Time has certainly flown by, especially when I realize it has nearly been a month since I arrived into Sysslebäck, Sweden. A lot has happened in that time, and I have been able to reflect on things positively and I look forward with excitement for what is to come in the coming weeks and months.

On Tuesday, Grant and I ventured down to Karlstad, the nearest city to Sysslebäck and the capital of Värmland County. Our purpose of the trip was to pick up his wife, Libby from the train station. We arrived early to wander around and see what was about, plus just enjoy a little bit of civilization and experience a Swedish City. It was a nice break from the quiet valley. We successfully picked up Libby and husband and wife were reunited after over a month apart. So our apartment now has another member and its been lovely.

I had another good week of training this week, on the field with the team, in the gym, and doing individual ball work and things. Training led up to a crucial game against FBK Karlstad on Saturday. We had such a positive performance last week against the league leaders that I was hoping would carry over to this game. FBK were only a point above us in the standings and certainly didn’t have as much quality as Grebbestad the week before. We were without a couple important players due to injury and suspension, and unfortunately we didn’t play well at all, losing 3-1. It was a tough one to swallow and at times very frustrating. As a team, we weren’t fluent enough, giving away the ball in important areas, and being punished for it. I just have to remind myself that I can only control what I can control, and that was my individual performance. I was content with how I played, but felt a little helpless in the sense that I wanted to do more and have more of an impact.

Sunday dawned a new day and I had wiped away the disappointment from the day before and I enjoyed a wonderful sunny day. I spent a lot of time reading “Quiet Leadership” by Carlo Ancelotti, which has been a great educational book for me, learning about different ways of leading and influencing, and the crucial relationship between player a coach. I was able to watch some Premier League games and spend some time on the river bank as the sun went down in the evening. A Sunday well spent!

After a few requests, I took a few pictures of the apartment and my room. The room is awaiting the arrival of a New Zealand flag to fill the wall!