Chapter 9: The Bi-Cultural Volleyball Diaries: A Tale of Teamwork in Two Countries

Volleyball. What does this word mean to you? Perhaps it is a recreational game that you have played at some point with family and friends on the beach, between bites at a barbeque, or even in a pool. Maybe you have memories of watching this high-intensity sport during the Olympic Games or playing with classmates in high school during gym class. The Random House Dictionary defines volleyball as “a game in which two teams hit a large ball back and forth over a high net with their hands.” True, but for the more athletically inclined, the sport also includes highspeed spikes, strategic ball placement, towering blockers, and sore forearms and knees. As for myself, a thirty-five year-old gay male who has lived in New York City for the past six years, the meaning runs far deeper.