|
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Daylight all day and night
Kristine Lilly is the all-time appearance leader and third all-time leading scorer for the U.S. Women's National Team. The midfielder from Wilton, Conn., was a member of the U.S. teams that won the 1999 World Cup and 1996 Olympic Games. Lilly also played on four national championship teams at the University of North Carolina. Lilly is training for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Check out Lilly's diary every other week on CNNSI.com.
July 25, 2000
Okay, so I haven't mastered the Norwegian language either. To say hello is hi ... just like us. I don't know how to say thank you -- tusen tack. So progress is being made. We got here on Sunday. Tromso is one of the most northern cities in Norway, and we are surrounded by mountains and the fjords. It is so amazing. Right now outside my window is the biggest cruise ship I have ever seen. It beats out the titanic, it is huge. I think it leaves tonight. The sun has come out and not just for short spurts. Around here there is pretty much daylight all day and night. I think there is probably about four hours of darkness. The temperature is not so warm, probably around 50 to 60 degrees. I'm sitting by my window with it open and getting some sun as I type to you all. It is nice because there is no breeze. Julie, Mia and I just got back from shopping and bought some sweaters and wool blankets that Norway is known for. We had a fun time in the store because Julie was trying on all sorts of ski hats and warm hats, and it was rather amusing. And yes, she finally found one she liked. I am actually sweating sitting in the sun and that really hasn't happened on this trip. Seeing that in Germany the sun didn't shine much. Speaking of Germany we ended up winning the tourney. We beat Germany 1-0 and China lost, so we ended up with the most points. We were psyched about that. We actually won on my birthday, so that was a nice present. Last week while we were still in Germany they had a staff tourney with the four countries -- us, Norway, China, and Germany. Norway ended up winning it all, but I think we came in second. It was fun to watch, a bunch of us painted our faces and cheered on our staff. They did an excellent job and also gave us some laughs. While we were in Germany we also visited a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen. It was where Anne Frank died after her family was captured from the attic in Amsterdam. It was among one of the worst Nazi death camps and was liberated by the British troops in April of 1945. About 80,000 to 100,000 people were murdered at Bergen-Belson during World War II, including 35,000 in 1945 alone. Approximately three million Jews were killed during the holocaust and of the approximately seven million people sent to concentration camps, only 500,000 survived to see liberation by the Allied forces. So as you can imagine it was an unbelievable day. It has been only 50-plus years since that took place and it scares me. I think learning about history and what went on, it is important and it teaches us, not only what went on but also how we shouldn't act and to appreciate life and what has been given to us now. My heart goes out to the people that lost their lives and the families that have lost loved ones. They say here in Tromso that eight months out of the year they have snow on the ground and four hours of day light in the winter months. Right now there is still some snow on some of the mountain tops. We are going on a boat cruise tonight so that should be fun. Like I said in my last entry, Michelle and Bri and Carla have joined us, and Michelle played in her first game in over four months. She did well, however she looked like a chicken with their head cut off for the first two or 10 minutes. I was joking with her about it. Now she takes steps from there. Kate got a concussion in the Germany game but she is doing better and feeling better. She is tough. Brandi is my roommate on this part of the trip. We are having some trouble getting to sleep at night because it is still light outside even though it is midnight. So we have to work at that. We have two more games left. We play Norway on Thursday and Sunday. I think they are on pay per view, so you should try and check them out. After this trip we get a break and then meet up again in Annapolis, Md., for a couple games. I still can't believe the Olympics are just two months away. Time is flying but we are having fun along the way. Until next time, I leave you with some thoughts. We may not always get along with other or agree with other, but we are all human beings who have feelings and who hurt. So take that moment to think about what you are going to say, or do, and make sure what comes out is what you mean. If it doesn't, than find time and take responsibility for yourself and make it better. When in doubt just smile and give someone a hug. Hi to my family and friends out there and thanks for all my e-mail birthday cards and notes. Take care, -- Kristine
| ||||||||||||||||||||
