Well, I decided to spend my birthday in Portugal. I was a little hurt at first that Liz didn't want to come and see my new home - perhaps afraid that it was too pretty, the men too attractive or the sun too warm? - but gradually it dawned on me that whilst I have become accustomed to wandering in a fluffy dressing gown down four flights of stairs to take a shower, guests would not be. Add to that, 18 sq. foot is not an area conducive to peace and fun for two people.
Luckily, I have signed for another apartment and am due to move in on the 1st July. That's only a week away, but I have many decisions to make in the meantime. The first, obviously, is which of the offers for help I should accept. When moving here 4 months ago I would not have thought that I would have friends, let alone a colleague offering potential help with a trailer, a brand new flatmate (Swedish as well, so my language skills should, fingers crossed, improve) also offering help, a couple of "adoptive parents" and their whole family welcoming me with open arms. For a country where the people are described as stand-offish and cold, I feel this is rather an insult to those I have met. Either that or I have been uncharacteristically lucky.
The second decision, since I have no furniture of my own, is what to buy from the Mecca of cheap möbler, Ikea. For instance, in a room 2.3m x 4m, is a double bed too big? Is a tall chest of drawers, which I can double up as a dressing table, a good idea? After this, should I buy a double mattress (if I choose a double bed) or two single mattresses (which would be easier to transport)?
Today I am listening to Swedish radio on the suggestion of my supervisor. I rarely understand the words, and those that I do understand are spoken so quickly that to grasp an idea of the context is impossible - thus currently I do not get much out of it. I'm hoping though that the sounds and intonation will imprint upon my memory and that as my vocabulary grows I will naturally understand more. I had a half day when Swedish was the only language available to me and those around me - a deliberate attempt to get me used to speaking it. I found myself gagged metaphorically by my own inabilities, and my brain tired far too easily. I imagine it's like a muscle though, which through regular training can grow and gain stamina. To really confuse things, colleagues at lunch were keen to ask how to express certain ideas in English correctly and to switch between the two languages because physically uncomfortable!
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