Spain Camp!! The Favor of Love!

My journey continued on to Banyoles, Spain for week two of BasketAventure camp! Our camp site was el' Collell, a beautiful place up in the Pyraneese mountains! At night from our balcony, all you could see is stars...very peaceful and gorgeous! The basketball courts were outside, and after morning camp sessions we would go swimming and then have lunch. The day continued with many different activities until our next camp session in the evening...then dinner around 9pm. At night, the campers and coaches would get together and have another activitiy for the entire group to do together! These activities included a techno swim party, karoke, movie night and Disco Club night!

All the campers at this camp where older than the previous camp and always working hard and trying to succeed over and above and become the best player they could. They were very advanced and serious players with a goal of coming to the US to play one day! I formed bonds with just about every player at the camp. I always felt loved and appreciated by everyone..including the coaches. It was another amazing experience that I am so grateful God allowed me to to have! This opportunity allowed me to grow spiritually in Him and He also allowed me to fill my love tank up even more! It is truly amazing the things God can show you and help you through in your life, when you look to Him! I not only grew spiritually, but I grew tremendously as a coach and player! Coach wise, I have learned that it takes a lot of patience, especially when there is a language barrier and your team doesn't understand everything you say! haha And I learned how to quickly make decisions during a game or practice and communicate those decisions in how I believe is the easiest and most effective way. I have always respected my coaches, but I have an even greater respect for my coaches now and all they have to to do!!

I also have an even better understanding as a player..that rwhen you are chosen to play on a team...you are coming into a FAMILY, not just a team! Because of that, it doesn't matter where you came from, the color of your skin, your skill compared to others....THE MAIN THING is how you come together with your FAMILY! Because as a team, everyone must contribute in the best way for your FAMILY...not just for yourself! Like the saying goes, "There is NO "I" in the word "Team". So as a player, you must contribute in the best way you can for your team and not just go out and do and say whatever you want. It shouldn't matter where people come from, the race, or their skill because we are all the same in God's eyes and that's how we should look at others around us as well!

As I look into my life outside of basketball, I can remember all the rocky times and how I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through alive or if it was always going to be like this! When I was away working the summer camps, I could tell from the campers how they had faith in me and what I was teaching....and by the energy I had while  helping them improve their game. This helped me realize that when I was struggling with things in my life...and thought I had faith...I actually had little faith in God and in myself. Because I had little faith, it made it easier for negative things to attack me to the point where I would believe that I wasn't going to make it through this valley. However, when I saw the kids shoot the correct way that we had just worked on together...and they made it! Or If I changed up their defense to where they could steal the ball or keep their player from scoring...They would just come alive and be full of confidence and energy! I would see a HUGE smile form on their faces and then they would come and tell me they did what I told them to do! Then they would happily ask, "What do I do next?" :)

So, in the beginning, I thought teaching the camps would be a fun experience! I had no idea that it would not only be fun...but God alot planned to teach me! I learned about myself and important things God was wanting me to grasp about life, love and basketball!

Some of the staff came along from the Prades Camp..and some stayed behind to lead a second Prades camp.  The staff that came along were, of course, Guillaume..haha   And then Titu and myself.  Other staff I met during the Spain camp were Olivier, Alexis, Diana, Dalphine and Andrieux. Each incredible in their own way! Below is a very brief tribute to the qualities I admired most in each...

Coach Olivier- My French Tutor in Spain! haha  Let's just say I had a lesson..and then was quizzed! He is great at leading and overseeing the entire court and has the ability to quickly analyze if something isn't working and change it!

Coach Alexis-My Dance Partner! haha  He is a great coach that takes his job very seriously. He is committed to teaching everything he can to make the player get better each time they are on the court. Off the court he has a great sense of humor and enjoys giving everyone a hard time...in a funny way!

Coach Diana-My Helpmate! haha Diana not only helped me communicate and know what to do all week...she helped all the campers and coaches! From organizing different activities to doctoring injuries..she did it all while smiling and laughing!

