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