American who woke up and could only speak Swedish goes to Europe to regain memory Michael Boatwright woke up in a Palm Springs Motel 6 in February with no memory of his past life The former English teacher woke able to only speak Swedish His doctors said that his amnesia could have been caused by 'massive emotional trauma' A worldwide search for friends and relatives was launched by his doctors He has returned to Sweden to meet an old girlfriend who he hopes will be able to kick-start his forgotten life The U.S. Navy veteran discovered unconscious in a Californian motel in February, who awoke with total amnesia and only able to speak Swedish, has flown to Sweden in a bid to rebuild his life. Michael Boatwright, 61, was reunited in Gothenburg on Tuesday with Ewa Espling, an old flame who he has not seen in almost 30 years and hopes spending time with her might trigger an avalanche of lost memories. 'I just want to be able to live a normal life and hopefully get my memory back,' Boatwright said Tuesday according to CNN. Reunion: Ewa Espling speaks to Swedish cameras after her emotional reunion with Michael Boatwright at Gothenburg airport on Tuesday Hope: Michael Boatwright hopes his reunion with Ewa Espling in Gothenburg will allow his memories to come back Like Old Times: After being apart since 1984 - Michael Boatwright and Ewa Espling begin to catch up on old times outside Gotherburg airport on Tuesday Feeling like a stranger in his country because he didn't speak English, Boatwright's reunion with Espling came after she saw his story online and recognized his face. 'I think it's the best solution for Michael, because he can't speak English,' said Espling, who dated Michael while he worked as a designer in Sweden in the early 1980s before the split in 1984. 'To recover fully, I think he needs to come where he's safe and understands what's happening around him.' Espling has kindly arranged a place for Boatwright and she sees him daily in an attempt to help him recover a lifetime of memories. Amnesia: Michael Boatwright awoke to find he had no memory of his past life to date, could not recognize his own reflection and believed he was Swedish 'Michael asked me, 'Why are you doing this for me?' Because I know Michael would have done the same thing for me. If he had found me in the papers. This is a very nice man with a very big heart,' Espling said to CNN. Diagnosed with dissociative amnesia, a rare psychiatric condition usually triggered by a traumatic event, Boatwright woke dazed and confused on February 28th in hospital earlier this year, unable to recognize his own face in the mirror. Speaking through an interpreter, he said his name was Johan Elk, but that clashed with the Social Security card, passport and veteran's medical card he was carrying - all which identified him as Michael Boatwright. Medical professionals appealed for help in solving the mystery of Boatwright, the only clues they had to his former life were a duffel bag, five tennis rackets, two cellphones, little cash, some old photographs and his identification. Former Life; Michael Boatwright served in the U.S. Navy from 1971 to 1973 (left) and was carrying old photographs on him when he was discovered in a Palm Springs motel room in February Baffling: Michael Boatwright is pictured here with two women - one who is believed to be his wife and a little boy thought to be his son No Recollection: This is one of the photographs which have failed to jog the memory of Michael Boatwright from his amnesia But as Boatwright's mysterious and enigmatic story carried round the world, those who knew him came forward to offer up small pieces of his forgotten life. His sister said that she hadn't talked to him in ten years and that she couldn't even get in touch with him in 2012 when their mother had died. 'He's always been just a wanderer. Then he'd come back when he needed some money or something from somebody. Then he'd take off again,' she said to The Desert Sun. Staff at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs discovered through their own work that Boatwright was a 3D graphic designer who taught English in Japan for 10 years and then in China for four. Diving: Eva Espling submitted these photos, saying she knew Michael Boatwright in the 1980s. Boatwright, 61, is pictured in the diving helmet Boat-Trip: Michael Boatwright served in the U.S. Navy in the 70s and here he is pictured in 1982 in Sweden in a picture taken by Ewa Espling Last Hope: With no memories returning in the six months since he awoke in Palm Springs with total amnesia, Michael Boatwright is hoping that his Sweden trip will restore them - here he is in the early 1980s A fellow English language teacher in Zhuhai, China contacted the center and offered a tantalizing glimpse into Boatwright's