Grocery shopping when you don't know the language

So we admittedly don't know Swedish.  I know thank you (tack), please (snälla), and nice to meet you (trevligt att träffas) and I can count to 20.  Not surprisingly, none of these things will really help you navigate a grocery store.  The Swedish language is sometimes similar to English, or you can derive the English word by loosely translating and looking at the object sideways.  For example, aprikös, are apricots.  The picture may look like peaches, but you would be wrong.  Thoooose are apricots.

On our first day here, we were determined to navigate a grocery store.  We found one that was basically underground (we would later discover that we have 3 grocery stores within a 5 minute walk of our house).  It had pram ramps so we could take our stroller down easily (very nice).  We were quickly overwhelmed as there were tons of people swarming the store.  The next day we discovered two things.  1) Everyone gets paid on the 25th of each month, so a lot of shopping happens and 2) This particular store is the cheapest grocery store in the area.   Jon went off to find breakfast items and I stumbled blindly in the cheese section. Yes, there is an entire section on cheese.  Not a cooler near the cold cuts.  Three full refrigerated walls of any type of cheese you could imagine in 4 different shapes and sizes.  Wedges, wheels, slices, shredded -- it was a cheesy heaven!

Jon came back out of breath -- not a good sign -- and threw some chocolate muffins and milk in the cart.  We walked past the meat section and realized that in order to find out how much things actually cost, we would need to translate the per kg into per lb and then the currency from SEK to USD.  Doing one conversion in your head is easy -- doing 2 simultaneously is not.  Trying to figure out the cost of milk per gallon when what you have in your hands is 1.5 L is not easy.

When we left the grocery store, we had successfully bought a random smattering of items -- olive oil, chocolate muffins, lactose free milk (Jon thought it was skim), eggs, pasta, and red sauce.

On Saturday, we entered the grocery store with more confidence -- another mistake.  Jon had spoken with some people at work who recommended another (more popular) grocery store.  We walked in with a list of items to get confident we would get them all.  When we entered, it was pure chaos.  People were everywhere rushing about stuffing items in their bags - no room for carts!  I stood to the side while Jon went to figure out the meat/fish section.  He was looking for fish or mussels, hot chocolate mix and cookies.  That's all we wanted!  He came back, again out of breath, with prepared pasta and sausage.  We got out of there unscathed but I think Jon was shell shocked.  "The guy wouldn't look at me unless I had a number, which I didn't.  I had a question! Samples of ribs were being given out so it was a mob rush!"

On this shopping trip, we bought OJ thinking it was apple juice - which is understandable based on the picture below.  This was a prime example of us translating too loosely between Swedish and English.

We desperately need to learn Swedish so I can read the backs of all of these cartons.  I have no idea if I'm feeding Calvin pure sugar (I probably am) or if there are any nutrients listed at all.  All of the caloric information is in kcals and grams so I have no concept for how fattening (or not) these things are.  Grocery shopping is clearly still stressful as Jon looks crazy-eyed every time he comes back from an errand.  I imagine it will get better as we learn what everything means.

First Impressions -- Sweden

So when we landed, we were assaulted with new sounds, sights and smells.  We didn't have many preconceived notions about Stockholm, Swedes, or anything for that matter, so we were surprised by some things and unfazed by others.  Clearly these impressions are through our eyes and I'm sure that other people might find other things surprising.  I have no idea if these hold up in other parts of Sweden, but it seems to be what we have seen in Stockholm thus far.

Here is a quick list of some of the cultural differences that we noticed upon landing:

• Both men and women (especially in the 20-35 age group) tend to be model-esque, tall, thin, well dressed and made up
• People dress fashionably -- I saw a woman walking her baby stroller/pram in a taupe cape with a fur lined collar and a poodle who could easily prance as a show dog
• There is a noticeable lack of large businesses -- such as Home Depot, Target, WalMart.  For example, we saw 4 corner shops that specialized in keys only.
• Lots of Italian and Asian restaurants
• People walk the streets quickly -- understandably as it's cold.  You need to get where you are going.
• People walk everywhere -- we have averaged walking about 6 hours a day thus far.  If you need to get across the city, you walk.
• Everyone is pushing a pram/baby stroller.  Everyone.  Men by themselves. Women in groups.
• Salmon is cheaper than chicken.
• I've seen 2 cars with the baby's car seat in the front passenger seat...
• Stockholm is fairly condensed -- we've walked 1/4 of it in 2 hours or so
• The city is extraordinarily clean -- even the metro station, the Tunnelbana, is devoid of trash and graffiti
• There is lots of green space -- almost every neighborhood has multiple parks and there is generally an off-leash dog park in the larger parks.
• The city water (from the tap) is delicious and clean
• The architecture and geography is absolutely beautiful.  Gamla Stan (Old Town) was built in the 12th century and is picturesque.  I don't think it photographs nearly as beautiful as it actually is.
• Kids are outside all day -- sledding and playing outside or riding in prams on errands

