Hej!
Well my broadband connection and modem are finally here and set up (even though the instructions were all in Swedish..I really think there should be English too!) Not all that sure I could have done it if I had been a technophobe, so I guess my IT knowledge has helped in my everyday life too...wow, first time for everything!
So hopefully that means I can start blogging more often, and therefore have shorter posts so I don’t bore the pants off you all! It also means I can blog when I have something to blog about, rather then thinking 'oh, that would be really good to talk about' and then forgetting what it was... which has happened a few times already. I think I must be getting old :(
But anyway...I had a very nice 'afterwork' on Friday. This is a Swedish thing, as you need to plan nights out well in advance here..the Swedish in general aren't so good at the whole spontaneous night out thing. But anyway, there were 6 of us, which isn't bad for 2 days notice here. We didn't do all that much, but went to the Telegrafen, which is pretty cool pub. It has 2 levels...the main bar on the ground floor, and then a basement part too, which is where we ended up as it was really busy upstairs being payday here. So we had a meal and a few beers, and called it a night pretty early really...think I was home for about 2130..which was good as I was still really tired from a lot of late nights and early mornings this week!
I also had a phone call from a friend in the UK asking if he could come and stay at mine on Wednesday night, as he has an interview here on Thursday...of course I said yes, that’s the kinda thing my spare room is for! It will also be nice to catch up, he was one of the ones I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to properly as I was so ill on my last week on UK work.
And another of my friends from the UK is over Monday till Wednesday, as he has some meetings here this week, so I should have 3 nights of getting out and socialising, and then Thursday my TV and all my other stuff should arrive...so I shouldn't get a chance to be too bored this week..hopefully.
What I have learned in the last few days :
Surprise calls and visits from friends are really good for cheering me up
I must be a geek...because having my own broadband connected relieves some of my tension...
I have already made some good friendships here, and I think I am on the way to having more :)
PS. Thank you for leaving the gift, I love how it smells :)
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
... settling in and getting a visitor!
Hej!
Yet again I need to apologise for the length of time it has taken between blogs, but I still have no internet at home! But I received a card saying I could pick up my modem now, so hopefully I will be up and working very soon!
So what have I been up to since I last blogged...hmmm, well unless I write yet another stupidly long post I better just give the summary!
I have been building lots of IKEA furniture..in fact I am sure I have actually put together more then I bought, or maybe that’s just the way it makes you feel!
I have been settling into work, trying to get my head around the job and my new team and trying to explain in a nice way what my expectations and goals are. I have noticed that the Swedish work philosophy is very different to the UK one...I cant really pinpoint exactly why right now, but I am sure I will return to this topic soon enough!
I have also been making friends, and strengthening other friendships...my visits to the pubs and bars round Helsingborg are still quite high, which apart from the cost is a very good thing as it saves me being bored!
And that’s another thing...my UK delivery is still not here! I have now been informed that it now has a delivery date of the 29th Jan...a full 18 days after the first delivery date. Not a happy bunny about that!
I have also had my first proper visitor! (as in one that stays at my flat) So this weekend has been my best so far...thank you Sarah! We didn't really do all that much to be fair, went out for dinner a few times, went to a bar or two, had long chats late into the evening...all things that I really miss living alone, and made so much better with great company :)
We also had a really really good laugh together, in fact I have finally found someone who thinks I am very funny...lets see how long that lasts! lol. All I have to say is 'Perchow' ... Sarah is now nearly crying with laughter :)
On another positive note, I am now a Swedish Bank Account holder, and have my very own Personnummer (like a Swedish identity number...necessary for all manner of things here!) which means I have now ordered my broadband, TV package and home phone.
Talking of phones...did you know you need to live here for at least 6 moths before you can get a contract phone?? I guess it is probably the same in most countries, its just something I wasn’t prepared for and so was shocked by it!
Also, a pay as you go phone here is ridiculously expensive! I have bought the cheapest one they had...and it still cost me 600KR (about £55) but I have got a nice pay as you go package, that lets me text home for 29kr (about 2.5 pence) which is way better then the 25 pence it was costing me from my UK phone!
