“A Moment in Time” – EEG

And just like that my two and a half month long Sweden adventure with Rågsveds IF has come to an end.  It has been an incredible and enriching experience, not without its challenging times, of course, which have positively created a fulfilling time of personal growth.  I am proud of myself to say I have confidently mastered how to navigate living on my own in a foreign country and to feel a part of a team that had been together for so long (even after coming in mid season nonetheless!).

SO I leave you with some reflections/realizations on my exploration of Sweden and myself. 

Life Lessons Learned in Sverige

1.  Don’t wait around for something to happen or someone to make plans, you need to take initiative, go for it and make it happen yourself.  

2.  Soccer, football, futboll or whatever else you want to call it, can bring people together from all ends of the world and can also bring joy, a sense of power, challenges, hope and above all fun.  And it will forever be a huge part of who I am.

3.  Laughter is contagious and universal.  Even when I had no idea what my Swedish teammates were saying, laughter is one thing I could definitely understand in Swedish :)   Just laugh, it makes everything better.

4.  It’s refreshing to have absolutely no plans and let your sense of wonder lead you.  And sometimes exploring on your own can be the best way to do this. Be independent- go out on your own, explore, meet people, observe nature, learn in museums, and discover culture.  Sometimes taking the path least traveled is the most rewarding choice; 

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost 

5.  It’s the little things in life that are important and thus that you miss the most when you are away from home…  Like driving with the windows down while blasting country music, running on the beach, being silly with my friends... 

Side note- Not having an iphone at all times of the day is not the worst thing in the world, but you sure do miss it when you can’t contact loved ones from home at all hours of the day.

6. Take time out of the day for yourself and from the stresses of everyday life.  For example, I have caught on to the Swedish culture fairly quickly by learning to appreciate fika- just going to a café and sitting with a café latte for hours with a friend, and to appreciate the sun (which has a hard time coming out lately) hitting your face in a local park.

7.  No matter where you are in the world, helping others and working for the common good makes you feel better about yourself.  I am so thankful that I got involeved with PLAN international and was able to make a difference in the world through this wonderful organization.  And now I realize I want to do something in life where I am giving back and helping others.

8.  I saw this saying and couldn’t agree more— "Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer."

9.   Live in the moment. My mom would always describe beautiful and special events as  “a moment in time” and I always think about that as I am hiking in a national park in Sweden, playing on a pitch for a Swedish club, or on a misadventure with my family in Finland.  Live in the moment and realize the beauty of that moment.   How much I would love my mom to be enjoying this moment in time with me, but I know she is always with me and I also know I was given the strength and passion to do something like this because of her.  She is forever my inspiration and it is hard to believe it is almost three years without her.  Never Give Up :) 

  

10. Appreciate the love and support you get from family and friends and realize that you wouldn’t be where you are today without them.

Thanks for following and sharing in my experiences.

Hej då Sverige, see you again someday.

Now onto traveling through Europe!!!

Espana, Italy, Switzerland, France and England Here I Come!

See you December 3^rd America!  (I’m expecting a welcoming party upon my return, so you can start planning now) ;)  

Love,

Ellery 

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

        Apologies to my loyal blog followers… I have been slacking on my blog posts big time, but I have a good excuse! These past few weeks have flown by and have been full of European adventures involving planes, trains and automobiles... 

         Two weekends ago, Kika and I decided to travel to Copenhagen on our weekend off.  We took a flawless 5 hour train ride south to Denmark through the Swedish countryside.  It really amazes me how simple and CHEAP it is to travel through Europe compared to the US.  Upon arrival in the beautiful city, we explored Christiania which is a community where the rules are there are no rules (as Kpope would say), except no 'hard' drugs. It is basically a self-governed part of the city that was formed back in the seventies.  You could say we were blatantly out of our element with our backpacks still on, but it was definitely worth seeing.  

