Side note--when I asked for writing suggestions for the blog, my mom requested that I write about the most famous Swedish person I met. Slejman, (Vanessa's dad and owner of Prima), is my celebrity. He was on Sweden's version of "The Biggest Loser," and so he was filmed at a Swedish castle. Vanessa, (our 13 year old teammate), said she got to visit him there, and she was on TV. There are several newspaper articles on the walls in the restaurant. He got third place! He was such a big Saints fan, and he was so friendly. It was great to see him every day! Here he is below.
After we finished lunch, Diane and I said several goodbyes and headed back to the Dungeon to do some packing. We packed for an hour or so and then did some cleaning in the apartment since the club is getting rid of the space. Sweeping, scrubbing, wiping, we did it all!
I had arranged one last visit with Anders, so he was coming to Skovde to take Diane and me to dinner. (The original deal was that he would drive to Leksand on Sunday if we were still playing, or else he would come to Skovde. When I emailed him the result of the day, he responded, "I know, Rachel. I called the Skovde news to find out. I was nervous all day!") Anyway, he showed up right on time, dressed to the t in a very nice gray suit, bearing several presents and flowers, including a red rose. We went into town around 5:00 and got dinner at a Chinese/Thai restaurant. I started to get sad toward the end of dinner since this was the last time of the summer that I would spend time with Anders. He has made such a positive impact on my time here, and he has been a great friend. When we returned to the Dungeon, I gave him a gold hat from our party and a softball since he is a new fan of the sport. And the presents he brought: chocolates for the team and also for me. How sweet of him! I love these pictures of us.
Shortly after Anders left, Angelica and Alec came to pick us up for a surprise. They took us to O'Leary's, a sports restaurant where we watched the Olympic handball match. The whole team was there! Because we had already eaten dinner, Diane and I got strawberry daiquiris. It was a fun team dinner, per usual, but there was a nostalgic feeling in the atmosphere since we knew it was the last. Nathalie and Angelica got up at the end and said a very thoughtful thank you to Diane and me, and then they whipped out goody bags with presents for us. They did a great demo and explained each gift. First was a floppy hat since it had been such a rainy summer. Next was a Pippi Longstocking towel and sunglasses so we can lay out when we get home in the sun. They included a mixed CD with our favorite songs from the summer, and there was also a cushy heart with the Swedish word for love, karlek, (also Diane's tattoo!). Finally, there was a Swedish soccer jersey that I had been eye-ing all summer. The girls had all signed the back of it, and I was so touched.
I got up to give an impromptu thank you speech. I led off with the story of when I found out I would be going to Sweden. I got the acceptance email when I was at my grandma's house and I ran out of my room screaming. She thought I was scared, but my mom knew I was excited. My grandma then whipped out the maps and we began to look everything over. I then talked about how I was very excited to see Sweden, but that I could not have predicted just how welcoming and wonderful my teammates would be. I made some great friends here and this was the summer of a lifetime. I thanked them for allowing me to continue playing the sport I love, and for including Diane and me in so many fun activities. I got a little emotional giving the speech as I realized just how lucky I was to have had this experience and so I teared up a little, and I realized when I looked around the table the I MUST come back soon to see these girls. I love the Skovde Saints! Yesterday was so wonderful spending time with all my Swedish friends and family.
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