Rome Photos

I just made a Facebook album of photos from Rome. I'm still uploading some and will continue to do so. Here is a link that anyone can use, even if they're not on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3132341&id=13957158&l=a80bd503bf

Now for something a little different...

REVERB#10 is an online initiative that encourages participants to reflect on this year and manifest what’s next. It’s an opportunity to retreat and consider the reverberations of your year past, and those that you’d like to create in the year ahead.

Most of the #REVERB10 sharing is done on Twitter using the hashtag #reverb10.

Visit reverb10.com.

December 21 - Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Author: Jenny Blake)

Go with the flow. Try to say yes to things as they come your way. There is no right way to be.

December 22 - How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt)

In 2010 I traveled a lot! I went to Miami, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and Italy. In Switzerland, Dan and I were entirely in nature and simply hiked each day. That remains my favorite trip of all time. I want to take more nature-based trips.

December 23 - Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott)

Elizabeth or Victoria, like I’m a queen!

December 24 - What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead? (Author: Kate Inglis)

Everytime I freak out that things won’t be okay, they always are eventually! There are millions of examples for this, and I should remember any time I was worried about how things would turn out.

December 25 - Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you. (Author: Tracey Clark)

Dan took this picture at Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin. We had been hiking, and I was brave enough to try to squeeze through a little rock opening to try to get into Devil’s Doorway, which is a precariously perched stone structure on a big bluff. I got stuck and even ripped my shirt in the process, but we had so much fun and I was so happy! I think it reveals my fun-loving and silly side that I want to emphasize.

December 26 – What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul? (Author: Elise Marie Collins)

This year I had a birthday dinner with my fiance’s family that ended up also being an engagement party! We ordered Pizza Luce, which to me is the best pizza in the world. All my favorite pizzas were there, and people who had somehow grown to accept me as a family member were there.

December 27 - Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (Author: Brené Brown)

I can think of a lot of them, but one in particular that sticks out is sitting on the couch, watching bad television with Dan in our first apartment in St. Paul. It was beautiful because it was such a normal thing to do and all those happy normal moments can easily be forgotten if you don't notice them!

Prologue

Scene: Copenhagen Inernational Airport, waiting in line at the entrance to the security check point.

Security Guard: (Scrutinizing a gentleman’s ticket. Peers at him over her reading glasses, squints a bit, looks back at the ticket. Glances at the clock.)
Sir, your boarding pass says that your flight leaves at 8:25am.

Gentleman: Yes…?

Security Guard: It is 9am. I believe you have missed your flight.

Gentleman: I’m sorry… I have no concept of time.

Security Guard: Well when you have a plane to catch time is very important.
(The guard steps back to use her walkie-talkie to, presumably, check on the status of the flight.)

(The man teeters around, looking sort of stunned, then sees me.)
Gentleman: Why hello there.

Me: Hi!

Gentleman: It appears I’ve missed my flight. (Words are slurred, and he reeks of alcohol.)

Lazy Sundays

This is one of my many upsides to my unemployment: we have leisurely and fun weekends because we're not rushing around arguing about housework. It's already done. All that's left is to enjoy each other's company, be tourists, and attempt random cooking experiments. Here is a short documentation of one of those such experiments:

Dan and I decided to attempt to make bagels! I got up early and made the dough, then let it rise.

The trademark of bagels is that you have to boil them!

Then we rolled them in toppings, such as cinnamon sugar, or rosemary, or basil.

And of course you bake them. And drool while you wait.

Then, enjoy. (They're actually best after they've cooled.)

Here is the recipe, if you're interested.

Winter Break

Yesterday was the last day of my Swedish class after about a month of classes. I learned a lot: I can tell you a little about myself, ask for the time, ask for directions, order coffee, understand most numbers... It feels good to have that base, even though everyone speaks English so well here.

I'm on break now! After the holidays, I plan to enroll in the free government-provided Swedish for Immigrants classes. They don't publicize when the new classes begin, so I just have to enroll and then wait to receive an assignment by mail.

I've heard a lot of bad things about SFI, like that the move too slowly, or they're racist in the way they pitch Swedish culture. The most frequent complaint I've heard/read is that in the beginning classes there are so many people with different learning styles and levels that it's difficult to learn. For example, in the beginning levels there are a number of people who do not know how to write the Latin alphabet, and so time in spent on writing and sounds that other people in the class may find too simple.

However, the classes at Folkuniversitetet weren't good enough to warrant paying for them, especially without having at least tried the SFI classes. The FU (haha) classes moved a bit slow to me, and the teacher wasn't the best at motivating us. There was no assigned homework, and no tests. Sounds like SFI to me, so I might as well try the free ones!

