Language
The Norwegian alphabet has all 26 letters of the English alphabet plus three more, so least there is that level of familiarity. With my limited knowledge of German and the tiny bit of Norwegian language studies I have had I can make sense of some of the written and spoken word. It is frustrating trying to figure out directions when cooking or driving, or reading labels in the grocery store (sometimes the picture doesn't tell the whole story). Most Norwegians speak English.
Driving
Gas is roughly between $9 and $10 a gallon. Most vehicles are small by North American standards. Some roads look like a "back lane" or sidewalk (we have driven on some of those). Turning circles are a bit of a challenge--the left has the right of way, but they do cut down on time waiting at lights and generally keep traffic moving. The perspective on distance is much different than Houston. I asked the neighbor if he grew up in the area and he said no, he grew up on the far east side of Oslo. I almost laughed, it takes us 15-20 minutes to get to the far east side of Oslo. In Houston 20 minutes may not get you to loop 610 from FM 1960 and you are still in the NW side of Houston. Here anything more than 10 minutes is a long drive where as in Houston anything less than half an hour is short or near by.
Shopping
Prices are outrageous--between two and five times the price of items in North America. A few examples: loaf of bread $5, half gallon of milk $5, pound of ground beef $10 (and not the good kind either), passport photos $30, and a six year old Peugeot (basic car similar to a Toyota Corolla) between $15000 and $2000. Price tags contain no currency symbol or decimals (commas in stead)--19,-- means 19 Kroner (NOK--Norwegian Kroner). Most items do not have portions of Kroners, but if they do the price is rounded off at the cash register. i.e. if your total bill comes to 190,70 you will be charged 191 Kroner, while a bill of 190,20 will be dropped to 190. All prices include taxes. The tax rate is very high, between 17% and 25%. Imported items are even higher priced because of tariffs. You can get many items that you would get in North America but at a higher price. When you purchase a television it must be registered with the government and then you will be charged 1200 NOK once or twice a year ($200 once or twice a year).
Food
You do not see very many overweight Norwegians (or Europeans). One reason being that they love being outside and active and the other that food portions are smaller than in North America. Most "family size" items in the grocery store are the same size as "small" items in NA. I am disappointed in the cereal isle--only half an isle long and only on one side of the isle (plus most isles are short). So far we are sticking to primarily familiar foods, although I have tried whale steak. Bread (which is amazing) and hot dogs are very popular--we joke that is because they can't afford the other food.
Outdoors
The Norwegians love the outdoors, and they love being active. Weather is no barrier to outdoor activities. We have been told that mothers will leave their babies outside a coffee shop to sleep in temperatures as low as -15 C (5 F). The saying here is "there is no bad weather, just bad clothes."
Norwegians
We were told that Norwegians are rather reserved and that we may never get to know any of them. It is true that they don't often go out of their way to be friendly but when you approach them with questions they are very helpful and quite friendly. Josh is our ambassador--we were in the house five minutes when he asked to go to the school playground "to play and meet kids." Josh has met a few English speaking kids and introduced us to our neighbors (very nice people who send their kids to the school Josh will attend).
National Holiday
May 17 is the Norwegian version of "Independence Day" or "Canada Day." The local public school was hosting a variety of events all day. It was easy to play "spot the Americans." We are use to wearing red, white, and blue, shorts, t-shirts, grilling out, fireworks, etc. In Norway they dress up in traditional clothing, rather formal (you almost feel like you are visiting a museum). We went home and changed out of jeans and put on our "best clothes." The parade is very important--the school children march down the street with their classes, perhaps displaying banners or playing patriotic songs. No Norwegian fireworks (rumor has it they do fireworks on New Year's Eve).
Our House
We have a nice house. The location is great--3 minutes from the freeway, 12 minute walk to a mall/shops, 5 minute walk to a bunch of hiking trails, rivers, and water falls, we can see the sea from the end of the street, 3 km to the Josh's school, and the school bus stop is half a block away.. The electricity is 220V rather than 110V, which does add some zip to some appliances. The washing machine is tiny (1/3 the size of what we are use to) and can take between 45 and 75 minutes to complete one load. The drier is the same size and takes between 45 and 120 minutes to complete a load. There is no vent on the drier, but the water is collected in a container at the bottom of the drier and must be emptied regularly. Our fridge is slightly larger than the size of a college dorm room fridge. The freezer is also small--we had to buy a small deep freeze. Many Europeans go to the grocery store on a frequent basis (for fresh food) so freezers are not as important. It is customary in Norway to take your curtains, blinds, and light fixtures with you when you move--so we have several bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Since our sea shipment has not arrived yet we are using three lawn chairs, two folding tables and borrowed lounge chair and bean bag chairs. We share our yard (or garden as they call it) with the owner. This gives us a nice area to play and enjoy. There is a small grocery store (Rimi) at the end of our driveway. An elementary school with a nice playground is next to the grocery store. If you want to "see" our house enter Storengveien 7A, 1358 Jar in Google Earth.
Overall Adjustment
We are adjusting to life in Norway. There are times when we "hate" it here and are ready to go back home. Other times we have to laugh (and imagine that the Norwegians must be laughing at us). Life is an adventure. There is a sense of accomplishment when you figure things out (often basic tasks take a long time to figure out) Norway is a gorgeous country. The weather is getting favorable.
Save up and come visit, but only after our sea shipment arrives because then we will have a place for you to sleep.
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