Dinamo Kazan’s US-American Jordan Quinn Larson-Burbach finds hometown feeling in faraway Russia.
Hamburger and Borsh, Starbucks-Coffee and Samovar, Nebraska and Kazan; let’s confess, almost nobody would see any connection between these things. Jordan Quinn Larson – Burbach, however, does. The 27 years old universal player lives between two worlds, in more than just one aspect – and the reason is the big passion for volleyball.
Almost everybody knows the old stories from the Cold War between the two world powers, Uncle Sam and the old Bear. Jordan Larson-Burbach, however, doesn’t take too narrow the view of this: “I really enjoy it in Kazan. I already feel a little bit like a Russian, even though I don’t speak really well the language.
The people are so friendly.” The US national player can’t wrap up in secrecy her problems with the Pushkin’s and Dostoevsky’s language: “Although I’ve been playing already some time here in Kazan, I still have some problems with Russian. I think it’s quite hard to learn it, but I’m so glad that my teammates help me with this.”
The US-American national player already feels like home, how she explains, even more because there are some parallels between her hometown and Kazan: “I’m from Nebraska. It’s cold there too. Not -20° degree like in Russia, but cold. That’s the reason why the weather wasn’t a big shock for me.”
The 27 years old universal player, however, sees some big differences too: “I’m from a small town in Nebraska. Kazan, in comparison, is an impressive, big city. I’m really happy that I don’t live in the centre, because in my neighbourhood there’s not as much traffic as there is downtown.” But that’s not the only distinction between her hometown and Kazan. “I think there’s another driving style in Russia. I’ve got sometimes the feeling that people drive however and wherever they want. It was quite strange for me, when I was on the streets for the first time there.”
But what’s an American without the typical American food? Fast food and fast coffee are the epitome of the “American way of life”. As there aren’t as many fast food restaurant as there are in the US, even Jordan Larson sometimes have longing for the taste of her home, she confesses: “I know some really nice restaurants in Kazan and like to go there with my friends, but there are missing some typical American restaurants – and I have yearning sometimes.”
However, there’s almost no other possibility for the American national player to play professionally volleyball than abroad. The reason why is easy to find: There’s no professional league in the US like there are in Europe and South America. Like many of other American volleyball players, for example Volero Zurich’s Courtney Thompson too, the national universal player had to leave her home if she wanted to play volleyball on a high club level. Not always an easy decision: “I really enjoy seeing new places and meeting new person. Even though, I have sometimes longing for the USA.” But Jordan Larson has got support to feel more like home, even in Kazan: “My teammates are amazing and help me a lot. I also started to enjoy the Russian cuisine and drinking Samovar.”
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