Our Three "Fotboll" Players

Fotboll is taken very seriously here in Sweden. At the girls' age, it is a year-round activity, even played outside in the winter. We are glad to have Elise and Renee on teams with Swedish speaking girls and we hope they pick up the language from this. Not understanding the language causes them to feel frustrated at times, especially during game situations when the action is fast-paced and there are lots of loud voices in the air. Overall, they are playing better than ever and are happy to be a part of a team.

Elise practises twice a week for a total of about 4 hours. The team is large, so not all the girls go to each game, but Elise participates in one about every two weeks. Elise's skills have come a long way and her coach is determined to take advantage of her left-footedness. They've won some games, and lost some games, but still the girls are smiling and chatty. They've played together now for a number of years, but have made Elise feel very much at home.

Renee plays soccer with other girls born in 2000 on a team called Stocksunds IF. They practice twice a week and have the occasional game with other teams from the Stockholm area. They are a fun group of girls, mainly only Swedish speaking, but they have accepted Renee onto the team with open arms and try their hardest to communicate. There are two girls from Renee's school on the team, so there is always someone to talk to. Renee is playing really well this year. The extra practice time really makes a difference. During games, they play with only 4 girls on the field at a time, plus the goalie, so even though the field is small, Renee is expected to play both up and back and all-around! At a tournament on May 1st, Renee's team played 5 games, winning 4 of them and tying the last. Renee played better than I've ever seen, and scored two goals. The teams shake hands before the game here, and after they link arms and do a little cheer. We haven't figured out yet what the team is saying, but they look good!

Graeme started playing fotboll in May. He goes to the fotboll pitch once a week, Wednesdays from 6-7pm. There were so many boys from his school, that they created an English-speaking team and so Graeme is in his glory...soccer and socializing at the same time! They spend the hour doing drills and races and they play a short game against each other. Graeme makes up with enthusiasm what he lacks in skill, but all in all, his playing has improved from last year and he really understands the concept of the game much better.

Roaming in Riddersholm

Somewhere along the way I've picked up an "Outings Guide to 33 Protected Natural Areas in Stockholm County". In English, nonetheless! It's been a great resource, helping us plan hikes and picnics close to home. On Saturday, May 30th, we decided to explore #5....Riddersholm. We packed our cooler, grabbed our guide book and set off. We headed north on the E18 and followed it until the road ended at Kapellskar, in Norrtalje, at the harbour that services Finland and beyond. Riddersholm is a large nature reserve located nearby, with hiking trails, a campground and a marina.

We ate our lunch by the marina then set off on a short trail that was meant to have many examples of wildflowers and bird life. We misread the map and ended up walking further that we intended, but were glad we did. The kids were a little nervous to discover that we shared the trails with herds of very large cattle! No fences! I was very annoyed to discover that we shared the trails with dog owners who did not "scoop the poop". I discovered this the hard way, by stepping in a very slippery and smelly pile of the stuff, sending it spraying up the back of my shoes and legs! Disgusting! We all also enjoyed seeing the swans swimming and sitting on nests in the marsh.

I am very taken with this style of fence that I've seen here and there. Charming with the wildflowers!

After we orientated ourselves and realized we were unsure where we were but knew that we didn't like the swarms of mosquitoes, we decided that the best course of action was to turn around and go back the way we came. We knew we were close to the seaside, and wanted to follow a short path there to see the sights. We were unprepared for how lovely it was. How interesting to walk out of a dark, moist forest, into sunshine beaming down on a sandy beach! We were amazed by the contrast!

The kids quickly set off to do some exploring and treasure-seeking. Kris and I sprawled out on the blanket and sunned ourselves, just like a true Swede would! We spent quite awhile on the beach, watching cruise ships sail by, finding unique stones, dipping our toes (only our toes!) into the freezing cold sea. When we got up to leave, we marvelled again at what a great find this beach was...quiet, sandy and with a great view. Maybe we'll come back someday!

On our way out of the nature reserve, we stopped to check out this windmill. Graeme got a little too close to the long grasses and wildflowers growing at it's base. He ended up with some bug bites or he had a reaction to something on one of the plants, because he came away from the windmill crying and sporting red, stinging bumps on his legs and feet. Thankfully, they didn't stay around long.

The exercise and sun tired us all out. Graeme had a little snooze in the car on the way home. Elise thought about having a little catnap, but Renee was singing along to the tunes from the Eurovision song competition, so it didn't happen.

Basta Fyran 2009

Elise had the good fortune to be able to take part in a huge swimming competition here in Stockholm this spring. It is an annual event called Basta Fyran, and it brings together 8-member relay teams from 100 schools in the city. Elise and her team competed in April against 7 other teams from our Kommun. They won their race and posted the second fastest time amongst all the schools. This win garnered them the opportunity to participate in the finals, held at an enormous swimming complex in the heart of the city, called Eriksdalsbadet.

I'm not sure if my picture can capture the size of this complex. There were 12 lanes in the pool, a diving platform that I couldn't look at without getting nauseous, and spectator seating on three sides of the pool. The seats quickly filled up with school children revved up to cheer on their school with banners and horns. Somewhere along the way, the organizers have come with the idea to have a prize for the school with the most spirit. I think they were the ones wearing the protective headgear over their ears! I'm sure most people left with a headache that day! The excitement was contagious and our group of students and moms did our part!

Elise's team of four girls and four boys competed in the 9th heat. There were 10 heats with 10 schools in each, 8 children per team....I am so glad I avoided the change rooms! Each child swam one lap, half of them diving in from the platform, the others pushing off from the wall in the pool. Elise swam second, pushing off from the wall and doing a respectable front crawl. She stopped to pull down her goggles after 10 meters...I could only laugh and cross my fingers that it didn't affect the outcome! Her team went on to finish with a time of 2:59. They qualified for the finals and were so proud!
The final race was tough. They were closely matched with the other teams at the beginning, but then some swimmers started to pull away. They finished 8th overall, despite one of our competitors falling off the diving platform! It was a thrilling 3 minutes! They deserved to feel great about themselves, 8th out of 100 teams!! Yeah, BIPSS!!

Medieval Festival in Tyreso

On Sunday May 24th, we travelled south of the city to Tyreso, to meet up with Kris' colleague, Lars, his wife Eva and his son Vigo. They were taking us to the medieval festival in their town, and they assured us of a memorable time! As we approached the grounds of the castle where it was being held, we entered into history, when knights rode and maidens sang. There was a delicious smell of barbecued chicken, colourful tents and garments on display, and joyful music playing.

The kids tried some of the skill-testing challenges and enjoyed rolling and baking their own flatbread that they ate smothered in fresh butter and honey. We watched the start of the show, the highlight of the day. The knights and their horses were so brightly coloured, and they put on an impressive display of their skill. As the afternoon sun began to bear down on us, we packed up the remains of our picnic and headed back to to Lars' home for a delicious BBQ. Lars and Eva were wonderful hosts, and Vigo played so well with the kids despite the language barrier. Thank you ever so much!