Coach Andrieux-My Group Partner! We shared leadership of the same group all week! The nicest, sweetest man ever!! Although he can be quiet, he is sneaky..haha It is impossible to be around him without smiling!

Coach Dalphine-My Support! Very smart and caring woman that does a great job supporting the campers she coaches and everyone around her! Someone you know that you can always depend upon!

And continued from the Prades Camp:
Coach Titu-Determined to learn English the week in Spain, he was incredible at picking up the language and able to carry on conversations and understand them in English within days! He was amazing at being there everytime I needed him and as always...an incredible basketball player and coach!

Coach Guillaume-Feeling more comfortable now, I was able to learn so much more from Guillaume! He allowed me to be involved in all aspects of the organization and execution, which gave me an even greater understanding of things...and got me to the point where I felt like I could consistently contribute in useful ways! Whether on the court or behind the scenes!

As the camp came to an end...It was bittersweet! I was sad to go and leave this enviroment I had grown so much in, but so happy for the experience I had! As I arrived back home...and began to settle in, I already missed so many that were involved in BasketAventures! And then I got an invitation from Guillaume to join them in Orlando and coach the 11th grade boys European team in the AAU National Super Showcase! The Favor of Love...shown to me...Brittany! I instantly booked a flight and repacked...and was on the plane the next morning! An unexpected blessing...and the journey continues...

The Most Important Things In Life Need No Translation! Prades Camp 2011

It has taken me a while to update the blog since Camp began because things have been so busy! :). The Basket Aventures Camps, owned by Guilluame Planteau Du Maroussem, has been an incredible experience! The Prades camp, week one, was one of those moments you remember forever because of the closeness and love you felt from everyone involved! For me, it was the perfect combination of wonderful people that I will always remember! :). The camp was set in a beautiful, small town in the Pyrenees Mountains in South France! Here is a little of my experience and what I learned!

It was very overwhelming at first being completely immersed into the French language. Although Guillaume did everything possible, and more, to help me understand everything!  I still felt overwhelmed (and if there is a word that describes overwhelmed X 1000, then that would describe it better..haha) as I tried to listen to every word everyone was saying...hoping I would find one word that I could understand. The stress grew even more as I struggled to answer in French the questions I didn't even understand. Now, add on top of that the responsibility of trying to teach and coach basketball. It was a challenge to say the least! If you know me, and the stress I put on myself...haha...then you can understand better what I was going through. It seemed like any French I had learned did not compute to what I was hearing (my Texas accent probably contributed a lot to that!)

Words can't describe how amazing the Coaches and Players were to me at the Prades camp!! Each went OUT OF THEIR WAY to help me understand and learn to communicate better. Most even worked to learn some English to make things easier for me! I can't tell you how much the entire group meant to me! Despite the attempts I made to learn parts of the language before I got here, there is really no course that could teach the fluency of French...without being in the culture.  It is the most beautiful language I have heard and when they break it into English phrases it sounds almost like a poem. And yes, I will be taking French for my foreign language requirement this year! :)

About day two, I realized I wasn't going to be able to learn to communicate on the level I had hoped. Although I was working hard at camp, I felt lost and frustrated on how to teach others and how to learn and grow as a coach myself, when I couldn't even communicate! I realized I was going to have to find another way. God was gracious to provide others besides Guillaume that understood and spoke some English, like Coach Cedric, Coach Laurent, Coach Pierre and even a player on my team that had grown up in the US and could translate for me! Ironically, there was even a player from Houston who had come on a family vacation to France and wanted to do the camp!! I am so thankful for all of them! I began trying to find other ways to communicate...through demonstrating more,etc..

Along the way, through the kindness and patience of all the coaches and the smiles of players...I began connecting with people and realized that the important things in life don't have to be translated! We communicate more with a smile, hug, action, touch...than with any word. I learned that even though I didn't know the right words...I still could communicate. And even though I didn't understand, I could learn what was meant by watching. I know that probably sounds very simple, but it took me out of my shocked state! Haha

As camp went on, I continued to have one amazing experience after another! I became close with so many great people and learned so much about leadership from Guillaume! I coached an NBA (Older) team called "Team Houston"! They were an awesome group and we ended up winning the most games. :) Because of that, I was selected as an All Star Coach along with Coach Martin! In the All Star game, the team I coached won. 

