…and I have made some progress at last!
The HR department sent me my work certificate, which means that I now have it written in black on white that I am gainfully employed in Sweden. I can’t even describe the relief when I saw the certificate arrive in my email inbox, as this is the first time I have had physical proof that it is all happening (most of my current knowledge is based on hearsay and office gossip). I must have spent half an afternoon regularly re-opening the attachment, just to see my name next to my employment status in Gothenburg. It is probably worth mentioning that the first time I told myself I was going to live in Sweden one day was at age 13 – so this move is not just a great idea at the right time, it’s also fulfilling a promise to my teenage self, of sorts!
So, all motivated by the success I threw myself at the “right of residence” registration form on the Migrationsverket website. Cue 40 minutes of switching languages back and forward, wondering what the hell a “dossier” is, struggling with a temperamental “birth date” field that wouldn’t accept numbers, and pondering why the help file told me to leisurely enter my Swedish address in case I have one, while the form wouldn’t let me progress without it. All worth it though as I am now in the possession of an application number, and my unsuspecting new office will get my documents in the mail. Result.
I’m still not a smidge further in finding a temporary flat (mainly because my efforts up to now have only gone as far as to surfing the websites and thinking “that looks like a great flat”), but I’m a tiny bit further in dissolving my current flat. I spent Sunday afternoon dividing my DVDs into “keep” and “sell”. The outcome of which was (a) learning more about bar codes than I have ever wanted to know (b) realising that at one point I must have gone through a worrying obsession with purchasing box-sets and multi-buy offers…
For all my stuff that survives the cull, I’ve rented some storage space near my house for now. (Next big question: how to get my stuff from my house to the storage)
Memories from a previous move – my current status is nowhere near as advanced or organised yet.
Next stop: more culling, more realisation of how much random stuff I have, and proceeding from looking at pictures of flats to actually applying for them!
Way to Gothenburg 
Congratulations on your work certificate! It looks like you are getting things under control. Moving is always a source of stress.
Did I mention how jealous I am? I have also had the dream of living in Sweden for while, ever since I went to Stockholm when I was 17. However reading about all the crazy paperwork you have gone through kind of makes me reconsider 😛
So far the paperwork hasn’t actually been that bad! It’s been the figuring out how to do anything that’s the trickiest bit 😀 Hope you do get to live in Sweden for a while!
Moving is always an ordeal, especially if you’ve been settled and acquiring more and more stuff for a number of years. Having to deal with the bureaucracy involved in changing countries is a nightmare — even going from the US to Canada seemed impossible at times. I can only imagine what you’re going through. Good luck, and keep writing.
Thank you! The excitement of moving is making up for some of the stress associated with it, though there are definitely moments of panic when I realise all the things I still have to do (and questioning my sanity when I see all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the last 16 years). Best wishes across the pond!