One more month

Moving date is closing in. Lots and lots to sort out before going...

Yesterday I had a day off. Took the opportunity to wake up early (?!?) to clean out the attic. I have saved all kinds of things up there. Especially things that doesn't work anymore. I have just been to lazy to go to a recycling station to throw them away. Instead I have put them in the attic in the meantime... To wait for the day to come where I would find my inspiration to throw them. Yesterday it finally came. It was a beautiful day... It rained cats and dogs! But now it's done.

Today I've found a home for my piano! My grandfather is willing to adopt it! Oh joy! I have also found homes for some books and some old CDs.

Feels a bit strange to clear my home out. At the same time it feels good to get rid of the old and in with the new.

Still not found a place for my billy book cases...

Last night in Muttenz

Tomorrow I'm going home to Sweden. This has been a very lucrative visit! I have actually got an apartment already! I sent an e-mail to my relocation-lady yesterday, saying that I would like to go for the fire place apartment. Today I the morning I got a mail stating that it was mine!! Happy day!! Feels like its so meant to be!

Close to my new home there's a tram, going directly to the office, a gym close by (...) and a grocery store. Could you wish for more? (Forgot to mention walking distance to the city centre) The next step now is to sign the contract and book the moving company!

I called my mother to tell the good news. She sure can pull you down to earth! "So nice to hear! ... Which year is the building from?" -no idea... "What's the stove like? Can you really use the fire place? There's nothing wrong? Have you checked the walls? Do you think there's a lot of crimes?" Hm... What to say? I was just happy! It seemed fine to me..

Well tonight I have been taking part in a farewell dinner for my pre-assessor. It was a really nice evening with nice people. Think I'm gonna like it here.

Late night report!

Again I’m writing late at night. Sitting in my hotel room and summarizing the day in my head. The day has been really good I must say, this whole stay in Basel has! I have made some big decisions actually. I have decided to go for the apartment with the terrace and the fire place. Can’t motivate the cost of the one with the fantastic view. I most certainly would like to go to some smaller trips to Alsace and to Germany, go skiing and maybe visit Sweden. So then I can’t put all my money on an apartment.


Had a meeting today with a really nice guy from PWC who gave me some tax advice. Think I have watched too much TV, I thought the tax was much less compared to Sweden. It is, don’t get me wrong! But not much less...

At the office I had some sort of pre-introduction today. Got to meet a lot of people, seems like a fun crowd! I also got my introduction schedule presented to me. Wow, it’s a lot, but feels good and serious .

Other things that has happened today is that my computer had a hard drive crash. Have a computer that I’ve borrowed from the office. Good that they had one! What would I have done otherwise?!!? I feel handicapped without a computer. Especially now when I have started Blogging and Twittering...!

Tonight I have taken tram nr 14 into Basel from Muttenz, to meet up with a friend of mine. Got some nice wine and some food. Really great! I found my way almost by myself. Actually tram nr 14 is my new best friend! I kind of know the tour it takes now!

Night time outside Basel

I must say that it seems like air condition is a no-no at my hotel. Last night I woke up almost once an hour. i thought that was because of my nervousness considering that the day would include finding my apartment to be, but now I'm thinking that it could be the warmth.

I am staying in a hotel outside Basel, in a place called Muttenz. Nice place (except for the air conditioning problem). In Basel, there's right now some sort of a contest which means that all hotel rooms in the city are taken. I have a nice room, a somewhat strange bathroom set up, and the room has windows facing the traffic... And to survive I have to keep at least one window open.

Well, today I have been exposed to apartments that could very well be my future home!!
The day started at 9.00 when the sweet relocation-lady picked me up. She gave me a schedule and off we went! The first apartment we saw was a furnitured one, in case I would need something while waiting for my dream apartment to get free. The second one was a three room apartment, big one, nice balcony and it was placed close to a small river (connected to the river of Rihne).

The ones that i really consider however are:
1) two room, Nice apartment close to the train station, fire place, nice area and a terrace (ok price)
2) two room, newly renovated with laundry room in apartment. 4th floor, amazing view of Rhine, close to city centre. (Very expensive)

Hm... The decisions to take!!
Tomorrow I will meet with PWC, hope they can give me some good advice!

During the day I have been exploring the city and the nice relocation-lady have given me some useful advice. I have found an Irish pub called Paddy Reilly's which is close enough to Paddy's back in Malmö. (I already feel like home!) In Basel there's a Swedish club that I could join, a choir that I found. Was thinking of attending a Rotary meeting in Muttenz today, but I probably got the days mixed up. Instead I went back to the hotel, fell asleep, missed the whole evening, and now I'm ready to sleep again!

