That's right. In the middle of my third Norwegian winter, I'm ready to call myself a pro. (Which is a little ridiculous, but let's go with it anyway. It's my blog.) A couple of my closest friends recently moved from sunny, drought-addled California to Malmö, Sweden. In January. (What, are…
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All posts tagged Norway
Vengeance & The Law
In Oklahoma yesterday, a man named Ronald Clinton Lott was executed by lethal injection. He was convicted of raping and killing two elderly women in 1986 and 1987. He bound them, beat them, raped them, and suffocated them. Two old women who each lived alone. Evil exists in this world,…
The Proper Nouns of Life in Oslo
Even before learning the language, an expat must contend with the proper nouns of life in a new country. City names. Street names. Metro stop names. Pronunciation, particularly in places which use grander alphabets than we're used to, can be a problem. Skøyenåsen, anyone? Nuances in accent and emphasis can…
Visitors
When Jonathan and I decided to move to Norway almost three years ago, we knew only a few things for certain: We'd be able to travel more. We'd need warmer clothes. And we'd likely never receive any visitors. This last, we understood, because, unlike France or Italy or Switzerland, Norway…
Expatriating: Culture Shock
Being a first time expat is a lot about being swept up in various excitements. Everything is new. Everything is beautiful. But culture shock is not only real, it's an important part of the expat experience and transition. Everything is a little scary, too. Everything is different. There's also the…
Moving to Norway with Pets: Drama Trauma Drama
Bringing our cats with us from California to Norway wasn't a difficult decision, but it turned out to be an arduous process. Three years ago, Jonathan was beginning his interviews with the Oslo software company he works for now. It felt like such a long-shot at the time. We didn't…
Oslo by Instagram
On the perfect Oslo day, the air is warm. The sun, up since 3:30am, swings slowly overhead. Trees sway gently in manicured rows. The air is sweet with the scent of freshly clipped lawns and flowers blooming in window-boxes. Today was just such a day. After writing at a…
Radio Silence Above the Arctic Circle
Things will be quiet behind the red door for a few days. In April, I gave Jonathan his birthday gift of plane tickets to a dream destination, and now we finally get to realize that dream. For the next ten days, we'll be trekking and tramping around the Lofoten Islands,…