Nyhavn

        In the course of the weekend, I think we checked off just about everything on the Copenhagen Top 10 list, including Strøget, a street with fantastic street squares and awesome shopping and Nyhavn, the street with colorful houses along the water full of sailboats.  We toured the historic sites as well such as Rosenborg Caste and Christiansborg Palace.  A highlight of our trip was definitely the splendid canal tour that meandered through the city and under low and narrow bridges that we had to duck under to avoid hitting our heads while seeing the enchanting views from the water.  Copenhagen is a charming city, surrounded by water, much like Stockholm, with a rich history and an eclectic feel.  Definitely glad we made the trip!! 

Carlsberg Beer with Liz!

      The best part of the past few weeks  since I wrote last was my Dad and brother came to Sweden!! Their visit came at the perfect time.   It marked 2 months since I left home, and about 2 months until I go back home.   I had gotten past the “honeymoon” stage of Stockholm and was ready for some visitors to enliven the spirit of touring and experiencing what Stockholm has to offer and it was especially good timing with football, because they got to take in two games. Even though the week went by way to fast and the Scandinavian sun barely came out for the Americans, we still had an exciting fun-filled week and they got a glimpse of my life here in Stockholm.  They were exposed to the land of fika, kanelbull (a very tasty pastry), high European fashion (men wearing skinny jeans and "elf shoes" as Ben called them) and the Swedish currency "krona" (or Coronas as my Dad called them) which you have to divide by 6.7 to equal US dollars.  

Gould Family Reunited 

The first full day they were here they got to see an exciting win at Hasatra IP for Ragsveds IF.  I scored the winning goal with minutes remaining, which was a goal none of us will forget and I am so glad that we got to share the moment together.  Here is a part of the write up I found online from a newspaper: "Efter 77 spelade minuter jämnade gästerna ut ställningen till 2-2 efter mål av Elin Hammar. Det såg sedan ut som det också skulle bli slutresultatet, men med bara dryga 4 minuterna kvar att spela avgjorde Rågsved genom mål av Ellery Gould. 3-2 blev slutresultatet."   Pretty Cool, huh?!

 http://lokalanyheter.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/ragsved-avgjorde-i-slutminuterna/

Game vs. Sirius

Over the course of the week we did soooo much...    I'll highlight some of our favorite events with pictures to spare you a lot of reading: 

- Walking around Gamla Stan or the Old Town, which has small narrow cobble stone roads, cafes, shopping, restaurants, and the Royal Palace.

Ben and Bill in the location of "The Stockholm Bloodbath" from the 16th Century

-The Vasa Museum contains a boat that looks a lot better than it functioned... It sunk 15 minutes into its maiden voyage in 1628 when a gust of win blew over the top heavy ship and wasn't salvaged until 1961, but was still well-preserved, and you can see the intricate designs of the self-centered King Gustaf. 

-The National History Museum which contains the largest display of Viking artifacts in Scandinavia , and of course the Viking Restaurant where the waiters dressed as Vikings and the people in the dining hall cheered whenever a new group entered. Great atmosphere! 

-Drottingholm Palace- a ferry ride to the home of the current King and Queen of Sweden, surrounded by beautiful gardens, fountains and statues. 

  

-Touring the City Hall which has an awesome gold room and is where the Nobel Prize reception dinner is held and they serve dinner to 1200 people in 3 minutes!

-The Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival, with thousands of types of Beers, Ciders, Wine and Whiskey from all over Europe with bands and entertainment. Kind of like a mini-Octoberfest, maybe?