Tomorrow will be a day at the office. Hopefully someone can fix my computer who seems to not wanna communicate with me in a proper mannered way anymore... :/

Arrived in Basel!

This week I will spend in Basel at something the company call a "look and see trip".
I must say that even if Switzerland is not so far away from Sweden it takes a lifetime to travel. Not only to here though... It's all this time spent at trains, in waiting halls and standing in line to check in or whatever! But the journey was anyway smooth! Met a colleague in the plain, she was going to the same hotel as me. We even decided to go to dinner together. I met another colleague at the bus from the airport to Basel city. She showed us the way and gave us a recommendation for a restaurant. Very nice! This has been a good day I must say! Basel is very pretty and I think I will like it here!

But I must admit that it's a bit scary too...

On the train

Took the train home after a lovely dinner in Helsingborg, celebrating a colleagues new job. It's amazing how some people have made a mark on you. We have laugh through the whole dinner sharing fun stories. It's not just colleagues, they are friends. Good that they work in an organisation with an
Office in Pratteln Switzerland! ;)

Tomorrow starts with a meeting at 8. It takes me 1,2h to get to the office... There's a possibility that I will be a bit late.... Quite likely actually.

Got a call from the relocation company today. There's not really a good market at the moment when it comes to apartments in Basel.. Hm.. Now I'm getting nervous. I will move in a bit more than a month. Well.. Tjoho! Keep your fingers crossed for next weeks visit to Switzerland!

Monday

This has been a pretty good Monday. Started with an efficient meeting at work. After lunch I joined in on a meeting with my future colleagues! Think I got a good start. But yet you never know.. Can't help analysing what I said (did I say something strange on the phone? Did I make a good impression? Should I have talked more... Or maybe less?!) well, it was an ok meeting.

The look and see trip is next week. However I haven't got the flight tickets and the hotel booking confirmed yet.. :/ but it will probably be ok. Will be nice to go to Basel with the knowledge of that I will actually live there!!

Tonight I have been at a Rotary meeting. And direct after we had a board meeting. (no, Rotary is not only for retired people...) always interesting meetings. Fantastic persons both in the club and in the board. This is another thing that I will leave behind. I will keep my membership for some time. But might transfer to a Basel
Club if I can find some. You know, Rotary is the organisation that is working to extinct polio from the world, we have a network of doctors (like doctors without borders) that we send all over the world. You get new knowledge from different lectures every time you attend. And it's a world wide business network. Oh my! Did you knew that?!
Well, I really enjoy today's lecture, made me think of what good we can bring to this world. It was about how to help people. One guy sold his house to
Buy an apartment building so that they could provide several families with a place to live. Wish I was more like that!!

Instead of selling anything to help I have spend the evening building my business network via linked in.

And I am almost afraid of admitting.... I have started to listen to Christmas music...

Thoughts late at night

This has been a good day. Got to help friends out and then celebrated a birthday boy! My nephew turned 17 today, wow, times really flies.

It's not so very long until I move, realise that I will not have time to meet everyone so many times before the actual move takes place. Strange thing to think about. But hey! It's not like I will never visit Sweden again!

Tonight I have looked though my books and CD's. I will give most of the CD's to my sister. I will anyway use spotify as my main source when it comes to music (love that invention!!) until my sister start to use it she can enjoy the CD's.
When it comes to books... I really love books. It's actually hard even to throw away the bad ones! I have now sorted out which ones to give away, throw away and which to store somewhere. My brother has very kindly offered me some space in his basement. So one or two boxes I will leave behind, the rest will come with me (it's quite few I had the hart to get rid of)

Is there anyone out there who would like some kind of big tree-ish plant?

friday evening

Here I sit, it's Friday evening and I am sitting in my sofa and looking at apartments on the web. I have a very limited knowledge about the city of Basel so it feels quite hard to look at these marketing websites for rental apartments... Don’t know where to start actually.


When I get to Switzerland (in a little bit more than one week) the relocation company will show me some apartments. In my head I have fully relied on that they will show me the apartment that I later will rent! But what happens if I don’t find any that I like? Or if I don’t get any of the ones that I look at and like? Haven’t thought about that... not really.

Today I have cancelled my credit card. Feels good, should have done that a long time ago... Now I will cut that in pieces after finishing my writing! Not very often I have the chans to cut a credit card!