Here are few pictures to show some of the beauty -- even in winter ;-)

Ready to go for a stroll

Bundled up!

Rosy cheeks from the cold

On the water

In Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Semla and coffee.  Money CAN buy happiness!

Jon strolling in Gamla Stan

Impressive statue in Gamla Stan

Store window

Street scape, Gamla Stan

Royal Coin Library

Add caption

In front of the palace

Palace (see the guard in the back?)

we just thought this was funny

Välkommen till Sverige!

We have arrived! Finally. The last week in Atlanta was perhaps the most stressful week I've ever experienced.  We had so many errands to run, bags to pack, items to ship and tons of furniture to sell, give away or recycle.  I was able to sell my Ford Explorer on Saturday but had to spend a good 2 hours at the bank on Monday to officially sell it.  Tuesday morning was a complete blur as we frantically ran last minute errands and seemingly endless runs to Goodwill.  We left for the airport at 2pm and still barely made our 5:30pm flight (blame the dogs!)  (Quick aside, never listen to the TSA agents about the care of your dog during transit. They had no idea what they were talking about and only stressed us out even more).

We boarded the flight to Amsterdam and the Delta agent asked us if we wanted to gate check any of our bags.  Ummm...yes please!  It was a $200 fee to check luggage upon arrival so free gate check was unexpected and awesome! No more schlepping!  We hopped on the flight and were happy to have the extra seat for Calvin.  The woman next to me was cooing and playing with him. She tried to entertain him in her lap but he was having none of it.  He ended up spending an inordinate amount of time in my arms because we experimented with a homeopathic remedy that was supposed to make him sleepy.  Instead, he was dialed in like he was on Ritalin and was zooming and lunging all over the place.  Never ever experiment with new things while traveling on an 8 hour flight.  Never again.

We landed in Amsterdam and I will say that those flight attendants for KLM look like they are straight off the set of the tv show, Pan Am.  Those women walked with purpose and were polished and made up.  One of the KLM attendants assured us that our dogs were now in the pet hotel at the airport.  I imagined Bessie and Darby in a whirlpool jacuzzi getting their nails done, remembered that the Atlanta TSA agents laughed in my face when I mentioned that the ground crew would walk them during the layover, and hedged my bets.  Who should I believe? This doe-eyed beauty in a soft blue uniform reassuring me that my pets were being fawned over or some overweight, underpaid TSA agents in Atlanta?  I chose to believe what could have been a beautiful lie.  The KLM agent won me over and I was hopeful that the girls were getting the walk they deserved.  We could easily find out whenever we saw them as their kennels were zip-tied shut in Atlanta.  If those were broken at all, they had been walked.

We hung out in the Amsterdam airport, ate a chocolate muffin, breezed through customs (nobody asked why we were traveling with 8 bags and 2 dogs) and napped on the 2 hour flight between Amsterdam and Stockholm.

As we were flying into Stockholm, all we saw was snow.  Beautiful, cold, snow.  The landscape was beautiful but I was terrified as to how cold everything looked.  Calvin wasn't even wearing socks!  We had left 68 degree weather in Atlanta and landed in a winter wonderland.

As we got off of the plane, we headed toward baggage claim/customs.  Terrified of the condition in which we would find the dogs, we spotted them easily.  They were on this massive cart that is usually pulled by a truck.  We grabbed our 8 bags and asked the transportation folks if we could use the cart.  Answer -- yes, but not through customs.  Okay...

This is Jon pulling our massive amount of luggage to customs.  Bessie barked at everyone who passed. People literally stopped and stared.  I felt like the head of a freakshow.

