May 2024

Boredom, San Sebastián, Milwaukee cafe, Athletic Bilbao

“The Comb of the Wind” in San Sebastián.

Welcome back to another edition of Dodson Diaries!

I am currently back home in the United States! I returned home at the end of April and look forward to enjoying the summer. As always, thank you all for the continuous support of my newsletter.

This month, I am writing about dealing with boredom, San Sebastián, Milwaukee Cafe, and Athletic Bilbao. I hope you enjoy it!

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Boredom

A common statement I have heard is to go overseas, make your money, and get your stats, so you can get a chance to get back in the WNBA. This path is how many female players get another opportunity in the league, and I hope to be one of them, but the mentality sets people up for failure overseas. Why? Making money or getting a training camp contract will not sustain you for the months you play overseas. I have talked about loneliness in a previous newsletter, but boredom is not discussed enough in the overseas experience. Yes, I have been able to explore countries and be immersed in a new culture which is far from boring, but those are the highlights. I would further argue it is not the norm. For example, when I was in Poland my experience was the opposite, I did not explore or feel immersed in the country.

Most of my days are spent at home or in the gym regardless of where I am. Many teams are not located in large cities such as Madrid or Barcelona where there is always something to do. Even if a player ends up in a large city, things such as the language barrier, inability to make friends, or the demands of the game schedule (often take up the weekend) leave you stuck in a never-ending continuum of practice and games. I remember while trying out for the Phoenix Mercury before my first year overseas, I was talking to some teammates about their overseas experience. They told me to prepare myself to pass the time either scrolling on social media, binge-watching Netflix, or staying up late to Facetime friends. I knew if that were my day-to-day I would be miserable, so I had to figure out another way.

If I could advise anyone going to play overseas on how to combat boredom, it would be these two things:

1. Make a routine (outside of your basketball routine)

Regardless of my basketball schedule, I will wake up with enough time to stretch, leisurely prepare breakfast, and read a book. It might not seem like a lot, but it can take up to two hours of my morning. Other ideas are having a schedule for self-care like hair, nails, and cleaning your apartment. These minute details can help tremendously fill up the time in a way that is good for your mental health and gives you a needed diversion from basketball.

2. Find an activity or hobby

I enjoy learning Spanish. I take a virtual class and try to devote at least 30 minutes to practicing my Spanish daily. My Spanish class became a highlight of my week. Cooking is another activity a lot of players overseas talk about. Fueling your body correctly helps with your performance of course, but also it can be very soothing and simple to add to a routine. I’ve started to learn how to cook this past year, and I have come to enjoy it. The activities do not have to be elaborate, but find something. Usually, every day doing even one activity along with my basketball commitments makes the days go by faster and gives me fulfillment.

Basketball will not sustain you. The key is to find things outside of the game to enjoy. Otherwise, I probably would not be still playing overseas.

San Sebastián

San Sebastián is one of the most expensive cities in Spain, and after visiting, I understood why. Everywhere you walk is stunning. The most well-known beach is La Concha which runs along the city's edge. The boardwalk makes it easy to stroll along and enjoy the breeze from the ocean.

After roughly 40 minutes of walking along the beach, I made it to El Peine del Viento, or the Comb of the Wind where three large metal sculptures blend beautifully with the sea and rock around them.

The city is known for its food, specifically for its state-of-the-art pintxos that you can find in its Old Town. Unfortunately, while I was there I did not explore all the city had to offer from a culinary perspective, so I will have to take a visit back.

Milwaukee-inspired Cafe?

A teammate and I took an hour's ride to France after our stay in San Sebastián for brunch. In Europe, it continues to amaze me that you can travel seamlessly to different countries. We stopped in a French town called Biarritz known for its proximity to the coast, beaches, and waves for surfing. As we were looking for a place to eat, we stumbled across this place called Milwaukee Cafe which caught our interest. The usual American-themed places I have found are usually New York or Texas-themed, and often disappointing. However, this place was the best breakfast place I have ever been to so far.

I found this wall art in the cafe to be so cool.

I am not sure how authentic the food offerings were to Milwaukee since I have never been, but if it is authentic, I will have to take a trip very soon. First, I decided to try one of their fresh pressed juices which has ruined my appetite for normal store juices. The oatmeal was topped with vanilla, honey, cinnamon, caramelized peanuts, and roasted bananas. Lastly the best for last, the fluffiest pancakes topped with homemade apples, almonds, and caramel. They were called apple pie pancakes and I would eat those over apple pie any day. My teammate got the avocado toast with a massive piece of bread.

I would rate the whole meal a 9/10!

Athletic Bilbao Game

Like a typical American, soccer has never appealed to me. I had one stint of watching many women’s soccer games while at Stanford University. After I graduated, the sum of games I watched went back to nearly zero (Other than watching the fictional soccer show Ted Lasso). I never understood the popularity of soccer in other places across the world, but now I do. The video below does not encapsulate fully how it feels to go to a soccer game overseas, but it gives you a glimpse.

My team had the opportunity to watch an Athletic Bilbao soccer game. Athletic is a special soccer team based out of Bilbao in the top Spanish league called “La Liga”. They only take players from the Basque Country. This is the equivalent of the Atlanta Falcons only having players from Georgia play for them. It is unheard of. Due to this commitment to their region, there is a deep sense of loyalty and pride for the team that rivals the fandom you might find for collegiate football programs. Before this match, they had just won Copa del Rey (in the most exciting manner possible). This ended a 40-year championship drought for the club.

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Thank you for reading my newsletter and to those who participated in the poll last week! My favorite segment about Overseas Salaries came in second to the segment about my Game Day routine. This was surprising to me, so thank you for the feedback. It helps me pick which topics to write about. Feel free to tell me your favorite segment of this newsletter in the comments.

Until next month :)