I'm glad I took the first level at FU though. It gave me structure each day right from the second week we were here, which I think has been very helpful for me while I have adjusted to not working and my new home. I made friends, and had contact with all sorts of interesting people all over the world.

In other news - only one week until we depart for Italy! Dan and I are very excited. We will be leaving on December 23rd, and returning January 4th. I hope to bring back beautiful pictures and funny stories.

The Bed Project

Stupid separate beds! We're always falling in the crack! Something must be done about this serious issue...

After weeks of brainstorming, the solution came to us: we could use the Christmas ribbon to tie together the bed posts!


Dan channels his inner boyscout in order to use a complicated tying technique supposedly called "lashing."


Don't forget to tie the other end!

Problem solved! Our family of stuffed animals can now live without fear of the crack!


And we lived happily ever after.

My Everyday Adventures

It's been an interesting few days. Living here makes every little thing interesting because it's different. For example, paying rent can be a huge accomplishment when you had no idea how to for the first month. But just last week I had my first experience of being frustrated by all those little differences.

Things just weren't going my way. I couldn't find a jeweler to re-size my ring, because soft gemstones aren't often used here and the laser welder needed to make my ring smaller is sort of hard to find here. I was told I would need to find a jeweler in a nearby city, and even then the ring might need to be sent away for a few weeks.

However, the most frustrating is the intense paperwork necessary for my master's program. They won't even accept my basic application until I have thoroughly documented my immigration status. (I can only imagine how much more difficult it is for immigrants in the US.) They want certified copies of my diploma; transcripts sent directly from the US (I have official sealed copies here but they're not acceptable); certified copies of my visa and passport; no paperclips or staples; no double-sided pages, and I can't get a hold of anyone to ask a simple question. Well, I suppose they weed out quite a few confused foreign applicants this way!

We've also had some trouble with our sink, which was incredibly backed up. It was taking multiple hours to drain after a simple hand wash, and becoming slower by the day. Over a week ago I asked our landlord to fix it, with no response. Finally, when I was gone, a plumber was supposedly here and said there was no problem. Perhaps he went to the wrong apartment! Just yesterday Daniel realized he could pull apart the piping and unclog it himself. Woohoo!

Most of the time, small difficulties are hilarious. For example, discovering that chili powder here is sweet. Or perhaps having no idea how to get a Swedish ID. All these things get fixed in time, and make us laugh.

This week I also went to a yoga class at the gym we just joined - completely in Swedish. I was nervous as heck, because I never got a tour or anything so I had no idea where the changing room was, or what it would be called. After wandering around awkwardly, I found the locker room and the gym, and settled in for class.

As she began to narrate, she said in Swedish, "welcome to yoga class. This class is 55 minutes." Then I understood next to nothing. I heard her say foot and shoulder, and something about closing our eyes. But that was it. I understood the sanskrit names of the asanas more than the Swedish directions. But I didn't make a fool of myself, and was able to follow along because of my past experience with yoga.

After a couple frustrating days, things are back to normal, with our fun and at times hilarious adventures in movie going, and a Swedish spin class. Hopefully we can keep our sense of humor as we continue to settle in here.

Swedish Field Journal: 1st Edition

We have been living in Lund, Sweden, for a full month now. It feels longer to me. I feel fairly settled: I have made a couple friends, my Swedish is progressing quickly, and I can easily navigate around town. I have gathered important master's information and I will apply to both the Welfare Policies and Management program as well as the Swedish Social Work program. In the meantime I am applying to jobs. All is progressing well...

I can't fully speak for Daniel, but my impression is that he is really enjoying his job. He likes his co-workers (as do I!) and his project. He works hard and seems to be adjusting really well.

Life here isn't terribly different than in the US. Our lifestyle is a bit different, in that we almost always eat at home, and walk everywhere, but it feels quite familiar. But there are small funny things here and some subtle cultural differences that are interesting to discover.

In one month, here's what I can (confidently enough) report:

One of the things we've learned about in my Swedish class, and that I've noticed in my day-to-day life, is the Swedish desire for equality and parity in all regards. For example, we have always called our Swedish teacher by his first name. Once we students asked how to say Mr. and Mrs., and he (a 60+ y/o man) didn't even tell us, only explaining that it is old-fashioned and that such titles are no longer used. We asked about doctors, or professors, and apparently it's not fashionable to point-out hierarchy. He commented that he is glad Swedish society has lost the formal "you" and other titles, that he thought they were bad.

