Playoff Finals!

Here is where I will be posting the outcomes, scores, and recaps of each match. Our first one starts Wednesday (March 30) and then alternates between Wednesday/Saturday until a team is declared the winner. Keep checking back for up-to-date information about the last few weeks of my season! For anyone that doesn't know, we have to win 3 matches and we play our in-town rivals Luka Bar...

Match 1: Wednesday, March 30
Outcome: WIN!!!
Games/Scores: 4 games: 19-25, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-21ish?
Recap: I'm so glad we won this first one!! We didn't play the best in the first set (as reflected by the score), but then we picked it up. Two more!!

Match 2: Saturday, April 2
Outcome: L...bummer
Games/Scores: 19-25, 18-25, 25-something, 25-something, 15-17
Recap: We were SO close, how annoying. We lost the first two sets, but then came out on fire in the 3rd and created a huge lead. I think we won like 25-teens. In the 5th set we made a hole for ourselves (HUGE...10-14), but we were able to get out of it and tie the score at 15-15. Unfortunately we lost. Bummer. We play tuesday and now we have to win two more matches...

Match 3: Tuesday, April 5
Outcome: We win again!!
Games/Scores: 25-23, 15-25, 25-23, 23-25, and then finally 15-5
Recap: yikes, we pulled it out. Another tough match (especially in the third set) and we had a really disappointing loss in the 4th set ...we were up 18-11 and then ended up losing. I thought that game would kill our momentum for the fifth set, but we started out really strong, and had something like a 8-1 lead and they missed almost every serve. Hopefully we only need one more and then we will be champs!

Match 4 (if needed): Saturday, April 9
Outcome:
Games/Scores:
Recap:

and finally....
Match 5 (if needed): Wednesday, April 13
Outcome:
Games/Scores:
Recap:

Here goes nothing!

Haj Nehaj (and the lack thereof)

Lauren and I were growing a little restless again, and she has been eyeing this mountain called Haj Nehaj for some time now. Every time we get out of Bar, whether it be by car, bus, or train we see this mountain, so it had become an obsession to climb to the top. Me, not so much. I was only slightly interested, but it made for another adventure so I agreed.

When we were approaching it, it looked pretty high. It was definitely a HIKE, instead of a climb. Kotor made nice pedestrian-friendly stairs...but Haj Nehaj was nothing like that. It was a path of windy, brush-covered dirt, which was only wide enough for one of us to go at a time. Lauren was the designated "line leader" because a) she was excited about it and b) she isn't afraid of heights. We were doing really well climbing the platforms. (The way it worked was that there were stone ledges that designated another "level" and there was a path from level to level) We were about a quarter of the way up with IT happened. 
The video will explain in detail, but pretty much the events went like this:

1. we climb
2. i almost step on HUGE dead hedgehog
3. this cues my scream
4. my scream cues Lauren's scream
5. Lauren's scream cues a billy goat (we think?) to get scared and rattle the bushes
6. his fear cues our fear
7. we run back down

Unfortunately Haj Nehaj isn't a conquered sight in Montenegro, but we made up for it by climbing a slightly less intimidating mountain with a monastery at the top. This mountain was more wooded and definitely didn't have billy goats (scary!). We spent some time up there and then caught the bus back to Bar. All in all, it was a pretty fun day even though we stared into the eyes of death (ok, not really...but we felt like it at the time!!)

enjoy the video!