On a very different note, but still about money, anyone that is thinking of coming to Helsingborg from Copenhagen should really look into coming up to Helsingor on the Danish side by train (incidentally the castle here is the one from Hamlet, and worth checking out) and then getting the ferry across to Helsingborg. The time it takes is very similar to coming across the bridge to Malmo and then coming by train up the Swedish side, and yet it cost about half as much. Strange business logic if you ask me. Surely it would make more sense to make them at least close... oh well, yet another great piece of Swedish logic :)
One of my team members is going to Thailand for 4 weeks, so tomorrow we have an 'afterwork' to wish him the best...and to be honest its a great way to get people to come out..they aren't so good at just coming out if there isn't a better reason then 'because you want to'. But I am building up a few friends who I can just drop a line and grab a beer with, so that’s always good.
Other then that I don't have an awful lot planned for this weekend...but I will see how I feel and what invites I get.
What I have learned this fortnight :
It is imperative that you try and get into the system in a new country very quickly...you can’t do much without national identification of some sort
Spending time with friends is one of the most special times you get...make the most of them
Its worth trying different routes to and from places...or ask on of the locals, as things are not always what they seem!
PS. I love wot!
Yet again I need to apologise for the length of time it has taken between blogs, but I still have no internet at home! But I received a card saying I could pick up my modem now, so hopefully I will be up and working very soon!
So what have I been up to since I last blogged...hmmm, well unless I write yet another stupidly long post I better just give the summary!
I have been building lots of IKEA furniture..in fact I am sure I have actually put together more then I bought, or maybe that’s just the way it makes you feel!
I have been settling into work, trying to get my head around the job and my new team and trying to explain in a nice way what my expectations and goals are. I have noticed that the Swedish work philosophy is very different to the UK one...I cant really pinpoint exactly why right now, but I am sure I will return to this topic soon enough!
I have also been making friends, and strengthening other friendships...my visits to the pubs and bars round Helsingborg are still quite high, which apart from the cost is a very good thing as it saves me being bored!
And that’s another thing...my UK delivery is still not here! I have now been informed that it now has a delivery date of the 29th Jan...a full 18 days after the first delivery date. Not a happy bunny about that!
I have also had my first proper visitor! (as in one that stays at my flat) So this weekend has been my best so far...thank you Sarah! We didn't really do all that much to be fair, went out for dinner a few times, went to a bar or two, had long chats late into the evening...all things that I really miss living alone, and made so much better with great company :)
We also had a really really good laugh together, in fact I have finally found someone who thinks I am very funny...lets see how long that lasts! lol. All I have to say is 'Perchow' ... Sarah is now nearly crying with laughter :)
On another positive note, I am now a Swedish Bank Account holder, and have my very own Personnummer (like a Swedish identity number...necessary for all manner of things here!) which means I have now ordered my broadband, TV package and home phone.
Talking of phones...did you know you need to live here for at least 6 moths before you can get a contract phone?? I guess it is probably the same in most countries, its just something I wasn’t prepared for and so was shocked by it!
Also, a pay as you go phone here is ridiculously expensive! I have bought the cheapest one they had...and it still cost me 600KR (about £55) but I have got a nice pay as you go package, that lets me text home for 29kr (about 2.5 pence) which is way better then the 25 pence it was costing me from my UK phone!
On a very different note, but still about money, anyone that is thinking of coming to Helsingborg from Copenhagen should really look into coming up to Helsingor on the Danish side by train (incidentally the castle here is the one from Hamlet, and worth checking out) and then getting the ferry across to Helsingborg. The time it takes is very similar to coming across the bridge to Malmo and then coming by train up the Swedish side, and yet it cost about half as much. Strange business logic if you ask me. Surely it would make more sense to make them at least close... oh well, yet another great piece of Swedish logic :)
One of my team members is going to Thailand for 4 weeks, so tomorrow we have an 'afterwork' to wish him the best...and to be honest its a great way to get people to come out..they aren't so good at just coming out if there isn't a better reason then 'because you want to'. But I am building up a few friends who I can just drop a line and grab a beer with, so that’s always good.
Other then that I don't have an awful lot planned for this weekend...but I will see how I feel and what invites I get.
What I have learned this fortnight :
It is imperative that you try and get into the system in a new country very quickly...you can’t do much without national identification of some sort
Spending time with friends is one of the most special times you get...make the most of them
Its worth trying different routes to and from places...or ask on of the locals, as things are not always what they seem!
PS. I love wot!
Thursday, 8 January 2009
... moving to Sweden!
Hej!
