WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Redshirt sophomore setter Ashley Evans traveled to China in June as part of the U.S. Collegiate National Team-China tour. Below Evans shares a journal of her adventures to accompany the photo gallery above.
Hello, Boilermaker Country! I'm so excited to finally share my adventures over in China with you all. After getting back on campus and to workouts, again, I am thrilled to give you a short synopsis of my two-week journey in China as part of USA Volleyball's Collegiate National Team-China Roster (CNT-China). I never thought that my first experience outside of the United States would be halfway across the world, but upon hearing that I was selected as a member of the CNT-China Roster in early April, my anticipation for June grew daily.
Before this two-week adventure, I had never been on such a lengthy vacation. I'm proud to say that I managed to make it to our final destination of Beijing with only 34 pounds of luggage and one carry-on backpack, which is 16 fewer pounds that my usual: I'm known as the ultimate pack-rat and over-packer in my family and on the Purdue volleyball team.
My biggest fear about the entire trip, believe it or not, was the 14-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean and overcoming the intense jetlag with a 12-hour time change between West Lafayette and Beijing. The keys to getting through such a long flight were compression leggings to keep my ankles from swelling, eating, walking and stretching every few hours, sleeping if possible, and taking advantage of the personal touch-screen movie screens built in to each seat.
The first leg of the journey started in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 13. Upon arriving at Loyola-Marymount University (LMU) where we trained for the next day and a half, I met my other teammates as they arrived throughout the morning. The first afternoon consisted of getting our dorm rooms for the night, finding lunch, and having our first practice session as a team. Surprisingly, our team clicked immediately, much faster than any of us expected for not ever playing with each other before. It helped, however, to have been familiar with one another since many of us are either from the same team or conference in college. Our main focus was developing relationships on and off the court in such a short amount of time. Between hitters, passers and setters, it was obvious how quickly our team chemistry strengthened by the time we left LA. Practice in the States mainly consisted of serve and pass drills, setter-hitter connections, and 6-on-6 wash games. The more intense and face-paced practice sessions we had, the faster we developed on-court relationships and reached a comfort level between players and coaches.
All-in-all, we had three practices at LMU before heading to LAX. To top this leg of the trip off, I was fortunate to be able to grab lunch at a quaint Italian restaurant in LA with two of my cousins whom I do not get to see very often. Our flight for Hong Kong (HKG) departed LAX at 11:30pm, PDT. Taking the red-eye to HKG, followed by one connecting flight put us in Shanghai around 6:00pm, China Standard Time, exactly one-calendar day later. Basically, we lost a day (time-travel? ) going to China, and gained it back when we arrived back in the States. The highlight of my plane-ride to China was being able to sit next to Danielle Scott-Arruda, 5x Olympian for the U.S Women's Volleyball Olympic Team. In addition to the CNT-China roster, a USA All Pro-Star Bring It Promotions (BIP) team made up of current American pro-volleyball players participated in the same trip with us. Danielle was a member of this team, and I was lucky enough to have a neighboring seat next to her for the flight overseas. There's a lot to learn from such a renowned and highly-respected and talented player in the sport of volleyball. From asking about her experiences in the Olympics and as a mom, Danielle is surely a role-model and inspiration for all athletes.
Once we arrived in Shanghai, an hour bus ride brought us to a hole-in-the-wall, family-owned authentic Chinese restaurant for dinner. The most memorable moment of this dinner was seeing a young Chinese male walk in with a "Purdue" shirt on. I tried saying, "Boiler Up!" to him, but I'm convinced he didn't speak English since I unfortunately received no response back I consider myself an "adventurous" eater as I'm not hesitant by any means to try new foods. Throughout the entire trip, there were multiple instances where I wasn't sure what I was eating, but I was fortunate to never get sick at all overseas. From a food perspective, the majority of the meals consisted of foods similar to fried rice, noodles, authentic egg-drop soup, fried and sautéed vegetables ranging from green beans to cauliflower to cucumbers, baked lamb chops, peppered steak, steamed dumplings, breaded fish, green salad, eggs, seasoned scallops, chicken and onions, a China favorite of roasted duck and much, much more. Before coming on this journey, I was an amateur at using chop-sticks, but each meal progressed me into becoming a professional by the end!
A quick stop at the famous water-front "Bund" that runs along the Huangpu River in Shanghai concluded our sightseeing in this city. We left the next morning on a 6-hour bullet train to Beijing. Taking the train instead of flying allowed us to experience the countryside and rural living areas between the two major cities. Seeing farmers and workers out in fields with not a single house or place of shelter in sight for a few miles was eye-opening.
After finally arriving in Beijing mid-afternoon, we made our way to the hotel, took a nap, had dinner, and then made our way to practice at Beijing Normal Sports University. We all know how hot and grimy Holloway Gymnasium can get in the summer and in the early stages of the fall season, but this gym put Belin Court to rest. Even though practice was short and despite feeling like a jetlagged zombie, it felt awesome to get the blood flowing and to get some touches with a volleyball.
