Friday, October 06, 2006

End of the Gothenburg Era

This last month I have lived in Gothenburg together with Zhang Chi. Playing football a couple of times a week, going to Chinese mass during Sundays, meeting up with some friends, and hanging out in the library looking for jobs.

The job hunt has actually been rather successful and I have already been on four interviews.
I am very close to signing a contract and as a matter of fact, I got one right here on my computer. The offer I got exceeds my expectations, and even though it will have little to do with my interest in China, it will enable me to pay some of that extra 20% national high-income tax on some of my income (above the 30% some that we normally pay).

Since I am only looking for jobs in Stockholm, that has meant going up very early in the morning, put on the suit, taking the fast train to Stockholm, have the interview, and then come back to Gothenburg in the evening. Pretty tiresome stuff. Going to Stockholm takes about 3 hours and it is a very suitable time to watch movies. I am slowly going through the TV-series 搭错车, "Take the Wrong Car". Perhaps more on that in another post.


I also think I'm close to find an apartment for me and Wen to stay, at least temporary until we find something better.

Wen has been back to China to be with her mother, and also to be near her grandmother who has gone through surgery. Right now she is on a flight back to Belgium to file applications for prolonging her visa in Belgium, residentship here in Sweden, and make sure everything is correct for her application to Stockholm University. Things really have a potential to work out for the best, though there are also many things that can go wrong.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

哈哈吼吼

Anonymous said...

Hey Johan! Found your blog by coincidence through google...nice blog, beijing memories.... I was at beida with you in 2003-2004, just wanted to say hi.
Good luck with your thesis, having thesame problems over here! Are you still in touch with friends from beida? can imagine you don't remember me so here a link to a very old picture made somewhere in 2003, i am the one investigating jidangeng dessert sitting next to Juan...
http://www.foton.dds.nl/200310/Dsc00312.jpg

Greetings from Amsterdam Holland
Robert (Bai Bo)

Johan said...

Hey dude!

I do remember you and I think it is kind of cool that you could find my pictures here. I do keep in touch with some folks from Beida, but I'm really bad at keeping in touch with people. Particularly people that I don't have on my IMs. :(

What are you writing your thesis on?

Anonymous said...

Johan,
I am Juan, the one sitting next to Robert in the picture.
Ceren told me about your blog. I've read it a couple of times and it's good to know that you're doing fine.

Bai Bo,
How are you doing? I'm gonna be seeing Krissy on friday. We'll be celebrating Halloween together in Chicago (we did so last year too). I have been living (working is more accurate actually) in New York for some time now but hopefully i'll be going back to sunny Spain in a few weeks. I lost your email address; no news from you since that trip to Xinjiang. Email me and let me know about your life, please.
I can't believe you still remember the name of that dessert. I am barely capable of uttering ni hao anymore. Xianmu ni!

Johan, thanks for letting me use your blog to get in touch with old friends:) Keep blogging! and good luck in your next move.

Johan said...

Hi Juan!!

This post is turning into a Beida alumni forum!!

Send me your contacts guys!
I usually use garbolino(at)gmail.com for mail and for gtalk... msn garboinindia(at)hotmail.com

I might head over to China this week, so keep checking out the page :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Johan, Juan and Robert!
Isnt it great that we are back together again even if on a blog?!!
Just for follow up, I'm in Boston, doing a PhD. I visited Juan 2 weeks ago, and actually met Krissy there as well!... Actually, so many people from BeiDa have visited me in Boston in these two years: Apart from Juan (on a great sunny warm weekend! ;-)), Masa, Julian, Huihui, Janie, Wu Nan, Mike... I also bumped into Johan's American roommate (what was his name again?) in a park once! It seems that we'll meet again and again...
Johan, I'm so happy that things are sorted out for you and Zhang Wen!
Lots of hugs,
Ceren

Anonymous said...

Hi Ceren, Juan and Johan! Just got a mail from juan who said he posted sth on this blog too...
Wow! it's indeed turning in to an Alumni-site! Maybe we should set up some kind of online-network heheh....
I'm jealous of all you america-goers! :) I have been in Amsterdam ever since I left China...finishing my Bachelor and MSc in Business Economics/Finance... mafan....will be done around May next year. Hope to find either china-related job (but somehow that is hard...we as chinese beida talents are underappreciated i feel...) or a job in New York...so if any leads from you americans over there....let me know!
Would be nice if we could have an olympics beijing 2008 reunion, eh?
Take care all! Keep in touch, my msn messenger mail is sombrero(at)dds.nl which is also my primary mail; other one is robert.breugelmans(at)gmail.com
Take care all! keep in touch
ciao

Anonymous said...

Above post is not anonymous....it is of course Robert a.k.a. 白波。。。
:)