Scandinavians

[jaycali 415]

Thanks, hopefully they'll have stamps when I land lol. How did you get from Arlanda to the embassy?

[robhaa 1]

Thanks, hopefully they'll have stamps when I land lol. How did you get from Arlanda to the embassy?

I stayed at a hotel close to Stureplan, so it was walking distance from there to the embassy. I took the Arlanda Express train to the central station. It is kind of walkable from the central station to the embassy (3,1 km), but I would guess that you could just ask the hotel staff for a better option The train is 490 SEK for a return ticket, and from what I understand there are more affordable options that can take you closer to the embassy.

[MissK 5]

I bought my stamps at the airport as soon as i landed, you can get them at a news agent. I ended up buying 50 stamps worth 6 SEK each since those were all he had - Try to avoid that, and get stamps that are worth more, haha... The envelope was covered in stamps I do not think Norwegian stamps will work. You need 295 SEK in total, if my memory serves me right.

Ha ha I did the exact same thing! Took me forever to put the stamps on the envelope, the lady patiently waiting.....

[MissK 5]

Thanks, hopefully they'll have stamps when I land lol. How did you get from Arlanda to the embassy?

The airport bus is a lot cheaper than the train, cost 100 SEK each way. It took about 40 minutes, but might take longer early in the morning due to traffic. Easy to find at the airport!

The bus/train go into the central station and it's a bit of a walk from there to the embassy. There might be better options than walking 8like metro or bus) and like Robaah say you should ask the hotel and make sure you have enough time. I was at the embassy about 8.10 for my 9am appointment.

Good luck!!

[MissK 5]

Congratulations on approvals!!

Still, I stay because I'd rather be with my husband here, than in Norway without him.

And this is what it all boils down to.... What we do for love.

I understand why you are struggeling, it's a lot of things working against you. I think the health insurance thing is really really scary. That and maternity leave are two of my main concerns with this whole move.

[jaycali 415]

Ha ha I did the exact same thing! Took me forever to put the stamps on the envelope, the lady patiently waiting.....

Will be doing the same thing! Hope whoever sells stamps at the airport has enough stamps and the lady at the embassy is still patient

The airport bus is a lot cheaper than the train, cost 100 SEK each way. It took about 40 minutes, but might take longer early in the morning due to traffic. Easy to find at the airport! The bus/train go into the central station and it's a bit of a walk from there to the embassy. There might be better options than walking 8like metro or bus) and like Robaah say you should ask the hotel and make sure you have enough time. I was at the embassy about 8.10 for my 9am appointment. Good luck!!

Thanks. (Bus) tickets purchased!

And this is what it all boils down to.... What we do for love.I understand why you are struggeling, it's a lot of things working against you. I think the health insurance thing is really really scary. That and maternity leave are two of my main concerns with this whole move.

The health insurance aspect scares me a bit too. I was in a car accident over there back in May - Got excellent care and a $10,000 bill in the mail. Thank God for travel insurance! We'll be trying to get me on my wife's insurance plan when I get there.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Jay Jay

[Alaska2012 462]

And this is what it all boils down to.... What we do for love.

I understand why you are struggeling, it's a lot of things working against you. I think the health insurance thing is really really scary. That and maternity leave are two of my main concerns with this whole move.

Insurance is no joke over here, since my husband works for himself we had to buy our insurance ourselves, for the two of us plus our two kids we pay $1158 per month!!! People in the lower 48 says its cheaper down there but up here its way expensive! Plus pregnancy is not covered in any of the insurances you could buy up here so when I found out I was pregnant again I got a little nervous about the costs. But we found an option to the hospital, who would charge us an arm and a leg, a birth center. We got down from $ 13000 to $ 6000, a bargain Quite a difference from when I had my baby in Sweden in April, it cost me $8

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Will be doing the same thing! Hope whoever sells stamps at the airport has enough stamps and the lady at the embassy is still patient

If you have enough time, you can always look for a Pressbyrån store. There may be one at the airport, and if not you ought to be able to find them at most subway stations. There is also (at least) one at Centralstation/T-centralen.

[jaycali 415]

Plus pregnancy is not covered in any of the insurances you could buy up here so when I found out I was pregnant again I got a little nervous about the costs. But we found an option to the hospital, who would charge us an arm and a leg, a birth center. We got down from $ 13000 to $ 6000, a bargain Quite a difference from when I had my baby in Sweden in April, it cost me $8

Round-trip ticket Anchorage - Arlanda sounds way cheaper

If you have enough time, you can always look for a Pressbyrån store. There may be one at the airport, and if not you ought to be able to find them at most subway stations. There is also (at least) one at Centralstation/T-centralen.

Thanks! I'll be at Centralstation around 7:30 - 8am. Think they'll be open?

