Well, another week has gone by here in Beautiful Sunne, Sweden and it still continues to snow??!?! I am starting to wondering if it ever gets warm in this Country =) On the bright side, I know when it does get warm and things starts turning green, it will be even more beautiful then it already is =) This cold weather just isn't cutting it for me after four years of living in Florida and especially for my roommate who is a Florida baby.
Things are continuing to go well on my adventure here in Sweden. This past week nothing too special happened because work at the factory, working out, and soccer practice. On Tuesday I experienced "mental training" for our team, which was interesting because it was all in Swedish =) That was definitely a challenge and I wasn't able to pick up on too many things. However, it was very relaxing and I did fall asleep when the lights where turned off and we were laying on the floor listening to a lady speak in Swedish. This week has been a little bit of a struggle for me health wise because I have had a sore throat and cold since Tuesday and it doesn't seem to be going away. I had my first experience with using the postal service here and sending a package to the U.S. this week and I am praying that it arrives safely. I also received a package from my wonderful mother this week that was filled with Easter candy, cardinals shirt, puppy chow (from aunt Paula), and RANCH DRESSING!!! =) It was amazing and I am always so happy to receive a package.
Thursday we had a scrimmage game against a boy teams and it was a very tough match. We ended up losing 4-0 and made some very crucial mistakes that lead to easy goals for them. It is always tough playing against boys because they are so fast and you have to adjust your game in order to contain them.
Saturday we were able to join one of our teammates, Linda and here boyfriend Claes who is our manager with his family for their Easter celebration. Here is Sweden Easter is a much different Holiday and they celebrate it pretty much all weekend. We asked our coach "If you aren't celebrating Easter on a Sunday and the rising of Christ, then what are you celebrating" He answered "The fact that we have the whole weekend off of work" lol I guess you could say the traditions are a little different in this country and things have different meanings then they do for us. I feel as if it is almost uncommon for people to attend church here and they mostly celebrate Easter on saturday. The celebration with Claes family was a great time and we had so much fun. They were the nicest people and everyone spoke English so well =) His Dad, Mom, Aunts, Uncles, Brother, His girlfriend, and grandparents were all there. We went to dinner at a restaurant right next door to their house that they use to own. It was like a "smorgasbord" with many different kinds of fish, meats, and other things. During the dinner every so often Claes dad would begin to sing songs and we would all say "cheers" and take a drink of schnapps (I chose to stick with wine, I couldn't handle the taste of schnapps) After dinner we had dessert and coffee and then enjoyed a nice bonfire by the lake. After the bonfire we went inside to talk and watch some European soccer matches on television. It was so cool to get to experience a Holiday in another country and learn their traditions and be a part of it. I had a great time and I am so thankful that we were included in this celebration.
Today ( Monday) We had our first game in the Swedish cup, which is a tournament that goes all season long and includes almost all teams in the Swedish leagues at every division. Today's conditions were probably the worst I have ever played in and it was very difficult. Snow was coming down so hard the entire time and it was so difficult to even see. We played a very poor game and got off to a really slow start. We went down 1-0 kind of early and didn't score our four goals until the second half. We ended up battling back and winning 4-1. Even though this was our worst game of the pre-season since I have been here, we found a way to win in the end which is the most important thing. Saturday is our first regular season game and I am very excited to get the season going. This week should be a good strong week of practice and we will be ready for the next challenge that awaits us on Saturday =)
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