White Christmas #2

As the 21st approached, I was anxious to get the week and final match done, but was thinking about the work that had to be completed before I left. The televised match was on the monday before I was to depart for Sweden, so as you could imagine it was tough to think about just the match. When we began I knew I wasn't going to start in the first set, but I told myself to try and stay positive and to have a good warm up. So I pushed through the warm up and then took my place on the bench ready to cheer on my team for better or worse. We started out very well taking a big lead. Then all of the sudden around point 10, the lights, cameras, microphones, and music went out in the gym just before we were about to serve. The team came together in the middle of the court and started to sing and dance with one another. We were told the TV vans outside were taking to much electricity from the gym so it just gave up and shut down, ha! Finally after about 15 minutes everything was back up and running except for the score board,  which was done manually. I got to play in the last part of the first set, a little more in the second, a lot more in the 3rd, and then started in the 4th set. Personally I played well and had no hitting errors, I was in the positive, finally! After 2 matches in the minus I was happy to be where I was after the match. We unfortunately did not win, but we could have beat them. They seemed to be more hungry for the win, more motivated. Next match we all need to be on the same page and change our attitudes so we can play and win as a team. Its true we can do our job individually but we must support one another through out the match. We have to go for it, plain and simple. I have to go for it most of all.

Anyway, enough volleyball for now. That night, after the match a teammate and I took a night bus to Helsinki where her dad picked us up from the station in the center. Once we got to her parents apartment we went straight to sleep for 4 hours, woke up, had some food, got ready, and then drove to the airport to drop me off. My teammate was so nice to let me spend a couple hours at her parents house so I thanked her, wished her a happy Christmas and then went inside to check in. I thought about all the trouble the airports were having, so I expected the worst. Once inside, I realized quickly that things weren't as crazy as I imagined they would be. I saw one really long line that looked as though people had been standing in it a really long time near my check in area, but other then that the airport was pretty calm. I got through security in less then 10 minutes and was at my gate with 2 hours to spare. I saw a few people here and there sleeping in some of the empty waiting areas but like I said before, the airport was fairly calm and collected. I was more then certain that if I had been in LAX or any major airport in USA it would be nuts. My other American teammate and her friend who had come to visit for 2 months, had been at the airport since 3am, trying to get on an earlier flight to California. I saw them wondering around outside the gift shop I was browsing. They looked tired and told me they were sure to be there until the next day, such a bummer. A lot of European airports were closed, including the one they were headed to first, Frankfurt. Lucky for me, Copenhagen was open and working well at the moment. I said good luck to them, bid them a Merry Christmas and was on my way to Sweden, only about an hours delay. Not bad considering what other people were going through. I got to Copenhagen airport around 7pm and was so excited knowing who was waiting for me beyond the baggage claim doors. I quickly grabbed my bag and hauled ass to the double doors. I only had to look around once and then I spotted them. My old teammates and good friends Sara, Muck, and Alex. Sara was dressed in a santa hat , red dress, red jacket, black tights, and boots. Muck was dressed like rudolf the reindeer and Alex was just there to say hi really quick because his flight to London had been delayed quite a bit. They held up a sign that read "Shitney" (another story to tell later) and Sara drew a stick figure in the corner with red hair (me obviously haha). I laughed and then teared up as I got closer to them hugging them for at least a minute and a half. I couldn't believe I was finally seeing those girls and Alex again after 6 months. It was the best feeling I could have had at that moment.
Since everything was going haywire with the trains we opted for the ferry to Helsingborg, Sweden and was picked up there by Ulf, my "Swedish Dad". We went to his house and had a late dinner with him and his wife. Also got to see his twin boys who are 15 now and have grown a couple inches since I last saw them, one of them is almost as tall as myself! It was crazy. We laughed, ate, and drank well into the night. Unfortunately we had to get going since Sara had to work early the next morning and I also had a long day of working out, shopping, and meeting up with friends for lunch. We were in bed and asleep by 1am, it was the perfect first day :)

White Trees

Have you ever seen a perfectly all white tree before? When I say white, I mean from the ground to the tips of the tree branches. I certainly have not experienced the site of a white tree until I got here to Finland. A teammate and I were talking about how hard and complicated an explanation of the white trees to anyone who hasn't seen them for themselves would be. Words and pictures just don't do justice to the real thing. However, I will try to do my best and show you through words and photographs what it is to see white trees.
I usually wake up every morning before 10am, luckily the sun is about up by then. A quick reminder of the suns habits around this time of year in this location, it feels like 5am at 8am, the town is still under a heavy blanket of darkness that is a bit unerving considering where I come from. Whenever I wake up here I tend to head straight for the blinds at the windows opening them instantly to get some light in my apartment. Sometimes darkness still, blue sky, fog, etc. One morning, I went through my regular morning routine and when I opened the blinds my eyes widened and my mouth dropped. I went though those thoughts of what I was going to see that morning, but white trees? How cold was it outside?! I lingered at the window for what felt like at least 10 minutes just staring. I honestly could not believe what I was seeing, nothing looked real. I opened the balcony door, camera in hand and stepped out to the frigid cold to snap a few shots. Not just the small trees where white but every single one was incased in layers of snow and ice. Every branch was sparkling like someone had taken a can of liquid glitter and doused everything in glitter. I guess I had never seen snow sparkle as much as it does here because I find myself walking along with my head on a swivel. The environment I am living in feels worlds away from the beach town I come from, its another world out here. Numerous times I have thought, "I am living in a black and white picture...a really cold one.." The trees tower over head, shaking small particles of snow with the slightest breath of wind. A real wind storm would be a trip, all that snow flying off those trees, there would be a white out situation indefinitely.

