Catching up

We're back! Or I am, anyhow, you get the point. So it has been a hot minute since I have posted anything over here be that site updates, blog posts or photo albums. That certainly doesn't mean I haven't been writing or photographing however. I have a ton of drafts just sitting around in my inbox. Will I ever end up publishing them though? We'll have to see about that. Sometimes just writing your thoughts down makes all the difference when you're trying to figure stuff out. I do however have some photography stuff waiting to be published sometime soon so stay tuned for that. Anyway as I was reading through my drafts list I saw a few things I knew Il wanted to publish but before any of that, I feel like a update on what is going on is in order after such a long break.

My summer pretty much evolved around volleyball (read: my life year around). I was selected to play for the national team in the Golden European League so from May to the end of June all I did was travel and volleyball. Honestly, I loved every second of it. We went to Estonia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Belarus, not to mention all the Finnish cities we played in. Our group is very tight knit and I love the spirit we have. I also made an amazing new friend, my roommate Emmi. Just a absolutely beautiful soul inside and out and I'm so proud of how she did even though it was just her first year. This to me is what sports is really about.

After the Golden League we had some time off but we're back at it again in the end of July, this time camping up north in Kuusamo. Again we had an amazing time but sadly I was cut from the team on this last leg of preparation for the European Championships. I was naturally really disappointed in myself but also really proud of how the girls played in Ankara. It was a pleasure to watch them show the world just how dangerous Team Finland can be.

While we're on the topic of Kuusamo, earlier in the Summer the team here agreed to sign a contract with me for the next season. I had the option of leaving abroad until the 15th of August but in the end nothing came up and boy am I happy it didn't. The team we have here is really something special and I can't wait for the season to start. I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun playing club volleyball.

Another reason for me staying in Finland this year was that I got accepted to the University of Tampere. I'm studying administration in the faculty of Management and Business. Thankfully all the teachers seem to be pretty understanding about my situation and I should be able to keep up with my studies just fine even though I won't physically be in Tampere. More on all this in an upcoming post, I promise!

I think that pretty much concludes this update on my life at the moment. I've enjoyed my time in Kuusamo, schools good so far and we start regular season in three days. Probably goes without saying but I'm pretty pumped.

x Jess