Along the same lines, Swedes don't want to seem different or better than other people. To be normal is good. I haven't had enough first-hand experience to fully compare this to the viral American individualism, but that's the first idea that comes to mind. I've also been told that on resumes, or during a job interview, one isn't supposed to brag about oneself. I can't imagine a job interview in which my task is anything other than to convince the potential boss that they can't live without me.

On a less serious note, the attitude towards fashion here is markedly European and of course, quite classy. It's very rare to see even a new mother in sweatpants. In the block surrounding the gym, perhaps you'll see some comfortable clothes, but still I see that rarely. In my opinion, most people here are fit and fairly good looking. Men are much more metrosexual than American men - there's a lot of gelled hair and ankle boots for men. (I like a man who can dress himself, but if he takes longer than me to get ready, that's ridiculous.)

My plan is to have more "editions" of cultural differences, as I experience them and learn more about it.

Tivoli at Christmas

Dan and I took a trip yesterday to Copenhagen to visit Tivoli, the second oldest amusement park in the world. Tivoli is supposed to have an amazing Christmas fest, with craft/gift stalls, traditional Danish holiday foods, and lots of beautiful lights.


Here is Dan, waiting at the train station in Lund, eating some weird Swedish gummies.
















When we arrived there was a huge line outside the park, stretching down the block, even though it was below freezing, with an even colder windchill.















Inside there were lots of beautiful things to see, even though the park was smaller than expected: perhaps 3-4 city blocks.


There were two individuals doing ice carvings - what an amazing process. From the first time we visited this station, to the time right before we left, this woman had finished her fish carving and moved on to a new one that was just taking shape.













A huge, gorgeous Christmas tree...
















A lit up castle...













I'm not even sure what to call this.













Other sorts of lit-up trees.

















Rides for all ages (although we did not partake, the ticket was expensive and the lines were long!).











This is the closest thing we could find to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Our assessment: It's definitely worth seeing once in your life. The lights were really gorgeous, and it was cool to see an amusement park in winter. The downsides: it's really really cold! My feet have never gotten so cold. Scandinavia doesn't so such a good job at shoveling (possibly because things are so packed in, there's nowhere to put it), so your feet are immersed in snow all the time. Another downside is how incredibly busy it was. Every restaurant was booked until 9:30pm - apparently you make reservations for the restaurants inside the park! Nonetheless, if you're in the area, head out for a festive evening.


Happy holidays everyone! We miss you.

Jag talar Svenska... sort of.

Today I was at the grocery store, gathering ingredients for our not-so-traditional Thanksgiving dinner: basil-tofu lasagna. This whole unemployed thing means I am fast becoming an amazing cook. But, at the grocery store, I'm trolling the isles a bit confused as usual and an old lady walks up to me and asks me a question.

Old lady: Blahblahblomkvistblahbjörklundblahsvenskablahåöäblah...??? [In Swedish.]
Me: Umm, uhh... Uh, jag talar svenska inte! [I don't speak Swedish.]
Old lady: Ja, du talar svenska!...asks question again...[Yes, you speak Swedish!]
Me: Um, jag vet inte! [I don't know!]

She smiled and walked away, apparently believing that I really didn't understand her question. I was ecstatic. It was my first public conversation in Swedish! And I survived! What an incredible development! And to top off my great shopping trip, I found tahini and then successfully repeated back my price total (trehundratio) to the cashier! In other words, these Swedish classes are really paying off.

I started on Monday, and now every week day I go from 9-11:30am. It's great to have some structure and social interaction built into my day. So far it's quite enjoyable.

The class is as international as could be: there are folks from Greece, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Iran, China, France, and the UK. I am the lone American, for better or worse. Just today a group of us were walking to the coffee shop across the street during our fika (coffee break typically had at about 10:15 in workplaces etc) and I introduced myself to the Iranian gentleman. Then the people we were with sort of oohed and aahed, joking that our countries really don't like each other! That hadn't even occurred to me. But then we had a brief discussion about the politics of Iran these days, and how people are liking Obama in the US. It's great to be able to talk about the things I usually just hear about on NPR or read about in Time.

Then there is our teacher, whom I will call Hans, just for anonymity. He is an older gentleman, Swedish of course, who has a slight speech impediment. His "s" can be a bit muddled. Hans is also quite silly. For example, he has already taught us the Swedish words for sexy, shit, poop, and the f word too. He quotes Shakespeare and MC Hammer. He has explained how he lost half his finger (infection), which health issues he struggles with (diabetes!), how many wives he's had (2), and that cats really shouldn't drink milk, despite the popular misconception. He regularly gets off topic, but hey, I have some really interesting vocabulary!

