Dorothee International I was back in Sweden 15th Dec 2016 after travelling the world for 12 month and 2 weeks. That was the first part of my travel around the world. My first destinations have been:
On this page I tell you, why I took a break as well as you can find here my Swedish diary.
The most reason for going home again was, that I want prepare the next part of my travel around the world. I need some vaccinations and maybe it is possible abroad, too, without being a citizen of the other country, but I feel more save to take the vaccinations in Sweden. I have to pay for them, wherever I am and I do not know the prices from other countries, but I think there are not lots of countries, where it would be cheaper than in Sweden. Another reason to go back home is, that I have to do it for the Swedish law. By being abroad more than a year, I would not longer be registered in Sweden and that means: Not health-insured either. The health insurance is only working in Europe, but anyway I have to be careful about it, because I have to check my health almost once a year for different causes.
Thursday 15th Dec 2016 I was back in Sweden. I came by flight from Los Angeles, USA to Copenhagen, Denmark and took the commuter train from there to Malmo. You can read more about it on dorotheeinnorthamerica/california and scroll down to the 15th Dec 2016. There are two exits for the commuter train station “Triangeln” and I was of course, waiting at the wrong one. I did not try at the other one either, thinking, that I might miss my daughter when moving. Though my daughter found me there at least. She took me to her home by commuter bus and on her expenses. One need to have a special commuter card to be able to pay for the ride. Unfortunately these cards are only working, when you fill them more than once a year. Therefore I do not have an own one.
We did not spend a lot of time together, because my daughter was on her way to a theatre and should meet her boyfriend there as well. After the theatre my daughter and her boyfriend were going home to his apartment, because she lives with him. She relocated, when there has been a knife murder in her staircase some month ago. She did not feel secure anymore. She also told me, that she won’t move back to the apartment, but end to rent it soon. I was late to bed that evening, because I fixed my things and clothes. Eventually I was falling asleep, when I wrote my notes.
Friday, 16th Dec 2016 I was still very tired, when I awoke and was leaving the bed as late as 11am. Around 1pm my daughter and her boyfriend visited me for a short while. My daughter and me was then going to my son, who also lives in Malmo. At his home I checked my belongings, I have stored there on the attic as well as in the basement. I did not really remember, what of my gods I saved and what I sold respectively gave away, when I was moving from Germany to Malta in 2014.
I took a suitcase with winter clothes and a box with photo albums to my daughter’s apartment with the help of her boyfriend – by car. Before this, my daughter, my son and me were going by commuter bus to the boyfriend’s home. We were invited for dinner och it was delicious. Afterwards my daughter and me booked train tickets for Malmo – Stockholm, where I will live for a while with my youngest son and his family and she will spend Christmas with us.
Saturday, 17th Dec 2016 I could not sleep during the night. It happens from time to time, but not very often, maybe twice a year. After breakfast I made the dishes, dressed and used the Internet. Around noon I was going to Helsingborg, together with my daughter, to see my oldest son, whose birthday it was this day. I had bought a gateaux for him, but the carer at the place, where he has his supervised apartment (he has Asperger’s syndrome) had baked a cake for him. In addition to that, this and the other attendant involved in his life, did decorate the dining room, where we celebrated his birthday, even it was not a special one. With this occasion I was happy to hear, that there were new attendant, who did walk him and also were accompanying him to the supermarket. Furthermore he had helped him with the cleaning of his apartment, but the washroom. Anyway it was a mess in his apartment, because he is collecting a lot of really unnecessary things like old flyers.
Around 6pm my daughter and me were going back to Malmo, where she stayed with her boyfriend again and I in her apartment. Before I was going to bed I had a meal and was also using the Internet again.
Sunday, 18th Dec 2016 I slept most of the day. Actually I would have loved to see my son in Malmo again, but his phone was not working yet again – I had left my old smart phone to him two days ago, because his old one was not working anymore by an accident. He did not answer on my email either. I surfed the Internet between 3pm and 9pm, took a shower and went shopping at the supermarket close by. I ended the day by using the Internet again.
