The Travels of the Murnane Family: VFB Fussballschule

We were lucky enough to get Molly into a German soccer camp this summer. She was a little nervous the first day, but now that it is over she is thrilled that she went. It was a great growing experience for her.
The first day camp started at 9:30. There were probably 40 kids (all of whom were German). Of the 40 kids, there were 4 girls. All the kids showed up in regular street clothes and picked up their uniforms. The uniforms included a VFB jersey, shorts, socks, warm up pants and a jacket.
There was a 20 minute introduction in German for me and a separate 20 minute intro for Molly. I kept looking over at the poor kid wondering how in the hell she was going to survive the week when all the instruction was in German. God love the kid!! I had no idea what the guy was telling all the parents, but I did catch make sure they drink a lot of water...ok check!
Speaking of water, the camp had individual water bottles for the players, but it was all sparkling water. So "the American" brought her own water bottle.
Lunchtime came...the camp also fed the kids. Lunchtime was a hot meal served together as a team. The kids were given 1 hour and 15 minutes to sit and eat together. As the coach who spoke English put it, "we are trying to build a team, so we encourage the kids to eat together and all eat the same". We all know MOlly can be a bit picky when it comes to food, but she tried what they gave her everyday. Some of it she liked (schnitzel and pommes) and others not so much (pasta).
She met one good friend who spoke some English. So the two of them tried to figure out what the other was saying and in turn learned a little about the other language. Molly is definitely our most adventurous when it comes to trying the language so this was perfect for her. When I asked her if she knew what was going on she said, "no not really I just follow the kids".

One of the coaches (Ben) spoke great English and made sure Molly understood what was going on and was very encouraging to her. Every time he saw her he gave her a high five and asked her how she was doing. Molly also said all the kids knew her name (sounded like MOE LEE). They would try some English and say, "Moe lee have you fun?"

Group picture the last day.

I had to take this picture of this counselor's calves...I know my Lintz side will appreciate the size. This man was huge..all muscle! I think we may have found a relative!

This man is a SUPERDAD. The last day of camp was family day and the parents were invited to play the kids. When walking up to the field all the other dads were carrying their cleats and shin guards. Poor Michael was not prepared for the game, it was a bit slippery. However, he was out there with Molly and she had a grin the whole time to show her appreciation.

**If you are wondering why I was not playing, someone had to take the pictures!!! Plus I think I pulled a hammy on the walk in!