As we approached customs, I imagined a whole room full of passport lines with customs declarations and pieces of paper to fill out.  We've been through numerous countries and always had to fill out a form on the plane or when we landed -- then stand in line for about 45 minutes before proceeding through a long line.  Not in Sweden.  We transferred all of our bags to 4 of those baggage carts and declared the dogs.  The customs agent checked out their veterinary forms (somewhat quickly) and sent us on our way.  We passed through 2 big doors and much to my surprise, went straight into the surprised gaze of our taxi driver.  That's it?  No questions about why we're transporting 2 mutts and 8 bags? No questions about what we're doing in your country or who we are?  Nope!

Our taxi driver knew to expect a couple with 2 dogs and a lot of luggage but I don't think he had a clue!  He packed the bags while Jon focused on packing the dogs.  We managed to fit everything in fairly easily.

The taxi driver was helpful and dropped us and our bags at the foot of our apartment.  We ended up in our furnished place relatively unscathed and ready to drink some water and go to sleep.  More pics and videos to come!  

Saying Goodbye

We have had the enormous good fortune to have so many friends see us off in the nicest ways.  It feels great to know that we will be missed but also very sad to see our good friends for what could be the last time in a long time.  People will get older, babies will learn to walk and we'll miss these milestones with each other.  I hate saying goodbye so I'd prefer to say see you later, even though I know that it may be much much later when I see you again.

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer so I'll post pictures of our friends -- loving some last minute visits before we head to Sweden.  We will miss everyone and love you all!

Calvin says, "Packing me might be easier.  No?"

Dan and Whitney in their finest Americana wear

Bulldog and the guys drinking some celebratory shorties

Calvin will miss Gabby terribly -- they are so cute together!

Erin, Gabby and my CSTE folks

The Brookners! So glad we got to meet Bryce before we left!

The Aunties Visit!

With the big move looming on the near horizon, time was running out for last minute visits with friends.
Both Sam and Kelley were able to spend a weekend with us and I'm so glad that they were able to make it.  It is so nice to have two friends who know you in completely different capacities but who love you just the same anyway.  Kelley was an old roommate from my UT days and Sam has seen me through some ridiculous times at Emory.  With both of my friendships, we can pick up right where we left off -- mid conversation with no awkward pauses or expectations.  Those relationships are the absolute best.

The girls helped me with bath time, keeping Calvin entertained and the occasional selling of our furniture to random people.  It was so nice to have friends keep me sane during an increasingly stressful time.  Calvin loved giving "big kisses" -- which means that he sucks on your nose for a second and leaves you covered in slobber.

We managed to take a few pictures of the weekend to capture some of the fun moments.

Moving Day!

Our house has looked similar to a hurricane path for the past week or so as we have prepared for this international move.  I thought we had been very good about taking items to Goodwill, the book donation drop offs and just plain throwing things out on a regular basis.  Not so.  When evaluating all of your possessions and determining if you A) need these things at all or B) need them but can still wait 6 months, it really changes your perspective on your "must-haves."

Jon's company is paying for our entire relocation, which is amazingly generous and very helpful.  They arranged for movers to come to our house and pack all of our belongings.  The container will be on a ship for 6-8 weeks, arrive in Sweden and be placed in storage for 6 months until we move into permanent housing.  So anything that the movers packed, we would not see again for 6 months.

I made a decision tree so you could see our thought process in planning things out.  It turns out that if you're just making a dichotomous decision -- keep or throw away, things are easy. When you are deciding if you want to keep, ship, store or throw away, things get a little more complicated.  How many items could you honestly say that you NEED but are willing to wait 6 months for?  Also, how many items can you possibly fit into suitcases for 6 months of weather?  What shoes do you take? What if we go on an international weekend trip? Should I bring my hiking shoes? Backpacks? Camelbak?  What if the weather is colder than normal? What if it's warmer than normal and all I have our sweaters?  Ahh the decisions!

International Move Decision Tree

Before we could identify the SHIP items, we had to go through all of the nooks and crannies that one hides things.  Cabinets, dressers, drawers, plastic storage thingies. They all hid treasures of items that we had to either part ways with or ship internationally.  We whittled down a lot but for some reason, we still had a lot of boxes packed.

Here's what it looked like mid-packing mayhem.

As soon as the boxes were being packed, my blood pressure instantly lowered and a sense of calm washed over me.  It was emotionally draining and the movers packed at an efficiently frenetic pace but overall it was a good experience.

