Lisa is an American. Don't hold it against her, although many did at the UK Film Council as she stamped around full of NYC attitude making friends and enemies in equal numbers. Anyway, she has a blog about her quest to become more ladylike through a summer of full-time picnicking in London. She posted a link to it on facebook yesterday, and one of the posts was entitled Things I have Learned.
So now I have been in Stockholm for six and a half months, what have I learned? (The photos were taken today).
- Always look at the price of pick and mix. And whatever you do, don't put expensive pick and mix in the same bag as the cheap pick and mix.
- Stockholm must be the safest place on earth as Swedish police have nothing better to do than come to a supermarket over a pick and mix dispute worth 70p.
- There is no point in hoping at the start of February that winter is over, you will just be disappointed.
- Swedes say that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Maybe, but when it dips below -10 it really isn't much fun for anyone (unless you are speed skating or something else requiring you to move quickly).
- I hate to generalise, there will of course be exceptions to the rule (Tony and Carina to name but two), but on the face of it, Swedes are just about the least welcoming people I have ever met. They are not rude. But not one Swede at either of my jobs has asked me out, or come out with the expat group. They have their own circle of friends and family and you're not welcome. Yes, I know, it's just me they hate - but all the other foreigners at work agree on this point. When I moved here, I swore I wouldn't become part of any expat groups, and I would hang with Swedes. Funny how quickly that changed!
- Expats rock. As my friend John said at work (he is an Aussie), it is because they have all been in the same boat. He is a wise man John. And a bloody good bloke too. As are many of the other expats at work. Expats really do rock, especially when the locals are so unfriendly.
- The more you worry about something the worse it becomes. I was worrying about my job. It is complicated having to learn not only how your company works, but also Ericsson. But the more I worried, the more I lost my confidence, the worse it became. My boss gave me a kick up the ass, told me I could do the job, I stopped worrying, and magically everything seems easier.
- Skype is brilliant. Every week I have Sam we talk to Granny Pammy, Grandad, Uncle David and Auntie Liz on Skype. Sam loves it and interacts with them as if they were in the room.
- Even Stockholm grinds to a halt when there is a massive dump of snow. We must have had nearly 30cm's on 24 hours on Thursday / Friday. By Friday, the buses had stopped working and work was half full. Of course, Arlanda Airport kept going, and by Saturday everything was back to normal, but even Stockholm struggled for a while.
- Similar to point 8, that whilst I am nowhere near as happy as I was before, my Dad's motto of "just get on with it" seems to be working. If I stop to think about things too much I can convince myself that my life is shit, after all I live in a city where I have very few friends, I hate the winters with a passion, the dark days were really tough (it's light now till 5pm, which feels amazing after mid winter when it would be dark around 3.30pm), and worst of all my heart is still broken. But it is easier to not stop and dwell, and just get on with it. The flipside is my job is ok (look, I am never going to be excited about a job, that is as good as it gets from me), I am getting more friends, and Samuel is a fantastic little boy who makes it all worth while, and I love him to bits.
- The most important thing I have learned is that due to Samuel there is nowhere else I would rather be. As hard as it is, and as bad as it gets, nothing beats that rush of excitement on a Friday, when it is my turn to have him for a week. I run up that hill to nursery, full of happiness as I am getting to see my son.