We also went to a water park one day, the coaches played a Prades men team (they usually don't allow women to play..but did this time), had fun activities every night and on the last night we had a great media presentation of the week by Coach Pierre! The camp ended with awards and certificates signed by Orlando Magic (Guillaume is a partner with them and they are featured on the camp uniforms, certificates, and work at some camps). My week ended with a precious little boy who had been by my side all week, asking me to sign his shoe! On the toe, of course! I almost cried! 

The organization of basketball is different in Europe than in the US! Players do not get the opportunity to play for their Junior High, High School or College, unless the are fortunate enough to be invited to the US to play.  They play on what we know as a "select" type team and the best are ask to play for their National team! After that, there are several levels of Pro type teams for the Men, but very little for the Women. It really makes me realize how lucky I amto get to play the game I love so much!

I am still processing all I learned and the entire experience...I know when I get home and actually have time to think, even more will be learned. But I wanted to share briefly about some incredible people...

Guillaume-One of the most natural leaders I have ever seen at work! Always a smile, always calmly confident, ALWAYS working behind the scenes to make everything PERFECT for the campers!! He never lets the stress show through his emotions, voice or actions! Always professional to the core! He leads so perfectly that it didn't take long for me to realize I wanted to learn EVERYTHING I could from him! I tried to take in as much as I could, but he makes even the most complicated leadership tasks seem like nothing. It is truly a gift he has! The campers are always his top concern!! He wants each one to have the experience they came for and is committed to making that happen no matter what!! A true mentor to me that I hope to continue to learn from!

Coach Laurent-A great, strong man with a true coach's mind! He is very dedicated to the game he loves and committed to helping others excel at it! I joined him and some of the other coaches for early morning runs...and he instantly wanted to know how he could help me get my knee stronger and offered to do extra workouts with me. So kind and full of character. He played European Pro basketball until the age of 38. He loves the game and even has a special pair of Laker basketball shoes with the "pump" he pulls out for special one on one games! :)

Coach Cedric-Extremely organized and efficient coach! He is an excellent instructor and I learned alot from him in that area! He knows how yo break down the skills and drills into organized sections that the players find easier to learn! He always made sure everyone "got it"! He immediately took me under his wing and translated all the French instructions that were coming my way! :) He was very sweet and patient in helping me over my initial shock! Haha. 

Coach Simone-Always a step ahead! Sees what is happening on the court and in life...and keeps things running smoothly! He is the ultimate caregiver...always watching to see who might need encouraging or who he can help! Kind and caring the campers surround him all the time!

Coach Titu-A very talented basketball player that would be a great leader on any men's college team in America! But even greater than that is the energy and life he brings to the game!! I have never seen it in anyone, like I see it in him! Basketball greatness that is pure and fun! He reminded me of how much fun it really is to play the game!

Coach Martin-Humbly confident and passionate about others learning the game and developing. Loves to interactive with all the players on a personal level, really getting to know them and their lives!  "The Dunk Master", loves to put on a show for the campers! :) Personally, his passion helped me remember how important it is to love and be loved and helped me began to tear down some walls in my life.

Coach Estelle-The most beautiful person, inside and out! Always positive...always helping!!! She is the kind of person you would want to be your best friend!! :) She is wonderful at being assertive and strong..in a loving way...and she is extremely responsible in making sure the campers are taken care of!

Coach Pierre-Encouraging, intelligent and was full of compassion for me as I struggled with the language! A true gentleman and excellent photographer and Media Professional! 

Coach Mendrix-A terrific combination of strong basketball knowledge and camp clown! :) His incredible sense of humor guaranteed everyone was always having a great time! On the court, he decisively leads with energy and enthusiasm! Off the court, he keeps everyone smiling!

So as you can see, a perfectly balanced staff that all brought something great to the camp! Once again, Guilluame's great leadership in coordinating people!

