It's Hockey Time

We did not know exactly what to expect when we came here in regards to hockey (actually in regards to most things). The season started a few weeks ago and boy are they serious about it. Even the young kids are "encouraged" to attend 4 days/week (two after school days, Saturday and Sunday). We just cannot do that, but T goes on the weekends for sure and then tries to go one day/week if his Dad gets home in time to take him. It's a big commitment, but he seems to love it still. His team is entirely Bulgarian. Most kids don't speak English very well and T is just starting to learn Bulgarian. Luckily, Coach does speak English! T is doing very well. They end practice with a 3 on 3 scrimmage each time. Last scrimmage T made 4 of the 5 goals for his team. He's made one friend, who doesn't speak any English, but T says they figure out how to communicate with each other. Very proud of him for just jumping in and making it work.

The other day, our neighbors were asking about hockey. They are Bulgarian, live in our compound, and have spent many years overseas. In fact, both their kids were born in Brazil (not a lot of ice hockey in Brazil I imagine?). Their son is the same age as T and is one of his best friends. Surprise, surprise he's interested too. We so hope that interest stays as it would be wonderful for T and for us (I can envision carpool arrangements right now).

Now, of course, K wants to play too. He cannot start until he is four years old. But, K can already ice skate, has his own pair of skates, and is pretty steady on his feet for a 3-year old. Oh, is this really going to take over our lives? I can just see it now, not only will our bids be based on school quality, but on whether or not ice hockey is available in country (oh wait, those were already the considerations for bidding on Bulgaria). S and I barely even skate. How did this even happen? Well, we wanted our boys to find something they love and be involved in a team sport. They just picked one of the more dangerous and expensive ones, should I really be surprised? Oh well, at least there is no checking yet!