Getting my bearings

Hej/hello, dear friends and family! This first week in Stockholm has flown by, and I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday. It's been exciting, but also exhausting.

After meeting Scott at the airport, we took a very nice taxi ride to the apartment on Tuesday. It was great timing that the movers showed up right when I did! Scott had bought some lovely tulips for the apartment before I arrived, both in the kitchen and in the living room (as we'll call the main room here). The apartment is actually larger than what I was expecting, and the views are even nicer than the pictures.



We started to unpack a few boxes at the apartment before it was time to meet Scott's co-workers for lunch. The subway stop is very close to the apartment, although we have to walk down a terribly steep hill to get there. I think the subway reminded me most of being in New York. Once we arrived downtown a few minutes later, we took a quick tour of Scott's office and I had the pleasure of meeting his co-workers. We grabbed lunch at a cute little restaurant nearby, where they were kind enough to translate the menu for us. I decided it would be best to check Swedish Meatballs off the list right away, and they were quite delicious! Following lunch, Scott led a wonderful mini-tour of what he's seen of the city. He's already well-versed in the street names, and a few key phrases that I'm still struggling with. From what I've seen, Stockholm really is a beautiful city, even with such dreary weather (about mid-40s, with very light rain most days so far).

Before I arrived, Scott warned me that the apartment is on top of a mini-mountain - solid rock, with huge outcroppings, not a rolling hill like we'd see in Minneapolis, he said. He had explained that for about 10 seconds every evening it feels and sounds like somebody sets off a fireworks finale in the apartment below us, or that people are firing hundreds of canons all at once. One of his neighbors at the office told him that they're actually hollowing out the rock for some sort of geothermal heating project. After our tour of Stockholm, I was ready to fall asleep standing up. Amazingly, I managed to sleep through the daily dynamite during my two-hour nap, and, after dinner, I had no trouble catching up on 13 more hours of sleep.

In addition to jetlag, I didn't get much sleep before I arrived. The night before my flight, Mom and I stayed up very late packing and laughing at ourselves while doing so. Then, I managed to be seated next to the one Swedish man on the 8+ hour flight that could not sleep on planes. He began making conversation a few hours into the flight, then continued to tell me all about his wife (from Oregon), astronomy hobby, and extensive knowledge of international airports. Very nice guy, but I was definitely ready to sleep by the time I closed my eyes.

Wednesday involved more unpacking and the apartment is finally starting to shape up! We also made a trip to the grocery store, which really is a challenge because everything is in Swedish. Not speaking the language is definitely the most frustrating part so far, even though everyone really does speak English if you ask them to. We also have to buy groceries in small quantities, since everything is carried home from the store in your own bags (I chose to shop with my very non-European "Relax...I'm a Ninja" shoulder bag, while Scott sported his courier back pack). The alternative is to purchase shopping bags from the grocery store. I understand that if you've shopped at Costco in the U.S., you're familiar with this concept, but Scott told me it caught him by surprise the first time he purchased groceries here.

At home, I had to laugh once we finally cleaned out the cupboards and put away our food. We stuck to just a few basics, so it appears to be a very random assortment of food that comes nowhere near to filing our shelf space. Unfortuantely, the kitchen boasts the most storage of the entire apartment. If we decide not to purchase an Ikea wardrobe, I could easily fit most of my clothes into the empty corner cupboard that is currently home to the plastic colander and Pyrex meauring cup...

Thursday - I was awoken by the mail this morning. The mail is dropped into a mail door and falls about five feet to the floor. However, there were still so many boxes piled up that one letter led to the downfall of a neatly stacked corrugated fortress by the door. It startled me, but I still managed to finish up my solid 11 hours of sleep before discovering that it was my Swedish "personnummer" that had been delivered. I have officially joined Scott as an Artificial Sweden-er!

I took off for downtown after lunch, hoping to find the key shop and have an extra set of keys made. Not only did I find the shop I was looking for, but I continued walking toward (what I hoped was) Scott's work. Eventually I recognized a drugstore from our tour yesterday and managed to backtrack two blocks to his office! I know getting around will be a breeze very soon, but today I'll call it small victory.

It's difficult not being able to pick up the phone and call home. Thank you to everyone who has sent e-mails and text messages. Also, please know that I haven't figured out how to check voicemail on my phone here (in case you've left me a voice message). Scott's done a wonderful job posting thus far, and I'll try to post regularly now that I'm settling in...and I'll try to avoid three-day narratives from now on! We also have a Skype account set up (plus the web cam, of course) that I'm looking forward to using. It's a much less expensive alternative to a traditional international phone call. Free Skype-to-Skype calls, and cheap Skype-to-phone rates (unless you're calling a Swedish cell phone, then it's quite expensive). Let us know if you have Skype installed as we'd love to stay in touch. We're still trying to figure out how to use it, so if you have any Skype tips, feel free to share. We'd love to hear from you!