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.
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