Made it safe and sound and then some...

G getting ready to go see M

Well G and I made it without any minor incidents.  Both flights were fine, the flight attendants were not only helpful but very friendly, and the lady who sat with us to London saw G and said "Looks like I will be in good company."

view out our window, 9ish 

G did a good job of winning over everyone she came into contact with. She made special friends with a group of Spanish teenagers returning home after some time in Washington, she flirted with the guy sitting across the aisle from us, and every grandma and grandpa was willing to take her home with them.

Our only minor hiccup came when we had to transfer from one flight to the next.  We had to go through security again and all the food I had stashed for G triggered extra searches.  We were cutting it close to begin with, and we did not make it.  Luckily we were able to get on the next flight so that gave us 3 hours to kill in Heathrow.  G ran around like a mad woman and I chased after her.  At least she was enjoying herself.

After getting in a lot later than expected, we got a good nights sleep and prepared for our adventure the next day.  Just like M's first day, we had to venture to Solna to get registered as our first step in getting residency here.  Since M had learned the ropes of getting around, our adventure was much smoother than his first trip.  Only misstep was getting off the bus 1 or 2 stops to soon. The registry office was also running late so we made it just in time. Once that was done we got on a bus and explored and ate where M works and close to our future home.

G's bedroom

On Friday M went to work leaving G and I in Nacka.  Let me first describe our temporary housing. It is very nice and furnished by Ikea, including the fridge but it is the size and layout of my studio apartment in grad school.  It was fine for one person maybe two but not three. Especially when one is a newly walking 1-year old, this place feels very small.  We are making it work and are only here for one more week.  G is sleeping in the kitchen and we are partially living out of suitcases.  Saying all that and being really jet lagged and not wanting to figure it out for myself, G and I headed to M for food, a grand tour, and meeting his new coworkers.

Today we ventured Södermalm, and tomorrow we will get me a SIM card so that at least I will be able to figure out where I am.  I know I am being very descriptive but we really didn't see or do much except wander.  And since I am really out of it I only remembered to take a few pictures.  Also, most of Stockholm except in the tourist areas basically shuts down for July so people can go on holiday. We will go back and report more thoroughly when everything is open.  As for now I leave you with the few pictures I did remember to take.  

beach at Södermalm

lake near temp house, 10pm

So long, farewell... Auf Weidersehen, goodbye

Team Green-Beitch*

I have been working on our Farewell Seattle! post in my head since I decided that I should write a blog. AND now it has come...We are excited to start this new adventure while at the same time terrified of all the unknowns. We are leaving behind friends that have become family, a wonderful house and a beautiful city.  I have no fear that we will be fine in Stockholm.  M alone has already booked our social calendar for the next month and found us a great place to live.  But I still lack the words to express everything that I am feeling so...without much ado I leave Seattle with these thoughts:

The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye...until we meet again. - Jimi Hendrix

Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry. - Dr. Seuss

So long and Thanks for all the fish- Douglas Adams

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. - Winnie the Pooh

*Photo by Krista at Love Song Photo.

G in a flower pot

House Hunters International

As G and I head to Seattle for our last week in the USA, M went out house hunting. Without further ado, here is his report.

recommended area to live in from a Swede

The housing market is Stockholm is very much like Seattle, San Francisco and New York City. To give some background... Stockholm has a thriving economy with lots of tech companies and start-ups and is actually a small city with very strict building codes around preservation. The result is much more demand than supply in the housing market.

All I've been hearing from coworkers is how difficult it is to find a place and how it may take a while and how hard it can be, etc. At the same time, I spoke to some people who relocated for Spotify from California that had the same relocation agent and they had no problems except that 5 minutes after looking at their top choice of apartments, it had been claimed by someone else! So I prepared myself to make a quick decision.

The requirements where a two bedroom apartment in central Stockholm and with our conservative budget we were told this could be a stretch. We want to be in the middle of the action as we don't know how long we'll stay here and as DaD says, we don't want to be in Stockholm and be 'house poor'. So we expected to get a 1 bedroom and make it work until R found a job and we felt we could spend a bit more. With that, I'll describe the day...