Update

• Last night we played Buducnost, a team from Podgorica for the first round of championship semifinals. Even though it was a nail-biter, we beat them in 5 sets! It was nice to have a successful 5 set match when just a few nights ago we had a heartbreaking loss in the Cup finals, which was also 5 sets. Our next step from here is to beat Buducnost in one more match before guaranteeing our spot in the finals. We play Wednesday, and if we lose that we play a deciding match this coming Saturday. 
• Lauren and I are amping up for our trip! We are planning on going when our season is over in April. Time is going by SO fast, it's crazy. 
• In the meantime, we are trying to get out and see the last things on our Montenegro bucket list. We still need to see Monastery Ostrog, Budva, Sveti Stefan, and Dubrovnik (not in Montenegro, but close enough). Hopefully we get there soon, but we've been a bit restricted by the weather lately.
• Lent has started. That doesn't mean much for a non-catholic, but Lauren gave up eating becka snicla and sweet bars (trust me, she ate both of these on a more-than-regular basis). I gave up eurocrem. It doesn't have any significance other than it's a small step to eating healthier. 
• We also started going to yoga again. Verica is VERY happy to see us and always calls us "her sweet girls". She's awesome. 
• Lauren and I found our own private beach (who knows if other people go there or not), that we now call Ratatata because it is located next to the monastery called Ratac. We had a picnic and laid out in the barely-warm-enough weather for a while until the tide came up and drenched our clothes. We're definitely going back when we have a day with good weather and late practice. 
• My parents come in 45 days!!! I've been slaving over planning every detail (the true Brosky style) and I think I finally have a good grasp on things. I know that we will DIE of exhaustion in Paris, Rome and potentially Montenegro, and we will take the time to recharge in Slovenia and Amsterdam. 
• I WANT MEXICAN FOOD SO BADLY! Now that time time is getting closer to when I am coming home to America, I am craving the weirdest things. Mexican food and sandwiches are at the top of this list (my first meal home will be Panera down the street from the airport) but also sneaking their way into my mind are: Chicken in a Biscuit Crackers (weird), Nutty Bars (reminding me of my childhood), Chex Mix, and mountains of avocados (you can get them here, but they aren't the same, I swear!) 

dan žena

Today as we were walking to Palma, there were tons of street vendors selling flowers. Some had neat little rows of potted plants, but most just had buckets with single flowers, either red roses or carnations. When I asked Maja why this was happening, she said "You know. It is for 8 of March. Holiday for woman." I then told her I had no idea what she was talking about, and Lauren and I looked at each other equally confused. Then she said "You know. This is in all world. For woman because for maybe 200 year very many have how you say riot and now for all woman you have holiday. You buy flower for your mom and now because I woman, man can buy for me." Ummm, what?! We definitely don't celebrate this in America, and if we do, it's much different than here in Europe.

I came home to figure it out and indeed, we also have this holiday... International Woman's Day. Turns out we just celebrate it a little differently. Our holiday goes a little more unnoticed, but here it is a big tradition to wake up and buy flowers for your mother, grandmother, daughter, and any other important women in your life. The holiday started when women protested for equality, and is annually celebrated with different themes. For a video that explains this well, click this link! (then just press play). Also, for a much cheesier youtube video, here ya go: 

Happy International Women's Day, everyone!!


Update!!:
When we got to practice Luka wished us all a Happy Women's Day and in my head I sarcastically said "oh, why didn't you buy us all flowers?? haha" ...but low and behold. Rajko the knight in shining armor comes in with a flower for each of us. Such a precious moment to add to my Montenegro memories.

(I guess I should also mention that I'm becoming a bit nostalgic because I am leaving so soon. At the very most I only have about a month left of playing here and then my parents come to whisk me away. I'm starting to realize how much I really have grown and adapted to the way of life, the language, and the people here)

Ult-seen-yeh

Ok, so that isn't the real spelling of the town, but it's the english pronunciation guide to where Lauren and I went today. Unlike the other trips we've been on, this one was south of Bar by about 30 minutes. We researched this town and we knew it wasn't going to be a particularly action-packed destination, but it is somewhere easily accessible and somewhere new to see. Luckily, a bus was leaving at 12:08 so we didn't need to wake up early.

