Checking In With Justine Wong-Orantes in Europe

Justine Wong-Orantes is in Europe for the first ever Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour. The team will travel to Croatia, Slovenia and Italy from June 13-25 and give students from all 14 schools the opportunity to travel overseas to take part in competition on the court, participate in community service initiatives and experience new cultures in some of the world's greatest cities. 

Justine checked in with Huskers.com on Tuesday, June 16 and Sunday, June 21. Click here to view some photos from her trip.

Sunday, June 21

"Today, we started our last day in Croatia with some sightseeing of the Coliseum in Pula. First, we went through a famous arch that led us to many shops. We were on our own for this two-hour adventure and I managed to not spend any money, which is a total surprise. There were many gelato opportunities but somehow my will power kicked in. Or maybe it's because I have absolutely no more Kuna (Croatian money). 

Overall, it was a fun afternoon because we got to come back and enjoy the rays out in the Adriadic Sea! We all rushed to the beach/pool as soon as we got back from the hotel.

In Croatia, it's been a lot of sightseeing as opposed to Slovenia where we played a lot. The first day in Croatia was exhausting but also breathtaking all in one. Throughout the whole day, we managed to walk 7 miles spotting gorgeous views. It did rain for about 30 minutes but that didn't stop us from finishing the hike. It was incredible! After the hike, we drove 3 hours to our hotel, Hotel Pula. The beach is downstairs from this hotel and is absolutely amazing. I can't even put into words how beautiful this place is. Next thing we did was play against the Croatian club team and came up with a victory! On our last day we got to sightsee the ancient roman coliseum in Croatia, shop a little more and then did this volley clinic. The age ranged from 9-22. They were very eager to learn! The language barrier was a little tough but we made it work! And now, we are off to Italy tomorrow early in the morning. We can't wait to have a chance to play against the Italian National Team! Go B1G!"

Tuesday, June 16

"We finally arrived in Maribor, Slovenia after about 14 hours of travel. We had an 11-hour flight straight to Turkey, an hour flight from Turkey to Zagreb, Croatia, and lastly an hour-and-a-half bus ride to Maribor. We are staying in a pretty nice hotel with the practice/competition court attached.

The first day we practiced in the morning and then played at 4:00. It was a pretty relaxing day, just like a regular game day. It was a tough loss, 2-3, to the Slovenians. But today, we got a chance to redeem ourselves and ended up winning 3-1! Before the game, we woke up at 7:00 and had breakfast, then went to a preschool about five minutes walking distance. It was an awesome experience. We had stations consisting of reading to the children, teaching volleyball, playing tag and hide and seek. We all truly had an amazing time! We had them counting to 10 in English and teaching them "Hi" and "Bye."

And the fun continued, as we had lunch on this mountain two minutes away from our hotel. We actually ski-lifted up the mountain and then went down by going on this go-kart looking vehicle that we got to operate by using a joystick that stopped and sped. It was a little nerve-racking for some of us but we all managed to make it back down! It's been an exciting time in Maribor so far and I can't wait to see what else it has in store for us. Next up on the competition list is the Hungarian team!"