Scandinavians

[jaycali 415]

I mailed out the IV package today. Wow! Man! One step closer.Gosh, even typing that out makes me teary-eyed. Friday June 17 was the day last year when Melissa came here to Västerås. We got married on June 30th. She flew back home on July 2nd. It's funny how time can pass, at times slow, but then all of a sudden something happens and you realize months and months have gone by. Weird.

Totally agree. We got married on March 23rd of last year. Doesn't feel long at all. In the mean time we have been here, there, though for the most part separated. Feels like forever when I'm just spending every day at work waiting. But once we got the NOA2, I couldn't believe how fast this past year has gone by. Now again, we're back to waiting. Once we get the NVC case number, I'm sure I'll be pondering on how a year could go by so quickly again though.

Right now, I wish we would have gone for adjustment of status (we got married in the US).. But getting closer to the interview, I feel like there are less and less regrets on that end.

Edited June 16, 2012 by jaejayC

[MissK 5]

"

My medical in oslo (ullevåll STADION, IKKE SYKEHUS) i went to the hospital first and they were like...."oh you need to go to the stadium" so i had to take bus from the hospital to the stadium, ###### annoying. After a while i manage to find the place, so i waited for 1 hr, then a nurse came to greet me, so i followed her to the room and we talked for a bit. She got a bit irritated at me for not bringing PASSPORT PICTURES!!! SO BRING PASSPORT PICS. I showed her my vaccination card/sheet, she aske questions like "how do you feel?" wich arm do you want the needle in?? etc really nice nurse after the vaccine (i only needed one) i needed to pee in a cup, so i had too wait almoast 1 hr and 3o min before i could pee haha, and then you go up the elevator and see the doctor, where he just checked mt reflexes and generelly medical stuff like lungs, eyes etc. and then you pay 2980 NOK, i asked for a bankgiro, so i paid by that, since i didnt bring the PASSPORT PICS they couldnt do jack #### until i sent them the PICS and paid...so my advice....pay as soon as you can, and bring PASSPORT PICS

When it come do medicine etc they will ask you: What kind of med. do you use? what kind of condition are you? they are really helpfull, some medicine might react to the vaccination but not in a dangerous way, maybe you will feel dizzy, she said that some have passed out because they didnt give her enough info about their condition... If you are clear what you use etc you will be fine :)you can drink some beer when you are done but dont get wasted...

SO KEYWORDS SO FAR :passport pics, dont urinate until they ask you too, pay there if you have the opportunity. Be honest on you health condition and you will be fine :

after you are done, go and have a beer in the sun and relax good luck

Thanks! Great info! I don't drink beer but I'm gonna celebrate with a glass of wine!

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Totally agree. We got married on March 23rd of last year. Doesn't feel long at all. In the mean time we have been here, there, though for the most part separated. Feels like forever when I'm just spending every day at work waiting. But once we got the NOA2, I couldn't believe how fast this past year has gone by. Now again, we're back to waiting. Once we get the NVC case number, I'm sure I'll be pondering on how a year could go by so quickly again though.

Right now, I wish we would have gone for adjustment of status (we got married in the US).. But getting closer to the interview, I feel like there are less and less regrets on that end.

If I hadn't had my job this spring semester I would have gone nuts and time would have dragged a lot more. I've also had my floorball team. It's nice to have something to keep your mind off the waiting.

[Eve&Josh 5]

Wow! I didn't realize that there's an active Scandinavian thread! I haven't really been checking in on VJ since moving last fall but I'm glad I found this!

I moved to the US last fall, and now we live in DC and I LOVE it However, it's been a lot more difficult to find friends and to build a new life than I initially thought. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that my husband and I are both new to the city so I can't just start mingling with his friends, and on top of it he travels for work ALL the time which leaves me by myself a lot. I've been trying to find Scandinavians in the DC metro area to have sth in common to start out with but I don't know where the heck they are all lurking since I've been very unsuccessful! But I guess most people come here for jobs (internationals and Americans both), so they are busy (unlike me, blah).

