Tag Archives: Sweden

Language, letters and living my life…

  By Pia | February 2, 2012 - 12:47 am | Update
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I have lived in Sweden over 2 months and I have to admit, it feels like a lot longer. I am not sure if it is the pace here, or the lack of understanding of the language that makes time seem to go by at a different rate. Since we received our crate of belongings from Canada in January, I expected that our home would just become more homey.. what I didn’t realise, is that having half of a house still empty (our rental house is much much larger than the house we left in Canada and we didn’t bring all of our furniture!) still fosters an unsettled feeling. As we slowly fill the house and move into every room properly, I expect the house to warm up in both temperature and atmosphere. Only time can tell.. we’ll see. Also at the beginning of January I started my Swedish language lessons. … Read More →

Christmas, twice… my jackpot & emerging from the underground.

  By Pia | January 5, 2012 - 2:11 am | In a Nutshell..., Update
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I love Christmas. There is something about the season that is warming and comfortable. It makes me feel like the world is somehow more united, people flood out to the malls and (mostly) put up with each other while buying gifts for others. Ok so I know it is a little delusional to think that everything is so apple pie (or should I say mulled wine) during the season but for me, the season is perfectly cosy! So this year, things have obviously changed. We moved to Sweden not long before Christmas and into our home just a couple weeks before we were to leave for England to spend the holidays with Neil’s family. Our Christmas tree was about 2 feet tall and although I decorated with a few strings of lights (in the basement where we have been dwelling) there wasn’t a lot to signify Christmas at the Holden … Read More →

Swedish living… a change in perspective…

  By Pia | December 14, 2011 - 7:58 am | In a Nutshell..., Update
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I have been in Sweden for 2 weeks now and I am amazed at what a difference 2 weeks makes! Two weeks ago when we arrived in Sweden, I completely understood what it feels like to be without a home. It just felt so empty to know that you have no home address. I think being sick made it all worse since I think people tend to want to be all comfy cosy at home when sick…  Last week I really hit rock bottom. We moved into our new home with a few suitcases of clothes and little more. We managed to purchase what we needed until our container arrives and I think we’re both grateful to have this opportunity but I think there is more to it than the adventure of it all. I had a little pity party for one several times throughout the earlier part of the … Read More →

Whirlwind of Change. Marriage, Moving and Medicine?!

  By Pia | December 3, 2011 - 12:36 am | In a Nutshell..., Update
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Wow things have changed dramatically since I last posted. To recap, on September 10, 2011, my Soul-mate Neil and I were married at Heritage Pointe Golf Course. What an amazing day.  We are still in disbelief that it all actually happened and so perfectly. The few issues we encountered were so minor. In May of 2011,  Neil and I were both away at separate conferences in the US. Neil was in Denver and I was in Sacramento. Neil was asked to speak at his conference, doing a presentation on his research. That led to two opportunities and eventually, two job offers. In August, Neil and I were flown to Sweden for 4 days while Neil had a job interview. Then a couple of weeks later, Neil was in Seattle for another interview. Two nights before the wedding in September, we had to make the decision… were we going to move … Read More →