Endings: These last two weeks are creeping to a close. My mind is all over the place; half at home and the other half stuck in Sweden. Each day is part of the formality of saying goodbye: lunches, writing thank you cards, parties, reminiscing, giving my time.

After our win over Gideonsburg, which I’m still hearing about to this day, life is on cruise control. The game was like the final marker on the season. Preparations for the team’s return to the top league are prominent and impossible to ignore. I thought about telling people that we haven’t won anything yet, but I came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t make much difference. It’s all about next year now as if the season is over. Talk of business, players and negotiations dictate the main flow of conversation.

Photo Shoot: Wouldn’t you know it, the first real photo shoot of my life and I sit on a bench with bird poop. Wonderful! I get up and on the back of my shirt is a little surprise. Not to worry, crisis was averted thanks to a multi-layered outfit, but so much for glamour.

Why was I at a photo shoot you ask? The club wanted to do an insert in the local newspaper about the team that will run at the end of September. We (the Americans) will have an article written about us with pictures and random clichéd-responses. Fanta, Jenni and I took photos in the park and around Uppsala with a professional photographer. Besides the bird poop incident, I would say it went rather well. I’m interested to see how it turns out. Of course they’re sending me a copy, or so I’ve been told. It’ll be just my luck that something like a piece a food will be stuck in my teeth on the close up. As of late I’ve put the modeling aspirations on hold.

Friday: Just for kicks we visited the Veterinary Parasitology Department in Uppsala where Johan and Jens (our neighbors) work. It’s still been quite the struggle for me to determine why I was out of bed before 8 am to look at dissected animals and sick dogs. Looking back I think it had a lot to do with peer pressure.

I think Johan got more kicks out of it than all of us combined. It was like take your kid to work day. He pulled us into offices and showed us off, calling Fanta his daughter and me her playmate (as if I were 2 years old). We talked with assorted lab types, pushed things around their offices and tried to add a little color of personality to the halls of blah.

Most noteable though were the lab coats and blue booties we got to wear on our shoes. I only wish I had a camera to illustrate this craziness. There was an option of a blue shower cap as well.

One room, which I called the Freak Show, had a collection of mutated animals. You know, Siamese deer connected at the head, a horse with a twisted mouth, several animals with bloated heads, and a disturbing array of things in jars. . . Actually it was quite revolting.

I left with a new perspective of Johan; one of great worry. Jens was there too and took us through the veterinarian section. Tack for the memories boys.

Block Party: In subfreezing weather the entire block set up for their annual craw fish party. It rained. No one paid attention. It was cold. No one cared. Songs were sung and bucket-loads of craw fish were sucked down into oblivion. I heard the party lasted until the wee hours of the morn. With the wind-chill hovering at below 600 I lasted about an hour. So knowledge of the wee morn is completely hear-say. Crazy Swedes.

It’s My Party: Saturday afternoon the club threw me my own farewell party. We ate, played games and exchanged gifts. Most noteworthy would be to name the winner of musical chairs. Hmm let me think, who was it? Ah-ha. . .it was ME! I was all sweaty and tired at the end. Fanta wanted to win so bad. At one point the song stopped and she flung herself into an occupied chair; her body wedged sideways, legs dangling in the air, stomach squished between the chair and its previous occupant. Unfortunately, the judges declared the wedge move an illegal action. Sorry Fanta.

It was a lot of fun and nice to have my teammates show their appreciation. I’ll miss this team and this season.

"What is the feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing?—it’s the too huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-by. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."

(Jack Kerouac: On the Road)