Moving Around

Hey All,

Sorry for the lack in updates...but honestly, nothing really new happened until now. I am currently back in Augsburg, after arriving earlier today via train. Once again I must take time to thank the Helber family for everything they did for me while I was at their homes. Your gratitude is much appreciated and it is very nice to know that I, as always, have people that care about my well being. They are great hosts and exceptional people. Now, It was pretty cool to take a european train after my endless rides on Chicago's 'El." (BTW yeah Santa is really in the sled) Let me just say one thing...I know we all agree (at least those of us that have been on the debouchery of a toilet that we call a train) that the transportation system needs to get massively improved if we are to host the 2016 olympics. Today wasn't the greatest ride, but it was the least rocky train ride that I have every had. The train was so smooth it was incredible. Now this has to do with the fact that the trains are newer and all..but still the head jerking and pulling that gives you and instant Ab workout in Chicago was never there. It was nice to be still..but to be honest I missed Chicago and the small things that come with it... Anyways, the rest of the experience was decent the train was way to hot. As I mentioned the weather here hasn't been the best so today when it was nearly 90 degrees out, the trains obviously had no a.c. Needless to say, a required shirt change was needed due to my awesome pits. I actually got some reading done on the train which was nice. It is so nice to be able to read things post-college. Instead of reading countless pages on Medieval books of Armageddon or the history of spacing in between words...(Yes, I had to write a 20+ page review on this very 500 page book...and yes, it was as boring and literal as the title sounds). Now I can sit down, read something I really enjoy and only has one assignment; a mental review of good, or, bad. I like it this way. After arriving back in Konnigsbrunn, it was nice to see the people and family who I had spent my first 2 weeks with, and once again nice to begin my conquest of the spanish language. We had a family BBQ here and it was great to see everyone and get back to catch up and see how everyone was doing, nothing beats family. Now the reason I am back here and not in the Bavarian Forest. Christian let me know that things with FC Bad Kotzting had changed. Despite the coaches desire to sign me to a contract, he could not get the vote of the management in this recession plagued time. Anyways, it was a great experience and I thank all involved for great times and experience...from the coaches to the players...all great guys. I wish them nothing but success this season. Uli, the coach from FCBK was able to help me out in another way. He has contacts at other teams, and has recommended me to FC Ingolstadt. I do not know much about the tryout/practice yet. All I know is that they have two teams at the moment, one in the BayernLiga (same league as FCBK) and a team in the Liga 3 (Recently demoted from the 2nd division) and that it begins on Friday. I can only hope for an opportunity and am looking forward to the challenge of training with these guys. It seems exciting but we will wait and see for more information. Anyways, tomorrow will be my first official day as a temporary tourist. My Aunt and I are going to head to Garmish Partenkirchen. I know Jamie will be excited (she tourned Germany for 2 weeks after her high school graduation) and I am too. I have lacked pictures and need some good ones. I am off to bed now...hope all is well back home and hope to talk to some soon with good news.

"Live how you think, not by what you've been told."

Brian

Clouds, Clouds and More Clouds and the Tour de Neuhausen

Neuhausen from one side of town
Main road into town

Some Tree that fell up in the hills
The view from Chrisitians' Parents House overlooking Deggendorf.
You can't see it; but the hill is through these woods up that road...

