The past few months have been a whirlwind. However, things are starting to settle in place, though it seems like there is always one more step needing to be done.
Susanna left for Sweden in late July to start her work and get things in place for Izzy and I to arrive in August. Izzy and I stayed back to finish selling the house and get everything ready to fly Hoagie over.
On August 24th, Izzy and I said goodbye to our house in Preston for the final time. It was a rush getting things cleaned out for the cleaning, but we got it done. In the end we were just taking things out of drawers and tossing it in the dumpster. We had to get out and catch a flight to Sweden with the Dog. The previous week had been stressful, to say the least. But things came together. On the Thursday before we flew the paperwork for Hoagie arrived from the USDA (it actually arrived twice). The closing was delayed until the day after we left, so I had to sign the paperwork early, but it meant we didn’t need to find a place to sleep for the weekend.
I had never flown overseas with a dog in cargo before. I don’t plan on doing it again. Izzy and I arrived at Boston Logan airport a little under 3 hours early. Having a third set of hands was a huge help! But we checked in (with Hoagie on a leash) and about an hour before the flight they called us back to the check-in counter to take Hoagie to clear TSA and get put in his crate. Then we cleared security and had a few minutes to wait before boarding. We flew a direct flight into Copenhagen, so there was no flight transfer. However, Hoagie did not like being stuck in the crate for that long, and was anxious to get out when we arrived. We had to pick him up at the oversize luggage claim. His crate was just sitting there, no one around, when we showed up. Unfortunately he had to stay in the crate until we cleared customs. Susanna’s dad, Dan, picked us up and drove us to Sweden (stopping at McDonald’s for a starving Izzy).
We arrived in Sweden with a few suitcases (and a dog), so have needed to start from scratch. Luckily the place we are renting is furnished and is a perfect landing spot for our move. We purchased two used cars, but hopefully in the long run we will only need one (once we move into the city). It is strange. Without a credit history in Sweden we can’t borrow money for things. Susanna even needed to get on her dad’s phone plan to get a phone here.
We have been planning on living in the city of Växjö for Izzy’s school. Last week we looked at a potential apartment to rent in the city . It was a small, 2 bedroom apartment in the Väster district. It is a short walk from where we hope Izzy will go to school. We agreed that it was a good place to start with, and Susanna signed the contract by the end of the week. Next week we are meeting with Izzy’s school here. We won’t be starting right away. Izzy and I are returning to the states in two weeks and are planning on doing a road trip to visit family and see the country.
I’ve been trying to get out for walks each day with Hoagie (and Izzy when possible). There are lots of farm fields here to explore and a good number of trails within a short drive. I am sort of stuck in limbo. I can only be here 90 out of every 180 days until I get a residence permit to live here, and I don’t know how long that will take. It is hard to start anything here without knowing when I can fully move over. However I did meet up for a drink with a group from the “Expats of Småland” Facebook group.