I finally got to meet Ines, my French relocation agent who I've been working with for 3 months, in-person at her office in Ostermalm for a quick presentation about the market and how things work over here. It was a good overview with some useful information. After that, we hopped in her car and set out on the hunt. She had arranged viewings for 5 properties. I had a print out overview of the properties and of course, I ignored the presentation and really had to take a look at what she had arranged. I started seeing Vasastan, Sodermalm and Ostermalm and got excited because these were our top choices for location. So at least there will be options! Even a 2 bedroom in Vasastan in our budget, there's hope!

The first property was a 1 bedroom in Ostermalm that was about 650 sq ft. It was an okay place in a very good location and it would have worked, for a while. Ostermalm is the most posh area of Stockholm and would certainly be a nice area to live in. However, what it makes up in poshiness, it lacks in interesting. It was comforting to see a place this size and have the feeling that it could work even though I was pretty sure it was not THE place. Sorry, no pictures of this one.

Next was the 2 bedroom in Vasastan, 860 sq ft and 1km from work and close to everything. Vasastan is the northern part of Central Stockholm. It has lots of old beautiful buildings, families, parks and great bars and restaurants. The apartment is on the fifth floor with no elevator, BUT it had a stroller closet on the first floor. Ok, not even much smaller than our house in Seattle. Beautiful hardwoods, high-ceilings, plenty of space and built-in exercise. We could even have visitors stay with us in this place! It quickly moved to the top of the list BUT there was still a place in Sodermalm.

living room

entry

fireplace!!

We made a trip out to the suburb of Solna which isn't that far away. The place was ok and cheaper but too out far and not as nice as Vasastan. Meh, next!

We hopped in the car and headed South to Sodermalm. Sodermalm is an island in central Stockholm that is south of the city center. It is usually compared to Greenwich Village or for Seattleites, Pike/Pine in Capitol Hill. Except it is way more kid friend. But kid friendly is just Stockholm in general.

There were two properties in Sodermalm however we skipped one because it was a furnished 1 bedroom and only 540 sq ft. Probably two small. Instead we got a coffee and some lunch at a cafe while we waited for to see the final option. The final option was a 780 sq ft 1 bedroom. Ines had never seen this one before so she didn't know what to expect. I got super excited about it based on the location. It was on a side street with awesome bars and restaurants and very European feeling. The building was beautiful on the outside and there was so much cool stuff in the neighbourhood. I imagined it to be this big open lofty space since it only had 1 bedroom.  I loved the place but in liveable space it was much more akin to the size of the Ostermalm apartment due to its architectural features.

Anyways, it's so easy to get anywhere in Stockholm and we can break the lease if we give 3 months notice so we will still have options if we want to make a change! We could do Sodermalm but I knew the Vasastan place would be much more comfortable and be something we could stay in for longer.

Ines cleared it with the leasing agents that I could have the evening to decide. She dropped me at the bus station and quickly started entering the positives and the negatives into a notepad on my phone. It was pretty clear Vasastan would be the winner. I phoned my new friend Anna who grew up in Vasastan and she gave me the feedback that it would be a good location (Thanks Anna!). I went home and waited for R to wake up. I gave her the overview and we chose Vasastan. Hooray! Our lease starts August 1st and our stuff arrives August 2nd. Now if only my girls would get here, life would be perfect!

Melting...

As M explores Stockholm. G and I are hanging out waiting for the timer to hit zero.  For now here is the WWWWH of this stretch of our journey.

who needs clothes in this weather

WHERE

We are in Kennewick, Washington, which is one of the Tri-Cities: Richland, Kennewick and Pasco (and now West Richland, which will change the whole "Tri" bit).  For those of you who don't know much about Washington geography, we are located at the confluence of the Columbia, Yakima, and Snake Rivers in a place called the Columbia Basin. It is a widely assumed myth that Washington state is all rain and evergreens but here in the Tri-Cities it hardly rains and temperatures get to 100+, really a desert.  We are melting; I had to buy shorts and G spends as much time as she can in a diaper or less near or in water.

pool time fun

WHEN

We got here the day after Marc left and we stay until July 15 when we will head back to Seattle for a week.