Walking through town late at night or even during the middle of the day when people are working and the streets are pretty quite, the ghostly trees are mostly still, hang high over the streets, creating a cavernous like space. Looking up at them I wonder how on earth do they survive this type of weather. If they could talk, what would they say? "SON OF A! ITS FREEZING!!! MY BRANCHES ARE FROZEN SOLID! I need a vacation...somewhere tropical." That would be my guess considering my imagination. As cold as it is here, its definitely not a barren wasteland, its so much more interesting and beautiful. Everyday I look forward to seeing the what the weather has brought me because its usually some phenomenon I have yet to witness.

Tough Week #2, X-mas dinner, and Kokkola

With the weekend gone and another work week well in sight, the team was underway yet again. Practicing can be tough when there is no "light" at the end of the tunnel, that light being a match at the end of the week. With that said, this week was tough and tiring, but like before we pulled through having minimal players at each practice. Luckily we had our setter almost the entire week, she was going to be a no show on saturday because of intervening family plans. No need to get into specifics about our practice schedule, just read the blog before, our time spent in the gym was pretty similar to that of the week before. However we were given one morning off, that was a plus. Since the start of the 2 week minus a league match, my knee problems have risen again. Last season they began after a few months training. I have what is called jumpers knee which is convienently affecting both my left and right knees. Not to worry (mom), I am taking care of them as much as I can. I ice after every evening session and am trying new excersizes in the weight room suggested by my coach. I will be able to stick out the last 3 and a half months of the season.

Saturday was a small blip in the routine that I am used to. We practiced twice Saturday instead of a match. The first session commenced at the all to early hour of 9am. I cannot seem to forget the practices I once endured at 6:30am for Mira Costa High School, oh so long ago. That was the earliest I have ever had to wake up for a practice and thus far have never had to go back to that. 9 am is early enough, maybe I am just getting old...but I certainly hope not. Moving on to Saturday night, the Christmas dinner with the club and some of the important faces behind the scenes. We traveled to the Hotel down the road to a nice restaurant/bar for the feast. We had the traditional gloggi which is a sweet Christmas drink you can sometimes add vodka to, not tonight however. There were many speeches and cheersing to be had. The food we ate was tradition Finnish Christmas food. There was salad with salmon, a carrot bake, a yam bake, a liver bake, then ham or turkey with spicy mustard. On the side you also had a traditional Christmas bread that is only made around this time of year. Everything tasted good, except the liver which I took one whiff of and decided to pass, smart decision I believe. After the exchange of gifts from the players , a few sponsors, and the team mom we chatted and then head out to our respective homes. Tired from the 2 practices that day I fell asleep rather quickly. Sunday was another big day for me since I and another teammate were going to Kokkola to shop and watch a mens division 1 match that my friend Eric from Texas, was playing in. The next morning the assistant coach, myself, Nikke, and her boyfriend headed out early for our trip to Kokkola, a coastal city to the west. This city, I was told, had the highest number of Swedish residents in Finland and all the road signs, menu's, etc were Finnish and Swedish, I liked that. The drive was long and we were purposely lost a few times because of our driver may have not been listening to our direction to the center, but never the less we got to our destination with enough time to do what we needed to do. Walking around the medium sized town, there were plenty of cute shops and cafes to stay busy while living there. I was jealous and envious of my Texan friend. He got to live in a town big enough to have a night life and on the coast, what a great place. Having lived in many different sized cities and towns, I can tell you that a medium sized city with the suburbs not far from the center is the way to go. One of Nikke's friends suggested an Indian restaurant for lunch, perfect idea. If you know me, you know I am pretty easy when it comes to food, as long as what I am eating is not cows tongue, brain, or some weird national delicassy then I will at least try it. The restaurant we went to was surprisingly good for an Indian food place in Scandinavia. I had the Tikka Masala and it was spot on. Very good choice and we were so full and happy afterward. The match we watched was pretty good considering who Kokkola was playing, a bunch of players whose average age was 18. Kokkola was playing a junior nationals development team. They were fired up and played all out nothing hitting the floor. Their libero was nuts, diving and running all over the place. Kokkola came out thinking they were going to win easy, so they played nonchalantly at first but then when they saw the other team was full force and going for it, all Kokkola had to do was turn up the heat a bit and shut them out. It went 5 sets but overall was an interesting match to watch. We ended up at the Texan's house for a couple of beers and then headed home. I was glad to get out of town that night and to socialize with other people then my team for a little.
The week leading up to the match against Salo was tiring and hard, no surprises there. I was in the gym every day starting on Wednesday, probably 4-5 hours a day. Sometimes volleyball and sometimes weights. I won't get into the match against Salo to much because we lost, but in 4 sets this time. The second set we took them 26-24. I was to nervous to play against them so I was taken out after 19 points in the first set but put back in in the 3rd only to finish the match on the sidelines. I was extremely disappointed in myself and boggled as to why I am so nervous playing them every time. My self confidence needs a little bit of a boost next time we play them and that needs to come mostly from myself but also from my teammates, I just hope I can perform better in the future. I hate being benched for any reason but especially because I am playing badly. But now what I need to do is focus on the next game, so practices leading up to that match are going to be tough and I am going to work very hard to earn my spot back on the court again, I promise that to myself and most of all to my team.
One week until I am on my way back to Sweden. All the packages my family sent have arrived at my "Swedish moms" house so all I need to worry about is making that flight and hoping the weather has nothing to do with delays and so on. I can't wait to be back in the comforts of Swedish life, its going to be a blast!

PS My internet is being really slow and LAME so I cant upload pictures right now. I have some so I will try when the signal is stronger. I apologize for Europe internet connections, they seriously suck!