Mercury Overseas November Blog: Guard Alex Harden

Hey mercury fans! Checking in from Israel as I’m in my second year overseas. I can’t say I was able to get much time before my journey to overseas life began. My flight for Tel Aviv was originally scheduled for October 4th, which happened to be our last game of the season. I was granted a few extra days and left Phoenix on the 5th to return home to Springfield, then left St. Louis on the 8th for Newark. Travel wasn’t too bad, but 11 hours can really make a girl think twice. I watched many movies and thankfully had room to be comfortable during the flight. The best thing about this being my second year overseas is knowing how to pack and not having a 300 dollar bag fee for packing everything I owned.

My teammates were very welcoming and always invited us to dinner, so I’m happy about that. I think we have a lot of potential for what we can do this season and each game will be a great test for us. When I first arrived, they had a holiday almost every three days. No joke. It was a big month for them and I enjoyed their traditions and learning about their culture. Sukkoth is a great holiday in which they have a feast among loved ones, remove the earthly distractions and take time to listen to the Gods and hear their fortune for the New Year. October is when they celebrate New Year’s. They have many traditions, one in which they aren’t supposed to work on the Sabbath, so from around 4 p.m. on Saturday until Sunday afternoon everything is closed and there is almost nobody in the streets. I like this time, as it’s almost rejuvenation from the week. Only thing I dislike about it is when I forget something I need for dinner and have to go without it.

Our season kicked off a few weeks ago. We’ve played two games and are now 1-1 with some by weeks for national teams. I’m really excited for the season and to be able to develop my game and get better. On days off, I’ve taken some time to see the cities around me, but mainly I go to the beach and relax. I’m anxiously waiting for our next off day so I can visit Jerusalem.

-Alex