To be more serious, he is very easy going and encouraging. In past language classes, especially Arabic, there just wasn't a good atmosphere. I think students should be allowed to make mistakes and mispronounce with gentle re-directions. Really you want the student to practice and get comfortable, and that road is certainly rocky and sometimes embarrassing.

The downside is that he is quick to explain things in English. Of course, practically, I am glad for this, because it's my native language. But I feel bad for a few people in the class who really don't seem to know English that well. Nowhere on the sign-up for this class did it say that the base language was English. Those folks are clearly more confused and at an unfair disadvantage. Most Swedish classes in the region are taught in 100% Svenska, which can of course be difficult but I think it's probably the best way to learn quickly.

For now, the class is great. It was expensive, so perhaps after the first level I'll continue in the free government "Swedish for Immigrants" classes. I am on my way to knowing Swedish and having many more opportunities open to me because of it!

A Review of Week Two

Here we are, having almost been here a full two weeks! It feels like longer. We are both settling in quite well, perhaps even better than expected!

Here is a picture of our house, which isn't labeled in any way and doesn't really look like a house:

And inside, here is Dan:

This is one of the streets I walk down almost daily, with cobblestone and old architecture:

Our shipment arrived last week, and finally today I had a chance to begin putting things away. I think it's safe to say we shipped too much, but nonetheless it feels so good to have our own pillows, blankets, and artwork too. Our apartment doesn't need much else and it's really growing on me in the way that a new home does.

We've had a few adventures, like accidentally buying Swiss cheese instead of cheddar, and buying whey butter instead of sour cream. Or the endless search for tofu which is actually kept in the cheese section without any special area or designation whatsoever (thank goodness for the guts of a friend of mine finally asking a store employee).

Just yesterday Dan and I decided to play the tourist and take a day trip to Malmö. We successfully boarded a train and walked to the old castle, which was mostly burnt down a long time ago and now looks more like a factory.

Here is a view of the front:

And the entry way:

And the place where they shot arrows/bullets/cannons from:

Inside there were a ton of museums, including an aquarium, a natural history section, art, textiles... It was huge and we got lost.

Afterwards we saw a bit of the city of Malmö. Dan described it as a "poor man's Copenhagen," because it had a similar cosmopolitan feel but wasn't quite as large and costly - although the dinner prices were still frightening.

I got this picture of the governor's residence in the main square of town before it got too dark:

Speaking of dinner: Dan and I got to that hungry-cranky point and dived for the first reasonable restaurant we saw - which, embarrassingly, was TGI-Fridays. Yeah, yeah, pathetic. But we were strangely curious about it since we saw one in Stockholm. We went in, and sat ourselves, as you do in most Swedish restaurants. We waited. And waited. We gave the servers looks, waved, everything, to no avail. Maybe 15-20 minutes later, a couple next to us was seated by a server with menus and silverware! Things we hadn't yet seen! We realized perhaps we weren't supposed to seat ourselves. Wandering around the restaurant, I couldn't figure out where to find the host! I asked someone and she escorted us to an entirely different side of the restaurant with a typical dining room. Finally we had made it!

As we waited for our cheeseburgers and french fries, we watched the way everyone else ate. There was a gentleman who got a huge burger (TWO PATTIES!) and proceeded to dump ketchup on it. Then - get this - he ate the patty by itself with a fork and knife, French-style. What the heck! What are you doing! Get your hands dirty and dive in, dude! Then he ate the bun, finally with his hands, but plain and all by itself! Super strange.

Our food came and it was pretty good. We of course ate it with our hands, ketchup dripping almost to our elbows... A little different, not quite the same flavor, but nonetheless satisfying. We definitely paid the price. That food made both Dan and I totally sick. We did not have the greatest evening afterwards. Karma for stooping to American lows, I guess!

The Goings-on of Stephanie

"What on earth do you plan to do with yourself in Sweden, Stephanie?!"

Good question people, good question. I did address this a bit before I left, but my ideas are gaining clarity and I'd like to share them with y'all (apologies for any information you already read/know).

Currently, my most concrete plan is to pursue a masters degree (called "second cycle" here) in Welfare Policies and Management, which is a little like social work administration. That would take two years, keeping Daniel and I here for a total of 2 years and 7 months. I haven't applied yet, because the first date the application is even available to view is December 1st.

