Fran Sverige !
So.. this blog has been totally neglected over the past year. Let's quickly summarize 2017 and get to our current doings !
In 2017 : we bought a place in Paris and moved there over the summer ; we settled in our new neighbourhood (11eme), the kids slowly got used to their new schools and surroundings ; june to december at work was pretty intense, covering for a colleague on maternity leave ; we did some nice things (especially a wonderful 10 day bike - camping trip along the atlantic coast) ; and I looked for a job abroad and found one !
Fast forward to january 31st : I arrived in Stockholm, our new hang out for the next couple of years!
Eric, Ruben and Alexandre stayed in Paris for the month of February, so that the kids could move over the winter holidays.
My first week-end in Stockholm : exploring Gamla Stan, discovering Fotografiska, walking along Sodermalm's waterfront... and going over to Ikea, to try and find real black-outs for the house - many Swedish homes do not have shutters or proper curtains ; it is fine in the winter but would be difficult for us in the summer.
We have found a place to live in Stora Essingen. This a small island on lake Malaren, mostly known for hosting the French school. Our building is right by the water. Everybody tells us that it will be wonderful to swim there in the summer - hard to picture at the moment. Ruben and Alexandre are happy because the flat is just next to the Tram station and they can look at trams whenever they want.
One of my priorities was to get a bike. It's a 7.5 km ride to work, along the waterfront, really nice once I get past the big bridges that connect our island to the mainland !
After I got the bike, I quickly realised than another priority was to get studded tyres to try and get some grip over ice and snow.
Except for the initial first week end in Stockholm, I then went back to Paris over the week ends in month of February. It was good to be with the kids, although it was hard for them to see me coming and going..
We had a memorable afternoon in Paris playing with the snow on our terrace.
This was a couple of days after that record snow fall :
We were also there to celebrate Mahe's 90th birthday.
For their holidays, Ruben and Alexandre first did some outings with Domi in Paris.
They then went with Elizabeth to Briancon ; they had a great time there skiing, playing, enjoying the snow and the house..
Eric and I spent a final long week end in Paris organizing our move. I can not believe that we moved twice over the past year ; it is one of my least favorite activities and yet we keep doing it (Ruben is at his seventh - 7th ! - home already and only now turned seven...).
Also, we really try and sort things out but we still have so much stuff that we are lugging around (toys ! clothes ! camping - biking - climbing gear ! musical instruments (Ruben got a battery for christmas, Eric has his double bass..) !...)
Finally, on Feb. 26th in the evening, I left Paris for good (well, for a couple of months anyway). Eric joined the kids in Briancon for a last and final week in France.
I thus had my second week end in Stockhom and quite a few typically-swedish activities : sauna and swim in the lake in Hellagarden with colleagues, and walks on frozen lakes.
The lake at Liljeholmen, 3 tram-stops away from our house : there is a very nice ice skating rink groomed on the lake (one can notice the so typically swedish activity of ice-skating with a stroller), as well as cross-country skiing tracks.
On the lake in Hagaparken, where my colleague Francois lives in a beautiful house surrounded by nature:
As it became very cold, the lake in front of our place froze quite well also and some guys went out ice-fishing. I followed carefully in their footsteps to have a look at our place from the water.
And finally, finally, Eric, Ruben and Alexandre arrived on Thursday march 8th to Stockholm !
On the Friday, Eric took the kids to Tekniska museum to check out the local science musuem ; they enjoyed it very much.
Over the week end, we went around to discover our island and the playground at the French school (it is always open, as are all playgrounds in Sweden). Luckily, the kids really liked that playground !
We also went for a hike on the lake in Liljheholmen. Unfortunately, the weather had been getting warmer and the top layer of the ice was a bit melted in places ; it was not very nice to walk on it. But we still had lots of fun playing around the lake.
At what we call the 'banana park' in Liljeholmen, a fruit-themed playground (Ruben really likes the strawberries / merry-go-rounds).
On the sunday, we went to Gamla Stan : visited the post museum (they have a small 'play post office' for kids), met with a friend of the sister of a friend for lunch (Xian, with her family), which was nice, walked around Gamla Stan a bit, stopped in a cafe to taste Semla (a typical Swedish treat for that time of the year, with brioche and cream and almond cream ; nice and rich but the kids preferred regular chocolate cake)..