-And I cannot forget to mention our "Journey of Discovery".  Midway through the week, I had a day off from football, so we decided sort of on a whim to travel to Finland, only an hour by plane away. Why you ask? Well my dad's grandmother was born in Parkano, Finland in 1903 and immigrated to the US in 1920, but left behind three sisters, and possibly other family.  So we figured when else would we travel to Finland and since we are so close, we mine as well make the trip.  As some of you know, we are usually go with the flow type of people, and this trip brought that meaning to a whole new level since we did not have too much planned.  We were basically hoping we could just show up in the town and find my dad's grandmother  (who's been deceased for quite awhile).... But anyways we took the flight to Helsinki, then had to take a train about 2.5 hours north to the little town of Parkano. But it turns out what we did plan (the train ride) did not go as planned.  As the train got to our stop, we made our way to the door, but the doors wouldn't open. There was no one around us and we couldn't do anything about it. Then all of a sudden, the train started moving again.  Bye Parkano. We couldn't believe we had just missed our stop and we had no idea where the train was headed, for all we knew we were heading to Russia. Thankfully the next stop was only a half an hour away and we were able to get a train right away back to Parkano.  This time the doors opened and we were able to get off, however the station was 8km from the center of town. With only a few hours to explore, there was no way we could walk it and catch our train back. Our phones didn't work and there wasn't really anyone in sight.  Luckily, a man showed up named Josef who was able to get us a cab and paid for it as we all made our way into town.  Once we got there, again we had no set plan, so we went to the City Hall, the Library, the Church, the cemetery and asked anyone if they knew the family name, trying to find out any information or maybe even some distant relatives.  Everyone was very nice while trying to help out, but it seems as though all of the Sulins moved out of town because we had no luck.  Although we did not find what we came for, we still had an opportunity to see where "we come from" and where my great-grandmother spent her childhood and young adult life, the church she prayed at and the streets she walked.  I don't think many people would do something like we did, and not many can say they have done something so crazy and spontaneous, but we are glad we decided to venture to our 'homeland' and it was truly a family-bonding experience, with some great laughs and something we will look back on and smile. 

I already miss my roomies, but I am so lucky that my favorite fans got to come visit me in Sweden!! 

Euphoria, forever, ’till the end of time

...  The title of this blog post, "Eurphoria, forever, 'till the end of time", are lyrics to the most popular song in Sweden right now called "Euphoria" by Loreen. The Swedish singer won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and the Swedes absolutely love this song and play it any chance they get.  I must say it is a very catchy tune... I am sure it will become popular in the states soon, if it isn't already.  I recommend that you listen to it on youtube!! 

It is hard to believe I have been in Stockholm for about a month and a half, which means I now have that same amount of time left.  Time sure does fly…  so I "absolut" have to take advantage of my last weeks in “Scandanavia’s Capital”.   I have decided that my three favorite Swedish words are "absolut"=absolutely, "precis"=precise and "perfekt"=perfect, which are all said many times in conversation and all sound very similar to the English words, but with a much cooler accent. 

I love this picture! Selling beautiful, colorful flowers in Gamla Stan 

All of the Stockholm guidebooks regard Skansen park as a “must-see”tourist attraction, so we figured we had to check it out.  A group of the Americans on various fotboll clubs in Stockholm took a day to discover what Skansen has to offer.  It is an open-air museum of traditional Sweden and a zoo with Nordic animals like bears, moose, and reindeer.  There are folk dance and song performances and people dressed in traditional clothing playing various roles inside different old-fashioned houses. (Kind of similar idea to Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts). And of course the restaurant at Skansen serves the famous Swedish dish of Swedish meatballs, lindenberry sauce (yummy sweet berry), potatoes and gravy so I had to indulge, and consequently felt like a Swedish meatball the rest of the day. 

Young children performing classic Swedish dances

The highlight of my week was traveling about 45 minutes north of Stockholm by train to see Uppsala, a smaller city with impressive sights.  There is a large university there, so it gives the city a college-town feel with myriad young students wandering around... made me miss college!! There are cute little shops and cafes that run along the Fyris river in town, which has several unique overpassing bridges.  The first thing you see when you get to Uppsala is Scandanavia’s tallest church (about 400 ft high), which you can view from almost all parts of the city.  The inside of the church was beautiful and while exploring, I found myself joining a prayer group (all done in Swedish) by accident while my friends were getting ready to leave, but I’m glad I mistakenly agreed to take part! The city of Uppsala also is home to Uppsala Castle, which was originally constructed in 1549 by King Gustav Vasa.  A beautiful botanical garden sits in front of the castle with more than 9000 different types of plants from all over the world.  We lucked out with a beautiful day to explore the college-town and it’s history and I think we all fell in love with this Swedish gem. 