However, Dan found online that there is indeed a "School of Social Work" in Lund. Most of their website is in Swedish, which explains why it has taken us so long to find out about it. It says that they have masters programs, and a syllabus for a class I looked at was in English. This indicates to me, unofficially, that the masters is in English. I have to admit, I would prefer this program, but either degree - especially at no financial cost to me - can't hurt me in the least. I am now waiting to hear from the adviser of this social work program to gather more details.

On the job front: without Swedish, finding employment is very difficult. I hear the same sad refrain about the difficulty on forums, talking to Swedes, and especially talking to other foreigners around here. I won't lie, it was discouraging from the moment I heard it back when we visited in May. Until I know Swedish, only the most basic jobs are available to me, like cleaning or stocking. While everyone here does know English, their absolute default is Swedish. I am searching though. I have been trying to network through the American Women's Club (more on this later) and have inquired into a couple jobs. No interviews yet, but I plan to continue trying.

Just today I signed up for an intense Swedish language course through Folkuniversitetet (unfortunately abbreviated FU) that will, for 4 weeks, have me in the classroom 5 days a week for 2.5 hours each day. Perhaps it shows my geeky side that I am totally excited about this! These classes cost a bit of money, as they are through a sort of open people's university - sort of like adult community education - but I think the payoff will be great. As I mentioned, swiftly learning the language here could open me up to all sorts of jobs, including ones in my field eventually.

I suppose the last front to elaborate on is my social life. The American Women's Club, or AWC, is my starting point. It's an expat network for mostly American women, although so far there are dudes and folks from all over. They have all sorts of activities, plenty for families, but also book clubs, Thanksgiving dinner, holiday cookie exchange (nom nom), julbord (a special Swedish holiday buffet) sushi nights, lunches, and so on. It seems like a great starting point. Unrelated to the AWC, I've also had lunch with a woman from St. Paul who is at Lund University! Who lived just a couple blocks from where Daniel and I did! Whoa! Small world, and I'm happy to be building a new social network from scratch.

All in all, I feel like on all fronts I am adjusting and making progress. It's a great challenge and very exciting. I'm sure at times I'll be bored and a bit uncomfortable, but this experience is totally worth it.

Little Adventures

An exciting benefit to moving to Sweden is the newness of it all: every little task is a big adventure and subsequently a great success if didn't make a fool of yourself.

For example, Daniel and I went to get groceries on our first night here. Scary? Yes, but we needed dinner and breakfast! We weren't sure where the market was, although we sort of remembered. We stumbled across a different grocery store than intended, and were able to find some basic foods without too much trouble. We didn't even make a fool of ourselves. Our mini-fail occurred when we got completely lost on our way home. No map, no luck.

But the next day was filled with yet more new adventures! As I reported in the last entry, we had to report our immigration and apply for a personal ID number. Again, we surprisingly didn't really make a fool of ourselves. On that same trip we also visited some stores we found on the way, including an appliance store. We were able to find a dish-drying rack, a blow-dryer, a beard trimmer, and a toaster! We were on our way to a complete household (added bonus, my hair looks fantastic again)!

Yesterday also felt productive, despite some minor setbacks. We went to the bank and took a number to designate our place in line (this is the only way you "queue" for something here). We explained our situation to the teller, who informed us we could not have a bank account without a personal ID number. Hmm, but that might be an entire month! She informed us that since Daniel has already received pay checks, we can take out cash in about $2,500 chunks. I suppose that's not a bad last resort, plus I'll feel like a European gangsta.

Today Daniel and I are planning to go to Ikea - there is one only 20 minutes away in the neighboring town of Malmö. We think we can figure out how to get there, but who knows! I am bizarrely excited about this trip. I am imagining it to be laid out just like the one at home, with hotdogs and cinnamon rolls at the end to reward you for not freaking out at the hugeness and busy-ness of it all. I expect this to be true here, in the country of Ikea's origin, as well.

And it's real-adult-working-hours for Daniel on Monday (in this case, about 8am to 5:30pm). Last week he was in lab half the day for meetings about his new projects, and at home with me the other times, unpacking, rearranging our given furniture, and going on said errand-adventures.

Actually, I feel like I have a big to-do list too: wish fervently for our shipment of personal items to arrive on Monday, somehow take the bus all the way to the place I sign-up for Swedish for Immigrants classes, and be a good temporary housewife by cleaning the apartment and cooking a wonderful meal. The adventure continues... (next post on my job hunt and school plans)

Part II of the Apartment Tour

Sorry for the delay in this second update! Now we have internet in our apartment, which is absolutely amazing. I'll be on Skype quite often, and I'm even considering getting voicemail for my Skype so that family members can call anytime.

