From Agony To Rhapsody

Okay, I'm chronicling backward, but only for this month. Hopefully.

Now, I'll let myself ramble about some agonizing moments last April 29.  Our old car went through the required yearly inspection earlier last month and failed the requirement for safe driving. We had to have it fixed, then take it again to the inspecting authority. Something more was not working well and needed to be fixed. The accredited repair company that ran through our car discovered several spare parts that are on the brink of breaking down and thus need to be mended/replaced. Would be okay if not for the enormous amount of service fee, which was too much for our budget. Better buy a new one, I mean a new second-hand car, than to spend a big sum on an old car.

We gave in to hopelessness. What should we do now? We have no car to use. Ok, we're still allowed to drive it until May 20, and after that? We have many activities this summer that require traveling by car, most especially our summer convention in the south. I felt restless that day while working no matter how hard I tried to push the thought at the back of my mind and summon my inner joy. Agonizing. Okay, enough of this rambling.

When I met hubby that afternoon after work, he mentioned that I had a notice from the post office regarding a packet that I should pick up. It came from the Migration Board. The authority sent back my homeland passport that I submitted about a month ago along with my permanent residence permit card as a requirement for my application for citizenship. Was my application rejected? Enclosed in the envelop was a certification that I have been approved as a Swedish citizen! Woooh! Couldn't believe it! The Board said that maximum waiting time is ten months, so I anticipated to get the result that long. But I got the answer in just a month! Just like that? No interview, no email. Incredible! It took quite a time for this information to sink in and for my disbelief to subside. But then, I've been living here for over four years, and my record is clean, and I filled up my application form accurately. So, no more questions, no hassles. I checked my documents. My permanent residence card was missing. Then it dawned on me that I didn't need that anymore since I'm already a citizen. 

Now I have a dual citizenship. Three actually. The third is an eternal citizenship under an eternal government.

So what's the big deal about being a Swedish citizen? Well... aside from the many benefits and rights that one is entitled to, I can freely live and work anywhere within EU. But I have no plans to move, my heart belongs here. Unlike before when I could only travel across the universe (uh-uh...), now I can travel anywhere on earth without a visa. Which means that my new citizenship is a fantastic treat to my wanderlust! Ah, rhapsody!

Aren't life's ups and downs fascinating? They sure can give us a bang!