I have to say that to me the transition has been shockingly more difficult than I had imagined. I've spent a little bit of time in the US before, and have some friends here (unfortunately none of whom live anywhere near here), so I don't think I've had too much of an actual culture shock. I don't really miss Finland per se (although like you guys have said, the on and off ranting about how things are soooooo much better there with the social security and education system and and and and, you know, is inevitable ), but oh do I miss my friends and my JOB! Oh, my JOB.. And just being active and not having to worry about the couch looking more and more dented in the corner I like to set my booty on. My culture shock has been the fact that my life, which I was insanely happy with (apart from the not having my husband with me, of course), has been completely turned around. I thought I was prepared and ready for the move, but I also thought the building of our new life would happen a lot quicker and be easier. I know getting a job would take a while, but I imagined getting friends would happen faster. I just want to have someone to have a good laugh, bad jokes, and couple glasses of wine with.. *sigh*.

So anyway, do you guys happen to have any advice, or stories..?

I feel awkward going out by myself, even if it was for a cooking class etc, or to a meetup. In a kind of old fashioned way I guess I would like to meet people and make friends naturally, not in a makeshift environment if you know what I mean. My hubby is out of town traveling for work mostly every week and even though most weekends he's home, he doesn't have more than a couple friends in the area either.

Job would be the best and most natural way to meet people, and I've been looking since I got my GC about a month ago but the market it pretty harsh. Am I at a dead end until I find a job? Or until I gather up enough courage to step out of my comfort zone and go somewhere by myself.. (scary)?

Oh, about moving stuff overseas, I did as most others, sold and gave away my furniture and every trip overseas we started hauling over books, kitchenware, linen, or whatever I felt like would make me feel at home here, as soon as the big moving decision was made. BTW if you haven't flown Icelandair, they let you take two bags for free. But the flights are really expensive in the summer.

And yes, you gotta love IKEA - I actually got the same side table here as I had in my home in Helsinki but gave it away to someone, pretty cool. Worldmarket sells Panda liquorice, the soft sticky stuff, I absolutely love that :-)

oops, sorry for the overly lengthy post, I just got excited

[Mr. Borkström 63]

oops, sorry for the overly lengthy post, I just got excited

No need to apologize. It's good that more people are making this thread active.

So anyway, do you guys happen to have any advice, or stories..?

I feel awkward going out by myself, even if it was for a cooking class etc, or to a meetup. In a kind of old fashioned way I guess I would like to meet people and make friends naturally, not in a makeshift environment if you know what I mean. My hubby is out of town traveling for work mostly every week and even though most weekends he's home, he doesn't have more than a couple friends in the area either.

I am still back in merry ol' Sweden, so I don't have any stories to share I'm afraid. I just wanted to tell you that I'm the same way, I find it a little awkward making new friends in a makeshift environment. I'm a social enough person, but initially I am not very outgoing. Takes a while until I get to know people before I feel less shy. My wife often tells me that she has no problem if I should want to go out with my own friends every once in a while (like if I make friends at whatever job I happen to get)... but personally, like I said in an earlier post, I think I'm going to be following my wife around like a little puppy for a while until I feel more at home.

I have to say that to me the transition has been shockingly more difficult than I had imagined. I've spent a little bit of time in the US before, and have some friends here (unfortunately none of whom live anywhere near here), so I don't think I've had too much of an actual culture shock.

I've only visited my wife in Pittsburgh once, for three weeks, and while I felt it was a place I could see myself living in, I imagine it will feel different to live there as opposed to just being there on vacation for a short, limited period of time. What I first noticed, as far as differences, was the little things. I don't like the doorknobs for example. I have never in my entire life cooked on a gas stove (only ever had electrical stoves here in Sweden). The window latches, God I hate those. Not having a proper hallway in the house but rather taking your shoes and outdoor clothes off right smack in the living room (the person who sets foot in my house better take off the shoes at the door, lest you'd appreciate a Viking battle axe in the back of the skull ). No sidewalks to walk on (at least not in the hood where my wife lives)... I could make this list miles and miles long probably... For me personally I think I'll have to get used to those small things first and start worrying about the bigger things later.

