We've been adjusting really well. I really didn't think it would go this smoothly. But we've started making friends and having people to meet up with at the park. Axel has made a new best friend, an adorable little neighbor girl named Lilly who is also on his soccer team. They are so cute together.
We were talking today about how thankful we are that we've gotten to live in so many different countries. So far, I've lived in four outside of the U.S. (Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Canada), and Johan has lived in three outside of Sweden (U.S., Belgium, and Canada). Living in another country, not just visiting, but living there, allows you to really take part in their culture, feel as if you are one of them. And little by little, it allows you to see the world through their eyes.
It's changed us. It's helped us to empathize and understand a much broader range of people who vary in their race, religion, political beliefs, and culture in general. I came from a very conservative right-wing town where I genuinely believed that you could not be a Democrat or Liberal and still believe in God. Johan comes from a very liberal, left-ist country where the majority believes that George W. Bush was (and still is) the devil.
And imagine, we got married!
When I was younger and lived in my first countries abroad, I compared people a lot. I compared and I judged. I compared them to my friends and family back home who, in my eyes, were the best and were my idea of normal. I judged them for their liberal, "hedonistic" lifestyles. I remember coming home to Johan after going out to dinner with some new girlfriends in Sweden and saying "None of these people get married! They just live together! And their parents too!!" I'd never been exposed to that lifestyle before, and it was so foreign and very uncomfortable for me to accept.
I later realized how damaging my comparisons and judgements were to any future relationships. They were also hindering me from feeling at home in my current country abroad. Now that we've moved to Canada, and we're a bit wiser in this area, I don't allow myself to compare or critique unless it's a good or constructive critique. Because it's true that comparison is the thief of joy, and judgement is God's job. And this mindset has really made this move amazing. We are loving everything new and different. We love the people, the city, the way of life. 
I also realized, years ago after I got over my discomfort of living among "heathens" (because I myself am so perfect), that there was always something beautiful to take away from each person, no matter our differences. I could be having a conversation with someone who believed completely opposite from me on every level like abortion, politics, religion, health care, but as long as we maintained a mutual respect for each other, it didn't matter that we had nothing in common. I started to become fascinated with why people thought differently than me, and it has helped me to love and respect people more easily and judge less. I am not perfect, but I'm aware of this now. And when I feel the comparisons or judgements creeping in, I now know what to do with them.
I am no longer the super conservative I used to be, and I think it's safe to say Johan is no longer the ultra liberal either. We've changed. But living in other countries among different people with different beliefs will do that to you. It's a good thing. I think that these past life lessons have prepared us to be able to fully embrace Canada, the lifestyle, and its people. Plus, they speak English here and have Costco, so that helps too :)