HOW

My mom and dad drove over to Seattle, helped pack and ship us off, sent M on his way, and brought G and me back with them to Kennewick.

water park fun

WHAT

My family and I moved to Kennewick in 1982.  My parents still live in the same house for exactly 32 years.  It is always interesting coming back to a place that I am very familiar with but at the same time a visitor.  Luckily, I have great friends and family to visit with and enjoy the time we have here.  Some of the highlights:

1. Splash Gardens- it is sprinklers on speed and G loves it!
2. Storytime at the library, need I say more.
3. Naked baby running around after a bath.  (Sorry no public pictures, saving them for G's first boyfriend). As mentioned before it is HOT here and what better way to cool down after a long day of sweating but run around NUDE to dry off. (Nude Beitchman)
4. Blueberries-  Up until July 7 (Happy Birthday Grandma) G refused blueberries, she would spit them out. Then one day she decided to bite into one and proceeded to demolish off a pint of blueberries.
5. Friends- So far we have been able to visit with my longest friend, of exactly 32 years, and her family, my third grade teacher's daughter turned roommate and her family and family friends that have known me since I wasn't much older than G.
Soon we will meet up with a good college friend and his family and visit my friend recovering from a minor procedure.  We are very fortunate to be able to spend time and share Hambre the Monster cup with all of them and with you.

G's photo taking skills

WHY

You might be asking why didn't you just go over with M at the end of June.  Well that is much like an onion with lots of layers.  But the long and short of it is that we are minimizing the time that Team Green-Beitch has to live in a studio apartment, allow M to get into the groove without having to worry about G's groove and let me hang with family and friends.  

new night time tradition

First days...

This blog is the journeys and trials of Team Green-Beitch.  I am the Green part of the team and M & G are the Beitches. So...we thought it would be a good idea that M contribute to the blog.  So without much ado here is M and his journey navigating Stockholm without his partner in crime and sidekick. 

Rachel covered us leaving Seattle so I'll pick up my part of the journey from there. I've been in Stockholm for 4 days and it has been a whirlwind. 

I landed in Stockholm on Sunday night. The flight was uneventful until I got to baggage claim. There were hundreds of unclaimed bags lying around which was odd. Turns out Heathrow was having major problems getting bags to their destination. 

One of my bags arrived and then I waited and waited and waited and the other one didn't show. 

Luckily, the one that arrived had the important stuff except for the plug adapters. I was told there was a good chance the bag was on the next flight but if I didn't stay to check it could take a week to get it. Needing at least the iPad to work until Tuesday I decided to wait for the 2.5 extra hours which was the right choice even though it felt like an eternity.

I got in a cab bleary eyed from the travel to get to our temporary apartment. Turns out the apartments are in the top floor of an office building with no clear signage. I asked some people and they didn’t know where it was. I dragged my 100 lbs of luggage around the back and saw a small sign for the Beautiful Apartments. Whew, I made it!

I was overtired but couldn’t sleep. I managed about 2 hours before Monday showed up and needed to run errands. Armed with only the iPad and no connectivity I journeyed to the migration bored, north of Stockholm, to get biometrics taken. I had a 10am appointment and left hours early. A lady at the first bus stop told me to take the metro which totally threw me off. I was in the vicinity but not walking distance. After walking around looking for the street names and not seeing anyone to ask for help I decided to hop in a cab at the metro station and made it. 

The rest of the errands were in central Stockholm so I was able to pop in and out of coffee shops for connectivity.

Tuesday was the first work day. Met my new manager and "buddy" first thing and proceeded to go get my supplies. They ordered me a Swedish laptop, whoops! Even though my manager clearly specified US English. Luckily, it’s just for the laptop keyboard.

Work has been great. I am the only American on a team of 3 Swedes and 3 Spaniards. It was a revelation realizing I am the weird one. Everyone speaks English MOST of the time. I’ll write more about work later. 

I will say that I can tell already that Spotify is a special company. Here’s a few pics from the office, including the lunch from my team retrospective (part of Agile development) - Mexican burgers!

 

My desk

The hallway

Burger!

I haven't had much time to explore Stockholm except for the random times I stay on the train for an extra stop or exit the subway on the wrong side. I’m planning to wait for most exploring until Rachel and Gaby arrive because I want to experience it with them for the first time. But here's a few pics from my mishaps...

Gondolen restaurant and observation deck

An outside restaurant in Sodermalm