I'm unsure if time has flown or if the last 4 weeks have been a dizzying array of new experiences, rituals, and movements. Perhaps both.
I'm happy to say that Mira and I have settled into our new apartment and while our stuff doesn't arrive from the States for a few more weeks, it already feels like home. Morgan seems to have adjusted nicely to life in Stockholm, though she is a bit more barkey these days.
One the baby front, all is well. Our girl was 18 grams above average at her last scan ... already an overachiever. Mira is getting bigger by the day and though she generally feels good, has an achy back.
I had originally thought that my year of living in London would be good preparation for life in Stockholm. I was wrong. For better or worse the culture in England is the origin for our American culture and though a little off still familiar. Here things are just different, not bad, but different.
Some random observations.
I think Swedes have patented what I'll call efficient bureaucracy. Nearly everything is digital, self-service, and clear. What sits behind it, however, is massively bureaucratic. Everything has a process. It takes the time it takes. That is that.
Without a Swedish ID it's damn near impossible to do things here. I was buying a TV a few days ago and had my Amex rejected by the store clerk even though I had my passport, Swedish social security number, and a wallet full of other proof of identity. It was infuriating.
People take lunch. By 11:45 half of the office is gone. The remnants of my New York self remains shocked. My Stockholm self enjoys how civilized it is. I do subsequently get weird looks when I eat lunch at my desk.
This is NOT a 24 hour town. I think there is 1 restaurant is all of Stockholm that is open 24 hours a day that mostly caters to cabbies.
Being able to walk to work is a revelation.
Swedes are not the most polite people. Don't get me wrong, they're good people, but some of the softer societal norms are absent here. Case in point, men don't hold doors open for women. It's a byproduct of a society that has truly embraced gender equality. I've experienced mean looks and critique from older women who think I'm being patronizing or chauvinistic. To me it's not about gender, it's just about being polite. I suspect I won't ever stop doing this and I don't care.
All of this is a wonderful adventure. I'm loving being in a new place and trying to figure out my way here. Hopefully I'll get a hang of the language at some point in the next year, but until then I'll remain happily illiterate.
dededos
kaledo-art
2087
jacobvanloon
yousharknotpass