It has been consistently cloudy the entire time that I have been here in Germany...no joke, there has not been more than one or two days since I've been here that I am either covered in rain or simply lacking the essential light of the sun. Anyways, this last week has been pretty interesting and pretty busy for me. Monday began my training with FC Bad Kotzting and things have been going pretty well I suppose. I have a lunch meeting with the coach tomorrow to see where things are going, so we'll have more information tomorrow to deal out. Training over here is actually really similar to the states, which is obvious at home, but over here a lot of people really are surprised that Americans play soccer. The forwards over here are a lot more technical and smart on the ball. This is probably the biggest difference in the two styles between the countries. Everyone is crafty up top and really good at taking players on and waiting for the correct time and opening to shoot. Midfielders may bit a bit more crafty but nothing like I haven't seen in the states thus far. Defending is pretty similar everywhere, and this is no difference. The guys are tall and strong and do their job well. For me personally, the training is a lot less physical here than it is at home. The coaches seem to think that I should be tired from the drills, but its nothing like it was at home. American GK is a lot about power and working hard (at least ours was). Here it's a lot about being clean and holding the ball much of the time. It's taking a bit getting used to. My hands are not as clean as I would like them due to the lack of training before the week, but it is coming along. The past week entailed more of the same, waking up, going to Christians work and helping him out with various things from packaging, recycling, counting, and moving things around. I've also been back and fourth from his parents house doing some gardening and yard work to keep myself busy. Haven't really been able to get out too much and see the actual towns and take some pictures so yesterday, while Christian and his girlfriend were out, I took out one of their bikes and started to ride around Neuhuasen. The area is really nice and I just decided to take some pictures that I could and get a feel from what the town was really like. For the first half an hour, I decided to ride up and down this huge hill road that Christian has right next to his house. I thought it might be a good opportunity to try and get a good down to the city picture or different overlooking picture. Wrong, I got a few good looks around the rest of town, but the hill proved nothing more than a great workout and awesome ride down. Let's just say that I have a new admiration for the Tour de France. I went up and down this thing 3 times just for the hell of it, but its was good fun coming down. After riding around the town for about an hour, I came back here and relaxed until they got back and we watch "Mr. Brooks" a movie starring Kevin Costner that I had never even really heard of. But it was good, surprisingly good. Recommended. Anyways, today I am off to go to lunch with everyone and head off to Christians once again.

