Published: May 18, 2007
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam
Hello Everyone,
Today is Friday, May 18, 2007 and it is our ninth day in
Vietnam. I woke up at 8:30 a.m. this morning and then my
roomy Toya [Blunt] and I went to eat breakfast in our pajamas. It
was great. Just so you know that is the latest I’ve woken up since
we’ve been here.
It was a big day for our team because we were going to play
Japan in the semifinals at 6 p.m. On big days like these I need to
get my rest; therefore I slept, woke up for lunch and took baby
naps throughout the rest of the day. Toya and some of my
other teammates took advantage of the free time to go shopping and
buy souvenirs for their friends. I wish I could have gone on
the adventure with the girls.
At 4:30 p.m., Toya, Coach Jo-Jo [Persico-Smith], Coach Mario
[Treibit], Coach Li [Chen] and I piled into the elevator to meet
the rest of the team in the lobby. When I exited the elevator,
everyone was waiting and getting pumped up on their iPods. Usually
I only see Dana [DeMayo] dancing while she listens to her iPod, but
today I saw couple others who were zoned into their music as
well. Then I put on my iPod and listened to my “Vietnam Baby”
playlist.
When we got to the gym, the stands were filled and it was very
loud. We watched the end of the first game between the national
team of Vietnam and Kazakhstan. Before I knew it we were warming up
for our big game. I was really excited and nervous to play Japan
because I knew it would be a tough match. Six-o-clock finally came,
the crowd started cheering, we made sure we did our prayer before
the game and then it was time to take the court. We started off
strong, taking the first game from Japan and then we won the second
and third to give us a 3-0 win. The third game was the closest and
hardest game because Japan was not ready to give up. But our
blocking was great today and it made defense a lot easier for
me. Good job guys!
After the game, we signed autographs and even took a couple
pictures with some Vietnamese fans. Tonight for dinner, we ate with
the Kazakhstan team. Valeria [Kovaleva] was our translator
for the night. We ate pizza, French fries and Vietnamese food. It
was nice to eat with the Kazakhstan team because it gave us another
chance to interact with the players and coaches. Plus, at most of
our meals it is just us sitting together. So it was nice to have
some new faces at the dinner table.
Tomorrow will be another big day for us. We will be playing in
the championship match against the national team of Vietnam. My
roommate is passed out next to me so I think I’m going to join her.
Good night!
Oh, wait! One more thing, I would just like to say that I love
this trip! It is so much fun. I love who I am with and
meeting new people. This has been such a great experience for me.
Not only playing volleyball at another level but also learning
about Vietnam and its culture.
Last thing, Mom, this is your E-mail for tonight, alright? No
worries, I am in good hands. I love you and I will be seeing you
soon!
Lena Yee #7