Six years ago today, Eric went to be with Jesus. In our prayers tonight, Anya and I thanked God for the memories of life shared and for taking care of us these years.
On Tuesdays at Johannelund, there is a chapel service with communion. The Lutheran liturgy is pretty high church in Sweden. I can appreciate the liturgy, but I’m more of a low church person.
I was going through the housing contract with a colleague and getting ready to sign, when I learned that I would have to set up a “household electricity” account. However, I still don’t have the all-important person number, so I don’t have a bank account. I was a bit taken aback wondering if I’d have to be paying rent on an apartment that wouldn’t have electricity for at least 2.5 weeks! I was imagining candles and flashlights! Later, the business guy was able to call and find out that I can set up an account without the person number. So, I’ll sign the papers tomorrow and get the keys. We won’t move in until Saturday, when we can borrow a trailer and rally some helping hands.
This morning, I found out that I could take the placement test for the “Swedish for Academics” courses from 18:15-20:00. I spent the afternoon reviewing my grammar books and figuring out where the building was on a sprawling university campus and how to bike there.
I biked past Anya’s school on the way. At 5:00 pm, there were just a few of the hundreds of bikes that typically line the racks in the day.
I found the right building on the university campus pretty easily. I’m glad to be on this venture in the age of Google Maps and Google Earth.
So with my extra time that I allotted in case I got lost, I spent about 20 minutes wandering around a huge grave yard next to the buildings. There are some famous Swedes buried there.
There were only about 6 of us who took the placement exam. There were some challenging parts, which is expected for a placement exam. I’m guessing that a second level course will be good for me in order to strengthen my grammar and give me more confidence with speaking the language. Speaking is usually the last aspect to develop.
On the way home, the sun was setting and casting a beautiful light on the cathedral.
I’m looking forward to exploring this city more. I’m looking forward to the days when I will be comfortable with talking in Swedish. I am hopeful, though I realize this is going to be a long journey.
With blessings,
Beth