It works better than Botox!

Sometimes life doesn't work out as planned.

My ski trip after my last post was one such example. I had decided to go somewhere new, and went to Norra Djurgarden. Unfortunately the ski tracks there are not so well prepared or well marked.

By the time I finally found the narrow track, I was impatient to get started and skied straight down the hill (down the uphill I think). I managed to stay upright for a long time which I was amazed about. Unfortunately this meant that when I saw the tree I didn't have much time to react. And when I hit the tree, I hit it really fast.

Of course, that night when I was watching TV, wondering what hit me, someone rung and asked to interview me the next day. Isn't that always how life works!

On the brightside things are now looking a bit better. I can once again see out of my left eye, and on Saturday, I had a wonderful couple of hours of skiing in the sunshine. So I still love skiing, but now I am a little more careful than before.

And like everything in life there's always a few things to learn from an experience like this.

1. Using your face to protect your body is not a good idea.
2. Even cross country skiing is dangerous. Invest in a helmet.
3. People sometimes do look at you on the tunnelbanan. (Infact they sometime even offer to take you to the hospital!)
4. As long as you smile it appears you can even make a good impression at a job interview even with a black eye!

Skiing is fantastic!

Life can be really tough when you'll living in a new place. For me the worst part is not having a "proper job". Before I went to Nepal I was actually offered a real job, and sometimes I regret not taking it. But then I remember what a growth experience Nepal was and I realise I made the right decision for me.

In my situation, sometimes the smallest actions of others can make a huge difference. For example, when a stranger asked me to help her check on a woman acting strangely in a car, I realised people here do care. Suddenly Stockholm stopped being a big, heartless city.

Sometimes a friend can make a huge difference without realising all that they have done for you. On Sunday when I feeling really low, my friend Lotta rang me up. She suggested we go for a walk or ski even though she couldn’t find a second pair of skis for me to borrow.

I was really excited because cross country skiing is my new addiction. I think it is just fantastic! After an hour of skiing I just can’t stop talking about it. I love it because it's got the right mix of requiring balance, technique, fitness and fear. It’s extremely aerobic, but it’s really fun, because you’re so busy trying to coordinate the legs, arms, skis and poles that you don’t think about how hard you are working. And then when you get to down hills it’s exhilarating. Cross country skis are very narrow so it’s a real challenge to stay upright as you go very fast, straight down the hills.

Sunday worked really well for me because Lotta watched me ski and then told me what I was doing wrong. Before then I had only been cross country skiing once, a month ago, and I had been so impatient to learn that I taught myself to ski on Friday night, alone, in the dark when it was -15 outside. So it was high time for some “professional” instruction.

She gave me two main pieces of information. First, I need to put my poles further back, and secondly she showed me how to get the arms and legs working together. Last night, Monday, I went out again on the lit tracks near my house. Well, skiing used to be super fun and now it’s twice as good again! Her advice has made all the difference! I now feel much more confident and I know what I am trying to do, even if I can’t do it every time.

The best bit of all, is that there’s fantastic snow in Stockholm at the moment and she’s lent me her skis for a whole week. This is great because it means I will get some exercise and exercise always makes me feel better. Skiing also makes me feel good about being here, in Stockholm, and it gives me something to do during the day when everyone else is working!

Today is great. It’s -10 and the sun is shinning. It’s a perfect day to go skiing so that’s what I will do. Everything else I need to do can wait for another time. Well everything except a special thank you for my friend!