Back in Sweden

This year I left Switzerland and moved back to Sweden. For more than a year it was no words on my blog here, but for those of you who follow me on Facebook and Instagram you can at least see that I've been alive and doing a lot of things as usual. I will not give a full recap, but here is at least a summary:

After Val d´Isere (spring 2015) there was a lot of running on the schedule and I smashed in on new PB in both half marathon (1:19) and the full distance (2:53). Apart from all the training preparing for the Ironman in Copenhagen I dated (and spent time with) women like crazy. I guess I had a need for it and were in one of those phases... One of the highlights was to spend several summer days in a small apartment in Silvaplana, Engadin, thinking "this must be paradise".

Autumns´ highlight was the KMD Copenhagen Ironman. I aimed for sub 10, but a (multiple) flat on the front wheel (on my TT bike) slowed me down a bit too much for reaching that goal. Ended up on 10:29 which still is my new PB and something to be proud of.

Winter came and with that I started to feel a stronger wish for letting go of work and starting a new chapter in life. I saw it as the right moment to take up my roots and let the wind of change blow on the ocean of destiny. Already in November I spontaneously invested in great ski equipment for both on an off the slope. I had a lot of time to think a bit more relaxed as I spent a lot of time on skies both in the Alps and in Sweden. During the time in Sweden over new year I met my new girlfriend Marie. I fell in love immediately. I dated Marie for the months to follow and it all felt the way it should. My last vacation in February was spent with Jesper Hassel, Emelie Gustafsson and Björn Svernhage on Hokkaido and in Tokyo (both in Japan). With that done, I felt ready with Switzerland, resigned from work and apartment. I looked forward to a long summer vacation. Indeed I've had a long time off now (I still have), but it has not only felt like spare time. Moving out from Switzerland in April and all the administration that comes with that took a lot of time and energy. In addition I felt low on energy, forcing me to slow down and taking it very easy now for some months.

I still feel Switzerland in me. I´m happy Marie and I could visit Silvaplana with all its beautiful surroundings in July this summer. However, the summer time in Sweden has been amazing. I've done some sport for sure and I had the pleasure to try out both swimrun and horse riding. However, I still feel the most for triathlon at the moment so soon I will set up a new goal and plan for improving in that.

Relationship update

Rachel and I have separated after 7 years together

Our different interest focus the last months (years) and shrinking love feelings forced us to take action and reposition our relationship to just be friends. Though it is tough to take this decision it was needed. I'm happy to say that we are both managing this process in a good and respectful way to each other. Rachel will with my fully support move to a nice room in "Gündeli", Basel, and I will stay at Römerweg, in Sissach.

How could this happen?

Love disappeared over time and I do not want to have a too tight relation with someone I do not feel true love to. If you ever find yourself asking this question, or asking “…am I in love?”, then I do not think you are, but it isn't all gone.  It can't be.  It just means I’ve grown a bit and realize that what you thought was really true love wasn't.  When it is true love, you or I most probably know - I don't think, or wonder, or ask my friends what they think.  It's an epiphany that I'll never doubt.  If things go up, go down, shatter to a thousand pieces, build to a crushing pressure where I know something has to give, and I still never wonder about this, then it is true love.  Everything else is just; comfort (attachment), shared experiences/goals/future and good sex - or some mix of the three. Or to be realistic...isn't love just a damn result of fitting really good together and the "magnetism" towards eachother that occurs from that? Anyhow, I really like and admire Rachel so much and wish her all the best right now.

Support from friends and family

Thank you all for your support to us both now and in the future. If any questions to this, or you wish to show your support, please just contact any of us.

The 30-Year-Old Man Who Almost Quit Blogging

A lot of things have happened since last post. New apartment, new year, new job, ups & downs, new year again, and suddenly I now turned 30 years old. For the interested, below is a summary of the past.

Getting integrated in Switzerland - Moving physically from Sweden to Switzerland is easy (especially if the parents help moving and not at least driving their car down and then up again), but to integrate and to move in to this fantastic country physiologically is not that simple. How come? Well, first of all it is a hell of a lot of administrative-, cultural- and simply other differences in order to feel and be fully "Swiss" (it will take many more years...). Secondly, yes, anyone with a decent job and most importing a salary to pay the rent towards the landlord can get a rental apartment here, ...but if you do not have a job it is almost impossible to get a apartment. However, as I was done with my studies I wished to have both a job and a apartment (together with Rachel of course).

To get a (first) job in Switzerland is not easy - For getting a first job here in Switzerland I applied for 70 of them whereof 69 positions within the wide industry of production or logistics (all supply chain management/"SCM" related positions). Everywhere they (the companies) were looking for experience and sooner or later in the apply process I was turned down with a "no, unfortunately we have found someone with a bit more experience". I later found out that statistically about 500 persons applied for the typical jobs (that I applied for) and most probably most of the applicants were indeed more qualified for the job than (newly graduated) me. People from all over Europe want to come to Switzerland and they apply from everywhere, the pressure of applicants to all open positions is huge). Luckily, I got a job as scientific researcher at the University of Applied Science in Northwest Switzerland and could directly start research in SCM related projects and getting even more challenged as the communication language was mainly in German! After a year within the academy I felt it was time to move on and then I got in contact with IKEA...

Starting at IKEA Supply AG -  IKEA - So Swedish (culture). So much Supply Chain Management. So global. So nice. Even nicer that the supply center is situated in Pratteln, Baselland, Switzerland! Since late autumn 2013 I've been happily working as a BA Specialist and it has really been a perfect match from the start. My responsibility in short is to secure availability of the full range of plant pots and also green plant activities (special sales actions etc.) for all stores, warehouses and other storage places in whole Europe. Frequent contact with a lot of supply chain partners (from suppliers and customers/IKEA stores) is very motivating and enhance my joy and motivation for a positive contribution to "a better world for the many people". The vision and values of IKEA is something I can relate to well and dear. Earning money while enjoying my job and tasks is for sure a good and great thing. Thanks to recent insight I now learned how to directly cut away some of the monthly margin (salary minus our living cost) each month to start build up some great investment potentials for the future...