life before his catastrophic memory loss. Gifford Searls said he knew Boatwright when he worked at the the United International College, while Boatwright worked at the TPR English school. Searls said that Boatwright was a very good tennis player, spoke flawless English and was healthy. There was no inkling of any deep personal issues. He never talked about money. He didn't talk much about his past life,' Searls told The Desert Sun. And then there was this one Friday night where I get a phone call. Boatwright was in trouble. All Searls could make out over the phone was his friend whispering for help. Relief: Michael Boatwright uses exercise as the only way to concentrate his mind and not think about his memory loss Desert Regional Medical Center did all it could to identify relatives of Michael Boatwright - but now he has moved onto Gothenburg, Sweden So he showed up at Boatwright's home with his wife and two other friends and found that the man they knew was living in a 'hovel' - a single-room basement apartment that had no bathroom. Boatwright was inside and unconscious with a glass of vodka and half a vial of animal tranquilizers next to him. Skeptical: Gifford Searls knew Boatwright back in China, and helped the man get back to the U.S. before his visa expired. He's not sure if the amnesia is real He was rushed to the hospital and treated, eventually being released into his friend's care. During his time at Searls' house, Boatwright talked about his ex-wife in Japan, and how he had been 'cut off' from their son. Boatwright admitted that he couldn't go back to his job at the school and didn't know where to go next - his visa was set to expire. The TPN English school confirmed that Boatwright quit in January and that he had an ex-wife in Japan. So Searls came up with an idea to send Boatwright to Palm Springs, California to look for a job as a tennis instructor. He had contacts at a local Marriott where Boatwright could try and get a job. Searls paid for Boatwright's one-way flight and gave his friend $400 to start a new life. Boatwright left China on February 24, the last day of his visa, and that was the last time that Searls heard from his friend. His current persona of Johan Ek, clashes with the Social Security card, passport and veteran's medical card he was carrying in February and following mental and physical health exams Doctors at Desert Regional Medical Center have theorized that his total memory loss was triggered by some kind of emotional or physical trauma - what exactly that was though, they admit to drawing a blank on. 'He's kind of a blank slate,' said Lisa Hunt-Vasquez, the social worker assigned to track down relatives and help piece his life back together. For Boatwright, the sheer frustration and confusion of the whole ordeal is maddening. Former Life: Michael Boatwright worked as an English language teacher in China and Japan for almost 15 years 'When I look at the photos, I see my ex-wife and my son ... my mother and grandmother, but I don't recognize them. I don't know them,' he said. Sometimes it makes me really sad and sometimes it just makes me furious about the whole situation. For Boatwright, though, his daily life is a living hell. 'Walk in my shoes for one day,' he said. 'You'll experience the nightmare of a lifetime.' However, despite the international attention Boatwright's story has garnered, some are suspicious and doubt he has lost his memory. Searls for one, doesn't believe that Boatwright lost his memory. I just think here is a guy that has no place to go, is desperate and is broke. If he does this, at least he has a bed and three meals a day,' Searls said. 'He's reached the end of his line. But that's just a personal perception.' The Swedish-American community in Palm Springs also finds aspects of 'Johan Ek' questionable. They've been helping him adjust to his new reality at the Vasa Order of America's Desert Viking Lodge. Wife: This woman is believed to be an acquaintance in Japan - but she has not come forward to see Michael Boatwright After five months of trying to dupe him into speaking English, he hasn't slipped once said his social worker Lisa Hunt-Vasquez. One of Boatwright's friends at the Vasa Order, Viola Wyler, does believe that Boatwright lived in Sweden during the mid-1980s, but he doesn't speak with a regional accent which is strange. Wyler says this could be because he learned the language later in life, or hasn't used it much during his adult life. Unable to remember how to speak English, Chinese, Japanese, or even work as a designer - the one thing that Michael still can do is to play tennis. He hopes to start work as a tennis instructor in Sweden as soon as he is on his feet. 'After death, this is probably the worst thing you could ever go through,' he said.