On the way to the bus station, we had quite the walk. As we were walking two lovely events occurred: Layne's run-in adventures with the locals. The first was a little strange...a younger boy was walking toward us. He was maybe my age give or take a year or so and had his hands in his pockets, automatically making his elbows stick out a little bit. Mine were in the same position, but there was still lots of room to comfortably pass each other without touching. Did it work out this way? Of course not! He gives me a hockey check, throwing his shoulder into mine and brushing my elbow and says "F... off!", walks a few steps, and proceeds to give a little cackle. GREAT! This just always seems to be my luck (especially if we recall my encounter with a man in Venice pretending to shoot at my head). He said this in a perfect British accent which is conveniently what they learn in school. My conclusion is that he overheard our english conversation and wanted to join in. How thoughtful of him!

Next, we get to the station and we see my favorite person in all of Bar: a little gypsy boy. I guess you'll need some further explanation of my previous exchanges with this boy:

1. On my birthday, when Lauren and I went to get burek this boy incessantly pestered us because we chose to sit outside. The burek man came out of his shop to tell him to go away, but he ended up coming back to beg one more time. Eventually he was shooed away by an older man who saw the whole thing unfold
2. Next, (a few days after "the birthday incident") we were walking to Sandra's house when we instantly recognized him from a little ways away. He was heading toward us and Lauren confirmed it was the same gypsy boy. perfect. She said "maybe he won't recognize us?" but sure enough, just as easily as we had recognized him he showed his affection. When I say affection, I really mean to say "he walked toward us and as he passed me he screamed and pretended to punch me". What is it with me and this negative attention?! 

Now moving on... upon arrival at the bus station we saw this same boy and obviously recognize him. He comes up to us (he really IS cute) and says "daj mi five cent". First of all, I laugh because OF COURSE I would run into this boy again, and secondly, he is saying "give me" in serbian and "five cent" in english. Clearly he has rehearsed this. He persists until I say "hmmmm, ok how about 10 cent?" He seemed to be very happy with this contribution to the who-knows-what fund and scurried away. I swear next time I see this boy I am snapping a picture with him!! 

Phew...at this point in the post we're only at the bus station?! Yikes! 

We arrived in Ulcinj and realized we had done far less research on this city than on any of the previous places we've gone. Luckily, there was a place right across from the bus station that said Tourist Information. We headed in just to see if we could get a few suggestions for the "must-see"s and maybe the most efficient way to see things. Good thing we did! This man was very, VERY excited to see two Americans. He talked to us for about 15 minutes inside his little office and then at the end said "may I interest you in a coffee in my cafe next door?" I thought this was a ploy for us to pay for his helpful services and gladly accepted. What I didn't know is that he wanted to continue our relationship. He sat with us and we talked about everything from Al Gore to Oklahoma, sprinkled with some useful facts about acquiring husbands and his son's future anti-mob efforts. Sounds a little weird, but it really was entertaining and he was genuinely excited that we were in Montenegro. He also said that when he saw us coming from the bus station he thought I was a local and that Lauren was from Germany. Pretty funny and FINALLY I've been mistaken for a Montenegrin!

jakup!

This man was part lawyer, part cafe owner, part hotel renter, but 100% American enthusiast. We told him that we blog and took a picture with him. He was very excited! We told him to just keep sitting in his chair and we would gather around him and he said "Just like a king!" ohhh Jakup, you're awesome! We spent quite a while in there before telling him we regrettably had to leave and start our sightseeing. He gave us his business card and told us that his son could be our escort to Albania if we were interested. We'll keep that in mind sir! 

After we left there, we took his advice as to which direction to head. Eventually we got to a fork in the road and the only people around were two boys about 9 years old. They knew great english and told us where to go. Gotta love english as a second language in all Montenegrin schools! We eventually reached the Old Town which was on a bit of a hill overlooking the beach and (obviously) the sea. It was partly inhabited, partly commercialized, and partly rubble. Nothing extremely special, but some pretty good views.

After we left there, we quickly realized we had seen most of what we wanted to see. (I told you there wasn't much in this city) The most famous thing it is known for is that it has the longest sandy beach on the Adriatic. It is 13 kilometers -- thats over 8 miles!! -- and in the summer part of it is a famous nudie beach. Considering the weather, we couldn't really enjoy it so instead we just went to the smaller beach that was by the Old Town.