Monday, 19th Dec 2016 I slept again until 3pm. I think I am still living in the time zone of California. I was visiting my son in Malmo from around 5pm for a couple of hours. I was looking for my extra battery for my tablet and other things. Daniel ordered pizza by Foodora, what was working very well. I also had to help him to look for his credit card. He did not remember, where he had put the new one, which came some days before. I was on my way to my daughter’s home around 11pm. Thinking about the knife murder, my daughter had told me before, I did not feel well, but there were nearly no people outside and the few did not bother me.
In the evening my daughter came to pack more of her belongings in boxes and bags for her finally move to her boyfriend. She asked her boyfriend to pick her up, what he did. Even this evening I could not fall asleep, but the next day.
Tuesday, 20th Dec 2016 I fell asleep around 4am, but awoke around 9am already. After breakfast and getting dressed I was on my way to my son in Malmo again. This day I was for a long while on the attic at my son’s home. I found more photos and also negatives, but not the battery I was looking for. I put the boxes together, which were mine and I will pick up later.
I was back in my daughter’s apartment around 4pm cooked the dinner for the day and prepared a lunch pack for the upcoming day. I also put my photos and negatives in a save place at my daughter’s. Before going to bed I prepared for my travel home to Stockholm.
Wednesday, 21st Dec 2016 I was up at 6:30am, because always, when I am going by flight, train or long haul bus I am afraid to miss it. Around 8am I was going to the bus stop nearby to go to the central station with two big suitcases and two small bags. Fortunately, an other passenger, who entered the bus, was helping me with one of my suitcases. “Snälltåget” (a train with more stops than the usual ones and therefore taking more time, but a cheap one) from Malmo Central left at 9:20am and I was very nervous, if my daughter will make it in time. I was happy, when she finally arrived around 9:10am. She told me, that it still is early enough ;-).
The train arrived at Stockholm Central in time (2:20pm). We took the underground, here called T-bana, to go to the suburb, where my youngest son is living with his family. Well there I soon had to answer questions about my latest travel. Later that day I followed him to the next shopping centre (Skarholmens Centrum) for buying some food and I had to pick up my new SIM-card. Back at home my son cooked chicken burgers, before the kids were brought to bed.
Thursday, 22nd Dec 2016 I actually did only sleep until 2am, but was later falling asleep again. I was awake one more time at 6am, but was getting up at 11am. After I dressed and had brunch my daughter and me were walking to the Skarholmens Centrum for buying Christmas gifts for my grandchildren. I invited my daughter for lunch at the shopping centre. Meanwhile she ate a salad with avocado and cottage cheese did I eat a pie with a special Swedish cheese, called “Vasterbottens cheese”. It was delicious. Full of food and happiness we went back to my son’s home. By the way he was coming from work as late as 7:30pm. He had a long day that day.
Friday, 23rd Dec 2016 is the day, we call “Little Christmas Eve” (lille julafton), even it is which weekday ever. This day we usually prepare for Christmas, that means to put the Christmas tree inside and decorate it as well as other things, related to the Christmas days. My daughter and I also were one more time to Skarholmens Centrum. She did not find a Christmas gift the day before, or better, she could not decided, what she want to buy. This day she finally did, but it took a long while for her.
Rest of the day we were at home with the family of my son and himself, too. He had a day off.
Saturday, 24th Dec 2016 we celebrated Christmas Eve as every year. In Sweden all the family members and the neighbors say “Merry Christmas”, when they meet, even early in the morning. I awoke around 8am, though I finally am back to Middle European Time Zone. My son and his wife had already placed the Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree and the kids were eager to open them, but were not allowed yet. My son was cooking the special Christmas Meal and I gave him some welcomed advises. Around 3pm a sister and a brother (together with his girlfriend) of my daughter in law arrived and the Christmas gifts were opened. It was still time for some parts of the Christmas “Donald Duck” movies on TV before the big Christmas buffet (smorgasbord). My daughter was already going to bed around 6pm, but not the kids and not me either.
In the evening I uploaded photos from one of my SD-cards to my laptop and Google photos. That is not a usual occupation on Christmas Eve, but I am not a lot for to play with the kids, because of my hard time to bring up my kids by my own.
Sunday, 25th Dec 2016 all of us had a lazy morning, but my daughter in law. The elder one of my grandchildren had vomited in the bed and she had to take care about him and the bed as well. I took a short walk to the supermarket nearby for buying some milk and bran. This day we had only left overs from the day before for lunch as it is usual in Sweden. The whole afternoon we were watching movies and I uploaded more photos.