In summary, the rest of our trip consisted of about 12 days of playing, sightseeing, resting, eating, shopping, bonding, and picture-taking. Pictures do not do the culture and views in China justice by any means. There is so much history and culture in China that pictures and journals can't capture all that there is to see. This is a place where if you have the opportunity to go, GO! You won't regret it, I promise.
First up: volleyball. We played six matches in total, three informal scrimmages and three official contests as part of the 2015 China-USA Super Women's Volleyball Challenge. Even from watching the China CNT and Beijing/Fujian professional teams warm up, the speed, tenacity, savviness, and defensive capabilities of these women are far beyond anything we see here in the States. Chinese volleyball athletes are shorter than their other competitors and the average American player (6'0 and above). To compensate and make up for their lack of size and power, they beat teams with sheer speed, quickness, countless combination plays, and defensive scrappiness. Adjusting to the quick tempo of not only the set but also of the quicker pass as well took some time. The second adjustment we had to make was getting used to playing with international volleyballs as opposed to Molten or Nike brands which majority of us use back at school. We used the FIVB MVA200 Mikasa indoor volleyballs that are blue and yellow swirl-striped, panel design. In comparison to the Molten ball we normally use here at Purdue, the Mikasa is slightly smaller and much more aerodynamic due to its unique outer covering made of dimpled-fiber covering. As a setter, a smaller volleyball is easier to control and direct when the ball is in your hands. From a passing perspective, the international ball has more float and lethal movement to it, making it harder to pass. All-in-all, the two biggest adjustments were getting accustomed to the different balls and the speed of the Chinese game.
Next up: sightseeing and picture-taking. Between playing, eating and sleeping, we were able to sneak some epic sightseeing in at multiple renowned tourist destinations in Beijing. The four main places we visited were the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World; Tiananmen Square; the Forbidden City; and the Drum Tower. I don't have a long bucket list at this age, but one item on my list of "Places to Visit" is the Great Wall. I'm fortunate to be able to check such a breathtaking and must-see wonder off of my list. Pictures do not do the Great Wall justice by any means. Mentally, it is hard to imagine the amount of time, effort, manual-labor, and material it took to build such an incredible structure that is just over 13,000 miles long. Built to keep the Mongolians from the north away from the China dynasties and people in the south, the Wall is a historic monument and symbol reminding the world of historic Chinese culture and ways of life.
Tiananmen Square, which marks the center of Beijing, is a large brick square that spans about 440,000 square meters. The Square contains the entrance to the Forbidden City, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, and Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. The amount of tourists at these destinations is unfathomable. There are people everywhere, mainly Chinese tourists, and being tall American females, the Chinese population made us feel like celebrities. Too many times to count, a Chinese native would either snap a photo or video of us walking, ask to take a picture with us, or simply point or stare. It's not usual to see such tall Americans like us walking around China Everyone we saw or met, however, was extremely friendly, respectful, and interested in interacting with us, which made the tourist-aspect of this trip that much more enjoyable and memorable.
The Forbidden City, which housed the emperor and his family for over 24 generations, consists of more than 8,700 rooms. Think about that: 8,700 rooms. Insane! In order to minimize the chances of getting lost, the City contains a "central axis" midline made of slightly differing concrete which runs from the first gate to the last, and we made our way through the City by simply following this axis till the end. It took us at least 45 minutes to walk from the entrance gate through the next 6 until we reached the exit. The vibrant colors, hand-painted designs inside the emperor's rooms and the detailed animal figures on the roofs of each temple all add their own little touch to the breathtaking City.
Finally, we visited the Drum Tower, which we reached by means of the steepest set of 50 stairs I have ever climbed. Even from down below, one could hear the drums being played, showing how loud and how far their sound travels. The historic purpose of the Drum Tower was a method of telling time and signifying the start of a new calendar year. We climbed to the top of the tower (quite the workout, in case you were wondering ) and found a fantastic view of the city from the top while also enjoying the beats developed by the drummers. Visiting the Drum Tower completed the final sight-seeing extravaganza of the trip.
The last part of the trip to detail is the shopping or "bargaining" at the numerous markets throughout the city. We made it to a popular shopping street, the Pearl Market, and the most renowned mall in Beijing, the Silk Market. These shopping districts sell anything and everything. From tourist souvenirs, to Michael Kors purses, from Nike shoes to luggage, one can find any item in these markets. The key is to learn how to bargain with the shop owner or seller. There is always a starting price at which the seller wishes to sell an item, but you tend to ask for a much lower price and bargain to an agreement somewhere in the middle. Sounds stressful, but it's quite fun! The majority of the items are knock-off brands, meaning one should try and buy items for as little as possible. Of all the shopping experiences we encountered, my favorite part was finding gifts for family and friends back home. Bringing a part of China home with me in the form of gifts and tangible items will help me remember moments and experiences during the trip that I hope to never forget during my lifetime.
I can't express how fortunate and thankful I am for being given this opportunity to play the sport I love at the international level for the first time while also being engulfed in Chinese culture and history for two weeks as well. It was the best of both worlds, and I hope I can bring back what I learned on the volleyball front to the court this fall. I hope you enjoy the accompanying pictures that highlight a few key moments and experiences during this once-in-a-lifetime trip. See you this fall!
Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!
#5 Ashley Evans