Looking up at Uppsala Church

This weekend I am taking advantage of a bye weekend for fotboll and venturing down to Copenhagen, Denmark.  It is about 5 hours by train and I am excited to travel to a city I do not know much about.  We got a 24-hour pass to get into museums/attractions for free, so we will definitely be getting our money’s worth and learning and seeing as much as possible!   

Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time. 

Nostalgia = Nostalgi

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open."

-Jawaharlal Nehru 

         Today has been the first brisk day in Stockholm – Fall is officially in the air! This weather has left me feeling a sense of nostalgia and I think that the changing of the seasons from summer to fall will forever remind me of the excitement and anticipation of soccer and of course going back to school.  Whether it was heading to the Wing School for rec soccer, pre-season for Sandwich High School or venturing up to Brunswick, Maine for another GUBFL season, the chill will always make me think of the fresh cut grass of the pitch and lacing up my cleats and new classes and professors. 
         Fortunately, I am still able to lace up my boots and step on the field. My past experiences in athletics and academics have helped me build a strong foundation to be able to live in a new city and still have an opportunity to continue to play a sport I love.   Although there are always challenges, such as the language barrier, missing the people you love and the realization that you have actually graduated from college and are not going back,  I have been able to appreciate the fact that this is a unique experience. Live in the moment and enjoy the ride. Leva Nu. 

Fall weather sets in - view from above the city

               Ragsveds IF came out with a convincing win this past weekend against Gustafs. It was a complete downpour, but a fun game to play in nonetheless.  I was able to contribute a goal to our 3 points and help us move closer to a chance at playoffs in mid October.  Our next game is in Northern Sweden, so I was informed we will be taking a bus about 6 hours, which is nothing I'm not used to being a part of the NESCAC league.  We just have to keep the momentum going! 
              Regardless of how our team does or how I do, I try to look at the bigger picture and realize how blessed I am to have this experience and I attempt to make the most of living in an interesting place like Sweden.  After the game, our team had a fun evening out.  I experienced my second crayfish party (I guess this is a very popular Swedish tradition!) and then we danced the night away at Café Opera. Thankfully one of my teammates had connections there because I forgot my ID- which I tend to do a lot, right Ben? And we didn’t have to pay the 180kr cover (which is about $25).  Not bad, huh? 

Some of the squad at the Cray Fish party

                This week I begin as a volunteer at PLAN International – Sverige-  an organization that fights for children’s rights and also to alleviate poverty in developing countries.  The office is located in Stockholm and as a volunteer I am responsible for controlling, registering and updating reports in computer the system, helping with major campaigns and events, and translating and reading correspondence between sponsors and the sponsored children.  Today I recorded updates (which include photos, education, health and family information) from sponsored children in places like India, Dominican Republic and Africa.  This volunteer opportunity has also been an educational experience. Today a speaker came to talk about human trafficking in Thailand and surrounding countries and what we in Sweden can do to help.  Also I was excited to learn that I will also have the chance to translate letters from Spanish to English from the sponsored children living in Latin America... so maybe my 3 Spanish seminars senior spring will pay off!! I am so glad that I have this opportunity to be surrounded by inspiring and extremely nice people, as we work together for an important larger world cause.  To learn more about this program check out: http://plan-international.org/ 

Ragsveds supporting PLAN's campaign "Because I am a Girl" 