On the way back, we stopped one-tram stop before our place (Grondal) to check out the playground there (kids liked it ; it seems like they are enjoying the diversity of playgrounds we are finding here !). As the snow had hardened into ice on the slopes, Ruben and Alexandre were able to slide down well, even without sledges.
On the monday, Ruben had his first day at school. Luckily, the swedish culture is very protective of kids and it felt like the adults around the school really tried to make the transition easier for him.
Ruben's classroom.
It does feel that there are only few tables, and there are.. The class
briefly had 15 kids when Ruben joined, and now they are 14 as one kid left
to go back to France.
Classes at the French school are that small normally, but CP classes are a special case. We were told that they make these extra small because many kids are coming directly from Swedish forskolas and they need a lot of attention to adapt to a learning environment. In Sweden, forskolas are only play-based : there are no lessons, no obligation to do group activities, no need to stay silent when a teacher is talking... It is very, very different to a maternelle.
As for Alexandre, unfortunately he falls in the 'forskola' age group and we can not get him directly in school (the French 'maternelle' follows the Swedish rules for registration). We first have to get registered in Sweden (a process which is still on-going), and then we have to get on a waiting list for a spot in a forskola. The waiting time will be 3 months, no more, but no less - the city has to provide a spot under 3 months, but usually it does not happen much earlier than that.
Even as French people, it is baffling to discover how Sweden is truly a system where everything is taken care of by the State, with positive aspects but also drawbacks. Hence for example a positive aspect : any family who is registered in the system gets a spot in a forskola guaranteed in 3 months. On the negative side : you can not get it more quickly, even for kids we consider 'school age' in France, and there is no alternative system (the private schools are rare and anyway they apply this waiting period as a minimum and usually have much longer waiting times ; there are no nanny-sharing arrangements like in Paris and no 'nourrice agree'..).
We were hoping to get a spot before the summer, but the delay in getting our persnonummers means that this will not happen.
Hence, Eric will be staying with Alexandre until August ; then, Alexandre should be able to get a spot in the French maternelle..
Eric and Alexandre are thus spending their days exploring the city and discovering the different parks, museums, oppna forskola*, etc.
*it's a sort of an 'open-house forskola' for parents and kids ; there is a playground but also indoor space with toys and coffee for the adults.. most of the kids however are babies, with parents on maternity / paternity leave.
Ruben's school day finishes at 3 pm every day (he has lunch at 11.10 am, swedish style !), so Eric and Alexandre's time for roaming around is not that long anyway.
On march 16th, I had to leave for 8 days unfortunately, to attend the world water forum in Brasilia. It was hectic and tiring ; very useful to meet with many, many people I work with from all over the world but not very nice (although I did met with some old friends for dinner, which was really good).
I managed a one-hour walk one morning to have a look at some monuments. It felt.. monumental and not really human-friendly.
In 2017 : we bought a place in Paris and moved there over the summer ; we settled in our new neighbourhood (11eme), the kids slowly got used to their new schools and surroundings ; june to december at work was pretty intense, covering for a colleague on maternity leave ; we did some nice things (especially a wonderful 10 day bike - camping trip along the atlantic coast) ; and I looked for a job abroad and found one !
Fast forward to january 31st : I arrived in Stockholm, our new hang out for the next couple of years!
Eric, Ruben and Alexandre stayed in Paris for the month of February, so that the kids could move over the winter holidays.
My first week-end in Stockholm : exploring Gamla Stan, discovering Fotografiska, walking along Sodermalm's waterfront... and going over to Ikea, to try and find real black-outs for the house - many Swedish homes do not have shutters or proper curtains ; it is fine in the winter but would be difficult for us in the summer.
We have found a place to live in Stora Essingen. This a small island on lake Malaren, mostly known for hosting the French school. Our building is right by the water. Everybody tells us that it will be wonderful to swim there in the summer - hard to picture at the moment. Ruben and Alexandre are happy because the flat is just next to the Tram station and they can look at trams whenever they want.
