School's Out!...for real this time...

I am officially done with school. This basic Swedish language program anyway though I'm quite proud to say that I was a straight A student. Makes my certificate look gooooood.....
I can continue with school and do higher level Swedish (among other subjects I will have to take) but I'm still pondering. I can always study later on and if I work first and study after I get my PR in 2 years, I get paid to study as well which is great! I'd much rather work first but it's intimidating to have to work and just speak Swedish all the time. Tiring too.

Many of my friends will tell me, hey you did it in Thailand so why not in Sweden?. Well, looking back, even though I did manage to get by life in Thailand, at work I could speak a lot of English. It's not so intimidating when I have to deal with check in and out and complaining guests in English, the language I'm most comfortable with. But if I had had to do it in Thai, I would have probably sweated blood. Anyway, I was lucky in the sense that when I started out in Thailand I could speak English most of the time and my job scope revolved around my ability to speak good English.

It's a whole new ballgame now in Sweden. Look in any guidebook, it will be written that Sweden is the best Scandic country to visit for an English speaking tourist. It's true that most people here understand and can speak Swedish and if you were a tourist struggling to be understood, they will certainly help you and in English too. But to live and work here is a totally different thing. For some reason, the Swedes are more unwilling to speak English and more often than not, I encounter a Swede who apparently can't understand or speak English.

So anyway, many people suggest that I apply at the local hotel but it's so intimidating!!!! Ok ok, I'm being a whiny baby about this but I'm entitled (right?). Most of the guests they have are Swedes and what's more, since it's a small hotel, the front desk receptionists also act as serving staff in the hotel restaurant at night. I'm not so sure about the day tho. Ugh...so scary! But everytime I start to cower, I think about all those immigrants who can't speak a word of Swedish and they manage to live here for years and years...aah, I should just stop whining and get my ass down to the unemployment office so they can do the searching for me. Maybe I can get a job at a nursery or kindergarten instead. That may be simpler...maybe....

Oh and happy midsummer! It's the longest day of the year and widely celebrated here in Sweden. So I'm heading to a party at the in laws with smoked fish and lots of gravy and potatoes. Yum! (who would have thought I would say yum to smoked fish?)