I learned so much, the challenge will be to apply it all! :) It was just what I needed, to be surrounded by so much love! I guess I hadn't realized that all the difficult times this year had left my heart kind of low on love. I had taken a lot out, but not alot had been put back in. It was relief in a way to understand that now. And this was just week one! 

Whew!! Italiano's!!

From the second we passed security for Rome...it was like being in a different world!! As we waited for the plane I witnessed a 5 year old throwing a 30 minute temper fit that would have easily won America's Funniest Home Video!! haha  Ohhhh the drama...and she repeatedly said "Naaaawwww, Naaaaaawwww" and crossed her arms and marched to the other end of the airport by herself, where she plopped down in a chair and refused to be moved...haha    The atmosphere quickly changed from sophisticated, elegant Paris...to that similar to the Real Housewives of New Jersey...haha!!

In Paris and London we had been fortunante enough to have people around us that spoke at least some English...but Rome was a different story!! We were met by a airport transfer taxi driver that spoke absolutely NO English and was a fiery Italian with no patience for tourists that did not speak the language. Considering it was midnight and he drove us through the scariest part of town...it got interesting to say the least!! 

Rome was not as "pretty" as Paris...but beautiful in another way!  The Italian atmosphere was everywhere and full of excitement and constant drama..haha  And good news...THEY HAD ICE!!! :)  We must have visited Rome on the hottest days of the year!! and officially the busiest!! It was a religious holiday-St.Peter & St.Paul Day! 

We began our first day with The Colosseum and The Forums!!!  Incredible to see!! Chillbumps! Almost as if you could hear the crowd and the battles...and I'm being serious!  Although I am glad last semester is over, I couldn't help but appreciate more all I had learned in Philosophy!!  It was incredible to get to walk where so much history had taken place!! It was another extremely hot day...record temps again!  When we left the Colosseum, there were actors playing Roman Guards to get pictures with...haha...of course we did!!  After we left The Forums, we got lost on our bus route...not fun in heat of day...but God understood, and as we stood turning in circles wondering how to get to our hotel...Mom noticed we were standing right in front of it!!! haha


After cooling off at hotel, we went to Piazza Narvona for dinner! We ate right in front of the beautiful fountain on a patio...and then got our first Italian Gelato!!! Mmmmm...Addicted!!  Italian food was definitely easier to choose from than the French! 


Day 2 we were off to the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St, Peter's Basillica!  It was the official busiest day of the year with over 45,000 visiting!  Lines were around the entire building with more than four hours wait in the hot sun. Tour groups have a quicker entrance...so we took a tour and were in the Vatican in about an hour. Again, it gives you chills!! Loved learning the history and more about Michelangelo's life! You aren't allowed to take pics inside the Sistine Chapel because flashes will destroy the artwork, but our guide suggested if we could secretly do it without flash we should...so I did, but haven't got to upload them off my phone yet :)


That night we went to see Trevi Fountain...huge and full of sculptures...takes your breath away!!
Along the way, we seen the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and other beautiful fountains and piazza's! Italian's are incredible and rich on life and family...I love that!!!


After 10 days of non stop planes, trains, buses, metro's (subway,tube), taxi's, scooter's, walking, running, climbing, sweating, searching, 3 countries, 3 languages....never taking a second to breathe...we were now exhausted and off to our fourth country & language in Barcelona!!!  


Funniest thing: The Italian people telling each other off over nothing!  haha & getting my picture made with the Roman Guards!
Favorite Sayings: Phhhfff!!!,  MamaMia, Ciaoooo
Favorite Thing I seen: Sistine Chapel
Difficult Thing: Taxi driver ripping us off...haha
Lesson Learned: When it seems like you are the most lost, look up...you are probably in the exact right place after all!! :)




I will end my trip with a day in Barcelona...so I will do the blog about it then! So next blog is CAMP!!! :)

Ahhh....Magnifique Paris!!

Paris is TRULY an incredible place!! The city is made of tall stone buildings that have stood forever!! There is no cheap construction or buildings being torn down....only renovated and restored to their original beauty! For miles wide the city is this way...and truly makes Paris a uniquely elegant city! Of course, all the wider streets are lined with beautiful trees. Our hotel was only a couple minutes walk to the Eiffel Tower and so I was able to do my workouts there...INSPIRING!!!!  It was one of my favorite things I did in Paris!