So I am finally here..in some ways it seems like it has taken ages, and in others it seems like the time has flown by. And I apologise that I have been here for 6 days now, and this is my first blog...but I dont actually have internet access at home yet :(
I think I better also apologise as this will probably be quite a lenghty blog, as I have much to tell!
So to start...I flew out on Friday morning, after having a meal out with my eldest sister, her husband, my nephew and my mum and dad on the thursday night, and then breakfast at the airport with my brother and his wife and my mum and dad...all paid for...which was nice!
Flight was fine, copenhagen as usual was quick and easy, and the train was also perfectly on time...as always! The biggest shock came when I was converting some cash...I got about 10.5 Swedish Kr to 1 pound...where as when I came out a few months ago it was more like 12.5! So my money isn't going to go as far ... but at least it means when I get paid in swedish it feels like more pounds (yes, i know it doesn't matter as I will still be spending in Sweden..but its always nice in my head)
I arrived in Helsingborg at about 14:50 (2.50 pm, 10 to 3...whatever you like) and took a Taxi to my new apartment to meet my landlord, as I didnt fancy the walk with a VERY heavy suitcase. This was shock number 2...Swedish Taxi's are very expensive! I was in the Taxi for about 7 minutes...and it came to 150kr, so at the exchange rate I got thats nearly 15 pounds! Shocking.
Anyway, I met my landlord who is actually a really nice guy, and he showed me round the flat (again) and handed over the keys. I then proceeded to do some very quick measuring up of the rooms, and headed towards the car rental place. Now, on the map it looked pretty close...but when you are walking in minus temperatures and not really knowing where you are going this can feel much longer...in the end it took about half an hour, and I was rather cold.
But anyway, that went fine, got into the worng side of the car and went on my way (they drive on the wierd side here...not like us Brits)
First stop was IKEA, as I needed to kit out my whole appartment. The one here in helsingborg is pretty small compared to what I am used to in the UK, but I had a pretty good choice, and spent about 2 hours wandering around sitting on different sofa's and trying to decide what bed to buy etc...
Then came the fun part...! If you have never been to an IKEA, let me explain how it works. You basically walk around a showroom full of beautiful furniture that is all imaculatly built, and think that everything would go in your house nicely. And then you see the price, and think 'wow, thats very cheap for what it is' and get sucked into wanting far more then you thought you could afford. All the items either tell you where to pick them up form in the self serve warehouse (I will explain in a minute) or they tell you to see a sales assistant. So I ordered my sofa, and wardrobes and bits and pieces through the sales assistant (who were all very helpful!) and went on my merry way to the 'markethall' part of the shop. This is where there are small pits for your house, such as cookware, bath towels, duvets etc... a lot of which you can pick up straight away. I picked up a duvet and pillows and bed linen, as I needed something to sleep on that night, but decided I would do the rest of the small bits the next day, and walked off to the self serve warehouse.
Now...I had about 1 and a half pages of A4 papers worth of stuff to pick up...but there was only one lady working in the warehouse so she could't offer much help...but told meI could leave my full trolleys with her to keep an eye on as I filled up the next one. 5 trolleys, lots of sweat and heat and 45 minutes later I was ready to go and pay.
At this point it is about 20:20(8:20pm) and the shop was supposed to close at 8...
So I arrive with my 5 trolleys, explain that I only speak English, and the cashier and I have a nice discussion about me moving here and stuff as she scans all my stuff, as well as the orders for the other things that are in the external warehouse that I was getting delivered so didnt have to pick up myself (phew). Then came the fun part...paying. I swiped my English credit card...and it came back blocked. So I tried again. Blocked, cashier needs to contact this number...so she did...and it didnt work. Bum. Ok, how much can i get out on my debit card...we tried, and I got about half of what I needed...! Oooops.
So we talked to the duty manager and ended up that as I was getting it delivered I could take what I needed to sleep tonight as I had easily paid for more then that, and come bac in the morning to sort out the rest.
Ok, so not all that bad...until I got back to my apratment, realised the mattress wouldnt fit in the lift so carried it all the way up 4 flights of stairs, tore open all the bedding and fell asleep.
Oh, maybe I need to point out that there were no lights in the bedrooms, lounge or hall at this point, as they are all counted as furnishings so dont come with the appartment...!
So that was Swedish day number 1...so far...very bad!