Dollar cost averaging (defensive intelligent investing) & the art of generating passive income - During a lunch in Zürich 2013 some magic happened. A nice old Chalmers (school) friend of mine explained briefly the logic of having financial assets generating passive income, the beautiful benefits of long term investment (but also its mental challenges) and also gave advice of three good books to read in order to get perspective: "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham, "The Millionaire Next Door" by William D. Danko & Thomas J. Stanley and last but not least the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki. I read the books with huge interest and even some other to get even more understanding and perspective. After that I took fast action. I played the CASHFLOW game, created a investment owner's contract for my self to fill out and sign AND of course start follow. For sure - it is a way of art being able to follow the the dollar cost averaging. Now the future looks even more promising for my love and myself.

Rachel & me in Römerweg 21 - After the first three months in Switzerland in a temporary apartment in the city of Basel, Rachel and I decided to move out to a old, but nice and big, apartment on Römerweg 21 in Sissach, Baselland. Of a nice and well known coincident our common friends Anina & Anders lived just about next door. To live here in Sissach is really nice. Close to the things we need (train station, food store etc.), multiple giant hills just some hundred meters away in all directions and not at least great neighbors....and a balcony towards the south. We both like this way of living a lot and we will stay for some time.

Family and friends on visit & travel - It is a great joy and maybe also the meaning of life - to meet people. A lot of fun moments has passed and a lot to come. Switzerland is really beautiful. Highlights right now is not at least a visit to Locarno, Ticino (still in Switzerland, but on the "Italian" side), for mum, dad, my sister, Rachel and me. I will try to remember to bring a camera and not at least enjoy the moment 100%. It is also nice to travel outside and last summer Rachel & I enjoyed a 3 weeks road trip in north Scandinavia. We finalized the trip by participating in O-ringen in Boden. This year we chose to participate during Swiss-O-Week in Zermatt instead. I think that will do too.

Switching from elite to amateur - This topic is now on the top of my agenda. I need to lower my ambitions in sports, but also a lot of other things in life. I will need to live "here and now" more instead of having great visions for the future. My stupidity in thinking (too) high about myself even finally started to force my heart beat non-regular and it still does from time to time during the day (in physically and stressfully moments). For identifying this issue and not at least getting help to get rid of it I got professional help from doctors and psychiatrist. Something I avoided before, but appreciate a lot now. As a result of all this, and as the title says, I need to lower my athletic ambitions, not at least since I'm getting older, but also because I lack motivation and circumstances to succeed. Understanding and respecting the fact that I now live a different life than when I was 20... I will still do a lot of orienteering and upload my orienteering maps and courses I run here, but from now on I will not set up too high expectations on myself for the present nor the future.

Most things still remain to be done. A glorious future! - These positive words comes from point 9 in Ingvar Kamprad's "The Testament of a Furniture Dealer". For sure I'm looking forward to a glorious future with a lot of fun things to do, but before that I have now written down some of my thoughts (now becoming history), will live today (my birthday) and not at least enjoy the moment. One day I will die, and all the other I will not.

Time to Grow as a Person

My permanent move to Switzerland is the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Time to level up. I've been studying on universities for a long time now. Indeed, I'm happy for every year that passed so far, but now it's time to grow up as a person. Soon, I will have my first real job.

Searching and Applying for Jobs
I'm so happy for the support in the job-search-process that I received from both future business contacts (Hans-Ulrich from Sandvik in Germany, Jenny at Volvo and not at least Mattias at Starke Arvid) giving me their warmest recommendations, but also to my family, and then not at least my sister Eva and my finance Rachel, supporting me actively. Eva prompted the importance of understanding "what I really would like to do", and not just applying for a lot of different jobs randomly. Rachel been supporting and accepting my somewhat weird job-application behavior and living here in Basel the last weeks. Focusing 99% on the application processes. Nervous and confused like hell one day and acting like god the day after, thinking life is sweet right now.

I Just Graduated
During the first days here in Switzerland (since I arrived on the 22'nd of August) I had the chance to experience Basel with my parents (thanks again for the logistic service down here to Basel with your car!) and thereafter pretty much alone and with my colleagues at the "intensive German course" that I participated in. A great start, warm weather and most of all. It gave me the 2 last needed credits for my 300 credit points large (5-year) education at Chalmers University of Technology. A bit later, on the 2'd of October, I got the news over mail from Chalmers examination department that I passed the requirements for receiving my Diploma as a fresh civil engineer. I just got it per Mail and damn it looks good!

 My Diploma for my Master of Science in Engineering

Future Living in Sissach, Baselland, Switzerland
During the first month here I have both tried to swim in the constantly moving Rhein, climb some really high hill in the Alps and done some orienteering in, for me, really new types of terrains. The Alps is of course a hit. Everything is really in 3D over there (as I live in Basel I have approx. 1½ hour to the Alps with car or train. Feels perfect for the future weekends. Stability is slowly approaching. On the 1'st of December Rachel and I will move to Sissach. After realizing the benefits of its position and getting confirmation from Anina Hirzel and Anders Holmberg, that our future landlord is a great type, we where very happy when we in middle September got the news that we also can move in an apartment 20 meters from Anina and Anders.

Get a Job
Higest priority now is of course to get a SCM-related job. I'm got high ambitions and I'm through to the second round of interviews at one place. This time is so interesting! I do not know where I will work, but I will for sure do it good. Stay tuned.