Hey Yall,

Long time no entry eh…. well from USA to Brazil to Paraguay to Brazil to USA to Japan, that is where I have been. Following the NORCECA championship where USA finished second and qualified for the World Cup, Beijing Olympic first qualifier, I went to Brazil. I was there training and competing with my team Finasa Osasco for about three weeks. As you know my husband is Brazilian so I have been trying to get my permanent visa. First thing I realized that I am the foreigner, immigrant! Boy, and what bureaucracy to get a permanent visa. I imagine it is as hard or harder to do the same in the America. At any rate, I arrived in Brazil on a Tuesday, traveled the next day for three days. I was back in Sao Paulo for two days, then traveled again for four days. Actually, I wasn’t allowed to play in a couple of games because of my visa…however with special clearance I played in the Cup of Brazil and a couple of Paulista matches.

Now I am in Japan for the WORLD CUP. Wooohooo! We just finished a training block and acclimation period with Team Toyota Auto Body located just outside of Nagoya. Their I saw an old teammate and friend who is currently playing for that team. Not surprising, the team was very scrappy and defended a lot of balls. Our goal now is to finish top three. We most focus on one match at a time as each point can make a difference in the end. Final ranking is based first on win losses. In the event that there is a tie, point ratio will be used to determine the best record.

GO USA!
GO FINASA!

Danielle