The Saturday was a much better day though. I phoned my bank, got the card unblocked (the system hadn't recognised that I had told them I was going to Sweden) went back to IKEA, paid the remaining balance, and proceeded to try and get as much little bits as I could remember and think that I needed. I did pretty well really!
Next stop : Supermarket.
Now here is one recomendation for anyone looking to move abroad...do some basic translations before hand! I ended up buying things I wasnt quite sure what they were, but they looked right! I still have no idea what meat I am eating, or what kind of cheese or bread, but they all taste good, so thats fine with me.
I got home, and proceeded to cook myself a nice chicken breast, potatoes, and mixed vedge, put it out on my new IKEA plates...and realised I didnt have a knife or fork, as I have a full dinner set from my Grandpa coming over in the shipment from the UK, so just didnt even think about it. So I ended up eating with a vegatable knife and a ladel...but it all tasted good anyway!
Anyway, I wont bore you with details of everyday, but I have now recieved my 42 box delivery from IKEA and am spending most of my free time putting it all together, but I have managed to fit in a few drinks with some new friends (thanks for the invites Mark, much appreciated, keep them coming!) and also my old boss form the UK was over for some meetings, so I went out for dinner (evening meal) and a few beers with him too.
At some point I promise I will blog more about the lovely pubs here in Helsingborg, but for now this blog is long enough, and there is a fair bit I have blogged before about a few..I think!
I have had to purchase a radio though...I never realised how quiet it gets when you live alone! I also have no TV or Playstation at the moment, as they are coming in my shipent from the UK. Oh, and no internet at home either, as I need a bank account ... and thats not so easy either!
I also started my new job properly this week, which has been really good. I think I am going to really enjoy it, and even more importantly I think I will actually be quite good at it!
Right, I think that is enough for today..I will do Bank accounts and 'Personnummers' another day...keep you all on the edge of your computer chairs in anticipation :)
Things I have learnt this week:
You should always make a list of essential things when moving home (especially abroad)
Plan to have things with you that you will need to stop you being bored while TV connection and broadband etc are being setup
Try and have a contact that speaks both your language and the local one, as translations are going to be needed!
Make the most of the friends you make, and the contacts you make...it can get very lonely very quickly.
So I am finally here..in some ways it seems like it has taken ages, and in others it seems like the time has flown by. And I apologise that I have been here for 6 days now, and this is my first blog...but I dont actually have internet access at home yet :(
I think I better also apologise as this will probably be quite a lenghty blog, as I have much to tell!
So to start...I flew out on Friday morning, after having a meal out with my eldest sister, her husband, my nephew and my mum and dad on the thursday night, and then breakfast at the airport with my brother and his wife and my mum and dad...all paid for...which was nice!
Flight was fine, copenhagen as usual was quick and easy, and the train was also perfectly on time...as always! The biggest shock came when I was converting some cash...I got about 10.5 Swedish Kr to 1 pound...where as when I came out a few months ago it was more like 12.5! So my money isn't going to go as far ... but at least it means when I get paid in swedish it feels like more pounds (yes, i know it doesn't matter as I will still be spending in Sweden..but its always nice in my head)
I arrived in Helsingborg at about 14:50 (2.50 pm, 10 to 3...whatever you like) and took a Taxi to my new apartment to meet my landlord, as I didnt fancy the walk with a VERY heavy suitcase. This was shock number 2...Swedish Taxi's are very expensive! I was in the Taxi for about 7 minutes...and it came to 150kr, so at the exchange rate I got thats nearly 15 pounds! Shocking.
Anyway, I met my landlord who is actually a really nice guy, and he showed me round the flat (again) and handed over the keys. I then proceeded to do some very quick measuring up of the rooms, and headed towards the car rental place. Now, on the map it looked pretty close...but when you are walking in minus temperatures and not really knowing where you are going this can feel much longer...in the end it took about half an hour, and I was rather cold.
But anyway, that went fine, got into the worng side of the car and went on my way (they drive on the wierd side here...not like us Brits)
First stop was IKEA, as I needed to kit out my whole appartment. The one here in helsingborg is pretty small compared to what I am used to in the UK, but I had a pretty good choice, and spent about 2 hours wandering around sitting on different sofa's and trying to decide what bed to buy etc...
