Oops, We Did It Again

I'm not really sure how, but we have once again moved to a country where we don't speak the language. While we didn't speak Thai, moving to Thailand was a no brainer, we were both familiar with Bangkok, going there frequently for holidays, it is also within South East Asia so we were still near home and it was easy for friends and family to come over and vice versa. Sweden, however was a whole different ball game. While we have visited before as tourists and CS has been here for work, it is still a rather foreign country to us. The weather was also something that I am personally not keen on. In any case, 6 months after CS boss raised the issue with him, we found ourselves here, in a country that I would never have thought in my wildest dreams that I would be living in. 

This time round, it was slightly easier to move since KC is no longer with us. I always tell people that if he were still around, we would not have moved since I did not want to subject him to a long flight where he would be cooped up in a carrier in the cargo area. Some days though, I wonder if he would like it in this cold country and if he would have enjoyed the cold weather. 

Snow, a few days shortly after we moved into our temporary housing

While we didn't have to worry ourselves with quarantine requirements or the stress of putting KC through a long flight, moving overseas is still stressful no matter how many times you do it. Sorting out items to be donated/ given away/ throw is a huge exercise. We decided to treat ourselves and took business class on Qatar Airways, which also meant a ridiculously long layover. At first I was really ambitious and thought we might leave the airport and check out the markets for iftar, however in the end we were so tired from everything leading up to the move that we just stayed in the airport and slept. The Doha airport was seriously huge and while it gave some Changi Airport vibes, I'm biased and would say that I still prefer Changi Airport. The lounge was really great though and very comfortable with plenty of quiet spots to sleep or just rest. 

Obligatory photo of the famous beat at the airport

We have been here for slightly over a month now and been busy finding a more permanent place to live in as the company provided housing is only for three months. One culture shock here was that an unfurnished apartment not only means no furniture, the apartment also does not have lights or curtains. Laundry rooms where an entire building shares washing machine and dryers are also common, though landlords have realised that the younger generation prefers to have washing machine/ dryer in their apartment and started putting them in. Thankfully we managed to find an apartment with a washing machine and dryer in the apartment, I really do not fancy having to wear a ton of clothes just to do laundry and waiting for it to be done. Having to wear layers and layers just to throw garbage is already bad enough, I don't want to do it for laundry as well!

The apartment hunting process has also been an interesting experience. There are firsthand contracts, secondhand contracts, queues managed by the government and private landlords and probably more that I haven't figured out yet, it was a lot to digest to be honest. For some really strange reason, people also keep telling us we should just buy a property instead of renting. I don't plan to be here long term and managing a property feels like it would be too much of a headache. Sure, there are some really beautiful old buildings and while it would be lovely to own an apartment in one of these buildings I'm not sure I want the associated stress that comes from dealing with an old building and the rules they will have in place. 

Now we just need to move in, and start the unpacking process, something that I really really really do not look forward to!