I don’t earn enough to take over the mortgage of this house, and that is why I am moving to an apartment. Maybe it’s for the best because I don’t see myself committing to keeping the house habitable during years of record snowfall. This past year, we’ve had just that.

Cleared sidewalk and road

The job I have now is considered “extra” which means that I work as much as they need me, then I go home. The hours are variable, so there is no set amount of pay every month. It was very stressful when I was taking that Swedish class because planning was impossible. One week, I would work half days, but the next week it would suddenly be full days. My workload varied based on the demands of six other people. They said that they could work around my school schedule, but when I was in the thick of an essay, a literary comparison plus argumentative essays, it felt like I was drowning.

I’ve applied for some programs at a local university. I have my eyes set on Networking because I have some light experience in it, and it’s a two-year program. There are some tech companies in my little city that are always hiring people with networking experience. The job prognosis is good for the next five years according to the country’s Department of Labor.

I also applied for a language program at Umeå University. My student adviser does not think this is wise. What can I do with a Swedish language degree other than teaching? The adviser also said that the city is always looking for Spanish teachers, and that has me flummoxed. She didn’t know why there was a demand for Spanish, either. This isn’t the U.S., where not learning Spanish doesn’t make sense. We’re a small mountain town on the east coast of Sweden where people speak Swedish or Finnish.

Yet I hear that Spanish is easy to learn, so it does give me something to chew on.