I haven’t said it yet on my blog, but my time in Sweden is almost over. My visa is running out, and so is my money, and so after 11 short months I’m leaving the icy north for the sunny paradise of Australia, and that makes me very sad.
If you read my previous blog post, you would know how fond I am of Stockholm and the people I’ve met here. I’ve really enjoyed living in this city and feel like I’ve made a home here. While I was never sure how long I would stay, one year was always the rough plan. Now, on my final night in Stockholm, one year seems much too short.
When I made the decision and booked my flights a month ago, it was very hard to tell people my plans. The first to know were my roommates, Nik and Doug, the two Swedes I originally met in Australia two years ago. Since then we have become like brothers. I will miss them the most, but I know we’ve forged a friendship that will not easily break. I’ve made several other true friends as well, who I won’t name for fear of forgetting someone. You know who you are.
Something that surprised me about my stay in Sweden was how much Doug’s family accepted and embraced me. I had a final dinner with his parents on Friday night, and his mother said that she felt as though I was part of her family, like she had another son. I’ve never felt so welcomed. I was touched.
But I couldn’t let my last days in Sweden be filled with sadness. On my final Saturday in Sweden we held a big farewell party in our apartment. The theme: Australia! We had plenty of good Aussie music, and prizes for best and worst dressed of night. I must say, it was a great success. I painted myself green and gold, wore the flag as a cape and called myself Mr Australia. Some of the costumes we had included an aborigine, VB Man, Muriel from Muriel’s Wedding, Angus Young from AC/DC, and of course some surfer girls. I’ve included the pictures below.
The past few weeks I’ve been kept busy with the final arrangements and making sure I made the best of my time here. It wasn’t until the early hours of Sunday morning, when the party was dying down and the neighbours had stopped complaining, it really hit me that I’m leaving.
A friend surprised me at the party with a going away gift – a picture she’d drawn herself which is a beautiful mix of Australia and Sweden. That really touched me, and as I sat outside my apartment by myself and drank the final beer of one of the best nights of my life, I realised what an awesome time I’ve had in this country. The connections I’ve made, the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen all swirled through my head. It was then that I truly realised that I’m going to miss this place. I’m going to miss it a lot.
It’s hard for me to cry. Maybe social conditioning, trying to keep up a strong front, whatever. I went through a long and hard breakup, and never shed a tear. But that night I did. Just a little.
I’m writing this now before I go to sleep, after saying goodbye to all my friends on my final night in Stockholm. Fuck it is hard to write this. What a time I’ve had. What an experience. Leaving it all behind, leaving all my friends behind, seems so wrong…
There’s nothing that will stop me returning to Sweden. Nothing. One day.
