Hey! I'm Katie, a German/American student studying computer graphics in Sweden. I moved here with my spouse because I wanted to go back to school. As someone who holds a German passport, I don't pay college tuition in the EU, I don't have to worry about working full-time to retain health insurance, and the average cost of rent is half of what it was where we had previously lived in Seattle. Also, I’m in my mid-20s and a bachelor’s degree only takes three years of university here.

We moved here with $10k in savings and six months of rent paid upfront. Unfortunately, things have been incredibly rough.

Despite having paid our rent up front, we recently suffered through an eviction. Because neither of us had Swedish social security numbers or places in the housing queue, we rented through someone we had found on the Swedish equivalent of Craigslist. Our landlord claimed that we were causing property damage and kicked us out. While he initially claimed he'd pay our rent back, he's now keeping the funds and claiming we owe him $140 in damages.

Fortunately, we were able to find housing in time. We moved out on January 2nd, and we now live in a new apartment that's just a 15-minute bus ride away from the city.

Our car arrived in November, but we've been struggling to get it registered. It passed verification of origin in December, and we took it to get inspected this week. Inspection and registration cost us about $300, but we can't retrieve our plates without a "noise level certificate", which will cost us nearly $200.

I've applied to 55 jobs this month alone and I'm still unemployed. I'm registered with the Swedish employment service, I've been tracking every job I've applied to and every response I've received. I have experience in IT, project leadership, and clinical lab work, but I'm willing to take on anything in order to get through college.

Despite everything, things are starting to look up. I had one interview this month, which went well, and was told that I'd get a response at the end of January. My spouse had two job interviews with one company, and they were told that they'd get a response a week from today. If they were to get the job, they’d start on February 13th.

We now have Swedish social security numbers, and I have a Swedish ID and bank account (which are incredibly difficult to live here without). My spouse has an ID card on the way, and if they get this job, their employer can help them get a domestic bank account.

I've also applied for a student loan through CSN on January 19th. However, the only response I have so far is that it's pending.

I'm currently nearly $400 overdraft, we need to start paying rent soon, my previous landlord is trying to hound me down for $140, and I have over $350 of bills due within the first two days of February. My savings are depleted, and my credit cards are maxed out. On top of all of this, I don't even have a chair as our previous home was fully furnished.

We’ve considered having my spouse return to the US to work while I stay here to complete my degree, but my spouse has been making recent progress with their job search here in Sweden. We’re currently waiting for a response regarding work before we make any big decisions.

I just can't open up for more commissions in good faith, I have too much on my plate right now. My in-laws have been incredibly supportive and helping us the best they can, but they're on a fixed income.

I really don't like doing this, and the whole reason I'm this far overdraft is because I've been putting off asking for help out of feelings of guilt and embarrassment. Words can’t describe how much we appreciate the support we’ve received during this difficult situation we’ve landed in, and ever since moving into this apartment, our situation has been significantly improving.

Thank you all so much, anything helps.