Wonderful UFO:s.

When we moved to Canada almost 3 years ago I had just become a mother for the first time. Lovisa was 7 weeks when we flew over the Atlantic ocean to begin our new life in the big country "over there". I was overwhelmed by being a mother, I felt omitted to this little baby that was totally dependent on me. Leaving family, friends and the life I knew behind made me even more vulnerable and the first months in Canada I was on the edge of a depression. Feeling lonely with H working a lot I tried my best to figure out how to be as a mother and at the same time trying to discover the new country and city that was my home.

Lovisa and me, the first winter in Canada 2009

My own place where my emotions could  run free, where I found comfort and advice I discovered here, a forum on the internet which had a group where Swedish parents living or had lived abroad gathered to talk about life's little and big issues. Here I could be honest about how hard I found my new life, how alone I was as a new mum and how depressed I felt. The parents there understood and most of them had been in a similar situation. I don't exaggerate when I say that it's partly because of these wonderful "UFO:s" (=utlandsforaldrar) that I survived the first months in Canada without breaking down completely.

One of the most amazing things about this group is that we also meet in real life. I have the impression that many internet based forums becomes only that, a forum were you can be deadly honest and sometimes well outspoken because you know that you're never going to meet these people in real life. But UFO:s exists in real life too. One of them lived in Montreal at the time and when she found out how lonely I was she came to see me. She took the bus in the middle of the cold winter to see a person that she never met and hardly knew anything about. We had lunch, talked and later she introduced me to the Swedish choir in Montreal. She's another great thing with UFO:s, they tend to stay in your live and become a part of it.

And yesterday when I had my first day without my girls I went on a lunch date with UFO:s from all around the world that happened to be in Stockholm. We discussed small and big issues, mostly about our children but also work, health, happiness and of course cultural differences between our countries.

To all of you UFO:s out there - you mean a lot to me and you make a difference.