Life in Berlin Update ...

The last 3 months I have been having one of the best experiences in my career thus far. Even though I have not been to every country, Berlin has to be top 5 cities in the world. I mean, it is just so diverse yet relatable at the same time. The food is amazing and the people are so accepting. Many people told me I would love Germany, Berlin in particular, but I never imagined to like it as much as I do.

Today is thursday, April 12, 2023. I can hear the birds chirping outside of my window and the sun is beaming through as spring is finally arriving after a really cold winter. Normally I would be getting ready for practice but due to a sprained ankle, the couch has been my best friend the last 3 days.

I have been putting up some good numbers playing with my team Tus Lichterfelde but on Monday during our game a player from the opposing team decided to close my landing space. It resulted in me landing on her foot and experiencing one of the worse ankle sprains ever. OMG! My eyes seen black and my leg was shaking. There was no doubt in my mind that my ankle was broken but by the grace of God and some aspirin, I was able to walk eventually. It really sucks that this has happened to me with only 2 games left in our season but I am predicted to be ready by the next game. We will see.

Outside of basketball, strolling through the streets of Berlin has been such a refreshing feeeling as I take on new breakfast spots weekly. Berlin has so many restaurants, it has allowed me to try a new one every time im hungry. One day I told my coach I was bored and he said "If I were you I would be focused on which cafe im eating at every day," and that clicked a light bulb in my head. I decided to do just that because why not? I began experiencing different places to eat every other morning. That became my thing to look forward to. Berlin is so big, there are mulitple coffee shops and cafes on every corner and so far I have expereinced all the popular ones of course. I fell in love with the warm croissants, the egg drop sandwhiches, and the nutella pancakes with strawberries and bananas have become a morning staple for me.

After all the amazing food, the fashion has been the next best on the list. When walking through the train stations and changing locations, you cant help but to love the european street swag that is being displayed. The long coats, sneakers and layers have given me life. The hand bags and sun glasses give their outfits that pop while still looking comfortable enough to walk the streets of Berlin. I love it. An underrated thing about Berlin is also the amount of activities there are to do. With the help of tiktok, Ive realized I should never have a boring day while being in this big city. It is the perfect place for tourist with all the historic architech and young adult activities. To top it off, there is a mall in every little part of Berlin. Who wouldnt love that?

Although the food is satisfying and the street fashion has inspired me, I can admit that the loneliess has outweighed the good on some occasions. As great as Berlin is, I thought my teammates and I would have a lot of fun but that has been far from the case. We actually never hang out. Tomorrow will be our 1st full team gathering in the 4 months that I have been here. This is the first club that has made me feel isolated. In the beginning it didnt matter but as time goes on you expect your club to consider you especially since you are here from another country. But no. I have experienced multiple situations where I have felt left out and not apart of the team. It hurts because I have a big contribution on the court, or I should say the biggest, but as soon as the clock runs out its like I dont matter. Even as I face this injury, only 1 of my teammates has asked if I was ok. They will blame it on age or being busy but as I mentioned, its been 4 months. Sometimes I ask myself am I being dramatic? Is this apart of becoming a vet? Sometimes I even convince myself that I am overthinking but then I realize my feelings are valid because no one deserves to feel like that. Its like I care and then I dont. Its a weird situation. Despite my feelings towards this situation, I continue to wake up and try my best to experience Berlin before I head home in 3 weeks.

With Berlin being an amazing city and my great productivity on the court it is hard to deal with being alone at the end of all that excitement. This situation is making me contemplate a second season with this team. It's bittersweet.

I cant wait to walk again and enjoy my last weeks in the city, but I am also looking forward to seeing my family and resting a little bit. I am beyond grateful I had a contract in Berlin for my 5th season. This has been my best stop yet. <3