Worldmarket sells Panda liquorice, the soft sticky stuff, I absolutely love that :-)

Ooh I love that stuff. Well the sweet liquorice at least.

I don't really miss Finland per se (although like you guys have said, the on and off ranting about how things are soooooo much better there with the social security and education system and and and and, you know, is inevitable ), but oh do I miss my friends and my JOB! Oh, my JOB..

I think this is what I will miss the most about Sweden too, at least at first; family and friends. I may not see them that often, but it's one thing to have them 20 minutes away and still have the possibility to see them vs. being separated by a large frikken ocean and not be able to go for a spontaneous visit.

I'm not sure if I'll like the climate. Summer seem to get a lot warmer in Pittsburgh than in Västerås, Sweden. And the humidity. Ugh! My life will most likely depend on the air conditioner my wife has.

[MissK 5]

I moved to the US last fall, and now we live in DC and I LOVE it However, it's been a lot more difficult to find friends and to build a new life than I initially thought. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that my husband and I are both new to the city so I can't just start mingling with his friends, and on top of it he travels for work ALL the time which leaves me by myself a lot. I've been trying to find Scandinavians in the DC metro area to have sth in common to start out with but I don't know where the heck they are all lurking since I've been very unsuccessful! But I guess most people come here for jobs (internationals and Americans both), so they are busy (unlike me, blah).

So anyway, do you guys happen to have any advice, or stories..?

I feel awkward going out by myself, even if it was for a cooking class etc, or to a meetup. In a kind of old fashioned way I guess I would like to meet people and make friends naturally, not in a makeshift environment if you know what I mean. My hubby is out of town traveling for work mostly every week and even though most weekends he's home, he doesn't have more than a couple friends in the area either.

Job would be the best and most natural way to meet people, and I've been looking since I got my GC about a month ago but the market it pretty harsh. Am I at a dead end until I find a job? Or until I gather up enough courage to step out of my comfort zone and go somewhere by myself.. (scary)?

Hi!

Love your post:)It's so great to read about other peoples experiences!

This is what I'm afraid of, where in the world will I meet new friends? I'm not good at throwing myself out there either... I don't know anybody there except my fiances family, no friends...

But, I'm going to the DC area too! I have been trying to search for scandinavian groups but without any luck...Those who are there are hiding really good! But if you are still looking for someone to grab a coffee with in the fall when I (hopefully) get there I'm in!

[Eve&Josh 5]

^^Mr Borkström, I hear ya. I'm pretty outgoing and social, but I've become a little more timid in making contact with people after I moved. My hubby and I have been pretty much attached at the hip (well whenever he's home), but both of us enjoy being social and hanging out with friends, together or on our own. I've always been pretty independent and had lots of friends, so this "doing everything with your husband, just the two of you, all the time", has been a major change. But I think I'm handling it pretty well (minus the whining I'm doing to you guys right now, naturally ). We do have some people to hang out with here, a Finnish couple who I met right before they moved here a year before us, and my hubby has a couple friends from college pretty nearby. They have little babies though so they can't be very impulsive and go out for dinner or hiking or a winery tour, or whatnot.

I actually like the climate here, I don't miss the winters in Finland. The humidity is pretty awful, but I enjoy being able to walk about in shorts and flip-flops for almost half the year. Not half a month .

To me the first little difference I noticed every time I flew over, was the restrooms! The stall doors open to the inside of the stall, not the outside! It's a major annoyance at the airport when you have your carry-on and purse and everything, and you struggle to get the door closed and then you struggle again to open it. The same goes for the house front door (if no screen door), they open to the inside. Also, the zipper of zip-up coats and sweaters etc are on the opposite side from what I'm used to. Has anyone else noticed that, or is it just me? I've grown to like gas stoves, after I got over my fear of lighting the house on fire. They are so fast, it's amazing! However, I'm still working on my friendship with the gas oven but I think I'm slowly getting there by using the the much-acclaimed method of trial and error (lots of error in my case).

