De första dagarna

I was planning to make a post much earlier but I didn't expect how busy I would be during this time!

Events of March 31, 2016. 7 pm. Day 0.

1. Landed in Arlanda, Stockholm (through Madrid and Berlin) after a loooong flight. 
2. Waited by the conveyor belt for my suitcase to arrive but it never did. Freaked out and contacted the staff who told me my suitcase was still in Berlin (!) But they reassured me that they would send it to me at home as soon as it arrived to Sweden! 
3. Found Ludvig waiting for me. He saw me first (When we first met in person, I saw him first, but I think he's beat me to it the other times).  Also, if you have been in a long distance relationship, you probably know that moment when you see the person you love and know so very well, but their body feels strange and unfamiliar (Were you this tall before?). We took some time to comment and enjoy the unfamiliarity, as it's not going to happen again (hopefully!).
4. Felt glad not to have the suitcase with me as we had to run back to the parking lot before running out of meter time! 
5. Had a nice drive home to Norsholm, with some hamburgers on the way. Although sick of traveling, I was finally able to relax. As a person with general anxiety disorder, I thought of absolutely everything that could have gone wrong during the long trip. But everything went well. 

We're no longer a long distance relationship. We're living together now. Even though his last visit to me was long (5 months), the feeling is completely different. There's no ticking clock. I cannot even convey what that is like.


April 1st.  Our 2 year anniversary. Day 1.

We timed this well, wanting to be together for our 2 year anniversary. Of course first we took a bus and a train and went to Skatteverket, which is of course really romantic. Skatteverket is the tax office where I am supposed to register as a resident and apply for my personal number (personnummer), which I'll need for... well, everything.

We learned they had moved office, so we had to walk a few blocks to get to the new one. This is the first time I got to walk around Norrköping, so it was actually quite nice. I have since then become decently acquainted with the city, but I can still remember my first impression. Very nice old buildings around a canal. Trams!

Image description: Me, standing on a sidewalk. You can see tram lines and a bus/tram stop. In the background are trees without leaves and some big, old looking buildings.

For our actual anniversary celebration we decided to honour a tradition we have every time we meet in person, and got some sushi. We usually did this in a great Sushi place in Bogota, which I totally recommend if you ever visit. In Norrköping though we went to Sushi Yama!

Image description: Top: Ludvig and myself in a close up, me holding a bite of sushi with some eating sticks. Bottom: A plate of multicoloured sushi with coke cans in the back.

Highlights

Have I mentioned I love trains and trams? It's not something I'm used to at all. Neither I am used to buses that have schedules and only stop in certain places. In Neiva we basically go to any main street and flag down any bus that is passing that goes through he desired route.

I cannot get used to pedestrians having priority! When I approach a crosswalk cars go to a full stop to allow me to pass. I hesitate because I'm used to a more defensive style. Colombian traffic is much more chaotic - cross any time you have the opportunity and it seems like you will probably not get run over. My hesitation is actually rude because I'm taking longer to cross, but it's very hard to trust that they're actually going to stop for me.  I prefer the crosswalks that have buttons to press, because when the lights turn green, I feel like I've earned the right to cross and we have all agreed that it is my turn.

When I applied to my personnummer they told me it would take up to 6 weeks, but it took only a bit over a week. I have applied to get an ID card next, which I still don't have, but it's to be expected. 

I applied to SFI. This is to study Swedish, and it's free. I received a letter saying that they have my application and that I will probably get assigned to a course within 3 months. 

I applied to Arbetsförmedlingen, which is the employment agency. I have an appointment next month with a handler who will help me in my way to find a job. Since I will be attending SFI, I may qualify for Instegsjobb. However I have applied to a job by myself that requires me to speak Spanish and English, and I actually just had a phone interview this morning. We'll see how it goes!

Oh yes, I got my suitcase a day or two after I arrived. I can't remember but it wasn't too disruptive (Got to steal his soft sweaters for a little bit!).