2012 1103 Beginning of Regular Season

Over the past month, I have finished with my tutoring, grown used to my everyday schedule, and have played a lot of hockey. On October 17th, I took my PSAT test to open up options for high school next year back in the U.S. I think I did pretty well, especially on the math and writing sections, but I am still waiting to receive my results. Currently, I am looking at prep schools for the following year that have strong academics and a high level of hockey. These are all schools in the New England region. In addition, my homework has leveled off and I am not as stressed. This week is Fall Break in Sweden so I haven't had school. Our regular season has started a few weeks ago. It has been a tough start so far. We have lost three close games and won one in a blowout. We will have many games in the next six weeks leading up to Christmas. I am skating better and my speed is improving. The weather here has dropped to around freezing. Last week, we had a dusting of snow and the clocks changed so now it gets dark at about 4:00.

2012 0930 End of a Busy Month

This past month many things have happened that are starting to get me into an everyday rountine. Schoolwork has escalated quickly and we are beginning to receive much more homework in school. There are projects and essays along with other homework that I have spent a lot of time focusing on. I'm also doing two tutoring sessions a week online to prepare to take the PSAT test in under a month. This test is necessary if I decide to go to a hockey boarding school next year in the United States. In addition to my academics, I have been skating nearly everyday in practice and have played several games as well. A few weeks ago we won a small tournament in Sundsvall, which is four hours by car north of Stockholm. We won and tied two games each while playing very competitive games against the host team who we eventually beat 10-7 in the final. We have won a few exbition games and have a few left to play before the regular season starts in about two weeks. Practice has been going a little better for me and has been very rewarding.

2012 0901 Back on the Ice

Much has happened since I arrived in Stockholm almost a month ago. A few weeks ago I started skating again in Sweden at Rimbo. It has been tough to adjust to a different style of hockey at a higher level after a dissapointing season back in the United States last year. However, after a groin injury and a couple weeks recovering, I am getting closer to where I want to be. We have played some exibition games including the Bauer Cup in Stockholm as well as some friendly games here and there. I have also began my studies at the Stockholm International School the past two and a half weeks. I have felt very comfortable at the school since the first few days. Last week we went on a class trip to Storulvan in Jamtland for class bonding and hiking. I have made many friends so far from several countries including Sweden, Finalnd, United States, Germany, England, and others. I had a ton of fun on the trip in places including the airplane we travelled on, the bus, our room (with two bunkbeds), the sauna, and the mountains.

2012 0804 Back Again

A few weeks ago I decided to move back to Sweden and play for Taby again. It was a very difficult decision to leave home but if I want to play hockey at a high level, this was my only choice. Starting in two weeks I will be going into 10th grade at the Stockholm International School. Almost all of the classes are in English where as last time I went to a school that spoke mostly Swedish. I'm very excited that we start skating in a couple days. It will feel great to get back on the ice. I'm also very excited to be staying with the Svensson's family again. We have been fixing the house in ways including painting the roof, building another bedroom, and cleaning out storage items. It already feels like home as I am unpacked after arriving Wednesday.