A Day in the Life: Liz Moeggenberg

Bonjour! I hope this update finds everyone back home well. I hear it's been a frigid winter and everybody is ready for not only some exciting WNBA basketball, but some warmer weather in the Windy City.

Currently, my husband Luke and I are spending the first part of the year over in a small city 1 1/2 hours north of Paris, France. I am playing basketball for ASPTT Arras in Arras, France, and it has been quite an experience over here adjusting to everything that we take for granted in the U.S.A.

We arrived in France on December 28, 2006, and it has been quite the experience for both of us. I remember going to the grocery store for the first time, and having to put 1 Euro into the shopping cart just to use it. We didn't think that grocery shopping in a different country would be that difficult, but when you don't know the language, it poses a whole different challenge.

You are probably wondering how things are going over here as far as basketball goes. Well, even though the whole winning aspect of games is a bit challenging, I am surrounded by good people and always have my husband here to cheer me up when the going gets tough. Overall, the team is 9-13 but we are looking forward to winning some of our upcoming games. On a more positive note, we have recently started playing Coupe de France games. In the first round, we beat our opponent by 21 points, and hope to keep the momentum going!

Day to day things here are pretty predictable. On Mondays, we have conditioning and lifting with our strength coach during the morning practice. In the evening we do a routine practice of drills and scrimmaging. On Tuesdays, we have a routine practice in the morning but conditioning and shooting in the evenings. Wednesdays consists of two routine practices and on Thursdays we have film and shooting in the morning, and a routine practice in the evening. Friday mornings we have off and Friday nights consist of preparing for our next �victim� that we play the next day. Saturdays are usually game days, and Sundays we have off and are a day of rest and relaxation since mostly everything in Arras shuts down.

In-between practices and games, Luke and I have found ourselves traveling to nearby attractions such as Paris and London, driving through smaller villages with gorgeous cathedrals, checking out some of the local battlefields while learning pieces of history, and even checking out the village market that is held in the center of Arras every Saturday morning. We will do pretty much anything to get us out of our single bedroom apartment and save us from boredom. When we do decide to stay in our apartment, we like to watch movies, read a good book, clean, and of course cook! I have even recently taken up crocheting. If anyone out there would like a scarf or some mittens, just let me know!

Another exciting thing that has happened since we have been in France is that my mom, brother, and his girlfriend have had the opportunity to come visit us. It was a fantastic experience for all of them since they had never been out of the country.

It has been a blast here in France so far, but there is no doubt that I am excited to get back to the states. I can't wait to do some grocery shopping where I can understand what I am buying and to play some basketball with all my teammates that I miss. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I can't wait to get back to Chicago to meet all the new faces that have come to Chicago to help us become the best basketball team in the WNBA!

Hope all is well, take care!

~Liz Moeggenberg #52