Back in... Green?

Guess who's back!? Back to blogging with much to catch up on. Two months of catching up to be exact.

Quick summary? Sure.

Summer in Connecticut 

After I left Denmark in June, I decided to play for the New England Mutiny while I was home for the summer. That turned out to be exactly what I needed. Training close to home, a few games and a reminder of what American soccer was like.

Thanks to the New England Mutiny for providing high-level soccer for the players in the area.

Providing some high-level soccer of our own, I also had an amazing experience coaching the first girlsCAN Football Summer Elite program in Connecticut. We had the privilege of coaching three teams from U-9 to U-14 for the month of July and taking them to two tournaments, one of which was the Penn State 8v8 Tournament (no special reason for picking that one).

I have to say this about the experience.  There are some extremely talented and motivated players out there.  I was so impressed with some of the players in our program that it was inspiring.  It inspired me to want to be better for them.  It is now my goal to help the next generations of players who want to play soccer. I know all the great things that come along with playing the game and these young players are more than deserving of reaping the benefits of all the work they put in. It's my job now to guide them and see that they get all they can out of soccer.

With that, if there are any young players seeking advice, do not hesitate to ask someone who has been there. Everyone's road is different, but there are people who know what you're going through and can provide you with options and perspective.

Okay. So, aside from playing with the cats and swimming, that was basically my "offseason".

Now, I'm writing fromm Denmark with my American point of view in full affect.

Birthdays in Denmark 

One of the players on our team turned 25 over the weekend.  This is considered a milestone, especially if you're not married. (I say buy a fake ring and leave it at that) But anyway, if you turn 25 and you're not married you get the honor of being cinnamon-ed. See photo below.  If you turn 30 and are not married, you get the same treatment with pepper.

Luckily, I will be out of the country for all my birthdays.

Another interesting bit about birthdays is that they decorate their house with Danish flags.  I thought this to be a little weird considering you're celebrating the birth of a person and not a country, but of course, I was the weird one for questioning the culture.

Schools in Denmark 

One of my biggest concerns with Denmark is the fact that they have two different kinds of schools. From what I gathered by the picture below, is that this is a sign for a "real school".

It's private and real so that is definitely a plus.

But there is always the question as to what the fake school is like? Is it like clown school? Or do kids show up and then they don't have to do anything?

Any insight into this would be much appreciated.

Last, I'd like to leave you with a photo quote... or quote photo or quoto. Such a simple saying, but so difficult to follow at times. It's interesting for someone like me. There are so many times that I think I have myself figured out completely. Then all it takes is a few days of reflection to see that, somewhere along the line, you stopped being you and you started being what everyone else wanted you to be. If you ever wonder why you might not be happy sometimes, take a look at the person you are and then think about the person you were when you were happy. I think too many times we equate our happiness to what we have or don't have, who's around us or not and the shitty things that might happen to us at times. But really, it's just about the person you are and the thoughts you have inside. When people are happiest, it's when they are truly being themselves.

The closer you are to you, the closer you are to greatness.