Well, on with the apartment tour!

Here is one view of our kitchen. To help you imagine, this is what you would see to your left when you walk into the room. An electric stove with a small bit of counter, then right in front of you, a microwave and a table for two.














Then to your right, a small refrigerator/freezer, more counter space, and a sink. The kitchen even came with one of those neat things that boils water for tea (perhaps called an electric tea pot?)










This is our dining room! A rug, a nice expandable table, a big window, and a bureau-like thing that we might move to the bedroom.

































And last but certainly not least, our bathroom: It's small and has zero storage, so we are going to go shopping for some tiny shelves to hold things. Unfortunately, the bathroom was kind of moldy and we had to do some heavy-duty cleaning. I nearly passed out from the fumes, but I think it's a little cleaner now.












All in all, it's been a successful first couple days. We went grocery shopping right away, and were able to find some basics. Unfortunately we both forgot to bring a map and on the way home, in the cold darkness, we got totally lost. It took us three times as long as it should have to get home. Just one of many mini-adventures I'm sure...

Yesterday, we had to go register at the "skatteverket." I have no idea what that means, but we had to go there to report our immigration, and hopefully this will give us the all-important "personnummer," which is similar to a social security number. We can't get a mobile phone or a real bank account until we have this, and they reported that it takes up to four weeks (although I've heard of people getting them sooner). The woman who helped us barely spoke English, and she really only muttered and didn't say any real words... Perhaps we were supposed to get a receipt, but I guess we'll never know!

Later on I had a very successful grocery shopping trip, which made me incredibly proud. Funny how the tiniest things can feel so good! Today was also productive, as I learned how to purchase postage and mail a letter. I am on my way to being a good Swede!

Part I of the Apartment Tour

We safely arrived in Lund on Tuesday afternoon. To our happy surprise, our apartment is large and gorgeous! Perhaps a bit dusty, but we're working on that. Here are about half the photos:

This is our living room. It's big! The house is completely furnished in Ikea - and I mean everything - dishes, silverware, desk, sheets, towels, rugs, etc. The floors are these wide wood boards that you don't see too often in the US.









Here is a desk in the corner of the living room. There are pictures on the wall in this apt, but they are weird! There are also nice rugs throughout the house, which makes it very homey.










Here is a very small part of our bedroom. Let me start by saying that the bedroom luckily has plenty of space for storage. There is a big beautiful window that looks out into our garden. And there are TWO king-sized beds. You are looking at the main one. In the corner, there is another. Perhaps it's for guests. Daniel and I figured we could put it in the living room for visitors (in other words, get here in the next 6 months for free lodging in Sweden! Now you may be asking, why does it look like two tiny beds pushed together? Oh yeah, because it is! Every hotel bed we had last time we were here was this version - two twins meshed together, creating a dangerous crack you can fall into at any moment. When Dan and I visited, it drove us nuts. Perhaps this is TMI, but we are cuddlers, especially in the winter. This here crack prevents the nighttime cuddles and it really sucks. On our Ikea outing, which we hope to do on Friday or Saturday, we might look for a "crack filler," if such a thing exists. Anyway, what does this say about the Swedes? Do they not cuddle? Does this merely fulfill the stereotype that they are cold, laughter-less people?!

Here is some of the storage in our bedroom... Quite a bit!












I will have the second part to this email in the future - the uploading of pictures takes forever.

On Our Way

In 24 hours, Daniel and I will be in the Minneapolis Airport, getting ready for our move. First we'll fly from MSP to Chicago O'Hare, then have a 4-hour layover (for extra safety at a crazy airport) before flying to Copenhagen. We'll arrive in Copenhagen at 1:20pm local time (they're 7 hours ahead of us). From Copenhagen, we'll take a 45-minute train to Lund, then a taxi to the lab where the leader of the lab has our apartment key and will presumably walk us to our new place! This trip is really planes, trains, and automobiles!


Last night we had a going-away party with our families.













Everyone had a great time and got along well.













We're finally excited and looking forward to our own place and a new environment. We have some idea of what our first week will be like: First, we might try to get a personnummer, which is like a social security number. That will allow us to get a bank account, a cell phone, etc. We will of course need to have a crash lesson in Swedish to allow us to get a full house of groceries and even cleaning products.

