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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

On Leaving America - Part 2


                                                   Paperwork:

My wife is Swedish. Swedes are allowed dual citizenship. Americans are not. She is now studying to apply for an American passport and knows more about U.S. government than I do. She needs to be an American citizen in order to collect the social security she has earned here. I think many people having green cards do not realize this.

In the meantime I am filling out paperwork to become a permanent resident in Sweden. I am one of those unfortunates who can seemingly never fill out a form without making mistakes, and there are so many details, records, dates – divorces, births, income tax things.

Finally got it done and it was sent to Sweden. Today the Swedish embassy called. They want more information from my wife. The form was e-mailed to us – in Swedish. Thank God I don’t have to mess with this one.

You will notice the word “gifta” at the top of the form. This means marriage in Sweden, one of the few Swedish words I have learned. To be married is to be “gifted.” Marie-Louise has been a gift to me – it took a long time coming but was fun to unwrap.

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