studentsineurope

Interview with a Professional Volleyball Player in Europe

Anna taking in the sites in Rome

Anna Cmaylo is an American volleyball player currently playing professionally in Klagnefurt, Austria. You can keep up with her as well as all of her adventures on the blog that she updates regularly.

What made you decide to play volleyball for a team in Europe? How is it that you managed to get in contact with a team?

After finishing my four years of eligibility at Santa Clara University, I realized that I really wanted to keep playing volleyball – not only because I love playing, but because I knew it could be my ticket to travel the world! There’s no domestic professional league in the U.S., so anyone who wants to continue playing after college has to look overseas for opportunities. I was fortunate enough to have an older ex-teammate of mine playing in Switzerland at the time that I finished with university, and she put me in contact with several coaches in Switzerland who were looking for players! Next thing you know, I found myself on a team in Cheseaux, Switzerland for my first overseas volleyball-ing adventure.

Do you get to travel to other countries for your games?

While playing in Switzerland, I stayed in the country for all of our matches. This year I play on a team in regional mid-European league, and we travel from Austria to Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia for matches. We also have international matches against Euro-Cup opponents.

Are there any decisive differences between living in Switzerland and Austria?

Well, the biggest difference is that they speak French in Cheseaux, and in Austria it’s all in German! Other than that, they share similar beautiful mountain landscapes, and I’m loving my experience here just as much as I loved it in Switzerland!

Has the language barrier made it difficult to make friends?

Not at all. Most of the younger generations have between 5 and 8 years of English in school, so by the time they’re done with high school, they’re very fluent! It’s always a joke with all of the North Americans in town that when you first meet someone here, they apologize for their bad English skills, but within five minutes is easy to see that they might know more English than we do!

What is your favorite part about life in Europe?

I love the different pace of life here. It seems that in Europe, as opposed to in the U.S., people take more time to enjoy parts of life that have been brushed to the side in the fast-paced lives of the average American. Meals are prepared with care, and consumed slowly and with friends. Work and school schedules can usually bend to fit other familial or recreational engagements. The biggest thing is that everything is closed on Sunday, which almost forces everyone to take a break and relax at least one day a week! I love that lifestyle, and I wish I could bring some of it home with me!

Do you have time to take trips when your not playing volleyball? If so what is your most memorable vacation?

In Switzerland I had several weekends off during which I was able to take trips with other volleyballers. My favorite trip was probably a Friday-to-Monday journey from Geneva to Rome with two really good friends. We walked around the entire city, tried to hit up as many tourist attractions as possible, ate some amazing meals, fell in love with gelato, and met some crazy people along the way. By the time we got on our plane back, we felt like we had been there for a lot longer than 3 nights!

Any favorite Ausrian dishes?

I’m a big fan of kaiserschmarrn, which is a breakfast/dessert (your choice) dish made with eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, and rasins. You top it off with applesauce or plum sauce. So yummy!

Any “must-see” tips you have for those soon headed to Europe?

Unfortunately, I’m not as well traveled as I hope to someday be, but Rome is a definite must-see. The history of the city is mind-blowing!

Any travel plans for the future?

Besides our upcoming team travel, my roommate and I have plans to spend a few days in Venice before Christmas!