Step-by-step in Sweden : Checklist

It has been about one and a half months since I wrote my little to-do list and I continuously tried to remind myself that I will be able to achieve all these things through that magic word - patience.

I'm happy to share to you guys that I am finally having some progress in this country.  After 2 and a half years, that is.

Let me go through my little list that I made on my previous post:

1. I need a job. (in progress)

Any job, really.  Part-time, full-time, temporary.  I don't care! I just need one.

I lost count on how many I applied for! Frustrating. I finally got one last week! Thanks to the help of my wonderful husband.  So hopefully  I will start working as a marketing assistant for this MVNO, full-time.  I'll tell you all the good and bad things about it once I start. After all, it's going to be my first job in Sweden.

2. Need to get educated in SWEDISH. (in progress)

I see available well-paid jobs within healthcare.  Since I studied biology in the US, I'm really interested in getting into Sweden's 3-year nursing program.  I want to start that in the beginning of next year, which leaves me four months of waiting.  What do I do in the meantime?  Work my butt off.

Once I start my new job, which is within the field of administration, reception, and costumer service, I need to still keep looking for similar jobs.  First, because (as much as I want to stay committed in one job) I have no guarantee if I will be a permanent employee, and second, If by any chance this job is an extremely big pain, It wouldn't hurt to send a resume to another company.  Let's hope it's not that bad.

I couldn't apply for nursing this year because my Swedish language grades came a couple of days after the registration deadline, bummer, which is why I have to wait till next spring.  Talk about patience! I did, however, register for a 20-week receptionist program which will start in october. It's a full-time distance-learning program which will give me a certificate in the field of administration, something I will already be working on, but hopefully with this recognition, I might either get a better paying job or a promotion.  Options sound pretty good.

So that's what I do while I hopefully study sjuksköterska utbildning for 3 whole years.

3.  I still need a svenskt körkort.  (no action taken).

Yea. I really need to get that.

4.  I need a permanent residence permit. (CHECK)

And its a huge relief!  I got my permanent residency card from the Migrationsverket last month.  Now i regret making a stupid ID-card for 400sek.  But I am sure Swedes still prefer the typical ID over an alien residency card.

~~~

So that's what's going on!

We are still in the month of Ramadan, where all Muslims fast from dawn  till sunset, and doing that in Sweden at this time of the year is a major test! 20 hours!

I would sit in front of the table filled with delicious food, fresh fruits and refreshments right before sunset and sometimes it seems that the minutes will never move.  I think of how hard it is to be patient and wonder how everything in life is like this.  There is never an easy way out.  If you want something great, you can't just grab it and digest it.  We earn through hardship, and only then do we fully appreciate the value of something so special.  So when the sun suddenly sets, I appreciate that table full of food that some people don't even get a piece of in a day.  All that patience and hardship pays off when Sweden's cool refreshing water goes down my throat. I love Sweden's water!

So that's how I think of it.  Life here is progressing for me.  Working hard will get me to the place I want to be.