Something slightly different

So I've still not hear from either SEB or my UK bank, which is disappointing on both counts. SEB have a dedicated international branch, and as I now have Monday off work ahead of my holiday, but will be in Stockholm still, I should be able to physically go to the bank and get some advice. My bank in England advised it can take up to 5 working days for them to respond. Bearing in mind that there was a UK bank holiday this week, that gives them until Monday to respond to me. I'm travelling on Tuesday, which means they have until Wednesday morning to respond. If not, they'll find me in one of their branches on Wednesday, and they'll be looking at the business end of a very big complaint. Especially seeing as I'll have to pay my rent and be subjected to their huge charges in the meantime.

But never mind that for now. I'd like to concentrate on another new experience I've had since I came to Stockholm, and something that plays a big part in what my life is like here. My job.

Since February I've worked for the European Union. That's new, and the public sector in general is new for me. I realised yesterday that sometimes my workplace feels like a little parallel universe in the center of Stockholm. Compared to living in Finland, I have a much more international circle of friends and acquaintances here. On the one hand I'd like to meet more Swedish people and find it easier to learn about Swedish culture and traditions, but on the other I think it's lovely to meet people from so many backgrounds, and to not feel at all intimidated by people from cultures that are different to my own. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that mindset. My boyfriend is half Japanese and half German, I am English, and I am proud that our future children will never be ignorant about different cultures.

I've always said that Stockholm reminds me of London in that there is such a diverse mix of people, and when you're in public you can hear so many different languages being spoken, not just Swedish. The feeling that you can get anything or do anything in London, however obscure it may be, is one of the reasons I like it so much, and why I think of it as my home, even though I'm not originally from there. Stockholm is like a smaller, quieter version of that.

People from all over Europe, and the world, work at the same place as me. Throughout the day, even in just one room, you can hear multiple languages. We tell each other about strange things from our countries. As we are in Sweden, Sweden is better represented amongst the staff than any other nation, but overall the majority of staff are not Swedish. Many have worked at more than one EU agency, so a lot of people have moved around a lot. The way of thinking about the world seems to be a bit different. Commuting between countries, having long distance relationships, or living in a different country to your children or family is quite normal, As is a term I quite like, being a "love refugee" - someone who moved to Sweden for the sake of their Swedish partner.

We're in Sweden, so we'll take any opportunity for fika, but the components of our fika cross borders. Today for example we sat around a table filled with Turkish Delight, chocolate from Greece and Denmark, Dutch butterscotch, and German teabags amongst other things, whilst talking about house prices in the UK, Sweden, and Bulgaria. Every day I hear different accents and unfamiliar sounding names. It's not perfect - at the end of the day it's still a day job, not the thing I care about most. I don't bounce out of bed every morning super excited to go to work. But it could be so much worse, and I'm really grateful that I can meet and get to know such a diverse range of people.

I was asked today what I thought about the election. I'm not a political person at all. This was the first time that I actually had the good intentions of voting, just to count as a vote against UKIP and the Conservatives. I assumed I could vote at an embassy, like pretty much every other person I can think of who lives away from their country, but no. When I wanted to register as an overseas voter I had to choose either a postal or proxy vote. Both involved sending an application form to London. My family live far away from where I'm currently registered to vote, so I couldn't think of someone I trusted to vote by proxy for me. I don't see why I should have to pay international postage on an application form and the vote itself, when that is my right anyway, and didn't trust a postal vote not to go wrong. Surprise surprise, an English person I know living in Finland had problems with her postal vote, so my suspicions were correct. I haven't ruled out that it was intentionally made difficult for overseas voters, and in the end it was too much hassle for me. We'll find out tomorrow, but I hope that the people who were able to vote have done the right thing, and not voted for certain parties are racist or intolerant. I know it's a complicated issue, and I know that not everyone has good intentions, but my recent experiences have confirmed in my mind even more that integration between cultures is something enriching, that we should be thankful for.