If you want to contact us, our phones will be out of service in the next couple of days. In the mean time, you can contact us on Skype. My Skype username is "stephaniespayne," while Daniel's is "dr.danwolf." If you see us online, feel free to message or call to see if we're available to talk. Or, email us and set a time for us to chat. Once we get cell phones again, that may be an option for calling/texting us.

I'll update from Sweden once we arrive with a photo tour of our apartment!

A summary of San Francisco!

After a ten-day stay in the San Francisco area, Daniel and I are back in Minnesota. We're exhausted, but we had a great time. I met all of Daniel's family and everyone was sincerely welcoming. We first stayed with Daniel's aunt and uncle Becki and Peretz in San Francisco (for my family, Becki is Steve's sister). While in SF we got to walk around Golden Gate Park, go to the Flower Conservatory (I think I wrote about this before), and have some really good sushi. After that, we stayed with Bernie and Manana and got to see a bit of Alameda before heading off to Castro Valley to see Nancy and her kids Amanda and Veronica (Bernie is Steve's brother, Nancy is Barbara's sister). Then we stayed with Grandpa Wolf, who showed us around Walnut Creek. Theeeen back to SF with Becki and Peretz. While in SF we got to spend some time with the wonderful Leora, who we watched Game 2 of the World Series with and also gave us a tour of The Mission (included: breakfast and later ice cream).

On our second to last day, we got to have a car and we went to Muir Woods to see the Redwoods. It was beautiful. The drive up was gorgeous too, and I got to drive a Prius for the first time - what a great car! Then we went wine tasting, which for me was the highlight of our trip. We went to three different vineyards (Bartholomew Park, Ravenwood, and Buena Vista) and tasted lots of wine and even sampled a cheese to go with. I should definitely become a wine-o.

So that's the quick summary of that trip. We're back in the Twin Cities now, staying with everyone in Dan's family. First Jen and Ben, then Amy and Jason, then Steve and Barbara.

Daniel is working everyday to finish up some papers he wants to submit. I'm getting little things done and really just getting psyched up for our move. I'm definitely nervous but also really excited. Who knows what grocery shopping will be like...

The next post will be about the shipping fiasco of 2010, that is almost to a close - we should be receiving our shipment to Sweden at our new apartment on November 10th!

I am definitely -100%- positive there is a cat in this room.

Hello from the West Coast!

I am in the San Francisco area, visiting Dan's many family members and doing some sight-seeing on the side.

We arrived late Thursday night and were taken back to Dan's aunt Becky and uncle Peretz's home in San Francisco. A great neighborhood in a great city! The first night, we were instructed to keep our bedroom door closed as extra protection against kitty invaders. As told, we kept the door closed and shortly went to bed. While lying there, I heard the scratch-scratch of a cat briefly itching itself. I was in that in-between state of consciousness and sleep, but I told Dan I thought there might be a cat in here. He didn't really think so. I tried to fall back asleep... In about 15 minutes I heard the itching sound again, and told Dan "I am definitely 100% positive there in a cat in this room!" I jumped up and turned out a light and there was a kitty, sitting and staring at me from the other side of the room! She must've been there the whole time.

On our first day, Dan and I walked about the "inner sunset" neighborhood where Becky and Peretz live. We strolled around Golden Gate Park, then went to the Flower Conservatory. To me it seems strange to have blooms so late in the year, but everything was gorgeous. We also got to see an interesting special exhibit on carnivorous plants, including the Venus Fly Trap.

That night was a big Shabbat dinner at Grandpa Wolf's house, where I met the entire Wolf side of the family. I felt incredibly welcomed and had a great time, with delicious food and plenty of wine. We went back to SF exhausted and ready for another day.

On Saturday, we got up a little early and went on the Lands' End walk, which is along the ocean - it was beautiful! It was cloudy but not raining yet, with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate bridge and ocean waves. We had lunch, then took off to Alameda to spend time with Bernie, Manana, and Philip (Dan's uncle and aunt).

Today, Sunday, the plan is to perhaps go see Berkeley, although the weather is blustery and rainy, but later we'll go visit Dan's aunt Nancy.

Less than a week left now before we're back in St. Paul for the final leg of our trip!

Conclusion to the Great Move of 2010

Dan and I somehow made it out of the Twin Cities on Thursday evening, as planned. It really didn't look like it would happen, but with a few energetic bursts and a couple of hours of help from my friend Rachel, we were on the road in a jam-packed U-Haul and my broke-down car.

