AT HOME IN VERDUN
Outdoors-lovers from Sweden
When Stefan Seibert learned that his company was transferring him from Stockholm to Montreal, his live-in girlfriend, Trine Jørgensen, jumped at the chance to go along.
As the ice axe on the wall of their new home attests, they are both outdoor lovers who are used to cold winters, so they figured that living in Quebec for a year or so would be both enjoyable and widen their horizons. Last fall, Jørgensen set off from Scandinavia with Sture, their enthusiastic Australian shepherd, a rescue dog.
Reunited, the little family now lives on the ground floor of a duplex in Verdun, in a compact (650 square feet) apartment. They have an all-in-one living area and kitchen, two bedrooms (one functions as a dining room/ guest room and storage space), an alcove by the front door (Jørgensen’s home office) and a small patio.
Jørgensen, who grew up in Finnsnes (“a little town above the Arctic Circle in Norway”), is doing a course in basic French, but she is also part way through a degree from the University of Gothenburg, in a discipline that she describes as “a mix of chiropractic and physiotherapy.” In addition to his job as a software engineer, Bavarian-born Seibert is writing his master’s thesis in computer science and media technology.
Q How did you end up in Verdun?
A Well, Stefan came ahead of me and lived for a while in an Airbnb so he could check out different neighbourhoods. His colleagues gave him some recommendations as well. Verdun turned out to be ideal. The apartment is close to a park and to the river where we can walk the dog.
Q Did you have any problems bringing your dog to Quebec?
A Not for travelling. Sture is fitted with a pet microchip and we had to prove that his rabies shot was up to date. That was all. It was much more difficult when it came to finding an apartment. It took quite a while, because many landlords won’t accept dogs.
Q And what about your furniture? Did you also have to ship that over from Sweden?
A No. I rented out our apartment fully furnished, so that solved that problem. This apartment had no furniture though. Q Did that mean you had to buy everything ?
A It did, but Stefan had been given a relocation budget by his firm, so that enabled us to buy the big, expensive stuff. Q Such as? A The fridge, the stove, the washer and the dryer.
Q What about the rest of your things, like your pale green wingback chair and the matching footstool? A Those are brand new. They came from Ikea, like quite a lot of our other stuff.
(She points out a work table with a butcher block top in the kitchen, a couple of small, leaf-shaped coffee tables next to the couch and the rag rugs on the hardwood floor.)
Q The flooring looks almost brand new.
A The landlord refinished it before we moved in. He also painted the walls, so the interior was clean and bright.
Q Where did your wooden sideboard with all the differentsized drawers come from?
A We got that for nothing! Right now, it’s full of climbing gear. We’re keen mountaineers. (She points to an ice pick hanging on the wall.)
Actually, we got quite a few things for free. These came from one of Stefan’s colleagues.
(Jørgensen indicates the TV and the bench on which it stands. We then walk into the spare bedroom where a tower of tires is being pressed into service as a side table.)
Q I’ve never seen tires used as a table before!
A (Laughs.) They’re just being stored for now. There was nowhere else to put them. We drive a Ford Escape, which is an SUV and the wheels are large. There’s a tiny storage space in the basement but it’s not big enough to accommodate the spare tires.
(Also in this room is a pullout futon, a dining table and a sturdy mountain bike.)
Q I see you store your bike here as well?
A The bike is Stefan’s. He likes to cycle to work. I just use the Bixi bikes.
Q And this is also your dining room?
A It is. We found the old wooden dining table on Kijiji. The person who sold it to us said it was over 100 years old, so it’s probably an antique.
(Back in the living room, I notice a box containing balls of wool and knitting needles, beside the wingback chair.) Q What are you making ? A I’m knitting gloves with reflective yarn.
Q How does that differ from regular yarn?
A The wool has reflective thread running through it, so motorists and other pedestrians can see me better at night. It’s safer when I’m walking the dog.