July 31st and August 1st.

Forward: Admittedly I am not writer but will do my best.

Today was the day. The day that myself, my family, and my close friends had been waiting for since March. The day that my life would change. The day I moved to Sweden. Admittedly, this day was supposed to come a week earlier, I had tested positive for COVID and was forced to delay my trip a week. I secretly embraced that week with open arms because it prolonged the inevitable. It prolonged the pain I would experience from leaving my mom and dad, my sister, and my closest friend. My last night in town was filled with joy, laughter and a second “last rodeo”. I enjoyed watching my sister ride as a Coco Cola Cowgirl, embraced my family and best friend and was acceptant of what today would bring. I awoke to my family, and my friend and spent a lovely morning together, eating and read the well-known and common book, “Oh, the Places You'll Go”, by Doctor Suess.

It introductory lines states;

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.”

I was ready, or at least I think I was ready. The feeling leaving family, and everything known is something that is indescribable. The feeling saying goodbye to you best friend, to your sister who is also your best friend, to hugging your parents in the airport lobby, these are feeling that are inevitable, however I wish I could never feel again. My mind has slipped back to the Dr. Seuss quote, I am going grate places and I will meet them with open arms and a smile. However, it doesn’t make them easy. I am grateful for my summer, for falling in love, for working hard, and for embracing every moment with my family. I knew it would end, and that makes me cherish every minute that much more. I boarded the plane, with a smile and tear, knowing the greatest adventure of my life was here. Two hockey bags, my custom birthday hat and sticks are my life now (I think I packed to much actually). I was ready. Settling into my seat, for the long flight. I thought a lot, some good and some sad. This is my dream, but it is hard to leave my family and my loved ones. First to Iceland, The Keflavik Airport. It was cold here, but the cold felt good after a warm 7-hour flight. It is crazy how many people are doing the same things as I am, I meet a young boy on my same flight that was from Colorado and going to play hockey in Finland. We are feeling the same feelings and doing the same things and it was a comfort to have someone to relate to. We met in the customs line entering Iceland due to our similar Bauer hockey bags. Saying goodbye to my new friend, I hurriedly grabbed some food, a yogurt drink and some nuts and boarded my next flight to Stockholm, Sweden. Sleeping most of the way since it was basically 2 am Colorado time. With the sun rising in Iceland, arriving to Sweden at 0700. The food in Sweden is different, and I noticed it immediately. I am not sure if it is due to the differences of stores or the fact that I cannot read the writing on the containers, but it is different. It tastes healthy and very good. After eating a wrap and drinking some water, I boarded the last flight I would take. Arriving in Gothenburg at 1400. Praying my bags would make it there and that Stuffo (my cherished stuffed animal) and all my hockey bags would be waiting for me. They were and we were ready. Met by Martin, the Accountant for my team’s son, we talked a lot on the car ride about customs of Sweden and the places I would need to know. The grocery stores are most often called Ica. Which is pronounced much different than you would expect. He took me to my temporary home far into the country outside of the city. My roommates would soon meet me, as they were at the rink. I had missed the first workout due to the flight being slightly delayed. Getting settled, showering, and taking a small nap were the first things on my list. My roommates arrived home around 1900 and we exchanged the typical first conversations. Then we were off to the store to get a bit of food. The store was overwhelming, with so many new foods and different varieties of anything you wish. I didn’t buy much because it was very overwhelming but enough to get by. Coming home on curved, and narrow one lane roads, was an adventure. Eating, showering again and then falling into bed, my first two days of this wild adventure were over. Hugging Stuffo, I longed to be in my family and friends’ arms but until that day comes again, Stuffo is my closest thing to home. Taking a deep breath and understanding it is okay to feel the way I am feeling, and that change is hard, but it can be the greatest thing we do is to change and learn and grow.