Yes it's so fun to go to another country and experience the culture... but what you have to remember, is usually each year, we end up somewhere new. It's hard when you have been in France for so long, just starting to learn the language then you end up in Mexico, and then Brazil. It's hard to go to a new city not knowing anyone there, or having family around. It is hard when you finally make a lot of really great friends in one city only to end up in another the next season. It's hard to just move period, imagine doing it every couple months! It wears on a person.
What's even harder is what the stress of a bad game or even a bad season will bring... always nervous of him getting cut if a game doesn't go right, or not getting asked back if a season didn't end well; regardless how well he played. And for our family that's scary... to not have guaranteed stability. But I guess nowadays nobody really does... but for us it's much more sensitive. He can be on a team for 1 week, and get cut if the coach doesn't like him, or if they lose a game regardless whose fault it is... and it can be hard to bounce back from something like that.
Plus being in the public eye people will have an opinion on your spouse, or even you... and that's something I struggle with. I have a hard time if I hear one person bad mouth my husband about his skill on the court, because I feel like they just don't understand! He's amazing, a great basketball player, a great athlete. But being American they expect you to win all the time regardless of what the rest of the team is doing and that's stressful. But good thing he is so amazing, so I don't have to hear the trash talk all that often... and I think I get more stressed about it than my husband does lol. And then I feel like because I am a "basketball wife" people feel like I might be cold, or stuck up or something... so they are afraid to approach me, when that's not me at all. I am one of the most down to earth people, and I love meeting new people and making new friends. I mean come on... back int he day on most of my reports cards you would see "Social Butterfly" in nearly every comment box, it's who I am! lol
Now I will say this... out of all the countries that we have been to so far, Brazil has been my favorite. Not only is the league well organized, and so fun to watch and keep up with (there are a lot of really great players and teams), but the people and the culture is one of the best I have experienced so far. And don't even get me started on the food: FANTASTIC! I feel like people truly care about our family when we are here, they aren't being fake, it's all real. People are so warm and kind here.
My kids seem to be having a great time and that's also very important to me. They are going to school here in Brazil, it's 5 days a week, 4 hours a day and they LOVE IT. They have picked up so many amazing and cute brazilian mannerisms, I love it. If we come back next year we are hoping to get B-ray into a soccer school or club down here. He loves soccer. And what better place to learn and play on a soccer team than in one of the most famous "futbol" countries in the world? Brazil. Now not sure how much Portuguese they actually have picked up, as this is their 2nd year in Brazil... and we speak only English to them so they respond in english, but we do hear them say some things in portuguese... like whenever B-ray or Maddox makes a mistake instead of saying "opps" it's "Opa!" lol... or if they get scared instead of "Ah" and "Ey!" lol. And here in Brazil Tayden has had the most amazing therapists and doctors maybe he has ever had! Plus I love that usually when someone sees Tayden they will walk up to him, and put their hands on his head and pray for him. You don't see that in the states that often, but here it happens all the time. And to have people praying for him like that, and love him like that, it's just amazing to me.
Okay I got swept up in my love for Brazil yet again, lol... that wasn't the point of this post, but another post I will go into more detail about how amazing Brazil has been to our family these past 2 years.
The point of this is that life for us isn't all glitz and glamour. We still have to work hard to get it and work hard to keep it. Now my husbands season is coming to an end and the real fun begins... what's going to happen next season? Where is our adventure going to take us this time? And how long will it last?
This life is definitely interesting and exciting... but it's definitely not for the weak hearted.
