Originally I was scheduled for the 6 am – 3 pm shift all month at the check-in area for the work force. At the end of the day Tuesday, I was given the good news that I could transfer to another department. One of my new managers, Marina, took me across the street to the Lobby of the Windsor Oceanico to show me my new work location. She asked me if I preferred the morning or afternoon shift. I quickly jumped at the afternoon shift so that I could take the beach volleyball classes across the street. (A dream for me.) She scheduled me to begin that job on September 1, so I had a free day today. That means I could go to the Wednesday Volleyball class at 9 am.
I was super excited for my first class. It was FANTASTIC! Then company is called VoieiBom and owned by an amazing woman named Cynthia Bernstorff. She has won medals in Masters beach volleyball all over the world, and she is also taking lessons in the advanced class to keep her skills up. Her next stop is a tournament in New Zealand and she invited me to join her. Little does she know I take invitations quite seriously! 🙂
They call the instructor “Professor” and he gives the lesson in Portuguese. So now my lessons are not only for volleyball, but also Portuguese. It’s a bit tough to follow directions when he calls out quickly in Portuguese, but as long as I am not the first one to do the drill, I can follow the others. So far there has been at least one person who speaks English and helps me. I am getting better at the numbers to 1-21, and terms like go, serve, block, pass, etc. Volleyball is truly international though, especially high fives for a good play and the camaraderie you feel on the court!
I was put in the intermediate class, and it is perfect for me. On the first day I even had a block! woo hoo!!
My new volleyball classmates!
Here is the class with the “Professor” holding the ball. His name is Sobel.