Letter from Daren


   My time here in Atvidaberg has been the best time in my life. Not only has playing bandy for ABK been great, but living in Sweden has been a very interesting and meaningful experience. There is no doubt in my mind that my time here has been great because of the people that I have come to know in Atvidaberg.
 

   It started right from the start as Borje, Christer, and Marcus drove all the way to Stockholm to pick me from the airport. Over the last few months Marcus and Christer have really been helpful. Marcus showed me around Atvidaberg and helped me a lot in getting accustomed to life in Sweden. Christer too was quite helpful. He always picked me up and drove me everywhere. This includes Christer and Marcus driving me to Norrkoping to talk to immigration when they surely had better things to do. Not to mention waiting at immigration for a few hours only to be told we had to come back later and do something. Christer also came and helped out the second trip when my immigration matters were settled successfully. 

   The first thing I did while I was here was go around and look at Atvidaberg. And after I got an old bike from Borje I was able to see more. As I saw more and more of the surrounding city I grew even more impressed with its beauty. Most people I have met in Atvidaberg have been very apologetic about the size and state of the city. It certainly is a small city, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty. I took a lot of pictures of the city and sent them home and my friends and family also thought the town was quite pretty. My parents were even more impressed when they came to see it for themselves. I think people in Atvidaberg should be pride to live in such beautiful and nice city.

   I have been impressed with the landscape of the city, but even more so the people. When you are an American you are not exactly sure how people will treat you when you travel to other countries. Because of our politics that the rest of the world (and a lot of us Americans) seem to hate it’s hard to know how people will react. That never happened once in Sweden. I have always treated as an individual and not a representative of America and our politics. I have also had many fascinating conversations about these issues with players on the team and other folks. Even more than that though, people have just been quite friendly. No one I have come across has been upset at my serious lack of knowledge of the Swedish language or unwilling to try and speak some English to get things figured out. I think it is too bad that Swedish people don’t have more confidence in their English language skills. Most people I met said “Oh, I’m not so good at English,” right before we had a 10 minute conversation in which we understood everything the other said. So Swedes must realize that their English is just fine and shouldn’t be afraid to speak it. From the people at the stores around town, to the folks in the schools and everyone with the team, everyone has been quite accommodating. Especially, everyone associated with ABK. To be honest, it made me very nervous at first. I was nervous because the club had been very generous before they had ever even seen me play.

   Something else that has been surprisingly great here has been the food. Before coming, many of the American bandy guys that had played in Sweden before told me that the food wasn’t so good. Well, I don’t think anything could have farther from the truth. In almost six months I am yet to have a bad meal. I have not even had a meal that has been just ok (except for some I have cooked of course), they have all been very good. Especially the meals I have had in people’s homes. I have been quite lucky to have had many meals at Borje and Lena’s house. Everything she makes is amazing. My parents (who are both pretty good cooks themselves) were very impressed when they had dinner at the Johansson’s.

   Playing here in Atvidaberg has been quite beneficial to my bandy game. It has been great to learn the game from a legitimate coach and team. I won the best B-Pool player award in Moscow and I am absolutely sure that was only possible with the help of all In ABK. Not only has Oball helped me learn the game but also the players. They have all been great about helping me out and telling where I should be on the ice. I have also learned a lot from the ’92 guys I helped coach. I only hope they learned half as much from me as I learned from them. I can’t tell you how much fun it was playing with you all. Playing bandy is a lot of fun for me, but it is even better playing with people you enjoy being around. I think the club has a very bright future with so many young and talented players.

   Lastly, I would like to thank Borje. Without whom this whole experience would not have been possible. Compared to all the other guys who play in Sweden or have played in Sweden at some point, I have had by far the best experience with a club. He has been more than willing to help me with whatever I might need. Doing anything he can to do to help me feel at home on and off the ice. ABK is very lucky to have a man like Borje running the show. Wherever my bandy career takes me I will always be indebted to Borje and ABK.

   Very few American bandy players return overseas for a second year. I have decided that I am going to and I think that is perhaps biggest indication of how great my time has been in Sweden. Wherever I end up I will always be cheering for ABK. So I would just like to thank all of you folks in ABK and Atvidaberg for contributing to the best time of my life.

Daren

(2008-03-15)