Les sports

         Given my wine and cheese diet, my lack of a gym, and my inability to run for more than 8:35 minutes (latest record), I’m joining all the sports clubs in town. Tonight was volleyball, which I assumed was a casual gathering of mediocre players and lots of beginners. I was wrong. Instead, I turned up to the gym to find a team of women who are trying to get on the regional championship team. However, only a small group of them are devoted enough to come to the practices regularly. I was lucky number six – my poor partner got stuck with my uber rusty skills and general confusion about the coach’s directions as I realized I don’t know any body parts or how to speak sports French. I kept telling my scrimmage teammates and screaming “je l’ai” or “I’ve got it” which I thought was equivalent to the “mine” we use in English volleyball. After usually not having the ball, or if I did have it, frequently whacking it in the wrong direction, I learned I should be saying just “J’ai”. The players are youngish and super nice. They weren’t (visibly) offended when I accidentally called several of them old. They patiently showed me how to set properly and I actually got way better as I warmed up…not a terrible game for not having played volleyball in eight years. Volleyball is twice a week and I’m going to attempt to play badminton twice a week on another hopefully casual team with Kat and Laura. My badminton experience is limited to one day of high school PE badminton, but I will embarrass myself playing any sport that enables me subsist on bread and cheese.