Since we are well aware of the fact that a number of close friends in the Netherlands are currently experiencing difficult times it has been hard to compile this particular blog. By comparison, our day-to-day activities here in Sweden seem somewhat mundane. However, rest assured: you and your loved ones are constantly in our thoughts.
Anyhow, with that in the backs of our minds we shall simply proceed with our usual blog news by taking you all back to mid-January, the time when Mathijs’s parents finally plucked up the courage to brave the winter weather and travel over to see us. Fortunately it was not particularly cold and the sun shone on a regular basis which was something they very much appreciated. For the boys it was a normal school week but with a weekend and a free day from school in conjunction with staff meetings opa and oma were able to have frequent contact with their grandsons.
For the rest, January slid by with the occasional excursion to a roasting spot and, for instance, a trip to an exhibition for children in the town of Kristinehamn. We furthermore enjoyed a number of clear starry night skies and some crisp cold weather.
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At the same time it cannot be said that the sun always metaphorically shines here. Towards the end of January we had concerns about the school. At such times we become uncertain about the decision to migrate.
In Rune’s class there are three boys who display more than the average problematic level of behaviour including physically undesirable issues. There was furthermore a degree of staff instability due to absence and illness. We had, more or less, resigned ourselves to the class dynamics. However, when called upon by the school inspectorate to complete a questionnaire we realized that the situation is not satisfactory and that it is not the calm learning environment we find ideal for Rune. Following a playground incident in which one of those same boys was reported to have kicked Vidar we heard that the child in question has asperger’s. Early in February Susanna subsequently requested a meeting with the school’s head. She recognized and was able to place many of the issues we raised and said she was glad to have been able to discuss matters with us.
The next week we had a follow-up meeting with Rune’s class teacher who is a very perceptive and skilled member of staff. We notice a difference in our son’s behaviour whenever she is teaching. Thankfully, after having been off work with a burnout she is slowly returning to work. She sees that Rune is a very able pupil and wanted to test him because she maintains that he is really a year 3 candidate. In that connection he has since been able to have odd days in the year 2 & 3 class which will, of course, be year 3 & 4 in the next school year. He already knows a number of the children in that class because their playtimes coincide. We are very pleased about the prospect for Rune because he will find himself in a more stimulating environment that is also a lot calmer. He has already told us that he feels very content whenever he goes to the other class.
In the first couple of weeks in February we skated a numer of times on the local lake where the ice was at least 25 cms thick. Despite the dusting of snow we were still able to skate quite well. We even did that one Sunday with Rune’s little class friend Nova Joy and her Dutch parents and sister. It was a memorable day!
On the 8th and 9th of February Mathijs had what is known as a timring course with a carpenter in a nearby village. It is a traditional Scandinavian building technique involving the fashioning of tree trunks in such a skilled way that wind and waterproof connections can be created.
Whilst Mathijs was learning a lot from his weekend course Susanna took the boys to the large city library in Karlstad for the first time. It is a wonderful place!
In that period we often dropped in to see our good neighbours several doors away because he was suffering from a painful hernia which meant being hospitalized for a whole week. We did various odd jobs for them, sometimes cooked extra ”meals on wheels” portions for them and took their dog for a walk several times.
On Monday 17th February we made preparations for our first cross-country skiing break. To that end we went to what, literally translated, is termed the ”leisure time bank” in Karlstad where one can loan—free of charge for a couple of weeks—a whole range of gear for various sporting activities. In the winter that is skiing and skating equipment and in the summer all kinds of outbound gear for camping and water sports.
On Tuesday 18th Febrary, after collecting the boys from school, we travelled north for 2 hours, roughly parallel with the Klarälven river. Our friend Caroline and her two sons joined us for a few days in Långberget to teach us all how to cross-country ski. Unfortunately her husband, Johan, was unable to join us because at any time the lambing season could start on his farm. It was a great experience! Two whole days long we intensely enjoyed the time spent outdoors and learning a new skill for all four of us. Rune and Vidar enjoyed every minute too and picked it up amazingly fast.
When we got home the boys still had a whole free week in conjunction with the half-term holiday. In that week we made a trip to Karlstad. On the Wednesday Mathijs had a third interview as part of a recruiting process for a possible training as a forestry machine operator for what is known as a harvester or forwarder. The whole series of interviews went well and without a hitch but unfortunately the final outcome was that they found him overqualified for that type of work. The real message was that they had the impression he would only work as a machine operator for a relatively brief period before going on to seek other opportunities within the sector. They therefore suggested alternative avenues for him to pursue within the company where he might find more appropriate work.
At such times we tend to wonder if we might both find it tricky to find work: too well qualified for such jobs but not yet fluent enough for other functions? The lack of an extensive network here is also a fact of life we have to contend with. We have no connections as we might have had in the past to help us up the career ladder.
It is a hard reality: why did we make the move and do we still have faith in the future here? In short, is it all worth the effort? At the moment the answer is still ”yes” so we reset; brace ourselves for minor adversities and send out the applications. At the end of the day, we have the relative luxury of being able to make choices, we are healthy and we are happy together so the basis is good.
The bird feeder saw an invasion of tree sparrows!
But it was not only tree sparrows. The last weeks also brought other small birds such as:
Great tits, Blue tits, Willow tits or Marsh tits (hard to see the difference!) the Nuthatch, Goldfinches and finally Greenfinches.
