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August 16, 2008
Hello again family and friends,
As always we are having a great time on the island.
Thursday morning we woke up for breakfast of eggs bacon and pancakes. Then we had to run to the rooms to apply A LOT of sunscreen because the next thing we were doing was going on the catamaran tour. We had to wait for our bus to pick us up and while waiting for the bus Madison had a little scare with a gecko crawling on her back. We had to share a small bus with another group of 5 who were going on the catamaran. Once we got on the boat is was nothing but sunshine and laughter.
The first stop that the catamaran made was a spot to snorkel where turtles swam. Everyone got to see the turtle and Mr. Kiger even got an up close encounter with one when it bit his foot. After the first snorkeling stop everyone got back up on the boat and dried off by laying in the sun while we headed to our next stop. The second stop was snorkeling over a ship wreck. There was millions of fish swimming around us. The final stop was in front of the place where Tiger Woods got married. We had a lunch on the boat and went to lie out but some members of the team were feeling spunky and decided it would be appropriate to throw people into the water. Once everyone was thrown in we took turns jumping off the edge of the boat, diving and showing off our moves in the air. Fun ended shortly after when it started to rain and the boat took off for land. We finished the night off with a team dinner then everyone went to bed shortly after because the sun drained their energy.
Friday morning a few members of the team woke up for the sunrise that doesn’t rise on our side of the beach so instead of seeing the sun rise they picked up sea glass and shells. The team went on a shopping excursion for duty free items (that means no taxes for anyone who doesn’t know!) It gave the team the experience of what a big city in Barbados is like. Exhausted from the heat and the long day of shopping it was team nap time. Everyone on the team took a nap until it was time to leave for our finial game in Barbados. We won the game in two matches’ best out of three. The scores were 25-3 and 25-7. After the game the team got to go back to Just Grillin’ and get a good dinner and back to Chilly Moo’s for dessert.
After the walk back from dinner everyone went to their rooms and began to pack for the trip back home.
Saturday morning is going to start early with breakfast at 8. We will have until 12 to finish packing, shopping, swimming, and enjoying the beach. After we check out we head to the airport and depart for Atlanta at 3 P.M.
We will be back home with you all shortly. We hope you enjoyed the glimpses into our time hear and we can’t wait to share the pictures and stories with you in person.
Love always,
Thiel Volleyball
August 14, 2008
Hello again from Barbados,
When we last filled you in about our beach tour we were going to spend the day in the sun on the beach.
Well, just know we had amazing weather and an awesome time. Mr., Zeigler brought his snorkeling gear and gave us all the chance to practice for Thursday. We got to see amazing coral, tropical fish and even a turtle (Steph's favorite). After a beautiful day at the beach we went to Bubba's for dinner. Dinner was excellent as always.
We awoke bright an early Wednesday morning and the hot dogs were back on the buffet. After breakfast we had free time to lay out in the sun and enjoy the pool. There was also a craft show on the lawn of the hotel and many girls bought hand made jewelry. It also sparked an interest in collecting sea glass, which every girl will be taking home at least a piece. The team had a lot of time to play pool games together and for lunch the parents went to the supermarket and got food for the girls. After resting up we headed back to the community college for another extremely hot game. We played best out of three and won in two. Our record now is 2 and 0!! Go Thiel.
Wednesday night we got dressed up and went to Harbor Lights Show. We got to see awesome fire acts, limbo, acrobatics, and men on stilts. We got to dance the night away as a team and even the fathers got in on the action. We called it an early night so we could rest up for our big day on the catamaran.
We will catch you again when we get off the boat. We love and miss all of you.
Love,
Thiel Volleyball
August 12, 2008
Hello friends and family,
Welcome back to a glimpse into our beach tour. As of now no one on the team is severely burnt and we are all starting to have beautiful golden brown tans. When we last wrote to you we had just finished a very successful day of beach volleyball and an enjoyable evening at Bubba' s Sports Bar.
Monday morning was a free morning where we had the option of going shopping, going to the beach, or just enjoying our time together as a team. Breakfast today was more of what we are used to with bacon and eggs (though I am sure some of us missed those hot dogs). Some restrictions were added later in the day so we were not out in the sun, and therefore drained for our game later. Brooke, Abbey, and Kristen had a new experience of riding wave runners in the ocean, all was fun until Brooke and Kristen flew off their wave runner. (Don't worry no one was hurt).
At 5:00 we left for the game at the community college in Barbados. We all now feel very appreciative of what we have to go back home to. The gym ceiling had birds and shirts all though the rafters and the birds just flew around through out the game. The gym floor was sports court we can all remember playing on that in JO volleyball days. In the gym it was extremely hot to the point that every player soaked their shirt through with sweat by the time the game was over. (Remember its not all glamour and beaches down here, moms.) The team won the match in 4 games with the scores being 25-14, 25-10, 16-25, 25-14.
To finish off the night we went to Just Grillin' for dinner. The food there was excellent and the team enjoyed joking and laughing even though everyone was beat from the game earlier. After dinner we went as a team to get ice cream from Chilly Moo's, which is like a Coldstone in Barbados, the ice cream was amazing.
This morning the team had to wake up early for a practice in the gym. We came back for a team breakfast and now we get to enjoy a day to ourselves in paradise before we go back to Bubba's Sports Bar for another meal! We promise to keep you posted but right now we will must go catch those rays and take more pictures to share with all of you when we get home.
With Much Love,
Thiel Volleyball
August 10, 2008
Hello!
Today was the second day into our trip and already we have made so many memories as a team.
On Saturday we left Thiel at 2 a.m. and flew from
Pittsburgh to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to the beautiful island of Barbados. We had to wait in line at customs for over two hours before we could get our luggage and get into the actual country. All the flights went very well and even first-time fliers Stephanie and Madison had a good time.
After the airport we headed over to the Blue Orchid hotel where we will be staying and we had our first team briefing where we met our tour director, learned about the island, and got our finalized itinerary for the week. After the meeting we freshened up and headed over to Bert's Sports bar for dinner. Just a note for all the family members reading this it gets dark here at 6:30 P.M.
Sunday started at 8 a.m. with a team breakfast. The cook made us eggs, pancakes, toast, and the Barbados delicacy of hot dogs! As a group we left for the beach at 10 but we got a little delayed because we had to stop at a shop for coach to try on hats. We are starting to get used to the driving in Barbados...no speed limit on the right hand side of the road. When we finally got to the beach the team got to swim in the crystal clear water and Stephanie got to taste salt water for the first time.
The beach volleyball tourney started at 12 and did not finish until 5. The teams were in pairs and even some of the fathers got in on the action (Mr. Zeigler and Mr. Martin) while we played local athletes. All the teams competed well but Brooke and Abbey were on top being the Beach Volleyball Champions of the afternoon. After an awesome day at the beach we went out to dinner at Bubba's Sports Bar where we enjoyed each others company and the ice cream.
That sums up our time here so far. We will catch you on the beach real soon. Hope everything is well in the States.
Love,
Thiel Volleyball
