YES!! They have snickers in Sweden!!!!!!

November 10, 2008, 5:53 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

Well, after a few weeks here I have started to get used to the little quirks and that Sweden has and have experienced the frustrations of moving to a different country.

The new village, Vedum is kind of like a glamour model… pretty to look at, but not much going on inside. The lack of a social meeting place (i mainly mean a pub) means that you either have to convince someone that being the designated driver for the evening can be fun and go to the surrounding villages/gothenburg or you go to peoples houses. The second option is facilitated by everyone here being so friendly. It gets dark pretty early at the minute and is cold and rainy most of the time but I kind of like this weather. There is something comforting about it.

Apparently everyone knows that there is a new englishman in the village and suspect my friend Neal of starting to set up some kind of english commune. It kind of feels like I am in a League of Gentlemen episode but in a nice way as people look out for each other here. Friends have had a lot of patience in helping me sort myself out with the tax office, getting an ID number, calling phone companies etc so much so that I feel guilty whilst sitting there with a stupid apologetic grin and trying to figure out which swedish expletives they are shouting whilst trying to get my phone line/broadband connected. This has actually proved to be an extraordinarily impossible task. Let me run you through the process we have been through so far…

Call 1: We call Telia (basically the Swedish BT) to get the line connected but we have to do it in Neals name as you need your ‘personnummer’ (i am still checking the post box) to sign up. They then asked us which flat number I lived in which we didnt know. *cue searching for flat name for a day and calls to ex-tennants and the landlord*

Call 2: “sure we can get that done now, we need to know who the last tennant was in that flat who had a phone line” *cue searching for 2 days to find out who this was*

Call 3: “ok, that person has two lines registered to them in the building, one open and one closed” We tell them it must be the closed one for my flat but their system wont let them do it so we are told to call back tomorrow.

Call 4: “you want broadband? ok, just give us the flat number” *cue swearing as name which took 2 days to find is apparently not needed* ”hmm, we can’t connect the line from here, there is a problem but we can send an engineer out” “Ok, when can they come?” “the next available date is in 2 weeks” *cue a lot more swearing and some hysterical laughter at the ridiculous offer*

Call 5: “ok, they can be with you next week, let’s set up the broadband”

The phone line is connected finally but no broadband, I’m still in Neals kitchen hoping that it will come on some time this week

I am still getting used to driving on the wrong/right side and yes, I have made the mistake of driving on the wrong side (it took 2 weeks and a day Rob) although it was at 3:30am so I blame that. Fitted my winter tyres which are awesome as the studs make a kind of buzzing sound like the car is hovering. There are a few little bits I am still having trouble with such as the STOP signs which you HAVE to come to a complete stop at. If you are rolling even the tiniest bit before pulling away then you can be fined or get a very dirty look from the swedes in the car. You probably have to do this in England too but frankly, I have replaced most of the space in my brain that the highway code took up with pretty pictures and the two jokes I can remember. There are corners which you have to indicate to go round, junctions that appear to have no rules whatsoever but apparently do and B roads which wouldn’t even qualify for a driveway in England. I have also been followed by a police helicopter (i kid you not) and nobody who was with me could explain why although I’m guessing the English reg plates have a lot to do with it.

It sounds like I am complaining but I am not. All this is what I expected and to be honest, if it was easy, it wouldn’t be as fun. Sweden is a great place and I hope some of you can come find that out in the next year. For now, I look forward to seeing everyone over christmas and I just have to book my flights before I have to sell an internal organ to afford it.