Then came the fun part...! If you have never been to an IKEA, let me explain how it works. You basically walk around a showroom full of beautiful furniture that is all imaculatly built, and think that everything would go in your house nicely. And then you see the price, and think 'wow, thats very cheap for what it is' and get sucked into wanting far more then you thought you could afford. All the items either tell you where to pick them up form in the self serve warehouse (I will explain in a minute) or they tell you to see a sales assistant. So I ordered my sofa, and wardrobes and bits and pieces through the sales assistant (who were all very helpful!) and went on my merry way to the 'markethall' part of the shop. This is where there are small pits for your house, such as cookware, bath towels, duvets etc... a lot of which you can pick up straight away. I picked up a duvet and pillows and bed linen, as I needed something to sleep on that night, but decided I would do the rest of the small bits the next day, and walked off to the self serve warehouse.
Now...I had about 1 and a half pages of A4 papers worth of stuff to pick up...but there was only one lady working in the warehouse so she could't offer much help...but told meI could leave my full trolleys with her to keep an eye on as I filled up the next one. 5 trolleys, lots of sweat and heat and 45 minutes later I was ready to go and pay.
At this point it is about 20:20(8:20pm) and the shop was supposed to close at 8...
So I arrive with my 5 trolleys, explain that I only speak English, and the cashier and I have a nice discussion about me moving here and stuff as she scans all my stuff, as well as the orders for the other things that are in the external warehouse that I was getting delivered so didnt have to pick up myself (phew). Then came the fun part...paying. I swiped my English credit card...and it came back blocked. So I tried again. Blocked, cashier needs to contact this number...so she did...and it didnt work. Bum. Ok, how much can i get out on my debit card...we tried, and I got about half of what I needed...! Oooops.
So we talked to the duty manager and ended up that as I was getting it delivered I could take what I needed to sleep tonight as I had easily paid for more then that, and come bac in the morning to sort out the rest.
Ok, so not all that bad...until I got back to my apratment, realised the mattress wouldnt fit in the lift so carried it all the way up 4 flights of stairs, tore open all the bedding and fell asleep.
Oh, maybe I need to point out that there were no lights in the bedrooms, lounge or hall at this point, as they are all counted as furnishings so dont come with the appartment...!
So that was Swedish day number 1...so far...very bad!
The Saturday was a much better day though. I phoned my bank, got the card unblocked (the system hadn't recognised that I had told them I was going to Sweden) went back to IKEA, paid the remaining balance, and proceeded to try and get as much little bits as I could remember and think that I needed. I did pretty well really!
Next stop : Supermarket.
Now here is one recomendation for anyone looking to move abroad...do some basic translations before hand! I ended up buying things I wasnt quite sure what they were, but they looked right! I still have no idea what meat I am eating, or what kind of cheese or bread, but they all taste good, so thats fine with me.
I got home, and proceeded to cook myself a nice chicken breast, potatoes, and mixed vedge, put it out on my new IKEA plates...and realised I didnt have a knife or fork, as I have a full dinner set from my Grandpa coming over in the shipment from the UK, so just didnt even think about it. So I ended up eating with a vegatable knife and a ladel...but it all tasted good anyway!
Anyway, I wont bore you with details of everyday, but I have now recieved my 42 box delivery from IKEA and am spending most of my free time putting it all together, but I have managed to fit in a few drinks with some new friends (thanks for the invites Mark, much appreciated, keep them coming!) and also my old boss form the UK was over for some meetings, so I went out for dinner (evening meal) and a few beers with him too.
At some point I promise I will blog more about the lovely pubs here in Helsingborg, but for now this blog is long enough, and there is a fair bit I have blogged before about a few..I think!
I have had to purchase a radio though...I never realised how quiet it gets when you live alone! I also have no TV or Playstation at the moment, as they are coming in my shipent from the UK. Oh, and no internet at home either, as I need a bank account ... and thats not so easy either!
I also started my new job properly this week, which has been really good. I think I am going to really enjoy it, and even more importantly I think I will actually be quite good at it!
Right, I think that is enough for today..I will do Bank accounts and 'Personnummers' another day...keep you all on the edge of your computer chairs in anticipation :)
Things I have learnt this week:
You should always make a list of essential things when moving home (especially abroad)
Plan to have things with you that you will need to stop you being bored while TV connection and broadband etc are being setup
Try and have a contact that speaks both your language and the local one, as translations are going to be needed!
Make the most of the friends you make, and the contacts you make...it can get very lonely very quickly.
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