^MissK, I would absolutely LOVE to get together for a cup of coffee once you are here, that's so great that you will be coming to the area! I'm actually flying over to Finland in two days (!!!ack, weird!!!!) with my hubby, and won't be back until August. Josh is staying only for two weeks, and I'm freaking out about having to be apart for such a long time again.. These days I miss him terribly only after he's been gone a day

So anyway, once we are both back, we should definitely get together to share experiences! I'm already looking forward to it

Edited June 17, 2012 by Eve&Josh

[jaycali 415]

I used to live in Northern Virginia, and i worked in DC. I worked at the Omni hotel downtown on Calvert st.! I found people in DC fairly difficult to talk to compared to other places I've been in the US, but Northern Virginia was great!

The only thing I didn't really like about the area was that the summers are really hot and so humid that the windows would fog up! And the winters were pretty cold (but really short!)

Edited June 18, 2012 by jaejayC

[Eve&Josh 5]

I used to live in Northern Virginia, and i worked in DC. I worked at the Omni hotel downtown on Calvert st.! I found people in DC fairly difficult to talk to compared to other places I've been in the US, but Northern Virginia was great!

The only thing I didn't really like about the area was that the summers are really hot and so humid that the windows would fog up! And the winters were pretty cold (but really short!)

Omni hotel is right in our neighborhood, we live in Woodley Park a couple blocks up on Connecticut! How did you like that job, what did you do there? If you don't mind my asking.

I think it's pretty common that in bigger cities it's more difficult to make friends. People here are very career-oriented and busy, and also a lot of them are here on temporary assignments for the likes of the gov't or World Bank. With so many internationals here you are in no way anything special, as you might be somewhere in a smaller town. But I do love that fact that there's so many things to do here and DC is such a beautiful city. I'm more of a city-girl, and enjoy the fact that I can take the metro or ride a bike to places (a bike which I don't have yet but plan to buy ASAP!). My hubby's Mom and sister live in Fairfax, and they say they really like living in NoVa and especially Fairfax.

[jaycali 415]

Omni hotel is right in our neighborhood, we live in Woodley Park a couple blocks up on Connecticut! How did you like that job, what did you do there? If you don't mind my asking. I think it's pretty common that in bigger cities it's more difficult to make friends. People here are very career-oriented and busy, and also a lot of them are here on temporary assignments for the likes of the gov't or World Bank. With so many internationals here you are in no way anything special, as you might be somewhere in a smaller town. But I do love that fact that there's so many things to do here and DC is such a beautiful city. I'm more of a city-girl, and enjoy the fact that I can take the metro or ride a bike to places (a bike which I don't have yet but plan to buy ASAP!). My hubby's Mom and sister live in Fairfax, and they say they really like living in NoVa and especially Fairfax.

Nice! I managed a store inside the hotel when I was on OPT. I loved the job, but it was only temporary since my EAD card expired 2 months later lol. I lived in Annandale at the time and really enjoyed it. I did have the feeling people in DC (and the east coast in general) were always a lot more busy than what I was used to from living on the west coast for many years.

Haha, I know where you live then, I used to drive Connecticut every day to and from work!

Edited June 18, 2012 by jaejayC

[LlamaInvasion 76]

Haha, I hadn't even thought about little details like which way the doors swing until you mentioned it!!

One thing I miss is double-paned windows and properly insulated doors. Why oh why don't they double pane every window standard in areas where it gets cold in the winter? It boggles my mind. They could save so much money! And in the house we just moved into, there's like a 1-inch crack between the front door and the floor. You can literally lie down on the floor and see out!

