Above the Net With... Carolina Freitas
Our fourth Above the Net for the 2013 season comes from Carolina Freitas. Freitas is a freshman middle hitter from Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has entitled her entry "Com O Amor Do Brasil".
Hello Seward County Lady Saint fans ! I write this with so much happiness because I 'm very happy to be here and playing for Seward County , and having an opportunity to play volleyball in another country! Being away from my parents , family , friends and my country has been very difficult , but, a great learning experience . I can say that Liberal has really welcomed me with open arms and made me feel a part of the community. Everything here is still so new and exciting yet, mainly the language and culture, but it is very cool , I'm being able to learn a lot with the help of Coach Luallen , Coach Jordan, and my teammates .
When I came here I thought to myself , where am I? Very different from Brazil , the city where I am from could consider a big city with large buildings , packed traffic all day , busy roads , stoplights at every corner , and people walking all over the city day and night. To my shock, I came here and I did not see any of this. Although I already knew many places in America , it was surprising when I got to Liberal and it was a small town. While Liberal may be very different from my hometown, I find it very cozy with a lot of love and it even resembles the cities of São Paulo .
Our team is very close. My closest friends on the team are the two Brazilian girls, # 6 Thayná Silva who played last year and # 1 Carol Gasparini who came along with me this year. We do many things together off the court. I live in the dorms , which has helped me make ??new friendships with other people , playing pool and ping pong in the game room . I get along very well with Thayna , we're practically sisters here. When I stay at her house, we sleep in the same room and spend all of our time together, even though we have very different personalities. We fight sometimes, but in the end, I know it is because she cares about me and wants what is best for me. She helps me a lot every day in both English and in volleyball .
In the three months I have been here with the volleyball team, I have loved every day more and more and it has been a huge learning time for my life and for myself . The team has gotten to know each other and make more friendships already established a great atmosphere on the court and off the court . We are now getting towards the end of the season. Man it went way too fast! I am very pleased with the results so far, but we still have a lot to accomplish. We had some defeats that helped us learn as a team and it has made us work very hard and to push each other every day in practice to get better every day! Our conference games are over now, but we still have a few more weeks of hard work ahead of us. I believe in our team and with the support of you fans , I know we can succeed and get to the Nationals this year !
I have always had the support of my parents at my games and when I decided to come to Seward County, they supported me even more. I always take with me a phrase that my mother always said , " daughter fight for your dreams " , and today I can say that I'm doing that, because I have always wanted to play here in America and now that I have been given the opportunity to be here at Seward County , I know I have to work hard to keep that dream every day. I have also had the support of a Brazilian friend who played with me in Brazil and also here at Seward County before me. I really consider her a sister who has had the great opportunity of playing in the Greenhouse like me, Daiane Souza.
Yes , I may be a freshman and not the wisest yet, but I know that our team together with the heart and mind , we will always have the will to win and never give up . I hope our fans go to the games and support us like always , both at home and away . Having great fans is the best feeling in the world , while in a good game or a tough spot , because it only brings more fun and energy to the game . The most amazing thing is when games are at home and we have kids wanting our autographs because they believe that one day they will play in college and have the support as we have it, with the crowd behind us help us when we need to win the games!
I hope to see everyone in the Greenhouse on Tuesday when we start the Region VI Tournament against Garden City!
GO LADY SAINTS !
#10 Carolina Freitas