Update #2

The past week or so has been a mix of meeting new people, riding too many busses to get from A to B and of course volleyball. Last Friday I heard there was an IKEA "close by", this meaning about an hour. This is common, however a huge pain in my ass. That being said, I am forever appreciative for the efficiency and abundance of Sweden's public transportation. Let me just say, and this is a universal tip, pay close attention to the end station on the front of the bus, train, metro whatever. Unfortunately I ended up taking one to many busses to get to the IKEA and one to many to get back, all because I didn't think to make sure the bus number matched the direction I wanted to go. Rookie mistake on my part. I don't need to go into what IKEA was like since I assume that everyone reading this has been in one or at least knows what it is by now, and no I did not eat any swedish meatballs...I had a grillkorv med brod (hotdog in bread) and it was delicious!

Saturday I convinced two of my teammates to join me in taking part of what I thought was going to be a big food and beer fair called, "Elefanten". I was so excited to try some new beers and check out the food trucks they were advertising. We arrived, a bit after 1pm, to a small outdoor restaurant...that was it. No food trucks, no beers I hadn't heard about or wanted to try and the menu was weak sauce! I was so disappointed! Plus I felt bad dragging my two teammates all the way out there for a less then satisfying result. The three of us decided to ditch the food shack and head to Kungshallen, a food court with the right amount of choices and plenty of outdoor seating. We put up shop and grubbed on some grand steps over looking an open air market where foreign venders yelled things like "halva, halva, halva" (half half half), "Halva priset!" (Half price) and whistled at pretty girls, asking them if they were from Italy...not sure why. It was such a nice day, that we spent about an hour or so just sitting there people watching. After, we headed to a well known coffee spot called Espresso House for some Fika time (coffee and cake). That night, some of the girls and I had fun at a party and then got after it out on the town. Team bonding is always easy over a few beers and some dancing.

This week has been good and progressive volleyball wise. The team is finally all together, there were 16 of us at practice on tuesday! The one thing that has been bothersome, however, is the amount of hitting we are doing during practice. Personally, my shoulder will not be able to last the whole season if the amount of hitting continues. Therefore, a few of us decided to have a conversation with the coach. We asked him if we could limit the amount of hitting, so that we can preserve our bodies in order to make it through with minimal tension on the hitters shoulders. Now, my intention was not to change the way he runs practices, or to demean or disrespect him in any way. My point was to inform him on how we, as players were feeling and for him to help us in the preservation of our hitting shoulders. He responded with a simple, no. As in, "no, there will be no change in the practices right now, this is what we need to do. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their bodies and take themselves out when they need to." So, I nodded and said ok, what more could I do? Plus, he was right. Everyone on the team needs to take responsibility for their own well being. Therefore, I will do just that, especially since I was given the ok by the coach to do so. I will continue to believe he has a plan and trust him. This weekend will be the team and coaches first test as to how well we can work together. We play a team called Lindesberg. In the past 3 years they have been a force and have won the championship as well. I am excited to play them but mostly, I am excited to see what we can do, what we can handle and what we will learn from this pre season match.

Today was our day off (wednesday). I woke up around 10am, made my favorite, cinnamon whole wheat hazelnut milk pancakes with maple syrup (syrup wasn't cheap! but so worth it), watched a few episodes of New Girl including the most recent and then got on my way to Stockholm. My mission, to find an efficient yet not so over priced blender. Mission accomplished! Clas Ohlson was the spot and my two speed blender is the ticket to perfect morning smoothies, can't wait!

Once I was finished shopping, I decided to continue walking around a bit. It was cloudy, cold and a bit misty but there were people everywhere still. Fortunately it was the type of cold that didn't hurry you into coffee shops, department stores or restaurants. I walked to the end of one of the main shopping streets that opened up towards the royal families castle and old town, then cut across in front of the castle and down towards a bridge over the water. I stopped for a moment to look out at the harbor filled with guided tour boats and public transport ferries. My walk continued towards the park with the ice skating rink during the winter and the promenade covered with two lanes of trees with still full branches that blocked out the sky. I passed Fridays, which seems to be a hot spot for a lot of Swedes around here, and continued on passed the galleria and down to T-central for my train. During all this time, I figuratively, had to pinch myself. I am still in a state of slight shock that I am finally living in the Stockholm area. As I looked around at the buildings and listened to the hum of the city, it was all I could do but smile and think of how lucky I am to be here. I intend to fully enjoy every minute I have during this season.

Some Swedish for you:

Trevligt att träffas = Nice to meet you
En öl = one beer
Tack = Thanks

Europe, Round 7

Yes, you heard it right, I am back! I arrived in Sweden last Tuesday and feeling right at home already. For the last 4 years that I have been living here in this beautiful country, I have always felt a pull towards Stockholm. Especially after my first visit. It was love at first sight and the visit was during winter. Thats when I knew I  really loved this city. I wanted to be here rain or shine, hot or cold, Stockholm is forever beautiful. There is always something going on, something to do or see. You could never be bored in this city. Plus the way of life in this country is unique and easy going. In other words I feel everyone should visit this city at least once in their lives.

This year I got a huge opportunity to live close to Stockholm. I signed with Sollentuna Volley, a small suburb just outside the city. The first thing I noticed about living here is how much nature there is. I am literally living on a rocky/grassy hill with woods and valleys surrounding me. Recently I have been taking walks in all directions to see what is around me. To the left is a camp ground that sits on a vast lake with scenic hiking trails that hug the lakes shoreline. To the right, there are residential houses, big open meadows and steep winding footpaths. Behind my building is a bridge that took me to another bunch of nice apartment buildings that sit on a gradually slopping rock face that leads into woods, looking down into a valley with a lake. I watched the sun go down sitting on a bench at a clearing, it was unreal. There is a bus stop about 2 minutes from my apartment that takes me either to a posh part of the area called Dandryds or to Sollentuna Center. The best part of all, I can get to the center of Stockholm in a little under 25 minutes!

Now, I didn't sign with this team just for the city access. It is a perk, but its not the only reason. I have always admired this teams defense and energy to keep the ball in play. I believe that will get us far in the league this year. All they have needed, is a few power hitters to put the ball away. I believe that is my role on this team, to help inspire the aggressive nature on court that I know is in all of them and to make points. This group of girls have been playing together for about 3 years and know one another pretty well. I feel they have grown together and become a strong force that has the ability to take on any team with the right mindset. I have no doubts that we can make this season one for the books. Its up to us and us only to make that happen. I am excited to see our team in action. (The picture above is of the mens team in the gym we play our matches in).

Some Swedish for you :)

Hej = Hey
Hej då (hey doe) = goodbye
Vi ses snart = See you soon