Later on my son invited us for Swedish Cheese cake (ostkaka). It is very special and not at all similar to the cake, usually known as cheese cake. The rest of the day, but one more meal, I spent again with uploading photos and watching movies.
Monday, 26th Dec 2016 is still a holiday in Sweden and we spent the day at home as well. I have had a bad night, because my eldest grandchildren and me are sharing a bunk bed and he made a lot of noise while sleeping for a bad cold. While my son’s family took a walk in the afternoon, I was staying at home, trying to get some sleep.
The Swedish tradition means, that this day there is a kind of fish for dinner, calles “lutfisk”, what is stockfish. One has to soak it for days, before it can be cooked and will be served with a warm, white sauce and boiled fresh (from frozen) green peas. The fish does not really taste anything and the texture is like a very soft sponge. Though we do not like it and we do not follow that tradition. I think there are not many Swedish people, who is following that tradition.
In the evening there was again a brother of my daughter in law and his girlfriend visiting. By the way my daughter in law has two brothers and two sisters.
Tuesday 27th Dec 2016 I was awake quite late, because I was first falling asleep after a bad cough of my elder grandson. I had a shower as soon as possible, but with 6 people and one bathroom, I had to wait until after breakfast.
This day my daughter told me, that I have been a very bad mother and what I had done wrong, she named especially one occasion, she told me, I had betrayed her. I asked her, how to measure love and told her, that I tried my best and I also apologized, that I have not been the great mum I always wished to be. At the end my daughter told me, that my sons, who were a part of that occasion, she felt betrayed, anyway had apologised, but not me. I told her, that I had, but she had not listened.
Wednesday, 28th Dec 2016 I only had slept for three hours during the night, because of the allegations of my daughter, the day before. Anyway I could sleep three more hours later that day. Maria was going back home to Malmo by train and I was allowed to hug her good-bye. I was happy about that.
My son did install the operating system Windows on my laptop. I had asked him to do so, because of the problems I have had with the OS Linux I had used so far. Sometimes it is hard to find drivers for printers etc. for Linux and I am not happy for it. It took many hours to install the OS and I also had to back up my documents and photos and upload them later again. It became very late before I was going to sleep.
Thursday, 29th Dec 2016 I awoke around 10am. We adults were redecorating the Christmas tree before lunch. I also were to the supermarket nearby for buying almond milk, because of my allergy against cow milk products. I get rashes after drinking or eating of it. Obviously I helped with the dishes.
In the afternoon I finally watched the movie “Freddy unter fremden Sternen” (Freddy under foreign stars). I had bought that movie more than a year ago, because the one I have had broken, when I tried to watch it on Malta. In the evening we were visiting a sister (and her male partner) of my daughter in law. There were a lot of people meeting including her brothers. Dinner was served as well as sweets shared.
Friday, 30th Dec 2016 Even it was the last but one day of the year I had an appointment at an optician for new glasses as well as I send a sample for a cancer test of the colon to the hospital. These were also the only activities that day, but working with the uploads / back up of my movies from my last travel and updating my blog.
Saturday, 31st Dec 2016 I was working with my movies and blog until 4am and therefore up late, but that did not matter, because I will stay up late that night. I used my time for a walk and also was one more time on the Internet.
While my daughter in law was preparing for the upcoming celebration, I took a shower. We, that means: My son and his family and me, left exactly at 5pm and I have been told, that it was the first time, they really left in time. Usually they are running late. We were on our way to a brother of my daughter in law to celebrate New Years Eve and New Year, together with other relatives and friends. There were quite many children part of the party, where sweets and snacks were offered all the time and the kids were happy in them as well as it made them keeping awake half the night.
By the way, we were the first, who arrived. There were dinner served with an entrée, main meal and a dessert. Anyway they did not show us the house – walking around to all the rooms – as it is usual in Sweden. I learned anyway that it was a really big house, because most of us slept over there. I drank mostly water, as usual, but had champagne at midnight to wish a “Happy New Year”.
Some minutes after midnight we left the building and walked to a good place to see the fireworks, which other people had. It was a nice walk, too.
Dorothee International 