The first night in Paris we went to see one of the most popular theatre shows...How To Become Parisian In One Hour!  It was hilarious!! The second day we went on a 3 hour scooter tour of Paris!! It was a beautiful, sunny day and we got to see all of Paris during the ride!! I now want a scooter!!! haha  During the ride, we learned about many famous places:
Lock Bridge-Couples in love bring a padlock and lock it onto the bridge and throw the key over the bridge into the water...it symbolizes they will always be locked together. There are literally thousands of locks on the bridge!
Champs Elysees Tunnel-The tunnel where Princess Dianna was killed and the flame that has become a makeshift memorial.
Notre Dame- One of the most incredible buidlings I have ever seen...with so much meaning behind every part of the construction!
History of Napolean and his tomb-Great history all over the city about Napolean
Lourve Museum-Incredibly huge museum filled with amazing works of art...like the original Mona Lisa.
Arc de Triomphe-Huge arch that stands at the end of Champs-Elysees Blvd. Much larger than appears in photos.
Eiffel Tower-Incredible to see in person! We took our tour of the Tower at night when it is full of lights and they twinkle on the half hour!! One of my favorite images of Paris is standing next to the Tower and looking up... amazing!!
Champs-Elysees Boulevard-World Famous shopping boulevard
And we saw so much more...but these were the highlights!!

The next day I went on a tour with a professional photographer to learn more about photography while photography some of the most beautiful sights in Paris!! It was unbelievable heat:::ecspecially for Paris!!! Mom and I both thought we were going to have a heat stroke that day!!  I did learn more about how to achieve effects with my camera that I had not seen before...and finally got panning down!! Yes!

That night  we took our tour of the Eiffel Tower and the next morning did a photo shoot there :)  Unfortunantly, we spent the rest of the day trying to organize our luggage to meet the weight requirements for the different airline we were taking to Rome!! haha...we definitely packed toooooo much!!!!!!!!! We ended up having to send two boxes ahead to camp to meet the weight requirement!!

We tried different ways of communicating with Dad during this time....first, facebook chat-completely unsuccessful because Mom had typed 5 paragraphs before Dad even said Hi!! haha   Skype-pretty successful once I walked Dad through how to get on and then how to turn the camera on...haha  But eventually just calling was the best!! haha

We saw and learned so much in Paris!!! It would be a great city to just relax and enjoy...BUT we were off to Rome!!! :)

Favorite Sayings: Bonjour, Merci, Madmoiselle, D'accord
Favorite thing I did: Scooter Tour/Workout by Eiffel Tower
Challenge: Luggage, record heat, NO ice!!
Lesson Learned: Pack light!!

"It's The Queen!!"

I was so excited to get to London for many reasons...to begin my journey and to meet my new teammate Maisie were at the top of the list!! When we arrived in London...our luggage did not!! And our European phones had been programmed wrong (ohhhhh, how I miss my iphone!!!!!!!!) We were told our luggage wouldn't arrive for 24 hours.... So the first day was spent shopping on Oxford street for clothes, toiletries, and getting our phones kinda working!  Luckily, Maisie was there to meet us at the gate and helped soooo much to get everything back on track!! :)

Maisie gave me a "I love London" shirt and Mom a coffee mug and banner of London :) I gave her a huge foam Texas hat!! haha   We took our first ride on the "tube" and spent the night mapping out all the sights we were going to see the following day!

The next day we were off and started with seeing Big Ben, The London Eye Ferriswheel, House of Parliament and then made our way to a fabulous breakfast close to Buckingham Palace! We made our way over to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guards ceremony. It was so surreal to stand in a place that I had seen on TV so many times! It was Maisie's first time too, so it made it even more "kupe"! As we stood watching, an elderly British man beside us noticed 4 motorcycles pull up in front of the palace...he immediately said; "The Queen is coming!"  We asked what he meant and he explained that the motorcycles are her escort and only come out when she is leaving....and within minutes her car drove right past us!!! Within 4 to 6 feet she drove by with a pink and white polka dot hat!! (She must have known I was coming!!)
It was Maisie's first time to see her in person too!! :)  The Changing of the Guards ceremony was incredible!!!