My husband jokes a lot, though I think he's getting more and more serious about it, that if we do decide to remain in the US, when it's time for us to buy our own home, we should build our own home instead, so that we can put some Scandinavian touches on it (like double paned windows, proper door handles - because screw door knobs - and wood floors instead of carpets).

Don't think of meetups and such as "hurr durr I have no friends," but try to find things that interest you instead, so that even if you end up not talking to a single soul, it wouldn't have been a complete waste.

I sort of wish more of us lived closer together, because I think the Scandinavian mentality is hard to come by, even if you meet other immigrants from other places. XD And the second, third or later generation Scandinavians certainly don't get it! It's almost to the point where I get annoyed, lol. "Oh, I'm Norwegian too, my great grandmother was from Norway!" But they still don't get it. XD

...in America's favor, I will say, I love air conditioners/central air so much it almost hurts.

[MissK 5]

I used to live in Northern Virginia, and i worked in DC. I worked at the Omni hotel downtown on Calvert st.! I found people in DC fairly difficult to talk to compared to other places I've been in the US, but Northern Virginia was great!

The only thing I didn't really like about the area was that the summers are really hot and so humid that the windows would fog up! And the winters were pretty cold (but really short!)

Yay for NoVa! That's were I'll be! I know the summers get really really hot and HUMID, but that's when I'm gonna go to Norway and freeze in July!

And the winters are really not that cold. I know the people living there think it gets cold but no, 35 farenheit is not cold, not even close. And as you say, the winters are short! I love the climate there, you get all the season and changes, the winters are great and it's actually sunny and warm in the summer! And spring and fall is my favourite time there, nice and warm.

[MissK 5]

To me the first little difference I noticed every time I flew over, was the restrooms! The stall doors open to the inside of the stall, not the outside! It's a major annoyance at the airport when you have your carry-on and purse and everything, and you struggle to get the door closed and then you struggle again to open it. The same goes for the house front door (if no screen door), they open to the inside. Also, the zipper of zip-up coats and sweaters etc are on the opposite side from what I'm used to. Has anyone else noticed that, or is it just me? I've grown to like gas stoves, after I got over my fear of lighting the house on fire. They are so fast, it's amazing! However, I'm still working on my friendship with the gas oven but I think I'm slowly getting there by using the the much-acclaimed method of trial and error (lots of error in my case).

^MissK, I would absolutely LOVE to get together for a cup of coffee once you are here, that's so great that you will be coming to the area! I'm actually flying over to Finland in two days (!!!ack, weird!!!!) with my hubby, and won't be back until August. Josh is staying only for two weeks, and I'm freaking out about having to be apart for such a long time again.. These days I miss him terribly only after he's been gone a day

So anyway, once we are both back, we should definitely get together to share experiences! I'm already looking forward to it

The zippers! I know, so funny.

Looking forward to that cup of coffe, we can get in touch when you get back. I hope we have moved along when we get to August.

Have a great summer in Finland!

[jaycali 415]

And the second, third or later generation Scandinavians certainly don't get it! It's almost to the point where I get annoyed, lol. "Oh, I'm Norwegian too, my great grandmother was from Norway!" But they still don't get it. XD...in America's favor, I will say, I love air conditioners/central air so much it almost hurts.

Hahaha seriously! And they tend to be shocked when they find out you eat sushi and tortillas regularly, but haven't had lutefisk and lefse since you were 12.

Bornie had his meeting with the men and women at the Stockholm embassy today. From his fiance's profile, I know he passed! I'd love to hear about the interview though Bornie once you get over your lykkerus!

[MissK 5]

Hahaha seriously! And they tend to be shocked when they find out you eat sushi and tortillas regularly, but haven't had lutefisk and lefse since you were 12.

Bornie had his meeting with the men and women at the Stockholm embassy today. From his fiance's profile, I know he passed! I'd love to hear about the interview though Bornie once you get over your lykkerus!

Gratulerer Bornie! Can't wait to hear every little detail!