An unedited excerpt from "Full Circle: Zhenya"

Martinique,

Playing in this series of friendlies with these Mexican and South American teams has been really fun.  I’ve never spent more than a couple of days down here, so it’s really eye opening.  Mexico City is beautiful – and huge, too!  You’d love it.

It’s old and full of Spanish architecture and rococo buildings; stuff you’d eat up.  There are so many things I see here – dresses, dolls, hats, pottery – and know you’d get a real kick out of them.  So much of it is right up your alley and would go great with the little collection of trinkets in your living room.

I’ve been doing that a lot lately: thinking of things you’d like, I mean.  I hear someone say something that you’d laugh at and think of you.  Or, I’ll see a cute kid or people unconsciously dancing in public and I think of how it would make you smile.  It’s fun for a few moments, but then I realize you’re not here, and it’s terrible.  I miss you.  That’s what I’m trying to say.  I miss you very much.

Your Zhenya