              Although I am doing less sightseeing, I still managed to see a bit this past week.  I went to the Nobel Museum, Spirit Museum and did a boat tour.  I have never been to a museum quite like the Spirit Museum, however it was a great experience. It highlighted Sweden’s relationship with alcohol and gave a glimpse into the history of spirits in Sweden.  There was a cool artwork display of Absolut, which is made in Sweden, with modern paintings by Andy Warhol and others.  We also got to check out the inside of the an ice-breaker boat called Sankt Erik, including the engine room, which was pretty impressive and something I can't say I've ever done.  At the Nobel Museum I learned about Alfred Nobel and his idea of awarding ideas- the Nobel Prizes-, as well as the Nobel Laureates and their creative endeavors, most of which are awarded in Stockholm.  Although my tourists outings are slowing down, I am excited for them to pick up again when my visitors arrive- which will be very soon!!  

Skål! (Cheers!)

This past weekend, my team beat Vasalund 2-1.  I started the match at right midfield, which I haven’t played since freshman year in high school, but I managed to pick it back up quickly… And I scored my first goal!  It was a header off a beautiful indirect kick from about 25 yards out, crossed in by Emelie. I ran in towards the back post and blasted it in the net.   The goal turned out to be the game winner too.  This was a special goal and one I will remember for a long time, (however there will be more where that came from!) It felt awesome – and relieving - to win and score an important goal for our team.  We have to keep our momentum rolling because this weekend we play Hammarby, which is the rival team in Stockholm. Kom igen Rågsveds!!! 

Starting Line Up on 8/18/12

On that note, apparently I say “here we go white!” and “Let’s finish this!” a lot during the games? I don’t even notice half the time, but my teammates were joking with me after the game saying “Here we go, white!”  I think I learned that from Bowdoin basketball (ball, ball, ball!!!) I usually don’t even notice what I’m saying-- I'm just saying something to say it.  But apparently the coach liked the chatter and wants everyone to talk more… but maybe next game I should say “kom igen vit” instead!

If you want to follow, I found a website with the results and standings for our league: http://www.women.soccerway.com/teams/sweden/ragsveds-if/ 

There is a more in depth one in Swedish, but you probably won’t be able to understand it.. I know I can’t.

On Saturday after the game, I experienced my first kräftskiva, or crayfish party, which is a popular Swedish summer tradition.  It is an outdoor party with food, drinks, and traditional songs to celebrate the end of the summer, as vacation comes to a halt and everyone returns back to work.  Crayfish are a small version of lobster only saltier.  It was a lot of work for only a little meat but it reminded me of lobster bakes in Maine… Sweden isn’t really that foreign.  Also, Swedes like to drink a type of licorice flavored alcohol called Blue Fish, so I of course had to try some of that!  Kika’s host family hosted the party and I met a lot of their neighbors and family, who were all very kind to the American “Elle”, although their accent comes out as "Eel" sometimes :) Also, the word "eller" in Swedish means "or", so I hear that a lot in conversation, (but hopefully the Swedes aren't talking about me!)   Everyday I become a little bit more immersed in the Swedish culture, although I am still having difficulty picking up the language; I guess it's still early, right?  I have learned some words and phrases, but everyone can speak English too, and most seem to like practice their English so when they get the chance to do so they will. 

Speaking of culture, this past week was Stockholm Culture Festival, with various events going on everyday throughout the city.  A lot of street performers, music and dancing and some free Häagen-Dazs ice cream!  (Did I mention my weakness is ice cream? And it is everywhere! So difficult to resist.. ) Out of the five days the festival was going on, we managed to catch some of the least Swedish events, including a Brazilian celebration (which got me super excited for Rio 2016) and a skit by “fitness guru’s from Miami”, basically making fun of the U.S and our obsession with plastic surgery, tanning and lypo… touché.  Regardless, Stockholm is definitely a very festive city; there always seems to be something fun and random going on.

Brazilian Night - Kika's favorite kind of night 

And I will leave you with some fun facts…

-Vikings did not have horns on their helmet; it is a common misconception.

-Yoga in Stockholm (at least the classes I go to) is done with soft music in the background, mostly hits by Sting.

