I have spent months planning _ filling out job and residence permit applications, researching winter weather patterns, learning about the tall and blond inhabitants of my new home, and unloading not-so-prized belongings on friends.
I have kept quiet for months, barely able to keep my secret from all of you, waiting until everything was lined up before I shook your worlds.
But now it is finally official: I’m moving to Stockholm.
The move is a terribly exciting one for me as I’ve wanted to move back to Europe since living in London for a year in college. It is also a chance to learn Swedish, a strange and beautiful language that makes everyone who speaks it sound like they’re tripping over their tongues. And I have a new job that will hopefully bring new challenges.
But why Sweden, you might ask? It’s cold, dark and Swedes eat fermented fish like potato chips (ok I made that up, but I want to impress upon you the scariness of fermented fish consumption). I am moving to the land of banana-flavored caviar in a tube and ketchup on pasta (yes you read that right) for love. After falling for a Swede earlier this year and his unexpected departure from Bangkok over the summer, I decided it was time for a change.
My time in Bangkok has been an incredible adventure but I’ve grown weary of the language barrier, the cultural differences I can’t seem to adapt to, and the suffocating heat. During the past year I have often missed the West and longed to move to a country that feels more like home. And Stockholm’s lovely old buildings, cosmopolitan attitude, excellent English-language speaking abilities and wintry weather are just what I’ve been missing.
Have no fear, though. Urban Pilgrim will be reporting from Sweden starting October 10 and will be better than ever. I am hopeful the excitement and curiosities of Stockholm will breathe new life into this blog, as I chronicle moving to yet another international city I’ve never been to.
In the meantime, I will enjoy my dwindling time here and a trip to Thailand’s Railay Beach this week. Photos of what I hear is the most beautiful beach in Thailand will be shared!
Urban Pilgrim 