Love is the only reason that I moved to Sweden

The only reason that I moved from Lithuania to Sweden is love. I fell in love with Jacob. In the beginning, I regularly went between Lithuania and Sweden, but I wanted to be with him all the time, and so, I moved.

Stockholm is a nice place; I have relationships and a good job. Although everything is fine, I miss Lithuania. I miss my family, streets, the memories that I lived, I miss everything a lot. It seems as if Lithuania calls to me, during those times, I go there and fulfill my longing.

I am very happy to be in Sweden. On the other hand though, I also thought some things must change in here after an incident that I had lived through. Sweden is a state which covers all the healthcare services. This is very nice, but when you get sick, you can't see a doctor whom you want, even if you can afford it. I also went to a hospital because of an illness -which I had an operation the next day-. At first, a nurse assistant saw me, according to the indications I had, she directed me to a nurse. In terms of the seriousness of your condition you might have, a nurse directs you to a doctor, but the nurse decides when the doctor will see and examine you. Sometimes patients have to wait for hours to be examined by a doctor. Thank God, it took 3 hours for me to see the doctor; in order for this to happen, I exaggerated my pain a little. Then I got shocked when I learned that I could be dead if my operation was delayed until the following day.

Another important issue is that you can't have a hospital attendant with you; only during visiting hours can they see you. However, even for emotional support you might want somebody close to you. I was very surprised when they didn't allow Jacob to come in. My friends told me that there is a saying about the Swedish healthcare system, "If you are healthy, it works excellent".

Well, Sweden is one of the best countries in the world to live in, but there are some things that have to be changed and improved here too...

Gintare
Stockholm, Sweden, 2 June 2018