My life as a swedish girl in Italy

I have totally forgot to tell you about the other day.

I went to an interiorshop with my boyfriend and his dad to look at some tiles for the bathroom. We entered and had a look around, we talked about our plans and wills and the man in the shop showed us what he had to offer. We had a plan about making the bathroom in white and lightblue and found two different kinds of bathrooms that we liked. We had to choose one and so we did. The tiles are already at my boyfriends house so now I leave it up for the men to finish.

Also the tiles for the kichen are chosen but only half of them have arrived. Since it will be a mix of brown and white tiles and they only had one of the two colours in the shop, we're still waiting for the rest of them to come... And for the work to be done. Then it's just the last part left, the floors.

In the shop we also found the floor that we want in the apartment. Since the doors are in wood, in a colour they call "nut", we decided to take the same colour on our laminate floors. It will be a very light yellow colour on the walls in the livingroom and the kitchen that will make a beautiful contrast with the "nutcolour". I'm really excited and happy. I'm looking forward to the shopping that has to be done!


This is the kitchen

Monday again and I'm back at work.

The children are acting very nice today. They're doing their homework without problems. They're not arguing with each other, they're not screaming or fighting. I'm very happy to be back and to see them again!

I've been without my lovely children for a week. Now we have a week together and then I'll be away for a week. It's just so much coming and going, so many hellos and goodbyes. Anyway, I'm going to Neaples and it's going to be so much fun! We are 3 couples living in a house together, we'll rent scooters to get around and we'll shop alot. We're leaving on friday night... so it's just 5 days left. I'm so excited! I have to get my luggage ready...

Yesterday we had a small surpriseparty for Andrea, a friend of ours, he had his 22nd birthday.

We were hiding in the tent that stood outside the restaurant when we knew that he was coming. We started the sparklers and started to sing and he just turned around and saw us. He was not prepared for it, which was good, otherwise it wouldn't have been a surpriseparty.

We had music, discolights, balloons, sparklers, confetti, snacks... and ended up with millefoglie (cake) & prosecco (sparkling wine). It was fun but at the same time I started to realize that it was my last night with Sandra, I felt a bit empty inside.

Tonight, my boyfriend and I will take Sandra to the airport and I know that the feelings will get worse. Uff, I don't want her to leave! It was destiny that brought us together. We found our soulmates in each other. I can't realize that I've found someone like her, who's so much like me. And now she's leaving.

But you know it Sandra, you will always have a special place in my heart!

This week is different from the other weeks at work. It's quiet. It's empty. It's in order.
The children are not at home.

They went to their grandparents on sunday to stay for a week. Now 2 days have passed and I will continue with this weeks job... To clean the windows. It's actually quite a relaxing job! I have my phone full of music, the volume higher than HIGH and I dance. It must look funny when I stand there, singing and dancing while I'm cleaning the windows. But I like it. That's just how I am.

So... back to work!

How useful is it to be able to learn to speak and to understand many languages?

- Believe me, it's fun and very useful! Like many times here in Italy when Sandra and I talk in a mix of swedish and norweigan and no one understands. Or when I pretend to be a foreigner (which I am, but people don't know that I understand italian), I listen to what people are talking about (mostly bad things or thoughts about others) and I answer in italian. Like when I was on holiday back home in Sweden. I was waiting for my turn in a queue and heard some italians talk about me, that I had entered after them and that it was their turn and not mine. I answered them in italian and said it was ok and the woman got blushed and she was so ashamed. I had so much fun about it and I just felt so powerful!

Anyway, this is how my language-life started:

My first words were in finnish since my parents are from Finland. I´ve never use it much, and I still don´t but I do understand it. Then, when I started kindergarden, I learned swedish since I was living in Sweden. Now, as I said, I do speak swedish to Sandra, I read and answer/comment things on facebook in swedish and I talk on skype/phone with my mum in swedish. It's more than enough.

In 3rd grade I started to study english. I like it because of the simple grammar and small vocabulary and because it's an important language. In Sweden we have alot of tv series/programs in english with swedish subtitles that helps alot to understand and to learn. I have been studying english for 10 years and I just want to continue.

In 6th grade I started studying spanish and studied for 6 years. 6 years for nothing. Now I don't remember much since I haven't used it for 3 years, but it has helped me alot with my italian, which is similar. I started to study last year in October and stopped right before Christmas. This year instead I've improved my italian in different ways. I've been reading stories for the children, watching tv and listening to music, having conversations with friends and I've learned alot, but I still have alot to learn... And I´ll definitly try!

Languages are power.

The food in Italy is amazingly good. It's fresh, has few calories and a very good taste. It's fresh because of the vegetables and the fruit, perfectly matured of the sun from a village close by. It has few calories (if you don't count cheese, bread and pasta) because of few sauces and only good fat like olive oil. It's good and healthy!

I heard, not too long ago, that swedish people are informed about health and that the swedish food is healthy. We do eat alot of vegetables and we do have a model of how to divide proteins, carbohydrades, fat and vegetables on the plate. We know what's right and what's wrong. That's why we eat food from all over the world, like swedish, chinese, italian and so on, that results in a complete diet with a bit of everything.

I thought it was normal in countries to have all kinds of food, but I realized that I was wrong when I came to Italy. Italians are very proud of their food and are a bit fastidious. They're used to their pizza and pasta, their sugarbomb-breakfasts, their coffee, their icecream... and they should be. One thing that's hard for me to understand is that they have alot of sugar and sweet things like cakes and cookies in a country where they eat such healthy food. It's like saying yes and no at the same time.

Now I do say yes. I say yes to a lovely, italian ice cream. Ciao!

When I first thought about staying in Italy I thought about all the difficulties and the negative things about Italy. I was thinking about everything that I had back home in Sweden (family, friends, a home etc.), about money and what I wanted to do here. It was a hard choice, but at the same time I found it very simple.

I already knew what I wanted to do, I want to study to become a nurse. I want to live with my boyfriend here in Italy and create a new beginning of my life, but it's not that simple to say "I want this and I want that" and then just leave. That's when the difficult part appears.

One thing that I found very difficult was to leave everything that I had, my old life, my friends and my family. I also found it hard for the studies. I've spent alot of hours to get information about what to do and how to get in to the school. I've been worried about how to get money for the school and how I will live, where and with who.

Anyway, until now everything has worked out very well.

1. I got all the information for the school and I will apply as soon as I get all my documents. 
2. My family will help me to pay for the school, the books and for food. 
3. I will live with my boyfriend in an apartment wich is a part of his parents house.
4. My friends and my family in Sweden will come and visit me and I will go and visit them.

The solution is better than expected. I still have some papers to sign (about permission and residence), there are still some things to do at my boyfriends house (the bathroom and the kitchen) and i still have to apply for the school. But until now everything feels very good and I´m very lucky. I definately made a good choice!