Yingdi Chen
"Another important aspect for me to settle down is to be able to bring positive energy to my surroundings. We are not isolated, we need to be caring of each other. I became a volunteer for EOS Local Discoveries since March 2019. We are a small group organizing hiking trips every other Sunday (March - December) by public transport around Skåne."
In November 2018 I moved to Lund with my Swedish husband. I have been to Lund several times earlier for Christmas or summer vacation. But living at one place is so different (sometimes can be really difficult) compared to just short stays.
Create my own circle
My Swedish family members and friends made the moving a lot easier. At the same time, I know I couldn’t only rely on this without creating my own circle. I started following International Citizen Hub Lund (ICHL) and EOS Cares’ newsletters and Facebook pages while we were still in China. The first weeks when we arrived, I had already quite busy schedule: seminars at ICHL for a better understanding of Swedish society and culture, Thursday drop-in at ICHL for practical help related to residence permit and volunteering opportunities, as well as workshops and language cafés at EOS Cares.
After a while, I also started to build my professional network, by going to Ideon breakfast, job fairs such as ARKAD, as well as seminars and conferences related to my education and previous working experience. ICHL’s Kick-Start Program provided me with practical tools and emotional support for the job searching journey.
It takes patience and courage to establish connections. In the meantime, I become better at accepting my emotional up and downs.
EOS Local Discoveries
Another important aspect for me to settle down is to be able to bring positive energy to my surroundings. We are not isolated, we need to be caring of each other. I became a volunteer for EOS Local Discoveries since March 2019. We are a small group organizing hiking trips every other Sunday (March - December) by public transport around Skåne.
We are very lucky to live so close to nature. I believe in order to truly enjoy the place where we are living, we also need to know the hidden secrets of its surroundings. Local Discoveries is providing an opportunity for people to find out that Skåne is much more than plains and potato fields; if you know where to go, you have a magnificent landscape and a number of mind-blowing green oases just outside your doorstep.
Personally I also gained a lot out of the trip organization. It is a very relaxing way for people from different backgrounds to meet and to create social bonding.
Language!
I had some basic understanding of Swedish before moving to Sweden but it was certainly not enough. While struggling with all the administrative papers during the first half a year, learning the language was my “full time job”. I figured out going to language cafés is the best way for me to get practice so I went to as many as I can, among them I really recommend Kulturbro and Prata Svenska by EOS Cares, there you can really speak to native speakers no matter which Swedish level you currently are, while at the same time learning about the Swedish culture.
For me, learning the local language makes my daily life much easier, it also gave me a good position while looking for jobs. More importantly, it brings deeper attachment to where I live, which helps me to experience the good and bad aspects of the new adventure.
/ Yingdi Chen
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