Louisiana, USA

my last card for today is another official one, showing a map of the state of Louisiana

US-680226

well, I would like to use this card in order to dedicate this post to a guy called Lester Bo McCalleb, as well as to the entire Macedonian basketball team. Those who have followed the European Basketball Championship, already know why.

Personally, ive never really followed basketball...Im a racing and tennis kind of person...also gymnastics, ice-skating and such...but never really been into the '-ball' sports, unless given a good reason....and here I was given that good reason. Considered an outsider by almost everyone (neither WE had any high hopes), Macedonia managed to reach the semi-finals and end in the fourth place....along with the greatest basketball names of Spain, Russia, France....the day we beat Lithuania, on their turf, with 100 Macedonian supporters against the 14.000 Lithuanian ones, was one of the days the entire country will remember...I could never truly describe you the atmosphere here, but it was proved that the way sports can genuinely unite people (in the most spontaneous way) politics and political parties can NEVER do....so i would really wholeheartedly want to thank the Macedonian basketball team along with the fantastic coach for giving our country such a thing....something we had needed for a long long while....

And why I chose Louisiana? Coz Bo was actually born there....and Bo has the fantastic contribution to our team....Bo who in the end was ranked among the 5 top players of the All Tournament Team...and who had the Macedonian flag on his shoulders when accepting the award....Bo who grew to the hearts of many....

we lost to Russia in the semi-finals in another tense match, but our players simply had no more strength...yet, we are more than happy and grateful for what they had achieved.....

here are the highlights and the key moment of the match against the host Lithuania....i still shiver, each time i watch it....

Bo with the Macedonian flag over the shoulders..

If you fulfill the hearts of the Macedonians, this is how they're gonna welcome you when you decide to go back home :) (I was among there....somewhere....)