Hope all is well,

Brian

Update...Finally

Here comes a long post............
Hey Everyone, sorry I have been slacking on the updates. Anyways, I hope that the last week have brought you bright days and happy stories. On Saturday I left Konigsbrunn for the beautiful town of Deggendorf. I first need to thank the Baumgartner family for everything they did for me. Thank you for the dinners, the beers but most importantly your hospitality. I met some remarkably nice and interesting people and saw the beauty of Germany first hand due to their kindness. It's so much harder now speaking to people that don't speak English due to the fact that I was speaking Spanish the majority of the time while there, but I guess it's ok as I am starting to pick up on very small German phrases. Bernd and I arrived around 6 after a speed filled drive that taught me what the Autobahn is all about. Christians house is really nice and big, very modern in a neighborhood that has a mix of old German homes and new European architecture, so it's very nice. Getting to see him and my 2nd cousin Tessa (she left today and got home safely which is good) was a good thing, seeing that I never really get to see them. Christian is expecting his second child in October with his girlfriend Diana, who is a really really nice person...and a great cook, I can already tell that this is going to be a pleasant stay. Saturday night led me to a local party for no, not Independence Day, but Canada Day. Yes, I spent our nations most patriotic holiday surrounded by and celebrating our neighbors to the North. It was actually a very nice party and I actually learned alot about professional sports over here in Germany, and the transition for people who have moved over here from other countries, so very useful information. Also, some of my expectations were met albeit for the first time...These Germans think the US sucks at soccer, well at least the ones at this party. They really thought that no one plays in the states and that we are far inferior than we really are. Basically I think they expected the US to be a kindergarten team (See: I already knew German) in a league of professionals. To be honest, it scared me for the upcoming practice and kind of put me on edge. Sunday, I woke up and headed over to the see Deggendorfs downtown for the first time. This entire area is covered in huge trees...seems fitting since this area is known as the Bavarian Forest. It really reminds me a lot of the Colorado vibe, which is perfect for me...I could totally see myself settling down here if the situation lent itself to that. Monday I began my official journey into the soccer world of Germany. I began training with a team called FC Bad Kotzting as I mentioned in my last post. The team in the BayernLiga, which is basically the 5th division here and one division lower than the league that would allow me to completely support myself comfortably with just a soccer paycheck. I was picked up by the head coach, a friend of Christians; Uli...who is a rough Springsteen look alike a look of a few less years. We drove up to practice through one of the most scenic drives I have ever had, the small villages that line the mountains and thick trees lines are really nice and just beam pleasant living. During the ride, we talked about the BayernLiga, the standard of US Soccer (which is brought up more and more) and America itself. He mentioned that he was full at the GK spot and had no money to give out, so I feel a bit more relaxed about the practice and knew I should just go out there and try to open a door with another team by word of mouth. Upon arriving to practice, the awkward "who the hell is that kid in the corner" situation took place and the non-intended "don't invite him to play or introduce yourself" stage occurred, which is one of the most unpleasant things one can go through. But after a short 10-15 minute period, a coach came and introduced himself and helped me into a game. Instantly I knew that I at least deserved the chance to be there. The squad was young, but full of good talent such as kids that grew up playing in the top youth divisions against top teams like Bayern Munich and the like. Others had spent plenty of time in Germany's second division (Bundesliga 2) and had some pretty accomplished stories. Practice consisted of some basic warm up and a lot of foot work, which I actually did well in...I knew that my feet would need to be used in Europe so I put a lot of time into it before I came here..and it paid off. After some GK fitness, I headed to do a bit more distribution and then got the call by the head coach...I was getting called into the practice...as a defender. Let's put it nicely...I kept getting turned like a page in a gossip magazine...but actually had fun. After a bit I got my chance to go in goal against the first team and did alright. I have had a lack of training for the last 2.5 weeks, so I am still getting into the swing of things. After feeling so-so about my practice, we headed home. After getting into conversation with the coach, he said he liked what he saw (which I took by surprise and I thought it was just ok) and kind of changed his "GK spot full" attitude a bit. A door may have been opened with the practice, so we will wait and see. It was a great experience and gave me a huge boost of confidence for the road ahead. Today (Tuesday), I headed to Christian's work (he is a huge distributor of Hockey apparel in Germany and has made quite the living for himself. I asked him if he needed anything done, and he did...cut the lawn. Now, I have had to mow the lawn at my old house, so if put in my hours behind and riding a mower. The lawn wasn't very big but there were two, make it three very distinct things about this job...the grass had not been cut in a while..at most points, it was over a foot high. To add to that...as I mentioned before, it has rained every day, so the grass was very wet. Finally, most mowers I have used push themselves pretty well..this has no self-driven motor and was an older mower, which meant more weight...especially when the bag was getting full. About a few hours I finally finished and felt pretty good about my short lived day. Tonight I headed to small town and trained with a small team (9th or so division) and had a good time with a good group of guys. It was good to get a bit more hand work in and just talk to people about the difference of American and European ball. Tomorrow, I head back out to Kotzting (so i think) and train again so I'm excited about that. The days ahead have many possible paths, from trips to Prague, to a new start of soccer life..so we will see which path is walked and what journey will be followed. Please, leave comments...I want to hear what you guys are thinking and how everything is going back home...
Hope all is well...
Miss you all...
Brian

Happy 4th of July Everyone.

It is just past 2:30 here in the morning as I spend my last night in Konigsbrunn. I first wanted to say happy 4th to everyone and only wish I could be home and experience the 4th in Chicago...it doesn't get any better than sitting by the lake and watching the fireworks at Navy Pier go off with your best friends and a few drinks. Anyways, this has been a pretty interesting week for me. The one on one that I had on tuesday did not go as planned in my opinion. Basically, everything that I did not want to happen did. What I mean by this is my jet-lag, asthma, and lack of real training in the warm humid air for the last week or so really hit me hard. Bernd Meier was actually a really nice guy and you could tell that he was a former Bundesliga player. I felt terrible, because I felt like I was seen to be making every excuse in the book, and that was one thing I really wanted to avoid...was seeming like just another American kid coming over trying to achieve something that many might find unreachable. He could pick out his spots and place the ball very well along with good pace. Unfortunately, the sessions showed my struggles and a lot of things went very uncharacteristically for me in terms of technique that day. However, I know it's not the end of the world and I can't dwell on it. Nevertheless, I have the opportunity to train with him again upon my possible return to Konigsbrunn, which is nice. Now the reason that is possible, is I am going to Deggendorf, which is considered the "Texas" of Bavaria or lower Germany. Here I will be training with FC Bad Kösting a team in the 4th division here in Germany. This will be very useful as a measuring stick for me and I can see what I really stack up against here in Germany. So in terms of the next few weeks, it's going to be very important and will really allow me to see if I should stay in Germany or try to apply my trade somewhere else. Also, I think that this trip has allowed me to see some other things that I want to do in my life. I know I have only been in Europe for a week or so, however, the people here and the ability to experience so much has allowed me to thrown some ideas around; such as staying here for some time and really live my life outside of my comfort zone and create a lifelong story that would actually be interesting. But that is not here nor there at the moment. Anyways, I hope that you all are doing well and I miss all of you very much. Please enjoy the festivities of the 4th and light off a firework in for my lack of being there ;)

