:: Monday, June 28, 2004 ::

Time, Time, Time, see what's become of me...

I'm sorry it's been such a long time between posts, but I have been busy, busy, busy! Just a month & change until I leave for Sweden! Yay! In news of that sort, I have actually received my passport back from the Swedish embassy with my residence permit firmly ensconced within, so that's all set to go. I've also officially given notice at work, which means that as of July 23, I am no longer working for United Colors of Benetton. Yay again! Still, I'm in a flurry of activity at home, trying to do a clean sweep of my apartment, purging, sorting, and trying to keep, toss, or sell. I'm fast running out of time, so here's hoping it all works out.

In other Swedish news, if you're interested in the doings of American expatriates in Sweden, check out Amerikanska, a message board for, you guessed it, American expatriates in Sweden (and also various other English-speaking people with an interest of some sort in Sweden). Interestingly, quite a few people on the site met a Swede online and have since moved to Sweden to be with their sambos (a Swedish term that is roughly equivalent to "significant other," but not just a boy/girlfriend). Here's hoping I meet my sambo once I get there. Anyways, it's a good site with a lot of information, but also some scary reality-checks: such as the job situation over there for non-fluent Swedish speakers. I'm trying hard to stay positive and not worry about it now, but I've waited so long for this and with such anticipation that I'm really afraid of shattered hopes and dreams. The key is to find some kind of balance between (realistic) optimism and healthy (but also realistic) pessimism, while keeping yourself open to all the possibilities of a new country and culture. It's a fine line to walk, but I'm doing the best I can, I guess. Here's hoping it will be enough.

I'll have some more to say on other topics a little later, but I do want to pledge that this blog will be updated more frequently once I'm in Sweden. Of course, it will to some extent depend on what sort of internet access I have (don't know yet), but I imagine all the new experiences I'll have over there will make for interesting posts.

So keep your eyes glued, dear readers - things will really start to pick up around here in August.

See ya!

:: posted by Rob 9:32 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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More Swedish News

I got a call from the Embassy of Sweden today, wherein they informed me that I got my residence permit, so I'm going to Sweden, baby!

Woo-hoo! This was the last big hurdle for me, and now that I'm past that, it's just a matter of waiting two more months and I'm on my way. There's still a few financial concerns, but they're not enought to actually prevent me fom going (knock on wood). I just have to plan carefully.

So get all the Rob you need now - you've only got 2 months left, because after that, all you'll get is Euro-Rob. And while that might be better, we all know it's just not the same...
:)

:: posted by Rob 9:45 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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