Life IS getting busier!

It's been a bit since I've posted, so I thought I'd update you all.

This week has been drastically busy for me, at least compared to "what I've gotten used to" in the three months since I arrived here. SFI started this week on Monday (Thursdays are no classes, yay!). It's such an experience simply in having class with all other immigrants. First of all, it's so nice to be in a room with others who are in my same position - from a different country and haven't yet learned the language. Also, it's such an experience because of all the nationalities represented in my classroom. Sixteen students represent four continents, the countries I recall represented are the United States (me, obviously), England, Poland, Latvia, Monte Negro, Switzerland, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Thailand, Philippines, and Spain. Just as many different languages are the mother tongues of everyone. I just think it's really cool to be learning a language together, even though very few of us can actually speak to each other outside of Swedish.

The teachers in SFI also do a great job of making sure everyone understands! I couldn't imagine being an SFI teacher - they teach the course 95% in Swedish only, meaning even though we don't know the language, they somehow convey it to make sure we understand practically everything. I think I have a head start on many people simply because English is from the same background/root language as Swedish. Even though I may have "complained" in the past about Swedish being difficult, I've found that I actually pick it up quite quickly and find it much easier than others in my class, like those from Thailand and Iran. For them to learn Swedish, maybe that would be like me trying to learn Chinese! I also have realized that in the three months I've been here, I have picked up so much Swedish that I can always understand what the teacher is saying. Even if I can't really produce much Swedish of my own yet, I can understand a lot!

In other news, today I had a meeting with J's boss. I mentioned the job possibility in my last post. Well, it looks like J's boss wants to move forward with his idea, so I will be working part time for him! To put it in a nutshell, basically I will be a recruiter for engineers to come to Sweden and work for his company, since Sweden seems to have a shortage of engineers. Maybe it'll work out well, maybe not, but I think it has great potential.

So this week I've had class each day except today, but I had to drive about 45 min away for the meeting and back. Talk about busy! Sure all of this only takes up part of my days, but I think it's been a great way to get back into the busy-ness (business?) of life. After being unemployed and adjusting to a new country for three months, being thrown back into the mix of things is like a shock to the system! A welcome one, don't get me wrong. I love the feeling of being a part of this place. It's coming to feel more and more like home, not my only home, but a second home at that.

Tonight we have a hockey game to go to! We haven't been to one since the beginning of December, so I'm excited to get out of the house yet again, see some friends, and enjoy some good sport watching. =)

And tomorrow J's parents are dropping off Elvis (that little Jack Russell) for the weekend, since they're taking a trip to Gothenburg. We'll see how keeping a dog here in our apartment goes, at least for the weekend. Whew, as I said, busy!

Perhaps I will post more later, but these are the thoughts that came to mind for now.

Since I haven't posted many pictures lately, here is a picture I took earlier this week of the sunrise. Nothing too special (the camera simply cannot capture the beauty!) In the distance is what J calls a "heat plant." It's where the city's garbage goes to be incinerated, and in turn to create heat for the inhabitants. A much more useful way to dispose of garbage than the landfills we have in Ohio, eh?