Introduction

I moved to Stockholm on September 23, 2012, with three suitcases, three small pieces of carry-on luggage, a portable crib, a combination stroller/car seat, a husband with a brand-new job as an assistant professor, and a son who had just turned two the previous week. We left our beloved apartment in Washington, DC, on August 31, taking three weeks or so to visit my parents and my in-laws before depriving them of their adored grandson by whisking him away to the wilds of Scandinavia. The prolonged journey also had something to do with the fact that all our belongings (other than those mentioned above) were arriving by cargo ship, which would take several weeks. In fact, we still do not have those belongings. Maybe one day I'll look back on this brief (oh please let it be brief) period of bare rooms and of eating on the floor and off the windowsills and of sleeping on air mattresses for far longer than is intended, and I will laugh and laugh. But for now my back just hurts.

But where was I going with all of this? Oh, right, that I have a tendency to be negative and pessimistic and to complain too much. Part of my reasoning behind writing about this experience is to  keep in mind that it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that other people only dream of, so I shouldn't take it for granted and should view it as an adventure (cutting edge design! pretty buildings and boats! prettier people!) and not a punishment (dreary weather and dark, dark winters, rotten fish among other delicacies, a language that currently feels impossible to learn).

I will write about the bad but will aim to make my reflections as fair as possible. There will be positive and funny experiences, too! And mainly I'm writing because I like to write and I feel as though I've forgotten how to do it since becoming a mom. Life as a stay at home mom can be exhilarating (no, seriously, witnessing someone figure out how to walk or how to put words together and express himself in often hilarious ways is thrilling, especially when you know you've had a direct hand in it), but it can also be tedious and mind-liquefying. I want an outlet to record musings, to vent, to be creative, to keep my mind sharp, to remember that I'm still me even though I'm inhabiting a strange place.

I've started many a blog in the past, all of which either came to natural conclusions or just petered out. I'm not going to set out a ton of concrete goals right now. No themed posts each week or photos of my outfits or, more appropriate, Swedish outfits. In fact, there probably won't be many photos here at all, though I'm taking at least one photo a day for my own personal record. I'm going to shoot for at least one post a week and see where things go from there. Glad to have you along.