Tag: story of my life

Third Year Reflection*

on By

As the year-end is approaching, I would like to use this blog post as a medium of reflection. A look back to where it all started three years ago. This month in 2016, I moved to Sweden from my home country. Time has passed by and many things have happened ever since, including having an additional member in the family. So it just feels right to see how it was and how it has been as a newbie living in Sweden.

And here are some random facts about Sweden that I learnt during my first three years of living in the country:

Sweden is a good place to raise kid

From free education to nearly free healthcare, Sweden is one of a few places I can think of when it comes to a “family friendly” country. Yes, the system is bit frustrating sometimes and requires lots of things to do—filling out forms, queuing, making calls to name a few. But once you got in, the safety net is always there.

Sweden also seems to care about and is willing to take part in children development. One tiny example is when my baby turned 6 months old, she received a free choice book from Lund’s state library. From what I understand, it’s a part of the program to encourage reading and literacy (such important skills for kids to have indeed).

Apart from those, generous parental leave, celebrated equality and recognition of universal values are the things that Sweden offers. And those are the list I would love to tick as a parent. Anyway, read more about the rights as parents in Sweden here.

Continue reading “Third Year Reflection*”

Swedish Sayings I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Sweden*

on By 2 Comments

Like many other countries, Sweden has plenty of expressions, idioms and sayings rooted in history and tradition. Some of them can be found in other languages, or at least share similar meaning like “Beat around the bush” and “Gå som katten kring het gröt” (English: walks like the cat around hot porridge). Some others are quite exceptional.

Despite its hilarious literal meanings, these sayings are actually relatable to everyday life in Sweden. Personally, I found some sayings are helpful in understanding Swedish values, and for that reason I wish I knew them earlier 😀

img_2658

Continue reading “Swedish Sayings I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Sweden*”

Investasi Perlengkapan Bayi

on By

Sejak sebelum punya anak, saya sudah mudah tergoda dengan barang-barang perlengkapan bayi yang lucu-lucu, yang seperti melambai-lambai minta dibawa pulang. Belakangan ketika sudah punya anak, saya sadar banyak perlengkapan bayi yang sebenarnya enggak butuh-butuh amat untuk dibeli. Dari situ saya belajar melakukan semacam “investasi.” Membeli perlengkapan bayi yang memang benar-benar nyaman, berguna dan tahan lama, bukan sekedar “cute” saja. Tentu saja melalui proses trial and error juga. Ada barang-barang “tidak berguna” yang pernah saya beli sewaktu anak pertama saya lahir dulu. Misal saya pernah beli pelindung lutut, sepatu (bayi yang belum berjalan sebenarnya tidak perlu sepatu, bukan? 😅) atau detergen khusus bayi.

Dari beberapa pembelian, berikut adalah daftar perlengkapan bayi terbaik yang pernah saya beli. Siapa tahu bisa menjadi referensi bagi mereka yang merencanakan punya anak, atau sekedar ide kado.

Continue reading “Investasi Perlengkapan Bayi”

The writing that helped Hayu re-find herself*

on By

9731b018-e7ff-4973-93b7-e8760b60f770

The move to Sweden became a major transition for Hayu Rahmitasari. In order not to feel idle, she took up writing. Now she has released her first novel – which may be adapted into series.

December 2016, Hayu Rahmitasari moved from Yogyakarta, Indonesia with her then six-year-old daughter. Her husband, Zaki, had received a doctoral position in Lund and they first thought of a long-distance marriage. But after eight months, the distance became too large so she resigned from her job as lecturer at the university in her hometown and moved afterward.

The couple are both media and communication scholars and in fact they were also “competitors” for a while.

“We applied for the same doctoral position, but at that time we did not understand that it was only one position available in Lund. He was the one who was eventually hired.”

Continue reading “The writing that helped Hayu re-find herself*”

Moving to Lund Evokes the Passion to Write*

on By

img_5956

Hayu Rahmitasari writes about life in Lund for a website called The Newbie Guide to Sweden. Recently, she published her first novel in Indonesia.

I always try to see the golden edge.

Hayu Rahmitasari left a good job in Indonesia to start a new life in Lund. The move was  a challenge but at the same time it opened the opportunity to write about life in Sweden and also fiction. Recently, she released her first novel published by an Indonesian publisher.

Continue reading “Moving to Lund Evokes the Passion to Write*”

Menyuruh Anak ke Warung

on By

Bagi sebagian orang tua, menyuruh anak membeli sesuatu di warung mungkin hanyalah perkara sepele. Hanya soal permintaan tolong sederhana yang tidak perlu dibesar-besarkan. Apa sih istimewanya mengirim anak berbelanja?

Tapi buat saya, menyuruh anak ke warung adalah momen serius yang terkait banyak hal. Tidak hanya soal memberi kepercayaan, tapi juga soal kemandirian, rasa percaya diri hingga melatih keberanian. Dan bukan hanya untuk si anak. Tapi juga untuk saya sendiri, sebagai ibu.

Momen menyuruh anak ke warung ini baru saja saya alami akhir pekan kemarin. Saat saya meminta anak sulung saya membeli roti dan susu di toko dekat rumah. Sudah lama memang saya berencana melakukan hal ini. Selain untuk melatih anak saya, juga untuk melatih saya melepas anak pergi sendiri. Sebenarnya sudah beberapa kali anak saya pergi tanpa saya atau Ayahnya. Tapi selalu dalam rombongan. Entah itu teman sekolah, anggota keluarga besar, atau tim sepak bola. Belum pernah dia pergi melakukan sesuatu sendirian.

Maka ketika akhir pekan lalu stok susu dan roti kami habis, saya pun menawarinya untuk membeli dua hal itu di warung yang berjarak sekitar 350m dari rumah. Sebelum-sebelumnya saya sudah berulang kali mengatakan bahwa akan ada saat di mana saya memintanya pergi berbelanja tanpa saya. Sehingga ketika hari itu tiba, dia tidak kaget. Setelah menjelaskan ini-itu dan memberinya arahan yang dirasa perlu, saya membekalinya uang 50 kronor, tas belanja dan ponsel saya untuk berjaga-jaga, lalu melepasnya berangkat belanja sendiri. Estimasi saya, aktivitas berbelanja itu akan dia lakukan dalam kurun waktu 15 menit. Dan saat itulah saya sadar, 15 menit itu adalah salah tingkah terpanjang pertama saya sebagai ibu 😄

Continue reading “Menyuruh Anak ke Warung”

Kali Kelima

on By

Kami pindah rumah lagi!

img_4984

Ya, awal April lalu kami pindah rumah lagi. Dan ini adalah kepindahan saya yang keempat, serta kelima untuk suami. Sewaktu mengunggah foto terakhir di Stångby beberapa waktu yang lalu, sejumlah kawan mengira kepindahan kami adalah back for good. Bahwa program S3 suami sudah selesai dan kami pulang ke Indonesia.

Itu hoax. Hehe.

Tidak terbukti valid dengan metode apapun 😄

Faktanya, kami masih di Swedia. Program suami baru menjelang seminar ketiga (dari total empat). Jadi masih separuh jalan lebih sedikit. Doakan saja semoga bisa selesai di waktu yang baik untuk semua 🙏🏼

Anyway, kami memang pergi dari Stångby. Tapi ”cuma” pindah rumah. Soal pindah-pindah rumah ini sudah pernah saya singgung sekilas di unggahan saya yang ini, tapi lebih lengkapnya akan saya bahas di sini. Siapa tahu bisa mengalihkan kepenatan dari ingar bingar Pemilu 😄

Continue reading “Kali Kelima”