The Saga Continues...

A ship crosses by, as seen from my apartment.








New Feature: Question for the Reader

I've decided to make a new feature on my blog. Every time I make a post, I'll have a question for the reader. This may lead to only responses from my mom and dad but perhaps there are some other readers out there who would also like to join in the fun (I would still love to hear your answers, Mom and Dad! ;) ). Go ahead and respond in the comments section, and feel free to be honest, dishonest, creative, witty, funny, whatever!

Question for the Reader: If you could choose to do any profession for a year, and you could do it anywhere in the world, what would you do and where would you go? And why?


An Ice-Breaker
(Kids, Don't Try This at Home)

Since we had the day off from soccer, Asa and Eve invited me to join them in an amazing and relaxing trip to Mariebad, which is a spa/natatorium equipped with a water slide, a fun pool, a lap pool, a Turkish sauna, a regular sauna, a hot tub, etc. There is also an outdoor pool, one that is accessible by swimming from the fun pool, under the wall, and to the outside. Keep in mind that we are in Finland. It's not warm here. But, I reluctantly followed my teammates under the wall to a spectacular view of a beach and the sea. For those of you who have been to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, it reminded me of the view from the dolphin pool and the way the water seems to extend into Lake Michigan. While we were out there, I couldn't help but shiver. Naturally. It's really cold. As I did, Asa asked me if I had ever heard of winter bathing.

"Winter bathing? No, what's winter bathing?"

Ok, so remember when you were a kid and perhaps you were on vacation, staying in a hotel with a swimming pool and hot tub, and your brothers dared you to sit in the hot tub for 5 minutes and then run and jump into the big pool? The big, cold one? Yeah. Or maybe you've done something like my younger cousins, brothers, and I like used to do when we'd go skiing in Whistler, Canada, and we'd sit in the hot tub after a long day and then create a how-long-can-you-sit-in-the-snow challenge clad only in a bathing suit? Well, I bet you thought you were pretty tough, huh. So did I. But this is nothing compared to the practice of winter bathing.

Up here in the Scandinavian countries, winter bathing is actually quite common. First, you should know that sitting in the sauna is a very significant part of the Finnish culture. So when people winter bathe, they begin by relaxing in the hot, steamy comfort of a sauna. Next, it's time for the crazy part. They head outside and because all of the lakes and inlets are frozen over, they must go outfitted with some sort of jackhammer or saw. Then, and I'm not kidding, they bust a hole in the ice. And this isn't necessarily thin ice--we're talking up to half a meter of thickness here. Do you see where this is going? After draping some sort of rope ladder into the hole, the Finn will then lower his or her self into the ice-cold water. Not all the way though, just up to the shoulders. After a nice, refreshing dip, it's back to the sauna.

Does this seem crazy to anyone else!?

Eve said that she used to do it twice a week! But what about hypothermia? Well, Asa explained that because you go right back into the sauna, it's not problem. In fact, apparently winter bathing is actually very good for your skin and blood pressure, it builds up your immune system, and even seems to cure rheumatoid arthritis pains. And it's a totally revitalizing experience. So, next time I need a little pick-me-up, I'll know what to do.




Sssssshhhloppy Joes!

Yes, I am quoting the lunch-lady from the hit movie Billy Madison ("Lady, you're scaring us."). It seems to be fairly understood in the American culture that eating the school lunch could be risky business. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I am one of the biggest procrastinators you will ever meet, I never got around to making my own lunch for school and was subsequently forced, as my middle-school friends know, to become a frequent eater of the school lunch. Yes, I dared the suspicious tacos, the unsightly vegetables, and may have even tried the mystery meat.

What does this have to do with me being an American in Aland, you ask?

Well, this past Friday I was asked to go to one of the local schools to speak English with some of the kids and answer any questions they had about futbol or America. The 10, 11, and 12-year-olds that I visited were shy and cute and really fun to be around. Most warmed up to me after some time and felt more comfortable to ask me questions about my family, what I like to do in my spare time, and if I have ever met George W. Bush or Britney Spears (what excellent representation our country has!).

Now what I want to know is why the American school system isn't designed more like this one. This school is set up as follows: the students, in grades 1-6, arrive at 8:30. They pour into their respective classrooms where they begin their lessons for the next hour and a half. And then they get to go outside and play for 10-15 minutes. After that, there is another 45 minutes of class. And then they get to go outside and play for 10-15 minutes. 45 more minutes of class, and then it is time for lunch. Which brings me back to my opener.

This lunch is nothing like the stereotypical American school lunch.

Each table, adorned in placemats, awaits the students with a freshly-made meal, hot and ready to be served. On Friday, after going through the salad-bar line, I found at our table a crock of delicious-smelling beef and vegetable stew, made to be poured atop steamy white rice. It was a real meal, and it was fantastic. At this school, no one brings their lunch. And if eating school lunch is cool, "consider me Miles Davis."

After lunch, the kids go back outside and play for 10-15 minutes, and the rest of the day, until 3:30, follows in suit. 45 minutes of class, 10-15 minutes of play. The theory in all the play time is that this is the only way that students at these ages can really focus for 45 minutes at a time. And I agree! Oh, how different my life would have been were I a child in Aland!

Here are a few pictures from my visit:







Jumping rope with the kids!














Apparently bunny ears are universal.














Sollett!!!






Ok, well I don't think I'm spelling that correctly, but "sollett" is an insulting Swedish term that you would yell at an opposing goalkeeper in order to "talk trash." It means that the goalkeeper stops about as much as a sieve (she might get the big stuff but the rest just goes on through). Of course, I didn't know that.

Meet Emelie.

No, she's not the one flying gracefully through the air.



Emilie, in addition to Asa, is one of our goalkeepers. She's about 6 feet tall and knows what she's doing in the net. She just joined us from Sweden on Thursday and will be a very valuable asset to this team.

On Friday, at my first practice with Emelie, the final drill of the day was to shoot on the goalies. Since "skjut" ("shoot" in English)is one of the only words I know how to say in Swedish, my head coach Robban thought it would be funny if I approached Asa and Emelie by saying, "I'm ready to skjut on you now, sollett!" I actually thought I was complimenting them. "Sollett," sounds like "solid." I thought I was telling them that they were solid goalkeepers.

Wrong.

Emelie walked towards me.

"What did you say?" she asked in a slightly-incredulous tone.

I hesitated. "Um, I'm ready to skjut on you now...sollett...?"

This was when I realized that it doesn't mean "solid."

Emelie stepped right up to my face and towered over me as I skrank in her shadow. She held out out her arms as if to say "Bring it on!" and then let me have it in a slur of Swedish. She gave me a little shove to make sure I knew I had insulted her.

But I looked up at her face, and she was smiling.

Phew!

I think the relief showed on my face and everyone had a big laugh. It was just a little bit of friendly trash-talk.

Thanks, Robban.

I think Emelie and I are actually going to be good friends--the kind that loves to give each other a hard time. Unfortunately, the poor thing got a bad ankle sprain in practice on Saturday.
Take care and feel better, Emelie!!




That's all for today. Don't forget to answer the Question for the Reader!
Godnatt!