Maisie left to go take a final and Mom and I were off to Harod's for a beautiful lunch!!  (see pics)  We then retrieved our luggage from the airport and met Maisie back at hotel. We then left for St: James Palace to attempt to take a picture with a Royal Guard!!  It was drizzling rain a bit...so the guards were in their lil house...and we tried to take a few shots with like that but it didnt work because there was a huge chain warning it was against the "organized crime act" to cross the chain and go close to the guards!  Mom tried to get me to jump over right quick and take the picture...but I told her I was not going to be apart of "organized crime"!!! haha  So I took my boots off and decided to change into my other clothes... I guess the guard heard us debating and so he came to the chain and said "would you like a photo?" WAIT!!! Guards are NOT suppose to speak!!! I HURRIDLY tried to stuff my feet into my boots, knowing he wouldn't wait for long!!  I didn't take the time to unzip them or remove my bulky socks from down in them...and then I tried to QUICKLY waddle baby steps over to guard, in a VERY AKWARD waddle that had Maisie and Mom on the ground laughing in tears...and the Guard even laughing!!! Yes, they aren't suppose to smile either!!!  At this point I was laughing too hard to even take a good picture...and a policeman quickly approached and got onto the guard :( which quickly moved back to his house!!  A great moment indeed....just one of many I am sure I will be having with Maisie!!!

We then saw Tower Bridge, London Bridge (yes, the one you sing about), Hyde Park, and ate at an incredible Italian restaurant!!  Once back at the hotel, Maisie and I went to pool...and this fly kept chasing Maisie around the pool for like 15 minutes!!! Finally, I was like "Maisie, just be still and it will stop chasing you!"  So she was like "Ok" and stopped and took a deep breath in to relax and when she did she inhaled the fly!!!! hahahahahaha  She tried to get it out and said she could feel it "flapping it's wings!" hahaha   We finally went to room and Maisie made English hot tea, which I am now addicted to!!!!!  The next morning we left on the Eurostar train for Paris...with no Maisie :(

How thankful I am for an incredible new friend in my life that makes me laugh every second and that I share so much in common with!!! I can't wait until she gets to America on August 17!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite London sayings: Kupe, Miind the Gap, Eyy
Favorite thing I seen: The Queen
Not fun things: Lost luggage, phones, NO Ice!!
Lesson learned:  Never take NO for an answer! Expect God's Grace!

The Journey Begins...

TODAY begins the first part of my journey in Europe and as a blogger too!  I have been looking forward to this adventure for awhile or perhaps since it all fell into place due to some amazing people God placed in my life!  The past year of my life has thrown some punches like family issues, health issues, injuries; and a few people who tried to make my life very difficult.  Sometimes the constant problems made it hard to believe I would see the good again, but God knew this was the time for His overflowing goodness and love to shine through....once again!  Therefore; when Coach Donna offered me the opportunity of a lifetime...to travel abroad and coach basketball camps...I was inspired and grateful, to say the least. She probably never realized how much I needed it...but I am so thankful for her belief in me and her kindness!

However, many things had to fall into place for it to become a reality.  First, Guilliane of BasketAventures eagerly welcomed me and provided an enormous amount of information and help in planning the trip.  Next, Coach Gleason graciously allowed me the time during the summer to travel and was excited for me to make the trip! She even gave me sightseeing help, including her favorite steak restaurant in Paris! haha  Next, my parents agreed to pay my airfare and even threw in 10 days of sightseeing before camp...although my Dad did require me to watch "Taken" several times. haha  I love them and appreciate them always supporting me!!

I am so grateful for each of these wonderful people God has placed in my life and used to bless me with this opportunity!!!  Although I don't know all the trip holds for me yet...I know there is a greater purpose...and I thank God for it all! So here I go, Making My Way.....

          Love, Brittany