I decided to change the date format to match the format I used today at the Swedish tax office. I’m in Sweden now! And to be honest, it makes a lot of sense.
London’s Heathrow airport only has two runways! No wonder there was so much traffic that my flight was put in a holding pattern for 15 minutes or so prior to landing. I rushed as fast as I could and was permitted in the “Fast Track” line through security, but security stopped both my bags and carefully searched the contents. My two external harddrives were unpacked again along with much other computer gear. I ran to the gate and arrived just a few minutes after the gate closed, even though they held the plane 5 minutes for me. (Wow, the whole plane waited for little me–but only 5 minutes.)
So, I spent 5 hours in the airport waiting for the next flight that had an available seat. At the airport, I switched my phone over to Swedish language, while I used my £10 voucher at Starbucks for dinner and chai.
I arrived about 10:00 pm and had no trouble at customs with my copy of my work permit approval letter. All my bags arrived, and I was greeted by Anya and Jim.
Jim is my colleague at Johannelund. He clarified that he is not my boss, but he is the head of the Biblical Studies Department, within which I teach. I will primarily teach Old Testament, but also some spirituality courses in the Bible school.
Early this summer, we were told by the Swedish immigration department that they wouldn’t even look at my application until October. So, the apartment that had been designated for Anya and me was extended to the present tenants through the end of August. Thus, Jim and his family offered to host us for a month. Jim is American and his gracious wife, Christina, is a Swede. His eldest of two sons, Jacob, is home for the summer until he returns to Stockholm to complete his last year in an architecture program.
I did a bit of unpacking but soon went to sleep. I slept well and was greeted by Jacob at breakfast.
After breakfast, we went to a neighboring colleague’s home (Tomas teaches systematic theology), to get a bike that was left by a friend and has been passed on to me. It is red, and it even came with two different locks and a basket that attaches to the back rack.
Jim and I biked to Johannelund, which is just a short ride away. I was introduced to colleagues again, as we arrived just before coffee/break. Only a few are around in the end of the summer, but I was able to get an electronic key, a computer login, and a temporary place to serve as office space. I will share an office with the other Old Testament person, LarsOlov, who is gradually retiring and will finish this year. I have had few nice connections with him. Both Jim and LarsOlov came to my PhD dissertation defense in Norway in May, which was a wonderful support of me, a future co-worker.
Lunch was back home, where Anya and Jacob joined us. We had fun stories to hear and tell. It is great to see the obviously wonderful relationship and humor that father and son share.
After lunch, Jim, Anya, and I biked to the tax office. This is the first step in getting registered as a resident in Sweden. The 2.5 mile/4 km bike ride on a beautiful day was a nice way to see the city. Jim had taken Anya and me around in May 2015, but now it was on bike, except for the few blocks in the shopping district where bikes aren’t allowed.
Jim pointed out one medieval-era building, the home of Celsius, the guy who established the celsius/centigrade temperature scale.
After the tax office visit, we biked back next to the river and had “fika,” the traditional Swedish coffee (chai for me) and pastry time.
I love biking in a place where everything is so flat! The only ups and downs are overpasses or underpasses! A three-speed bike is plenty!
The rest of this beautiful day had some unpacking and organizing, as well as a lovely dinner on a patio surrounded by flowers. The Swedes love the summer and seem to celebrate it by surrounding themselves in flowers.
I end the day with this post, which I’ll follow with some Swedish language learning, as the twilight of dusk hangs even at 9:45 pm.
Sov gott (sleep well),
Beth