So Friday evening... Both my boyfriend and his daughter are sick, so my evening will be spent by myself. It's ok really, two days of kick off with the organisation is enough to make anyone a bit tired. Actually look forward to spend the evening in the sofa in front of a movie. If I can just find the energy to rent a movie.

Sitting in the sofa writing, looking at the windows... oh they are not clean.. haven’t been cleaned for a while now. I live on the 4th floor, rental apartment. Really hard to clean old big windows. that means it was some time ago since they’ve been cleaned. Do I have to do that before I move?!

A bit more alert!

Today has been very limited in terms of handling the coming move. But it some nice mails regarding the new position. Still happy!
It's amazing when you get that clicking feeling in the heart saying that this will be really good!

Tomorrow is the kick off for the present organisation. Today was a preparation day for that, think it's gonna be super.
It's strange to be a part of creating a future that I myself will not be part of.

I so wonder how my life in Switzerland will turn out. I have great support from
IKEA and from the relocation company. The feeling regarding the actual move is also calming and I really belief that things will go smooth. But the everyday life, what will that be like? I guess I will have much alone time in the beginning. Will I cope?
Lot's of thoughts.

Forgot to call the Union today as well...

watching Spader & Keno...

For the love of God.. I have just watched some sort of pause program.


All not to think of work during my break. It's 7pm in Sweden and I am still trying to get the draft analysis ready. I know that my most creative period is evening time. Hope to get my mind working now after some dinner.

Tonight I have tried to fill in some forms connected to tax legislation and my bank. Not sure i get what they are after. I have 4 boxes to choose between:

- I am an employee of a Swedish trade ship
- I am sent to another country by a Swedish aid-organisation
- I am sent to another country by a Swedish employer
- I am working for Sweden during my visit abroad

Frankly, none of them fits... I will be employed by a Swiss organisation. What to check?

Now, back to the analysis

My head is somewhere else

Day two of blogging...


When getting a new job I must say that it's hard to concentrate on delivering on the present one. I really try hard to write my final analysis of project management and competence development... but I just have a hard time motivate myself. I have to finish a draft version of the project management until tomorrow. How far have I reached? Not far at all.

But what I can concentrate on just fine are all the nice mails with congratulations that are pouring in to my mailbox! you know, people write the nicest things! Really happy to hear, but wished I would have known some of it before I resigned.
I actually know more people in Switzerland than I thought I would! Former colleagues of mine are writing to say welcome to the new position and to the country. Feels good, thought I would be all alone! :) IKEA is such a big organisation, but despite that I feel like I know most of the people working there! (in some weird way! )

Have to work the evening.. not done with the draft.

But I have made an achievement today! Sent in my travel expenses. And that certainly is an achievement in that system!

New things again!

Now I have discovered a blog app, need to see if it works!

Tonight I have printed some more forms to fill in (does it ever end?!) and I have dumped some of my old clothes at a friends place. OMG that was a relief to get rid of them. And for a good cause as well! She will forward them to charity. I am happy. Will go to sleep with a good feeling inside.

But what does feel strange is to walk around in the apartment and study all things and think "hey little lamp, will you come to Switzerland with me?"

Now.. What to do with the piano?

I'm moving!

Finally it’s official! The communication is out! I can start my blog!


First of December my address will be Basel, Switzerland and I will be the new HR manager fo IKEA regional supply team. The communication I edited myself, was almost thinking of adding some made up stuff to see if anyone would react, but thought it would be a bit over the top maybe.

It went pretty fast I must say, from the day I was asked to apply to the day I was offered the job. I hardly had time to think, but now it’s already closing in! 1st of December, not even 2 months to the start date! Scary but so much fun! I actually realized that I have some friends living in the Basel area, so I won’t be alone after all 

So the list of what to do is eternal… I have printed oh so many forms that I have to fill in. I actually have to sign out of Sweden (feels a bit weird) But what I actually started to do was shopping for art. Why? … eh.. yeah… don’t have a good answer to that, just felt right. I have worked hard with canceling memberships and insurances etc. (some things I hardly knew that I had, what’s that all about!?) I have been at the bank, called the union etc. etc. Today some books about Switzerland arrived, sent from out Mobility department, how sweet is that?! “German phrase book” among others, oh how I will use that one!

*sigh* just thinking of all that is needed to be done, and soon too, gives me a headache!

Does anyone fancy some Billy bookcases?