Some pictures

What it looks like...well on a sunny day
Downtown Jyvaskyla..shops n malls n food : )
The American Baller crew : )

At my favorite Pizza Restuarant
Eating with my teammates
Some of my teammates again
Rocky, Me Tiia, Laura aka Peka
The street I live on..

HoNsU Basketball

Hello Everybody!! Since my arrival my team and I have played in three basketball games. The first game was a CUP game against a team in our league called FoA (I have no idea what it stands for!) We won the game by two and it was the first time HoNsU has ever made it passed the first round in a CUP game, so my coach was pretty excited! I started and practically played the whole game and it didn't take long for me to realize basketball in Finland is much different from the states. For one, the girls out here are not as talented basketball players but are really physical, really fundamental and did I mention they are really physical? lol I stress the physical-ness because the girls do not care and will take you out! But with no hard feelings at all. Anyways, my first game I played well I had about 11-13 points, several nice passes and a couple steals. My coach told me that I am just the player he has been looking for and is happy that I am here. He also told me his goal for me this season is too be in great shape and much stronger!

The second team we played against was named Huima. This was just a practice game since our season has not started yet. Huima is one of the best teams in our league and they have a point guard who came from The University of Texas, so I was excited to challenge her on the court. In the first half my team was doing really well we were up by 10 at half time. I scored about 15 points, was 3-4 on the three point line and was basically HOOPIN! Then the second half came...and they went zone and our team struggled! I really didn't get back in the rhythm offensively but I was still very happy with my overall performance. We ended up losing by 22 points which was bad but considering we had our 3 player playing a post the whole game it could have been much worse.

The third game we played was also a scrimmage verse the same team Huima. We were excited to play this game because our third import player just arrived the night before and we finally have some size. Her name is Elise Morrison, she played for Dartmouth University and is a 6'4 post player who lives in Detroit. Unfortunately, we still lost the game by 20 which was very upsetting because they just dominated us the entire game. On the bright side there is a lot of improvement to be made and will be made because I refuse to get handled like this every game! I ended this game with about 15 points, a steal or two, and a couple assists. But I need to do more because we play this team again three times in the regular season and our team has to be better!

Our season home opener begins next Saturday against Huima ...again! So we have a week and a couple days to improve so that we can win our first game in league. Until then we will be practicing really hard and hopefully have some fun this weekend and explore Finland.

Until next time, take care!

**Please pray for the families and town here in Finland who just recently experienced a tragedy with school shooting!

Mandy#13

What it is like so far..

I have been here in Finland for almost two weeks now. I am still adjusting to the 10 hour time difference and would rather sleep during the day than at night. But other than the time difference I am adjusting quite well to the Finland lifestyle. The city I live in is a small university town about 5 minutes from downtown. Everybody out here rides bikes everywhere (which I soon will be as well) and the people are very active and healthy individuals. Before practices there are a group of 12 older men about 80 years old playing volleyball and some even basketball. It is pretty impressive to witness their physical abilities which is not like California!

The Food out here is not too bad. Everyday some of the girls and I eat at this restuarant/bar which includes salad bar, always some sort of pasta with either, chicken, sausage or beef. And it is pretty tasty. My rooommate and I found a very tasty Pizza spot down the street which we have already eaten about 3 times so far lol I have tried to expland on my food choices and be open to trying new things and I think some of you would be very proud of me!

My teammates are awesome! They are all so sweet and they take good care of the American players. My roommate is from New York but played basketball at Delaware State. Her name is Rocky. We are getting another American tomorrow evening who played at Darthmouth University and Spain last season. She is a post player whom we really need!

My coach is also a real cool guy. He is extremely passionate about the game and getting us in great shape. He is also taking great care of Rocky and I and continues to ask us if how we are doing.

My daily schedule begins with a morning shooting practice for about an hour. After that my roommate Rocky, myself, my teammate Tiia, the assistant coach Piia and I go eat lunch near the gym. We seat and eat for FREE then go home to our apartment. We usually nap for a bit or go on our computer to waste time. A couple hours later we go to our evening practice. Before our evening practice we either lift weights or do some conditioning like run in the woods for 20 minutes. After practice I usually go home and wait for my friends and family to chat with me on SKYPE or AIM and relax for the evening.

Although, this update seems very long I still have so much more to share but I will end it here. I hope life in the States is treating everybody great and you realize that God is so Good! I am truly thankful : )

Mandy#13

This is the Beginning

Hello Friends and Family!! Welcome to "My Life in Finland". I have created this site so that you can continue to be updated with my life. I will use this site to show you pictures, tell you stories about my experiences, possibly teach you some Finnish words : ) and of course to hear comments from YOU. So, I hope you enjoy my blogs and that you feel a part of my experience in Jyvaskyla, Finland! Thank you everybody for your love and support. I love you all so very much!