Dear Baba

[OblivionWalker 289]

Thank you so much for the box! It arrived today and the hat you knitted is nice and warm, which is excellent because it's supposed to be snowing tomorrow in Warsaw, and I wanted to go take a look at the Christmas Market they're holding in Castle Square. Anything I buy won't make it back to Canada in time for this Christmas, but I guess New Year's presents are also nice to get from time to time.

 

I really wasn't expecting to get any awards this year and honestly, I was just glad that the Hounds were able to win the Founder's Cup. That really felt like the only unfinished business I had in the M and now? It's complete. It's done. We did it and I can move on without any sense of regret, especially with back-to-back Sullivan Awards.

 

River will be in Moscow, of course which distance wise isn't terrible but I probably won't be able to see him much more than I do already. At least we're playing on team Canada together for the World Junior tournament and I already put in a request for us to be "roommates" like last season, so it'll be better than nothing and I'm glad of that. I just hope he likes the Christmas present I got for him. I stress about giving people presents at the best of time and given that this is for River and the first one I'll be giving him as his boyfriend? There's some stress cookie eating going on over here right now but it's also not my fault that kołaczki are so good. I did find a recipe for you, if you want to try them. I'm sure Dido would be more than happy to taste test for you, as would dad and Sergiy!

 

My apartment is pretty nice, not too far from the rink and in nicer weather I can walk there and back in about 15 minutes. My neighbors are all pretty quiet, which suits me just fine. I can read my books in peace or do my puzzles without the sounds of trap or industrial coming from the floor above me. I still don't know why that one guy in Mississauga liked to play "Du Hast" all the time but I don't miss it. 

 

I haven't really had a chance to meet my teammates yet but I'm hoping once it gets a little closer to the season starting, I will. There's still trades happening and contracts being signed so people may be waiting to see how things play out before those kinds of things begin to happen. Besides, I'll be heading off to World Juniors shortly anyway but I'm hoping that I can contribute to the team well. I'm going up against some of the best of the best so this first season might not be everything I could hope but it'll be a learning experience and all I can do is continue to train and work hard and hopefully make my way up to that someday myself.

 

I miss you and dido and everyone else and I'm going to do my best to make all of you proud. Everyone's sacrificed to get me here and I'll never forget that.

 

With love,
Slavochka

 

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