Only 2 things got packed that we had to go back and "save" -- 1 pack of nearly rotten mushrooms and my unlocked iPhone 4S.  I made the guy go back into the truck and look for my phone. Why did I just spend $800 on an unlocked phone if I wasn't going to be able to use it in 6 months. I NEED my phone!  He came around the corner with it just as his boss was getting ready to take the truck and leave for the day.  We were saved at the last minute!

I would highly recommend the movers at Armstrong. They are a United Van Lines company and they were efficient, friendly and courteous of our belongings.  Having people move your things for you is a luxury.  Similar to First Class, I'm not sure how I'll be ever to move on my own again! (Just kidding)

Calvin is not phased by the move

Things are moving quickly -- UPDATE

So, we had a seemingly endless checklist that required a lot of things to fall into place for it to happen.  Things are moving forward and they are moving quickly.  That's good news since we are scheduled to leave Jan 24th and we are down to our last two weeks!

I'm outta here! (gratuitous Calvin pic)

Things completed:
Calvin's passport
Residence and work permits/visas for Sweden
Secured property management company
Moving company booked one week prior to departure
Taxi secured for the pickup at the Arlanda airport
Storage unit in the room of our garage (being built as I type this)
Dogs' vet appointment with health certificate, microchipping and rabies vaccines
Called our banks, credit cards, etc
Calvin's 9 month vaccines and health records

Things still to do:
Selling of most of our household items at a garage sale/craigslist/ebay
Selling my car -- currently posted on autotrader.com
Last minute visits with friends
Touch ups on the paint and cleaning the house
USDA vet stamping and approving the dogs' health certificates
Booking our plane tickets -- we have some reserved, just awaiting confirmation

Our to list when we arrive in Sweden is a separate list...
Meet with International Mobility Sweden to give them our biometrics and receive personnumer
Register the animals
Set up Swedish bank account
Unpack our suitcases in our house
EXPLORE!

Each item on the "Done" list took about 2-3 weeks to complete and in most cases,  a lot of money.  For example, we have had 3 vet appointments and have spent over $1000 getting the dogs ready for travel.  And that is NOT including their plane tickets for our voyage.  ZOMG!  Nobody said moving was easy or cheap.

On one hand, we are sad that we only have 2 weeks left in Atlanta but on the other hand, I'm glad that we aren't dragging this out.  It's always crunch time towards the end anyways -- we've just had our entire experience crunched.  I think if there was any lesson to learn so far, it's to regularly clean out your garage of the items you TRULY don't need.  We have gone regularly to Goodwill and have kept things fairly organized but there are always items around that you truly do not need in your life.  Clean it out regularly!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Our holidays were spent with the Ferlands and Dwyers this year and it was a special year.  Not only was it Calvin's first Christmas but it was also the last time we would be seeing our family for a while before our move to Sweden.  It was definitely a time of mixed emotions, as the holidays often are, and our excitement for our upcoming move was dampened by the sadness of missing our family and friends.  We know that this is going to be an excellent adventure but we also fully understand the downsides to moving abroad and the impact it has on everyone.

One major life lesson (and I think it's a good one) that we have learned is that you have to live your own life for yourself.  You can't "live scared" and refuse to take chances or hide from hard decisions.  We have thoughtfully considered everything, everyone and have made a bold decision that was not easy to make.  With every large decision, there is always a nagging doubt in the back of your mind saying, "Who do you think you are? You can't do this. It's too hard. There is too much involved!" But in the end, you have to trust that you know yourself (who was it who said, 'Know thyself' -- smart guy) and you know what will make you happy in the long run.  Without any question of a doubt, we know that this will make us very happy.  We wouldn't be doing it otherwise.

I would've told you that I would be 100% gung ho about this and chomping at the bit to move abroad. Surprisingly, i've gotten very comfortable here and really love my life in Atlanta.  I looked back through some of my travel journals when I was fearlessly roaming through Brunei, Malaysia and China and tried to reconcile my clear and concise advice to future travelers (myself really). In 2006, I wrote, "I've discovered that I've learned the most about myself when I am wholly out of my comfort zone. When everything and everyone around you is foreign, different, and unfamiliar. Only then do you truly discover what you can do and who you are as a person. You grow most when you are outside of the box you have built for yourself."

So, here is to moving outside of the box.