Stockholm blues: rental apartments & moving boxes

Just a small portion of the boxes that still need to be unpacked.

Maybe you’ve noticed that I haven’t been writing much lately? Well I’m happy to say that after five long and difficult months, we finally have moved into our own apartment over the weekend. Why is this news? Since June 6, we have been living out of our suitcases, moving from one overpriced temporary apartment to another. We have stayed in more than 16 different places (I decided it was unhealthy for me to keep track after that number and stopped). It’s been demoralizing and disconcerting, to say the least.

Most people don’t understand how two otherwise successful people we could have ended up in such a tough spot. I don’t quite get it either. The simplest answer is that Stockholm does not have a viable rental market, especially if you have your own furniture. Hence the trouble we have had with finding a home.

So now, while we are not in our dream home by a long shot, we are at least in our own place and with our own things. We are in box hell, unpacking box after box and trying to figure out how and where all our things will fit in this much smaller place. All that said, it’s been good to unpack our belongings again and to find the bits and pieces that mean something to each of us.