The game against Tranås was great! We won the match 10-0 and one of the forwards on our team, Mikis, won the scoring title for the season! yeaye! What was really not good about the game....was that it was the last "regular" season game of the year. I had a hard time not shedding a few tears because the end of the season has come. Ok, so I cried like a big baby because it was the last game of the regular season. I just don't want the bandy season to be done. I'm having so much fun training and learning, experiencing life here in Stockholm, and just living life to the fullest. But I can't stop time, so the show must go on.
Tranås is about 3.5 hours away from Stockholm, and 3 of our team members are from there originally. On the way there, we were a little early (we left a little early because we were supposed to get a lot of snow), so we stopped at one of the team mates parent's house for our "snack" (theory session) and to enjoy a fika (coffee break). Then it was off to the rink! When the game was done, I was exhausted and hungry, so it was a very pleasant surprise when Josse said that her parents were offering to have the team over for tacos!! Mmmm! We haven't had mexican food since we've been here, and Thom and I were just talking about how Chipotle sounded SO good! I stuffed myself to the point of feeling like I had gone too far....doh! oh well, I enjoyed it. Back onto the bus for the ride home and we watched Bolt - the movie - very cute. We didn't get to finish it because some people on the team wanted to listen to the "Melody Festival" - the show that is how the Swedes pick who to send on to the European competition where all of Europe competes to have "their" singer/band win the title. Quite the event here - everyone seems glued to it --- so much so that they put it on the radio so you can listen if you have to be on the road and can't watch it from the comforts of home! We don't know how the movie ended --- we will soon though, we'll borrow it from someone ;)
Sunday, I was exhausted, but we were up to go to Miska's house to plan our European adventure trip. Once the bandy season is done with finals (boo hoo!), Thom and I will venture to Helsinki Finland, Tallinn Estonia, and Riga Latvia, then back here to Stockholm. I was surprised to find out how cheap this trip will be --- about $600 for the both of us for a week's vacation, including transportation and hotels!?? WOW! Pretty good deal all in all! We will get to see my USA teammate Sarma in Riga! She's there training with the Latvian national Hockey team for their World Championships in Italy. That will be fun to see a familiar face and learn where she "comes from". We enjoyed a great lunch with Miska and her 2 twins, some relaxing time, then back home for the evening. The rest of the week was pretty normal with work and training --- except for Thursday --- I didn't make it to training because my head felt like it was going to explode and I had the whole body aches - worse than I've ever had them before!!! So, I did still manage to make it to 3 days of training this week, but I would have rather been at the fourth day of training as opposed to curled up in a ball in pain. Oh well - I slept for 30 hours out of 38 and felt 85% better the next day (Friday). It is now Saturday and I'm feeling 90%, and hope to be able to go to the gym tomorrow with the rest of the team for training yet again. I HATE being sick! Sounds like some others have the same "cold bug" that we know, so I apparently got it from somewhere around here...it wasn't lurking in my suitcase anywhere! I'll make sure to leave it here though too.
We also found out that we could possibly ship some things home via "Cargo" through SAS. I hope that we will be able to do that --- you see, I have purchased a few items here, as well as gotten my team warm ups (they are spiffy! I will have to post a picture of me in those eventually), AND --- guess who won the Bjorn Borg competition!???? YEP! I DID! So, they are going to send me a "collection" of Bjorn Borg Underwear! I don't know what is included in the "collection" - but we will soon find out!
For those of you who are wondering - we have also booked our flights back home - April 13th is the date. That gives me one whole day to prepare our US taxes and file them! Glad we don't have any major things to complicate the process ;)
Next weekend, we have a Semi Final match - this process is the best of 3....so, we anticipate that we will play 2 matches, have a week off, then play in the Final Match which will take place in Uppsalla. I'm excited to see what the excitement is like around the finals. Still amazes me that there are enough teams full of women bandy players in order to have quarter finals, semil finals, and the finals! I LOVE this place!
So, until after our next game...as I'm sure you don't really want to read about the stuff I do for work while I am here...Take care and stay away from the nasty cold bug I am over coming --- it's not a nice one!
Hej Do,
KP
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