Megan Mahoney: Good Parma

Q. In what city and country are you playing?
Megan: Parma, Italy

Q. How long have you been in the country?
Megan: I've been here about a month and a half.

Q. Had you been to Italy before?
Megan: No

Q. What was your first impression of Italy?
Megan: Beautiful mountains and vineyards everywhere and also people on mopeds everywhere who have no sense of lanes or driving etiquette.

Q. Do you speak Italian?
Megan: Parlo italiano poco. I know a little bit of Italian, but I learn something new every day. Hopefully by the end of the season I'll be speaking it fluently. :)

Q. Does anyone on your team speak English?
Megan: Yes, there are two Aussie girls and two other imports from Croatia and Belgium who speak pretty decent English. Plus, the Italian girls can speak it a bit as well.

Q. Have you experienced any difficulties conversing with your team due to the language barrier?
Megan: There have been a few times when everyone is having a conversation in Italian and they forget to translate for us English speakers. And sometimes you come across an awkward silence with one of the Italians just because our vocab is kind of limited. Ciao, come sta? or ‘Hi, how are you?’ can only take you so far.

Q. Do you have any funny stories you would like to share about your overseas experience?
Megan: Well, it’s always quite funny on game day when we have to put on our unitards. Actually, they’re spandex shorts and tight tops, which I am not too thrilled about. But what can ya do?! And we played one team at a place where they're known for being pretty rowdy and intense. Well, a big brawl almost broke out and we got booed and spit on by their fans and had to be ushered to our locker room. That was an interesting experience!

Q. What is one difference between playing basketball in the U.S. and in Italy?
Megan: They call traveling here ALOT. In the states, you can get away with it sometimes.

Q. Describe the city where you are playing.
Megan: Parma is a really old, neat city. It’s not too big that it’s overwhelming and it’s not too small where there's nothing to do. I really enjoy it because it has a lot of neat shops and restaurants and the centro has the narrow, cobblestone streets with old, unique buildings.

Q. What do you do in the city when you are not playing basketball?
Megan: Shop or just walk around checking out the sites and neat buildings and monuments. Also a bunch of my teammates and me like to hang and go try out different restaurants.

Q. What do you like most about the city you are playing in?
Megan: The food here is amazing! Their specialty is PARMAsan cheese and a pasta called tortelli. To die for!

Q. Are there any traditions that have surprised you?
Megan: Well, I sometimes wonder when people work because shops are closed on Sundays and sometimes Mondays, and they also close for the ‘long lunch’ from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Q. What’s your favorite foreign city?
Megan: Well, I've been to Florence and Bologna, but I think my favorite so far is here in Parma.