Vastlapäev and volleyball

It's a quiet and chilly Wednesday night here in Kihnu. The rain outside has created slippery slush out of the heaps of snow on the ground, which by tomorrow morning will probably transform into dangerous sheets of ice. Knowing my clumsy ways I should probably start preparing myself for the many falls I am sure to experience.

But moving on....

Yesterday in Estonia was Vastlapäev (Shrove Tuesday) and to celebrate the day I participated in Kihnu's annual volleyball competition along with many others. Now, I've always loved the sport especially when I remember the good ol' days of playing with Kilplased (our lovely folk dance group), but I can't say I'm the greatest player. Sure I have the heart but when those fast balls are being spiked into my face it's not my passion that is going to catch the ball.......(even though catching isn't allowed in volleyball) but regardless I still like to play.

Each group was made up of 4 players and as soon as the first ball was served my heart began to beat with anxiety. Millions of thoughts were running through my head 

"keep your eyes on the ball"

"first passes, second sets, third spikes"

"what if I get hit in the face?"........and so on and so on. 

Our feet were flying across the courts so quickly that I couldn't tell anymore if we were playing volleyball or dancing! 

"what are you doing watching FEET??? keep your eyes on the ball Silvia. Back and forth, pass to the left, spike, set higher, DIVE DIVE DIVE!"

The tension was heavy in the air and sweat was dripping down my back. 

"Come on Silvia pick up your feet and run! NOOOO!!!! What are you doing? How could you have missed that ball it was so easy???.....ok just shake it off...shake it off" 

This dialogue went on in my head for what felt like years but thankfully our team made it through the first set of three games and without any time for rest we dove straight into playing the second team. The audience which we had was cheering us on....or maybe they were heckling us.....it's a bit difficult to understand the Estonian when your own heavy breathing is drowning out any other noises. Nevertheless we played hard, gave it our best and I'm proud to say I even had a few of my own beautiful moments! 

Before I knew it the set was already over and you'll never believe it.....our team made first place! Of course I owe it all to my amazing team members (Enna, Kermo, and Klaid) but I like to think that I helped out at least a little bit.

Our prize for winning was our very own personalized certificates, a free trip to the sauna and what better than....a bag full of beers! :) A perfect end to a fun Vastlapäev!

Perhaps to some it may seem like a small victory but to me it meant a lot. I'm going to hang my certificate on the wall as a reminder that the more time passes, the more accepted I am into this wonderful community. And that makes this little Canadian feel very happy....even on a quiet and chilly Wednesday night.