Hej y'all! Greetings from Örebro! Look at this rad city crest!
 

Navigating bureaucracy is - at times - a labyrinth. We've needed to take photographs and fingerprints for our residency card since arrival but there haven't been any appointments available in Stockholm or Uppsala. We headed west to the smaller city of Örebro because it had lots of free appointments. We decided to turn this minor inconvenience into an adventure and we've had such a fun time exploring. Thankfully our appointment went smoothly and the person helping us was very easy to work with.
 

10/10 castle, would castle again ^

We checked into our hotel in the top attic room with a little window overlooking the city. There is no AC but I didn't mind, instead opting to spend a lot of time standing on the desk with my head sticking out the window and spying on the people going to and fro below. I like the old wooden beams, plaster, and brick - the sloping roofs, and the cries of gulls. After so much stress over the last year it feels like such a relief to be here. I held a dance party for one in the room to celebrate.

Summer is properly here, at least by Scandinavian standards. It's going to be 29c / 84f today with lots of sunshine and some humidity, so it's finally T-shirt weather. Sundresses are out in force and outdoor cafes are bursting at the seams well into the night. Night is also different here - no starry skies to be found. Instead, walking home at midnight is comfortable and easy to navigate in the endless purple twilight. We ate crackers and cheese, grapes, and vegan ice cream for dinner by the river and painted the castle. I love how many families you see walking around and just spending time here. Doing nothing together seems to be a perfectly acceptable use of time. The big squares and parks create lots of communal spaces for mingling. 

Heat may cause some shrinkage ^

Learning a second language feels like strapping oneself to a rocket and hoping things get easier once you get into orbit. Despite bumbling, stumbling, and generally making fools of ourselves everywhere we go - we find that we have enough Swedish to order dinner, check into our hotel, and request towels for the room. Every time we successfully navigate a minor interaction we celebrate like mad. People seem to appreciate the effort even if we also receive a few scrunched eyebrows and confused looks. If you are learning a language right now - stick with it! It's so rewarding! 

Average cups of coffee per day: need 3
Average hours slept: solid 8
Average daily distance walked : 8k / 5 mi
Culture shocks: Showers are weird here. I still haven't figured out how not to get water absolutely everywhere. 
New Swedish food unlocked: Kalles Kaviar - this national treasure is basically salty fish paste in a tube. I tried it on knäckerbröd at a company breakfast and I'm worried it might have awoken something in me. 
  

Favorite place this week: Örebro Slott - never met a castle I didn't like
New Swedish phrase(s) unlocked: 
"Du har skitit i det blå skåpet" - Lit: "You've taken a shit in the blue cabinet," i.e. -  you've f'd up big time. 
"Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder." - There's no bad weather, only bad clothes.