Solo Travel to Berlin and Massive Road W in Słupsk - Blog #44 (Nov. 27 - Dec. 7, '25)

Basketball Update:

We had a big matchup this week (I know I say this a lot, but this one really was, I promise) on the road at Słupsk (pronounced Swoopsk). They were one game ahead of us in the standings, and their gym is notoriously difficult to play in. Their fans are probably the best in the league, besides ours, of course, and the gym itself is very weird. One side is wooden with red seats that go all the way to the roof, and the other side only has about ten rows worth of stands, and they are blue & yellow. The rims are stiff and make an obnoxiously loud sound when you hit them. It also smells like a pool in the arena.

We got a new player, Chavaughn, who was unable to play because he was still waiting on some clearance from his team in Mexico he was playing for earlier this year. We came out and set the tone from the first quarter. We were in attack mode, shared the ball, played great team defense, and controlled the game throughout. We won by 30+ and had a bunch of guys in double figures. I have been able to learn several Polish phrases since being here, and the one I have heard the most, aside from hello, goodbye, and thank you, is probably kurwa mać. It translates to the F-word, and the Słupsk crowd started chanting it at their players for several minutes of the fourth quarter. Huge win for us. We moved up a few spots in the standings and need to keep things rolling. Ostrow on Saturday.

Leadership Lesson:

I have been able to observe some great leadership from one of my teammates, Andy Mazurczak. One of the ways he leads is simply by going about his business the right way. He comes to the gym early, leaves late, and has really rubbed off on me in a positive way. His prepractice routine is something I have particularly noticed. He does the same thing every day before practice no matter what. I had a routine last year that consisted of a few exercises for my back but watching him has made me adapt a longer prepractice routine of my own. Now, I spend about 30 minutes prepping my body before practice which brings a level of consistency to my performance every day. I also do the same routine before games. Andy's actions, without even knowing it, have been a great source of leadership in that he inspired me to prepare better. Having a routine is very important in my opinion and so is leading by action.

Top 5 of the Week:

Road Trip Snacks

1. Cheesy Chex Mix - The goat snack for roadtrips. Kind of messy but just so delicious.

2. Dot's Pretzels - Seasoned pretzels that are truly amazing. Newer to the snack game but will be a staple for years to come.

3. Combos - My mom's favorite snack on roadtrips and for good reason. A pretzel wrapped around cheese. Delicious.

4. Sunflower Seeds - Super hot take here because sunflower seeds are normally an outdoor snack. I do not mind swallowing the shells. I know it is weird, but totally doesn't bother me.

5. Corn Nuts - Purely on this list for longevity's sake. Not the best tasting, but they last forever,

   it feels.

What Else Did I Do This Week?

I was solo for Thanksgiving, but we had two practices, so I was able to stay plenty busy. I made some amazing honey garlic chicken wings and bacon mac & cheese. I got to watch the Packers game too, and we got an important win. Over the weekend, we had Sunday off, and I decided to solo-travel to Berlin. There are tons of good Christmas markets in Berlin this time of year. I also wanted to check out a couple of museums. Another reason I went to Berlin was to practice my German. I recently applied for German citizenship because I am eligible. It will help me a lot with my basketball future and will be a great thing to have in general. I figured that if I am going to be a citizen, then I should speak the language. I have been using several apps to learn over the last month and am slowly making some progress. I took the train from ZG which was roughly two hours there on Sunday morning and started exploring the city. My teammate, Andy, strongly recommended this kebab place, so that was my first stop. I wanted to use some German on my way there, so I went to a cafe to order some coffee. I ordered a latte in German, and the cashier responded, "Large or small?" I am not sure if I didn't have a good enough accent or the guy didn't speak German, but oh well. Berlin is an extremely international city with probably more English speakers than German ones. I didn't take it too personally. I was able to use a little bit the rest of the day which was exciting.

On my way to the Kebab place, I walked through a display area with remnants of the Berlin Wall. There were also several exhibits and plaques that told the stories of families, couples, and friends who were separated by the wall. It was great to read some of the stories and see pieces of the historical site. The kebab place was outstanding. I made my way to Museum Island and walked around a couple of the Christmas markets that were in the area. There were one or two markets that were not very impressive, but a couple that were great. I got a brat, a candy apple, chocolate, and a hot chocolate as well. It definitely helped me get in the Christmas mood.

I checked out the Topography of Terror which is a free museum in the old Gestapo office building that basically walks you through the war and details the atrocities done during WW2 and details some of the Nazi leadership as well. It is a very long museum, and I honestly did not have time to read everything, but there was a bunch of great information and pictures. I also liked how they had a section at the end that discussed how several different countries in Europe were involved in and affected by WW2. That was interesting to read about.

My last stop was at the Bunker Museum which is a recreation of the Nazi bunkers in Berlin that existed a kilometer or so away from this current museum. The real bunkers were blown up and destroyed so as not to potentially be made into some kind of Hitler shrine. The museum was great, though. It went into great detail about Hitler's back story and provided a good timeline of the war. There were some cool artifacts, and it gave some great insights into the rise and fall of the Nazis. I really enjoyed it. Then, I headed back to finally catch my train back home for the day. Nice solo travel day.

The hotel we stayed in for our game in Słupsk was right on the Baltic Sea. Here are just a couple of pics I took of their beach area there. I did touch the water, and it was freezing.

On my off day this most recent Sunday, I just went into the city center of ZG to get a croissant and some coffee. I actually ran into one of my teammates, Woro (pronounced Voro), and his girlfriend, Alicia. We were excited to recap the game from the night before. We had some nice conversations, and I was happy they let me third wheel for a bit. After, I went to another cafe to read and have some tea. There, I ran into my other teammate, Conley, and his nine-month pregnant wife, Maggie. Any day now!

Top Meal of the Week:

My Berlin Döner was definitely my favorite meal of this week. I had to walk like 45 minutes to get there and 30 minutes back into the city after, but it was well worth it.

Cultural Difference In Poland:

The difference in sports interests in Europe is so interesting to me. This is especially the case in Poland. The most popular sports here are volleyball, basketball, soccer, and the racetrack sport I showed you all in the fall that they love here. Why? In the US, we obviously love football, basketball, and baseball the most. I consider myself pretty lucky that basketball has become such a global game with leagues in every major country in the world. What other sport can say that besides soccer? Anyways, it is puzzling to me that as Americans, we love football so much, yet no other country really cares about it. Poland has nothing like it. It makes me wonder if it is pure luck that determines which niche sports are the most popular in a given country. Whatever sport your country has been playing the longest, perhaps, is the most popular? I really have no idea, but it is a thought I had while talking with some of my teammates. I am trying to convert them to Packer fans by giving them weekly score updates, but a Super Bowl win would surely make them cheeseheads. Thanks for reading!