Edited November 5, 2012 by Jay Jay

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Insurance is no joke over here, since my husband works for himself we had to buy our insurance ourselves, for the two of us plus our two kids we pay $1158 per month!!! People in the lower 48 says its cheaper down there but up here its way expensive! Plus pregnancy is not covered in any of the insurances you could buy up here so when I found out I was pregnant again I got a little nervous about the costs. But we found an option to the hospital, who would charge us an arm and a leg, a birth center. We got down from $ 13000 to $ 6000, a bargain Quite a difference from when I had my baby in Sweden in April, it cost me $8

Sorry *hugs* that really sucks.

I was lucky in that when I had my daughter, medicaid covered 100% of the c-section at a really excellent hospital. I suspect that my daughter and I will continue to qualify upon returning to America as my husband will be making a really low salary because he has no BS degree.

Are home birth midwives legal in Alaska? They tend to be cheaper and work with payment plans, etc. An insurance plan that doesn't cover pregnancy? That is really weird! Every insurance plan I've ever had covers pregnancy. I didn't realize that Alaska was so wild West like. Have you guys thought about maybe moving somewhere else in the country where things might be a little easier for you?

[Mr & Mrs Owl 1]

Thanks! I'll be at Centralstation around 7:30 - 8am. Think they'll be open?

Definitely. I recall them opening at 05:00-05:30. You can check the time on their website http://www.pressbyran.se/butiker/

[LlamaInvasion 76]

I had to go to Oslo to have my son since we don't have insurance, nor am I eligible for Medicaid. Good thing too, as I ended up with an emergency C-section, which could have cost as much as $25,000 (or more!) in the US out of pocket. We're not having more kids until we either A) have excellent insurance that will cover everything, or B) live in Norway.

[Alaska2012 462]

Sorry *hugs* that really sucks.

I was lucky in that when I had my daughter, medicaid covered 100% of the c-section at a really excellent hospital. I suspect that my daughter and I will continue to qualify upon returning to America as my husband will be making a really low salary because he has no BS degree.

Are home birth midwives legal in Alaska? They tend to be cheaper and work with payment plans, etc. An insurance plan that doesn't cover pregnancy? That is really weird! Every insurance plan I've ever had covers pregnancy. I didn't realize that Alaska was so wild West like. Have you guys thought about maybe moving somewhere else in the country where things might be a little easier for you?

Yes home birth is quite common in Alaska, the birth center where I'm gonna go to offers it but I really don't want to do it at home, imagine cleaning up the mess after!! And the birth center reminds me much of how it is in Sweden, only midwifes and so on. But since its only midwifes they don't offer any kind of pain relief besides water birth so I'm glad my two previous kids were easy births! Fingers crossed this will too. However, if something does go wrong during the delivery and I need a c-section due to complications they will send me to the emergency room which is just cross the street and that will count as an emergency and be covered by my insurance.

We were joking about me flying home to Sweden to give birth, but then I'll be stuck there for a while. The airlines won't let you fly the last couple of months and once the baby is out you get the hassle of registering the baby at the embassy. I could be gone for anywhere from 2-4 months!! Not sure I'd wanna be without the other kids for that long.....or my husband for that matter! Nah we'll just see this thing as an investment lol.

I don't think we will ever leave Alaska though, there is no place on earth that is more beautiful and its such a great place for the kids to grow up, that is worth much more than money!

[Mr. Borkström 63]

Thanks! I'll be at Centralstation around 7:30 - 8am. Think they'll be open?

I would assume so. I don't know for sure so I can't make any promises. But I assume they are.

I took the bus from Centralstation/T-Centralen to the embassy. You want to get on bus #69 that goes to either Blockhusudden or Kaknästornet. There's a bus stop not far from the train/subway station. You want to get off the bus at the stop that is conveniently called Ambassaderna. It's the stop right after the stop which is called Berwaldhallen. When you get off the bus, the American embassy is right on the other side of the street.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Mr. Borkström

[jaycali 415]

I don't think we will ever leave Alaska though, there is no place on earth that is more beautiful and its such a great place for the kids to grow up, that is worth much more than money!

I'll have to agree - Alaska is absolutely beautiful. Have only been to southeast Alaska so far, but hoping to get up to Denali some time next year

And no beer is better than Alaskan Winter!

I would assume so. I don't know for sure so I can't make any promises. But I assume they are.I took the bus from Centralstation/T-Centralen to the embassy. You want to get on bus #69 that goes to either Blockhusudden or Kaknästornet. There's a bus stop not far from the train/subway station. You want to get off the bus at the stop that is conveniently called Ambassaderna. It's the stop right after the stop which is called Berwaldhallen. When you get off the bus, the American embassy is right on the other side of the street.

Thanks, I was going to walk from Centralstation. Now I'll be taking bus #69 lol. Just got into Arlanda. Got my 300 SEK worth of stamps at Pressbyrån and my round trip ticket with Flygbusserna. Easy enough