I took my shoes off and we walked around in the sand for a little while and took a few cool pictures of the surrounding areas and then headed for lunch. Ulcinj (because of its heavy Muslim influence) is known for a dish called cevapi. I've blogged about it before, but they're little sausages that you sometimes eat with a pita-like bread. Lauren really liked it when we ate it in Sarajevo, so we went to eat it again. The restaurant was nothing special, but it was a good meal. Then we just headed back to the bus station and came home to Bar. It was an extremely short trip, but I already anticipated this so I wasn't disappointed. We had a good time and can check it off the list of places in Montenegro that have been photographically documented.

Where do we go from here?!

Tonight we finished our regular season. So now what? Well, we have simultaneously been playing in two different tournaments: League and Cup.

League matches have been since the beginning of the season. We played every team three times (3 rounds) and scored points according to how we did. Three points for beating a team 3-0 or 3-1 and either one point or two depending on if you won or lost a 5 set match. Going into the third round we were leading the league by one point. Throughout the last round, we didn't collect as many points as we should have so we are seeded third going into playoffs.

For playoffs, which start in two weeks, only the top 4 teams are participating. That means there is really only the semi-finals and the finals. The semi-final games are the best of three matches, and the finals are the best of 5 matches. It's unfortunate that you have to beat a team in three separate matches, but on the flip side it really proves who is the better team.

Now to explain Cup: for the league matches, there is a first and second league. In the cup these two combine and play in a single-elimination bracket just for bragging rights and (you could have guessed by the name...) a cup-like trophy. We are down to 4 teams playing for the title, and both of those matches take place this coming up weekend on back-to-back days (Saturday and Sunday). Once that is over, we only focus on the League playoffs because Cup will be completely finished.

Make sense?!

For the semi-finals of Cup, we play Rudar, a team from Pljevlja who we are currently 3-0 with. For the semi-finals of League we play Buducnost, who we are currently 1-2 with. Things are heating up!!

Kolaci

The title of this post is the serbian word for cakes. But not cake cakes, more like cookies or sweet breads... Lauren and I have been a little bored around Bar the last few days so we were determined to either go somewhere or make something, and the weather only permitted us to do the latter. We opted for some almond cookies.

The quest for the ingredients was pretty fun. We went to a "health food"store which has some specialty items, and we needed some almond extract. This store is known for herbal remedies, raw nuts, cake-baking supplies, grains etc. so we thought this was a great place to start. The lady did not know any english so we floundered with our serbian and the best thing we could come up with was ulje od badem, which translates to almond oil. Close enough, right? She totally understood us and began to explain in Serbian that we could only get this at an apoteka (pharmacy) and told us one that she knew for sure had it.

A little confused, we headed to the pharmacy and when we walked in it was obvious that this was like a Walgreens. Baby things, razors, nail polish with some other cosmetic things, and then a counter that could fill prescriptions as well as give out some multi-vitamins and other various things. Perfect! Our cashier lady knew english so we asked her for the same thing...oil of almonds. She brought it to us in a little bottle and told us how to use it. We (being the silly americans) only asked one question: "Can we eat it?!" She laughed and said no this was only for skin and for other superficial beauty needs. AWW MAN!! I think it was more like almond butter/beauty product made from almonds. Sadly we walked away without the bottle of oil and had to bake the recipe without.

After we were finished we went to Palma and gave the lady who serves us every day some cookies to share with her family and other people from the restaurant. She was a little confused when we gave them to her because she didn't realize they were for her. She pointed to her stomach and said "oh my, I don't need these, but thank you!" and then laughed a little. We went back today and had lunch with Nikola (which warrants its own post, but I don't have the blogging energy or willpower to rehash that one) and she told him that we made very good cakes. Mission accomplished!

Bed bugs!

Watched some pretty educational videos today on youtube, and thought I would share a relevant one for traveling. It is about the mating practices of bed bugs. I already thought these bugs were creepy and disgusting enough, but now that I have insight...they're even more disgusting. Enjoy!!!