So finally hubby and myself have started our Swedish Lessons. which I feel is a big step towards settling here and admitting we live here now :)
My husband goes to Swedish Class for 2 and a half hours twice a week in the evenings, which his company are lovely enough to pay for and I go to Swedish Class every weekday for 5 hours (8am to 1pm) which fantastically is a free service by the government for Immigrants to Sweden.
SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) is made up of 4 levels A to D and by the time you complete D you should be at a level where you could get a job in Sweden using a good strong knowledge of Swedish reading, writing, listening and speaking and carry on learning from there.
When you first sign up they take into account what other languages you can speak, how educated you are and your availability.
From this they then decide which course to start you on out of a possible 3 levels. A = basic, B = Middle and C = Advanced. No matter which level you start on you have to complete that level with an exam and move onto the next until you have completed D.
As I was educated to degree level and had previously learnt other languages I was put onto course C and as I was available to go to college every day I was put onto the accelerated course as I would be able to do the extra hours and homework needed to progress at a quicker speed to the usual course.
I started SFI on the 9th January and have now been going a month and hubby has been going for 2 weeks. We are both really loving our classes and it is amazing how much we have both already learnt in such a short time. Walking around town or sitting on a bus you kind of realise you understand the signs or what people are saying even if you have felt like it hasn't actually been going in.
We have even started to make sure when we speak to each other about prices or what the time is etc we try to answer in Swedish....
As I said previously it really does feel like it is helping us live here even more. Slowly taking in and understanding the language really helps but the other big plus side is it has given both of us a few more new circles of friends, which again has really helped with the integration.
I know I no longer feel like all we do is live hubby's life always spending it with his friends, his work etc because we actually spend time with my friends and my new connections and it is a really liberating feeling.
The connections and group of friends I have made at SFI and on Twitter are probably the reason I can handle my homesickness so well now because I have people who get me and what I am going through moving to a new country because they have also done it and I can talk to them about what were going through, feeling etc and it makes me feel like yes I can live in Sweden, I can make it work, I can make my own new friends, get a whole new social life and get my own independence back.
Like my husband recently said I have grown up since moving here and have come out of my shell. Well if that's the case I can't wait to see how much of amazing time I'm having in a year when it's all more established and Swedish is even easier to speak, read, write and listen to.... <3
Before I do post this blog I can't not mention the Amazing time our Malmo friends showed me and my Husband for his birthday. Twenty of his friends turned up at the restaurant we had booked for his birthday and we had one of the best nights ever!!! It brought a tear to my eye how loved my husband was and what a great circle of friends he/we had gained is a little less then a year. You guys were Brilliant and I know that showed Kunal and I how much we love living here and how much we love you all.
My husband goes to Swedish Class for 2 and a half hours twice a week in the evenings, which his company are lovely enough to pay for and I go to Swedish Class every weekday for 5 hours (8am to 1pm) which fantastically is a free service by the government for Immigrants to Sweden.
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| Logo of mine & hubby's new college |
When you first sign up they take into account what other languages you can speak, how educated you are and your availability.
From this they then decide which course to start you on out of a possible 3 levels. A = basic, B = Middle and C = Advanced. No matter which level you start on you have to complete that level with an exam and move onto the next until you have completed D.
As I was educated to degree level and had previously learnt other languages I was put onto course C and as I was available to go to college every day I was put onto the accelerated course as I would be able to do the extra hours and homework needed to progress at a quicker speed to the usual course.
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| Homework time for me :) |
I started SFI on the 9th January and have now been going a month and hubby has been going for 2 weeks. We are both really loving our classes and it is amazing how much we have both already learnt in such a short time. Walking around town or sitting on a bus you kind of realise you understand the signs or what people are saying even if you have felt like it hasn't actually been going in.
We have even started to make sure when we speak to each other about prices or what the time is etc we try to answer in Swedish....
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| Hubby & I dressed for Swedish Weather <3 |
I know I no longer feel like all we do is live hubby's life always spending it with his friends, his work etc because we actually spend time with my friends and my new connections and it is a really liberating feeling.
 |
| The number of people I follow and follow me has risen a lot since moving to Malmö on Twitter and they have all helped me so much to get settled |
The connections and group of friends I have made at SFI and on Twitter are probably the reason I can handle my homesickness so well now because I have people who get me and what I am going through moving to a new country because they have also done it and I can talk to them about what were going through, feeling etc and it makes me feel like yes I can live in Sweden, I can make it work, I can make my own new friends, get a whole new social life and get my own independence back.
Like my husband recently said I have grown up since moving here and have come out of my shell. Well if that's the case I can't wait to see how much of amazing time I'm having in a year when it's all more established and Swedish is even easier to speak, read, write and listen to.... <3
Before I do post this blog I can't not mention the Amazing time our Malmo friends showed me and my Husband for his birthday. Twenty of his friends turned up at the restaurant we had booked for his birthday and we had one of the best nights ever!!! It brought a tear to my eye how loved my husband was and what a great circle of friends he/we had gained is a little less then a year. You guys were Brilliant and I know that showed Kunal and I how much we love living here and how much we love you all.
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| Restaurant Elysee - home of meat fondue |
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| Everybody enjoying Kunal's birthday |
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