I arrived into the hotel today. This is the first day that I am a resident of the Nordics (although I don’t have a home yet). The flight was actually good and I slept a lot. When I was all said and done, I had 2 big suitcases, a duffle bag, a backpack and a computer bag. It seems like a lot, but I had to also pack for the possibility that what I have in my luggage is all I will ever be allowed to have with me. So I think that I did quite OK for myself.<\/p>\n
Guess what? When I checked e-mail today, I got a note from the Swedish Consulate in New York that my work\/residence permit had been approved on Friday. Of course! Wait until I leave the country to let me know. The good news is that it is approved far ahead of schedule. These things typically take 3 months. I have managed to go through this process in 6 weeks. And I have my Swedish friend to thank for that — certainly not the IBM Sweden RDM (see previous post) who refused to help me.<\/p>\n
Anyway, what this all means is that I will only have to spend a week in Norway and expect to fly to Sweden on 31 August or 1 September, depending on if we can find an apartment hotel. Right now that means Kista, Sweden (right next to the IBM office), but I will see if there is another place that we can select. Kista is nice, but it is also far from the city and part of what I need to do is to explore Stockholm and learn more about it. If there is a way that I can get a temporarily furnished place in Stockholm than I will do that. I guess it just all depends on cost. Worst case scenario, I can pick Kista — which is not all that bad.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I am dead tired and will spend the rest of the day sleeping — lord knows I need it. I will write again soon. It has been a good day…lots accomplished and some very good news. Besides, tomorrow I want to go experience what Norway has got to offer and see some of the sights. Monday through Thursday will be very busy for me as well and I have a lot of learning to do and have to do it quickly.<\/p>\n
Ciao, Rodney<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I arrived into the hotel today. This is the first day that I am a resident of the Nordics (although I don’t have a home yet). The flight was actually good and I slept a lot. When I was all said and done, I had 2 big suitcases, a duffle bag, a backpack and a … Continue reading Day 1: The Beginning of My New Reality<\/span>