We ended up putting a few things on the curb, and within 30 minutes of a Craigslist "Free Stuff" posting, a guy was jamming our stinky couch into the back of a Ford Explorer all on his own. He didn't even want any help! There were also countless Goodwill bags, the very full U-Haul I mentioned, and Dan and I each have two bags of luggage, although 2 suitcases await us in St. Paul for our final leg of the trip which will bring us to Sweden. I'm glad to be done with all the stuff!

Now Dan and I are in Madison, staying in my parents house, which feels like pure luxury to me. A giant television with TiVo? Free groceries? A kitty? A little heater in the bathroom? Heck yeah! I'm glad to just lounge around all day. At the end of this week we'll stay with Tim, Jessica, and Landon for a while. After that of course, we will fly to California for a great family bonanza... Rumor has it that I'll be meeting 3/4ths of the family within 24 hours of arrival.

I'm starting to get excited for Sweden. We touched base with our future landlord to confirm that we could just pay on arrival. The shipping agent also let us know that we should be able to receive our shipment on November 10th, just the day after we arrive in Sweden. Things seem to be progressing in an orderly fashion.

The Beginning

Bright and early this morning two men from the shipping company showed up at our apartment, ready to take a jam-packed 95 cubic feet of our apartment away. We didn't think all of our belongings (camping gear, 3 bikes, 2 snowboards, clothes, pictures...) would fit but somehow they did. Of course after they left I found at least 5 items I wished they had taken.

It felt good to have that task done. I've been overwhelmed, to be honest. The logistics of this move are unlike anything I've undertaken in my life. Move to college? Sure! Study in Kenya? No problem! But this has multiple layers of details and I'm getting tired.

Of course as soon as the shippers left, my mind was flooded with the other things we had to do. Get more boxes, pack, find bubble wrap, pick up the U-Haul, deliver furnituregotoGoodwillcleanoutthepantrydolaundrycalllandlord OH MY GOD.

Today is Tuesday. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, on Thursday we'll head out of Minneapolis and arrive in Madison with time to say hi to my Dad, who is going on a fishing trip beginning Friday morning. And hopefully we can de-stress and take a mini-vacation at that point.

Until then... I am remembering that at some point recently I was really excited about moving, about a new locale, the opportunity to learn a new language, an adventure with my fiance... I'll touch base once we're in Madison.

Dates of Travel

Hi everyone!

Here are our final dates of travel, as well as the mailing address we will have while in Sweden.

October 7th: Depart St. Paul for Madison
October 21st: Fly from Madison to California
October 30th: Fly from California to MSP
November 8th: Fly from MSP to Copenhagen!

If you want flight numbers and times, email me. Also shoot us a message if you want our mailing address.

Update

Our big move to Sweden is starting to fall into place! Let me update
you on the latest developments:

Most importantly, our residence/work visas were approved and just
yesterday we sent in our passports to Washington D.C. to be stamped
and sent back to us - in other words, we do not have to go to
Washington D.C. (thank goodness). We should have our passports back in
about two weeks.

Additionally, we received more information on our apartment and we
signed a lease - it's ours! It's a flat in Lund, just a few blocks
from Dan's lab (lunch dates are in our future) in a beautiful
neighborhood that we stayed in when we first visited Lund. It is fully
furnished and we can stay up to six months before we find something
more permanent. It's a good price, and we feel so relieved to have
this part of our plan solidified.

Due to these developments, we have established a new rough timeline.
We haven't bought plane tickets yet (hopefully that will happen
tonight), so it could change a day here or there if tickets are
cheaper, but here's our tentative plan:

October 7th: Move out of our apartment, drive to Madison.
October 7th - 20th or 21st: Stay in Madison (proposal: 7-14 with Mom
and Dad, 14-21 with Tim, yet to be confirmed)
October 20th/21st - 30th-ish: California! (Here we are considering
spending a couple days sight-seeing in wine country or something).
October 30th-November 5th: Minneapolis, see family, stay with Jen and
Ben for at least part of this. There will also be a going away party
during this time period for MN family.
November 5th: Depart for Sweden (after MLB playoffs of couse)

Please hold tight while we work out the exact dates here. The next
step will be to decide what we do, who we see, etc. in California.

Another question I've been receiving a lot is, "Stephanie! What are
you going to do in Sweden?!" I plan on getting a (free!) master's in
Welfare Policies and Management. It's a 2-year program in English that
will be quite applicable in Sweden or the US, especially for Social
Work administration. If I wanted to do clinical social work in the US,
I would have to be licensed in that individual state. This program
begins in July of 2011, so I'll have some time to intensively learn
Swedish and cook amazing food before I get started. In other words,
I'll have 8 months or so of time to read, relax, and blog!