Interview Day

Today was interview day at the Swedish Consulate. Another step in the process is completed. I had been nervously awaiting this step. I remember when the Queen and I were married we had a few of these interviews to go through. Each one brought on huge stress, and then turned out to be very uneventful. Today was no different.

I woke this morning not feeling very with it. I did not sleep well last night, the stress of the day keeping me on edge. As I was getting ready I hear "breathe baby, it will be fine". These words are the same that I had said to her countless times, but it was hard to believe. I knew in my head and heart that this interview was going to be like all of the others I had been to, but the nagging feeling would not go away.

The drive to the consulate took about a half hour and was filled with nervous conversation to simply fill the air with words. Inside I was picturing what the consulate would look like, and what was going to happen while there. I was lost in my mind, which is NEVER a good idea. By the time we had parked I was imagining a building similar to a Brownstone in Georgetown with gates, guards, and grand gardens. What I got was a very small very bland office in a complex that apparently doubled as headquarters for a wine tour business. The only Swedish thing about it was a shelf of Dahl Horses, and the business card of my interviewer that was colored blue and yellow.

My interviewer was very friendly, and laid all the cards on the table for me. There are going to be three questions and I need to photocopy a few documents she said. While handing over passports for photocopying I began to panic about these questions a little. What information would be acquired through only three questions. Finally after the photocopies and some background info she asks "are you ready"? Not really I thought, but lets go.

The first question she asked "Did you marry the queen by your own free will?"
Uh? Yes? I replied.
The second question she asked "Was your marriage arranged by anyone"?
Uh? No? I replied.
The final question she asked "Were you married by power of attorney"?
Uh? No? I replied.
My head was spinning so much through the intense questioning that I almost missed it as she said "Thank you for your time, and if anything further is needed I will e-mail you."

That's it. I am done. I totally blew this thing out of proportion. A couple of thank yous and some small talk and the Queen and I were walking out the door.

As we were walking to the car the only thing I could think to say was "See baby, I told you it was nothing to worry about." As she rolled her eyes and gave me her best giggle, I got the sneaking suspicion that she knows I how nervous I truly was.

Faith, Trust, and Letting Go

We all have faith and trust in people. Some people we know, and some we do not. I trust everyday that the guy driving down the interstate pays enough attention to what he is doing that I do not die in a flaming twisted ball of metal on the side of the road. I give this trust with out a second thought, because if I did think about it all the time I would never leave my house. I basically trust my life to complete strangers. So you would think that it would be easy to trust people you know and love. Apparently not! 

This move is into the great unknown for me. The first thing people ask me when they hear that we are moving is "what are you going to do for a job?". "I don't know" I reply. I have faith in my Swedish family that when they say "it is all going to be okay", that it will. But how can they know?

I read a Swedish newspaper written for English speakers called The Local, and they cover many issues involving English speakers moving to Sweden. I find their information informative, and frankly frightening. I read how hard it is to find an apartment (up to 8 years wait in some cases), and the difficulties of finding a job. These are real life people trying to do the same thing that my family is doing. Honestly it scares the crap out of me. 

The beginning of each Skype conversation with my sister-in law in Sweden is overrun with these articles I have read. In her calmest most reassuring voice Miccan (the sister-in law) always tells me " it is going to be okay". The faith and trust in her should come easier than that of the stranger on the interstate, but it doesn't. I have to force myself to believe her. It lasts for a few days or more, and then I come across another article that freaks me out. Another Skype call and another calm down and we go full circle. Meanwhile some where in this cycle, my Swedish family found us an apartment to live in. What? I just read that people were waiting 8 years for apartments, and they found one for us in 8 months! Maybe they are right, maybe it will all be okay. So I have decided that they have earned my faith and trust. They have not once failed to deliver on what they say, they will not set us up to fail.

I am going to believe what they tell me.

I am letting go....

Decisions

We all make them everyday. Some are easy, some are difficult, and some are a little of both. They start from the moment your alarm clock goes off in the morning, and if you are like me they only get more difficult as the day progresses. The worst thing with decisions is that some of them totally sneak up on you. A few months ago one of those big ones snuck up on me. My wife tells me " I am ready to go home". That statement has led to the easiest most difficult decision of my life. Easy, because of course we can go its not like she was from Detroit of some other 3rd world area, she was born and raised in Stockholm. Difficult, because of the fact that we (our daughter and myself) do not know how to live in Sweden. I have never been so scared and excited about anything in my life. I know that this is the right decision, and sometimes the right decisions are the scariest ones..........