After I got the bike, I quickly realised than another priority was to get studded tyres to try and get some grip over ice and snow.
Except for the initial first week end in Stockholm, I then went back to Paris over the week ends in month of February. It was good to be with the kids, although it was hard for them to see me coming and going..
We had a memorable afternoon in Paris playing with the snow on our terrace.
For their holidays, Ruben and Alexandre first did some outings with Domi in Paris.
Eric and I spent a final long week end in Paris organizing our move. I can not believe that we moved twice over the past year ; it is one of my least favorite activities and yet we keep doing it (Ruben is at his seventh - 7th ! - home already and only now turned seven...).
Also, we really try and sort things out but we still have so much stuff that we are lugging around (toys ! clothes ! camping - biking - climbing gear ! musical instruments (Ruben got a battery for christmas, Eric has his double bass..) !...)
Finally, on Feb. 26th in the evening, I left Paris for good (well, for a couple of months anyway). Eric joined the kids in Briancon for a last and final week in France.
I thus had my second week end in Stockhom and quite a few typically-swedish activities : sauna and swim in the lake in Hellagarden with colleagues, and walks on frozen lakes.
The lake at Liljeholmen, 3 tram-stops away from our house : there is a very nice ice skating rink groomed on the lake (one can notice the so typically swedish activity of ice-skating with a stroller), as well as cross-country skiing tracks.
On the Friday, Eric took the kids to Tekniska museum to check out the local science musuem ; they enjoyed it very much.
Over the week end, we went around to discover our island and the playground at the French school (it is always open, as are all playgrounds in Sweden). Luckily, the kids really liked that playground !
On the way back, we stopped one-tram stop before our place (Grondal) to check out the playground there (kids liked it ; it seems like they are enjoying the diversity of playgrounds we are finding here !). As the snow had hardened into ice on the slopes, Ruben and Alexandre were able to slide down well, even without sledges.
Ruben's classroom.
Classes at the French school are that small normally, but CP classes are a special case. We were told that they make these extra small because many kids are coming directly from Swedish forskolas and they need a lot of attention to adapt to a learning environment. In Sweden, forskolas are only play-based : there are no lessons, no obligation to do group activities, no need to stay silent when a teacher is talking... It is very, very different to a maternelle.
As for Alexandre, unfortunately he falls in the 'forskola' age group and we can not get him directly in school (the French 'maternelle' follows the Swedish rules for registration). We first have to get registered in Sweden (a process which is still on-going), and then we have to get on a waiting list for a spot in a forskola. The waiting time will be 3 months, no more, but no less - the city has to provide a spot under 3 months, but usually it does not happen much earlier than that.
Even as French people, it is baffling to discover how Sweden is truly a system where everything is taken care of by the State, with positive aspects but also drawbacks. Hence for example a positive aspect : any family who is registered in the system gets a spot in a forskola guaranteed in 3 months. On the negative side : you can not get it more quickly, even for kids we consider 'school age' in France, and there is no alternative system (the private schools are rare and anyway they apply this waiting period as a minimum and usually have much longer waiting times ; there are no nanny-sharing arrangements like in Paris and no 'nourrice agree'..).
We were hoping to get a spot before the summer, but the delay in getting our persnonummers means that this will not happen.
Hence, Eric will be staying with Alexandre until August ; then, Alexandre should be able to get a spot in the French maternelle..
Eric and Alexandre are thus spending their days exploring the city and discovering the different parks, museums, oppna forskola*, etc.
*it's a sort of an 'open-house forskola' for parents and kids ; there is a playground but also indoor space with toys and coffee for the adults.. most of the kids however are babies, with parents on maternity / paternity leave.
Ruben's school day finishes at 3 pm every day (he has lunch at 11.10 am, swedish style !), so Eric and Alexandre's time for roaming around is not that long anyway.
On march 16th, I had to leave for 8 days unfortunately, to attend the world water forum in Brasilia. It was hectic and tiring ; very useful to meet with many, many people I work with from all over the world but not very nice (although I did met with some old friends for dinner, which was really good).
I managed a one-hour walk one morning to have a look at some monuments. It felt.. monumental and not really human-friendly.
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