Last year as you know I spent my third professional season in Oslo, Norway. I had been thoroughly enjoying life both on and off the floor and doing my best to keep my friends, family and readers up to date with what my life was like in Scandinavia.
After a great holiday break and continued success on the basketball court, February rolled around and my computer was coming up on its fifth anniversary of being alive. Unfortunately it was on its very last leg and decided it could no longer live to see another blog or illegally downloaded song.
My computer's life ended on a cold, crisp morning and attempting to fix it would cost some serious coin, so I attempted to buy a new one. I say attempted because I just assumed I could walk into the store and buy a normal MacBook with a normal English keyboard despite being in a foreign country. Yes, I know that was a rookie mistake and I had to return my new purchase and live computer-less for a few months until I returned stateside. I apologize but I am back now and I hope you guys can forgive me.
The last thing you heard from me was about a party on a mountain in Norway with one of my best friends David Blue. Well, after we let loose on the mountain, we hit the road for what can be described as the ultimate road trip. It included hundreds of waterfalls, jaw dropping views of fjords and mountains, near-death experiences, enjoying a sauna with two native Nords on top of a mountain, snow-covered back roads and as much tomfoolery you could expect from a man of my nature. Honestly, it was one of the coolest eight days of my entire life. David and I totally did it right by not having any set plan just look at the map and pick what we thought looked like the coolest/craziest road and see where it took us. Considering Norway is one of the most beautiful and safest countries in the world this strategy was quite successful.
After this trip I enjoyed New Year's with an old high school friend in Stockholm. She was an amazing host and I did about everything I could to get kicked out of the party but my amazing dance moves are what really saved me. I had three amazing weeks away from basketball and just got to kick my heels up let my hair down and enjoy life.
After my vacation I got back on the court continued to put up video game numbers and willing my youngsters to wins, putting us in a position to earn one of the last playoff spots. During this time I was in the gym every day, coaching small children, working on my game, and enjoying the high quality of life that comes with being in Scandinavia. We ended up making the playoffs in the seventh spot. The eventual champions knocked us out but I won MVP of the league. It was a big accomplishment for me in my career and I had put up good enough stats to once again move up in leagues and continue to climb back up the professional basketball ladder.
I enjoyed an extra six weeks in Norway coaching the local 19U team to help them try and win the Norwegian Championships in Tromso. I was also just enjoying the Scandinavian lifestyle. I spent Easter on top of a mountain and went on two other road trips through fjord land. The cold and dark grip of winter was loosening everyday and Oslo was turning into quite the happening place as people were coming out of hibernation. It is quite amazing what the sun does to Norwegians as they begin to fill up outside cafes and parks, have huge smiles on their faces and are actually super friendly.
After a long eight months in Norway, I can say this was my best stop yet. I found a place that felt extremely comfortable and once again fell in love with the culture and people. I know I will always be welcome for waffles and brown cheese whenever I come back to Oslo.
On my next Imported Bru, I will update you one what the summer was like and how I ended up back in Scandinavia for my fourth season as a pro. I will be catching you all up with my current season in Sweden but will also go back in time and bring out some old stories that I did not get to complete during last years season that I think you will very much enjoy.
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