-H&M was created in Stockholm, and there is literally one on every corner. I would say in the city, you see about 50% of the people-- regardless of age, sex or race-- are holding a plastic H&M bag.  If you want to shop, come to Stockholm! 

-'Hej' (pronounced 'Hey', so that's easy) means 'Hello', and 'Hej då' means goodbye. So hej då til next time! 

Sunset in Gamla Stan

Tourist and/or Local

After another week in Sverige, I am starting to feel more and more at home, rather than just a tourist.  However, with that being said, there is a lot of time to be a sightseer because our training sessions are held in the evenings.  So during the day, I have plenty of time to explore this beautiful and historic city.  I visited some museums, including Fotografiska, which had a photo exhibition on the Olympics, specifically the Stockholm Olympics, which occurred 100 years ago and was proclaimed as the first “modern Olympic Games”. 

Museum Fotografiska

Stockholm's Olympic Poster

I also did a walking tour to help me get my bearings, as well as to learn more about Sweden and Stockholm.  The tour guide was great and offered some interesting historic and modern facts about the area such as...

• Gamla Stan, the older part of the city, is mostly built on trash that people threw out on the streets, which is ironic since today Stockholm is one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world.
• 10 % of Swedes under 30 years old were conceived on IKEA beds…
• Queen Christina was mistaken as a boy when she was born in 1626 and they misinformed the country that they had a new prince and then had to clear up the mistake, however there was speculation about her gender throughout and after her life.
• Stockholm Syndrome originated in Stockholm (who woulda thought?) after some hostages felt sympathy for the robbers of a city bank.  Later, one of the robbers was invited to be part of one of the hostages’ wedding party.

View of Gamla Stan from across the water

Despite my tourist tendencies, I have been asked a few times for directions, so I must not look like a complete visitor- must be the blonde hair and blue eyes.  I have found that it is also impossible to overdress here- no one really wears athletic wear, definitely no sweats, (even on the way to gym or practice), so I if I want to look even more like a Swede, I have to dress nice. And this week is Stockholm Fashion Week, so I may have to look extra nice. 

When I am not playing soccer, I have had ample time that I have tried to make the most of.  I have always been good at balancing my time between going hard and relaxing, and the Swedes seem to have the same idea… Stockholm prides itself on “fika” which is a coffee break.  Swedes drink more coffee per capita than just about any other country in the world.  Which I can believe—you cannot walk more than a block without finding a coffee shop or café.  The coffee is AMAZING… (although I do miss Dunkin Donuts iced coffee!)  There are a lot of parks and outdoor seating near the water, so while the weather is still nice (its been about 70 degrees), I have been trying to take advantage of the outdoors, along with the other locals… Us Americans were wondering if they have jobs; Either they have long lunch breaks, don’t work the grueling 9-5 or a lot of them are on summer vacation that lasts a few weeks, so it may be wrapping up soon.

Local park in Sodermalm

This past weekend Ragsveds IF had a tough loss. After going up 1-0, we gave up our lead. It was a frustrating way to lose but things are starting to look up.  In the past few weeks, we have lost some key players due to injury, however we finally have a set coach (there was some drama I didn’t understand) and we are gaining momentum.  After two practices with the new coach, I still managed to get some time. Out of the 12 teams in our league, we stand in the middle. Our goal is to finish top 6 because they are creating a league for the top 6 teams in Division 1 north and south, which will be a division higher than what we are in now.  As always, when I get opportunities I try to do whatever I can to help the team's success. I am excited for the next few months of soccer! 

Our home field, Hagsätra IP

Small world moment—today at practice I met a Swede who went to Bowdoin for two years.  He knew some of the girls I played with when I was a freshman.  He actually recently began working with Ragsveds IF, and he couldn't believe that a girl from Bowdoin was playing on the team.  It’s amazing that there are Polar Bears on all ends of the earth, and we always end up finding each other.  This encounter definitely made me feel closer to home. Go U Bears!