Brian

Big Day Tomorrow

So...Tomorrow is the big day I suppose. I have my first professional tryout/practice. Yes, it's only a one on one session with a former player, however, this session could open many many doors seeing as he has ties to an agent and other professional teams. As I sit here thinking to myself, I know that I shouldn't be nervous...I have nothing to lose. However, with the opportunity that this brings, there is immense pressure (If I choose to put it on myself) to do well tomorrow. Anyways, its the first opportunity to really see where I stand in terms of being able to make it over here...so hopefully things go well and I have good news in the days to come...

Hope everyone at home is doing well...

Brian

Happy Birthday Party Justin!

Happy Birthday Nephew!

Gautschfest 09

The last two days have been pretty cool, and an experience that has taught me a lot about the people of Germany and the character of the country itself. As I mentioned, I was going out to experience the nightlife of Augsburg. Last night, I went to Maxfest, which is situated in the city of Augsburg, the "province" of where I am staying here in Germany. Think of it the same way of the "Midwest" (Augsburg) and "Illinois" (Konigsbrunn). The festival is held every year and Max is a name of the largest street in town. Every street in the area was shut down so people could walk and bike etc around town easily. Every festival here seems to deal with beer, but more importantly, it signifies a time to go out, have a great time and be surrounded by good people. One of the strangest and things that reallly caught me off gaurd were two huge differences from here and the states. Upon walking into the center of town (the picture below) there were groups of kids that were no more than 15/16 years old just hanging out, talking and drinking beer. I was different, but I realized the difference in culture and expectations of alcohol from Europe to the US. It actually seemed like a really cool concept for these kids to just be sitting in a huge open area with their good friends enjoying a few drinks. Secondly, before actually entering the Maxfest we stopped at a bar for a few drinks with friends. When told we were going to the main entrance, I chugged my drink so I could be on my way. Little did I realize, you can walk with open containers here...something that blew me away...too bad, learning experience, and a full belly.

Back to the fest, when talking to people and friends of my cousin Simone, I likened it to Taste of Chicago, but it was with bars (though not as many)..and the street is a lot cooler and older. The beer over here is really good as suspected, and hits you pretty hard if you're not used to it. After a long night, I headed home and used skype for the first time...If anyone has skype, find me...I would love to talk (Byrnie18). Today I woke up with little sleep and headed to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. To be honest, seeing a Chinese individual speak German was something I never expected to see... The food was halfway decent, nothing special but it did the job. After lunch, we came back to me aunts house and I spent the majority of the day on the computer looking at pictures of family and Loyola...showing my family where I went to school etc...pretty fun. Around 6 we all left for Gautschfest 09. Now what I can compare this to is the Frontier Days and BG days of the northwest suburbs of Chicago. A small carnival type atmosphere with rides and drink. Except as expected, this had a huge beer tent. As I was saying, these festivals are eye opening to the culture of Germany. Everyone here is so happy and relaxed. Everyone constantly has a smile on their face and genuinely seems to be happy with life when surrounded by the company they enjoy (See video). Nobody cares for other opinions when it may interfere with fun and everyone dances as if nobody is watching and lives life as if there is no tomorrow. It's a great sight and an example for most of us. As you can tell from the pictures (Myself, my cousin Bernd and his girlfriend), the steins were huge and to say the least, it was fun. Tomorrow, I am off to play a pick up game with my cousin so I'm excited about that. However, a night is not complete without some rides, Wii and a good nights rest...the latter I'm about to do. Hope all well back home and hope to talk to you all soon. Brian