I was quite young when the Scandi-bug first bit me, and it bit hard. When it came time for my first solo overseas trip in 2012, Stockholm was my first and only choice. I spent a glorious four days exploring the city, wandering the cobblestone streets, marvelling at the architecture and enjoying the archipelago. I felt like I was at home even though I was more than 7,000 kilometres away.
My love affair with Stockholm grew over the years and intensified with each visit. I was all in.
How I Came To Live In Stockholm
When my partner and I were planning to move abroad, Sweden was one of the options. Looking back, this was already the beginning of my love affair with Stockholm.
At that point, we were looking for a break from snow and winter, so we chose Madrid, although I often wondered what life in Sweden might have been like.
A year later, my partner was offered an opportunity that brought us to Sweden. I was delighted to move to Stockholm and try to live Swedishly: to eat the food, to learn the language and to explore more of the country.
When it came time to file our visa applications, I couldn’t contain my excitement.
For all of June and July, I sat there with my heart on my sleeve, waiting for my longtime crush to say they loved me back. Then all of a sudden, it all came crashing down.
Just six weeks before we were to move, we found ourselves in the middle of a very confusing set of visa issues. For whatever reason, it was decided that the category we applied for wasn’t actually relevant to our situation. So they switched it.
Under our new category, we were still welcome to come and live in Sweden, just not for as long as we’d hoped. For a moment, it felt like my Love Affair With Stockholm was slipping away.
The next few weeks were a race against time and holidays. As August descended upon us, we tried everything that we could to find answers and explanations. We begged to have our decision reconsidered, only to finally hear two of the worst words in the English language: Decision Upheld.
Arriving in Stockholm and Falling Back in Love
I tried not to think of the long life I’d fantasized I’d have in Sweden. It was too soon; the wound was still too fresh. Instead, I threw myself into moving, wrapping up, packing up and cleaning.
I was about to come face to face with the country that just a few weeks earlier had told me that they liked me, but didn’t like like me.
I was ready and had my game face on. Sweden was going to know I wasn’t holding on to what happened: I was totally over it. I was doing just fine.
Or, so I thought. The moment I arrived, I realised my love affair with Stockholm was far from over.
I was hit with that familiar wave as soon as I stepped out of the airport. I was back. Dammit. I wasn’t over Sweden, not in the slightest; our love affair was far from over.
Walking the familiar cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan quickly erased all of my visa-related frustrations and heartache. It felt good to be back, right in the middle of my love affair with Stockholm.
What’s To Come From My Year in Stockholm
For now, I’m okay with just being friends with Stockholm. I mean, just because our relationship isn’t exactly as I’d hoped doesn’t mean I can’t still enjoy the time we spend together.
Over the next year, I’ll be throwing myself in whole-hog: learning the language, exploring the city, visiting towns near and far, and fika-ing to my heart’s content. I look forward to living the next year Swedishly and to sharing my journey with you!
And who knows, maybe one day, Stockholm and Sweden will love me the way I love them.
