seeing as it has probably been my biggest potential growth area this season as silly as it sounds. We were in control of the game for most of it. They played a 1-3-1 zone that messed with us a little bit in the fourth quarter. They cut our lead down to ten or so, but we played plenty well enough to stave them off and win, 98 - 84. We had a nice crowd, so it was fun to win in front of our fans. Chavaughn also played really well and gave us a nice spark. We do not play now until Monday, so Coach gave us two days off!

Leadership Lesson:

This may seem obvious to many, but I think it is so important not to burn bridges. Even if a relationship goes sour, there is no point in holding a grudge and leaving things on a bad note after something does not go your way. An example of this is with my team in Leiden. I wanted to return to Leiden, and things did not work out. I honestly feel like I got jipped by them, but I still look fondly on my basketball experience there. My old coach texted me, and I gave him a friendly response. I have kept in touch with a bunch of my old teammates. You never know when your path with someone may cross, and the last thing you want is for them to have a sour taste in their mouth from how you left things.

It may not be as satisfying in the moment to resist telling someone off and simply wishing someone the best and saying we should keep in touch. The fact is that it cannot possibly benefit you in any way to burn a bridge and hold a grudge. This can hold true if you leave a place of work or get fired. Your gut reaction will probably be anger and aggression. However, it is not good for your own mentals to react as such, nor is it good for any future interactions you may have with the people involved.

Top 5 of the Week:

Favorite Card Games

1. Uno - The GOAT card game. So much fun and gets crazy competitive.

2. Up and Down the River/Spades - I learned this with the Pink fam a couple of years ago, and it is a great one. Lots of fun banter and simple enough that it is easy to understand.

3. Cribbage - My family's favorite but I would need a refresher on the rules before playing. A lot of fun though and a Wisconsin classic.

4. Exploding Kittens - An Uno-type game with a bunch of additional wrinkles and features. A great game.

5. Solitaire - Maybe the simplest card game, but a great one. I used to play this all the time on my phone. Great, satisfying game.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

Because our next game is not until Monday, we have nine days between games. Because we won, coach decided to give us two days off like I mentioned. I knew it was probable, but I think it was only the case because we won. I had to wait to book my flight until I got home after the game. The only good option that was reasonably priced was a flight that left at 6:10 am. So I woke up at 3:30 to leave for the Poznan airport. I had a stop in Frankfurt before going to Amsterdam. I was a bit nervous because I do not have proper documentation yet from the team. I got an alert saying that the Netherlands was currently enforcing its air border with Germany, so I was very anxious. My connecting flight from Frankfurt to Amsterdam was cancelled for no reason (still working on getting a refund), so I ended up just booking a train ticket from the airport that got me in at the same time I would have if I took the new flight that was booked for me. I think it was a blessing. The train took about four hours, and I got to Amsterdam around 1:30. Nikki and I walked around the city, grabbed some food, and checked out her new apartment. She has a great set up, and it was really nice to hang out before she went back to the States for Xmas (she's back now). We had a bomb dinner at Romio's. It is a Greek restaurant in De Pijp which is the neighborhood in which Nikki resides. Then, we hung out with Liberty and Seb and grabbed a couple drinks at a random bar. Liberty had just traveled to Vietnam, so it was fun to hear about her trip. It was also good to hang out with Seb because I had not seen them in a long time. Meeting Nikki's roommate, Natalie, was fun too! She is Hungarian, so we have that in common. We headed back to call it a night but not before grabbing a smash burger. Great night!

I walked Nikki to work the next morning and grabbed myself a coffee and croissant while watching Packer highlights... yikes. Not good. I packed up my stuff before meeting Nikki, Liberty, and Bobby for lunch at Joe & the Juice. It was nice catching up with Bobby because he is another guy whom I haven't seen in a while. My flight was at 7:10 pm, so I had some time to kill. I went to the Holocaust Museum in East Amsterdam. On my way, I stopped by a Holocaust memorial and an Auschwitz memorial because they were very close to the museum. All things I somehow did not see last year. The memorials were cool. The Holocaust memorial consists of bricks with the names of victims. It is really chilling to look at. It puts things in a new perspective when you see the individual bricks. You hear numbers which are hard to visualize, but the bricks helped me put things into perspective. I made an effort to find Anne (Annelies) Frank's brick because she is probably the only victim I know by name, and I was astounded at how many "Franks" were victims. I took a picture, and all of the names in the frame have the last name Frank. It is crazy.

The Holocaust museum was great. I would for sure recommend it over the Anne Frank house if you are visiting and want to learn about the Holocaust. The coolest part was at the end of the museum. They had a section that detailed different people's heroic and tragic stories during World War II. It also talked about different countries' involvement during the war. The best part, specifically, was an exhibit about the story of Pinchas Gutter. The exhibit has a microphone with a sign that says, "Press to ask a question." There was an image of him in a chair, looking like he was ready to answer a question. I thought it was an AI thing, so I asked him a couple of questions. The way he was answering seemed like he was a real person. Then, I read his exhibit quickly and started asking him questions about his time in Warsaw during the war and during the Warsaw uprising. Turns out, he was sitting off in a room somewhere answering questions in real time. I was the only person in the room, seeing as it was the middle of the afternoon on a Monday, but he was waiting to answer questions. Pretty awesome and a unique thing I have never seen before.

I met Nikki for a coffee before heading to the airport. Amsterdam is an awesome city. Maybe my favorite in Europe with so much to do. It was a nice 30 hours and worth the trip. Pretty sad saying goodbye to Nikki before the holidays, but I am happy Nikki will spend some time at home and get to see my family too!

Top Meal of the Week:

The meal Nikki and I had at Romio's was delicious. We got some great tzatziki, a shrimp appetizer, a Greek salad, and some lamb meatballs with orzo. It was a great spot and great vibes too! Highly recommend.

Cultural Difference in Poland:

Another driving observation, but I have realized that people here very, very rarely ever honk their horns here in Poland. In the Netherlands and other European countries, people honk when they get cut off or when another driver upsets them or to communicate something. In Poland, it is considered rude or overly aggressive to honk. People tend to flash their headlights way before creating unnecessary noise pollution. A weird thing about Poland, but it is a better driving experience, no doubt. Thanks for reading!!