I found out in January that there is an open gym to play volleyball two nights a week at the local school. I was a little rusty at first and always chosen last when they picked team. But now I have proved myself and am generally a solid 3rd round pick (of 6 rounds).
At first it was pretty awkward, because there was very little talking and celebrating. Generally they would only give people a hard time if they did something wrong, but would not celebrate successes. But after a while people became more outspoken, I do not know if they become more comfortable with me or if it is the mix of the group which is different every time.
It is very interesting to watch sports here. It fills me with so many questions and my mind wonders wondering why they do things the way they do. For one thing, during volleyball anyways, there is little physical contact between participants, no hi fives or pats on the back. At least in my observations, this group of people is not very good at giving positive feedback.
Overall, I am pretty impressed with the skill of the players. Moldova is a culture that, like all of Europe, is focused on soccer. So anytime you see Moldavians play a sport where the feet are not used, you hope that you will have the upper-hand. But that has not been true for me yet, ha ha.
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