I have landed in my temporary apartment. I have unpacked the important things. It was a bit surreal waking up someplace new alone. It was very quiet and with time to think it can be a bit overwhelming.
Susanne helped me get a cell phone, new number, internet with free calls and texts within Sweden. Had no idea where to start so it was great having Susanne’s help. It is a pay-as-you-go plan as I have no job or bank account here yet so that is something to work on next.
Finding socks should be easy but I am picky. They had to be just right so we looked at several places but I do now have socks. One less thing to think about. My bank card pin number doesn’t work here and lots of places only take cards. When they ask to see my ID they always get a bit confused about what number to put into their system, it’s always interesting to see what they do.
Susanne and I met her friend Cecilia at a nursery which already has Christmas up and lots of people shopping. I purchased some small things for now. Normally I would go crazy in there and buy a bunch of stuff but knowing I have to move soon kept it to a minimum as I did not want extra things weighing me down. It will be enough as it is.
We ate at a bakery in the cute village outside of Malmö called Villenge and I had Budapest roll which is a chocolate meringue with hazelnuts, whip cream, and mandarin oranges. It is one of my favorites. We came home and got the phone working and ate lördag godis (Saturday candy). In Sweden, Saturday is the day the kids and adults buy and eat candy. I think the idea is to reward oneself on occasion after having eaten well all week. I have some favorites: sockerbitar (sugar cubes), zoo (little red monkey candies), and a few others. It’s mostly loose candy so you can just a variety and just a few of each. There is usually a large selection to choose from. I will have to take a picture of that next week.
Sunday we went into town using the bus system. It took about 20 minutes. We meant to take the bus and then the train but we got on the wrong bus which still took us into town as we wanted just a bit differently. We made it to a place I knew and we walked down the main Square and then to the little square. We went to the central station and located the other apartment I will be moving to Dec 1st. It’s right downtown as I thought. Super convenient.
Susanne will be heading home tomorrow. The stay at my place was not very comfortable, unfortunately. She slept in the closet and it was cold and the air mattress was losing air. Not so much fun to sleep on but I am so grateful to her for coming to see me and helping me to get going here. So many things are new to me which makes it an adventure. I need to be more like Pippi and be flexible with new things and ideas.
I am up late tonight. Wondering how tomorrow will go. I want to talk to Dan and I wonder what he is doing and how my cat is doing without me. I have been so busy and haven’t had time to sit and think about it but now that I have a little time to myself I probably need to read and go to sleep instead of thinking about things that make me sad.
It was a fun day of exploring and I felt grateful I got the chance to be in my city. My city to discover and live in. My city to be part of. So many things will be different and I will channel my inner Pippi and embrace the adventure.
Take 2 of Life 
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