First Day in Belgium

Goede middag van België...

Travel:
After about 24 hours (with time change) of flying, including a short layover in London, I arrived at Brussels International Airport yesterday at 5pm-ish feeling a little disoriented. If the customs officers wanted, they could have had a lot more fun with me. Even I will admit that I sounded a little bit suspect, not so much out of necessity, but more out of the fact that I had just woken up. During my first round with customs, I was asked how long I would be staying. After not making much sense in my first response, they asked me to be more specific. After letting him know that I would be leaving the country before 3 months was up, he finally let me go. I then picking up my two checked bags without incident and went to my second round with customs. This officer's first question to me was not about drugs or illegal substances, but rather "why is it taking you so long to respond to me?" After explaining that it had been a long day and having him go through my backpack to make sure I didn't have any booze or narcotics, they let me go.

Welcome to Belgium:

Coming out of the terminal, I of course missed the guy holding the big red sign that said Merchtem Cats with my name under it. After I surveyed the crowd again, I immediately picked out a Merchtem Cats hat and headed that way. After brief introductions, my teammate Ruud and I hit the highway headed for Merchtem/Opwijk.
Ruud was a really nice guy and helped me get my bearings a bit. After driving for about 15-20 minutes, we arrived at the baseball and softball complex in Merchtem, where I will play my home games. There we met Maaike, who is the girlfriend of Bram (the player/coach of the Cats), and the other American on the team, Reid, all three of whom will be my housemates for my stay in Belgium. Maaike gave Ruud the sleutels (keys...one of my favorite Dutch words) and he took me to the house in Opwijk, another small town about 5 minutes from Merchtem, where I will be staying at for the next 6 months. I had about an hour to unpack and wash up before getting picked back up for practice.

Practice:

The weather in Merchtem/Opwijk has been Sitka-esque, with Gale-like winds, and alternating showers, sun, and I am about to dump buckets of rain on you so don't even try to get on a baseball field clouds. Right as I got picked up for practice it started to rain heavily. We jumped on the field for an attempt at catch, which lasted only a few minutes before we realized that the chances of it being productive were slim to none. We packed up our bags and headed into the little clubhouse bar where I was served three brews in quick succession. Having not eaten anything all day besides the in-flight breakfast, by the time we headed back to the house I was feeling pretty good and ready for bed.

GoodKnight:

After shooting the shit with Reid for a bit and having some left over fish and potatoes for a late dinner, I finished unpacking all my stuff and letting the journey sink in. If you can't tell from my writing, the 9 hour time difference has thrown me through a bit of a loop. I will write more about the town/people/baseball/etc. soon and try like hell to keep up with my housemate Reid in making posts.

Before I sing off, a few clarifications from my first 24 hours ... 1. They speak Dutch. Flemish is more of a style of speaking/accent/dialect that distinguishes the Dutch spoken in Flanders from that spoken in Netherlands. 2. My prediction that doing Rosetta stone would provide me with just enough Dutch to make me sound like an idiot was spot-on. I can hardly tell that Dutch is actually Dutch when hearing a native speaker speak, much less jump in on the conversations, but that hasn't stopped me from trying a few times. Still working up that foreigner courage.

That's it for now... until next time, take it easy everyone. Peace.

Tot Ziens America

First off, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY PARENTS! You guys are the best.

After spending a week in Davis visiting with friends and tying up odds and ends, I leave The States today for Belgium. It was great to see everyone and my friends' hospitality and willingness to help me out never ceases to amaze me. A big thanks to Reza, Scott, Lewis, and Drake for putting me up and Craig for the ride to Oakland.

Since I am pretty scatterbrained right now, here is a brief rundown of the last weeks major events, even though I know I will probably forget the most important ones.

Monday (at 7:45 AM): part one of a root canal treatment then baseball workout
Tuesday: baseball workout
Wednesday: renew CA Driver License, throw a few innings to live batters at baseball workout with the high school
Thursday: part two of root canal treatment, working on pitching mechanics with Scott
Friday: Breakfast with Elle and Lennon, took GRE, night out in Sacramento
Saturday: Second live throwing session to batters at the baseball workout with the high school, board game night at Dryler's
Sunday: Pack again, head to Oakland to stay at Drake's, drinks in SF with Cam
Monday: Getting ready to leave
Every minute in between: Hanging out and visiting with friends

A note on baseball: After getting my arm "in shape" by throwing against a wall the last few months and hitting off a machine, it was great to play catch with a human being and hit off of some live BP. I have a long way to go mechanically, but things are starting to come together thanks in part to help from Scott and some others. I need to continue to work on not closing myself off with my landing leg (a bad habit I seemed to have magnified over the last few months) and staying on top of the ball. Nothing a little towel drill can't fix.

Now, it's time for the next countdown...

First game in 12 days and counting...

Next post will be from Belgium and in Vlaams... Until then Take care.

Training in Davis

After a week full of work, packing, friends and family, I said goodbye to Sitka for the next 6 months. After puddle jumping around the upper northwest and a nice airport visit with Toby, Rhiannon and Kirsten, I landed in Sacramento last night and was greeted by 70 degree weather for the first time in over 6 months.

I will be here in Davis for the next week to workout with the Davis High baseball team and do my last bit of training before heading to Belgium in 8 days. While I miss Sitka, it feels much more like baseball season in the sun and I'm looking forward to the final push before the season starts.

I will keep this short because I have a lot to do, but I will try to keep everyone updated on how things are going across the pond. I have listed my new address and contact information, along with links where you can find game results, stats, and general information on the Merchtem Cats and European/Belgian baseball. Follow me as I embark on a cultural experience both on and off the field... Until next time, Tot Ziens!