Some thoughts about two things about living in Norway.  1)  Booze, 2) Driving  (and the two do not mix, especially in Norway).  

First things first, my alcohol quota has been severly hampered by the exchange rate and the Norwegian sensibility.  Had I known this beforehand, maybe I would have reconsidered the whole sabbatical.  The shakes have finally subsided.  Here is an excerpt from wikipedia:
"Norway is often described as a "dry" country, because alcohol is highly priced and glass of wine/beer in a restaurant is in the range of 60 NOK. Beer can be bought at the supermarkets, however wine and stronger alcoholic beverages have to be purchased in state owned liquor stores (Vinmonopolet [30])."  The high prices are most likely part of the reason why the tradition to hold vorspiel and nachspiel before and after going out is very popular in Norway."  It kind of reminds me of when we used to shot- gun beers in college before going out.

I had my first glass of wine nearly one week ago with my lovely British friend Chris on a sunny day at a lovely bar downtown.  The red wine came from a box and cost $13, but we savored every drop.  

Today I finally made it to the "Vin-Monopolet."   It truly is a wine monopoly and I literally felt like I was playing monopoly trying to find both the time (it seems the hours are limited) and the place (a drive from my house).   Plus, for those of you in Westerly, there was no James to help with tastings or suggestions on new bottles.  I got three different bottles of malbec because the Argentinian wine seemed to offer the best value and I do like a nice full-bodied red.  

So how did I find this little bit of heaven in Trondheim?   First a brief digression...As many of you may know, my droid phone has a navigation app that I became very fond of back in the states.  In fact, my children often thought I liked "Dorothy" my navigator better than them.  Truth be told, there were days when I wholly appreciated her helpful, responsive personality and her ability to really listen and solve my problems  ;-).   I got a little droid phone here in Norway and turns out I also have a navigator app, but now I get a British voice.  I kind of miss Dorothy, but this new voice is a bit more soothing and reminds me of the hot broadcaster on Sixty Minutes...."Yes, Bob Ballard, how deep can your submersible go??"  But I digress, the new Dorothy also appears to have a split personality.  She tells me to turn onto a street and then another more American voice comes on and tells me exactly which exit I need to take in the roundabout.  I should add that Norwegians do love roundabouts and I even have one in the tunnel I take out to work... A roundabout in a tunnel...truly a national wonder.  I wonder what I should call my new droid friend???



Since arriving, I've been working on an entry on Ocean Color Remote Sensing for the Encyclopedia of Sustainability.  I'm not quite sure why I agreed to write this particular chapter, except that it's outreach and is the kind of thing that might be found by my kids and grandkids someday.  My papers won't really last  noticing some differences in the university.  When I was at theThe university seems

I found a great pub in town that serves the largest selection of beer in Norway. I enjoyed an IPA made in Southern Norway.

Away from Disasters

We're thinking of everybody on the east coast being hammered by the storm right now.   It certainly hits us how far away we are, but at least we can still get the weather channel on the internet.  From my experience in Miami, I know the main point of a storm is to watch goofy weathermen in raincoats out in stormy conditions reporting about the winds and the severity of it all.  "If the worst case scenario were to come true, then the water will be up to this height on the piling and this pier will be flooded....aaaahhh...the world will end and I will be out in yet another goofy looking raincoat reporting from a boat or floating piece of debris as the only living human."  But seriously, though, I want to send you all my heartfelt hope that you survive the storm without too much power loss and trauma.

To get your mind off the worst, I send you some photos from my jog of the neighborhood forest.  Trondheim at its best.

 
The Norwegians all said I brought great weather with me, but hoping some good weather returns to the east coast as well.

School

Ok so i started school and i made some friends! um school is ok i mean its fun but my teacher is annoying! shes not strict but shes babyish in a way! i was invited to a sleepover at my friends house along with 2 of my other friends! chloe is the other new girl shes from england and shes really nice! everyone thought we already knew eachother when school started because we didnt know anyone else! i made friends with other kids 2 and ive gotten in trouble and played tag and all that just like the other kids! (10 minute time out for going behind the building, throwing water balloons, etc...) its weird with everyone speaking norwegian to eachother and english to me! my teacher doesnt speak norwegian so she doesnt understand what their saying either! :)

Swimming in Ice Water

Today was sunny and naturally we headed for the local swimming hole.  We figured this might be our last chance to actually make it in the water and out to the swimming platform.   Of course, we have never seen anyone actually make it out to the platform except ducks, but us Viking girls decided we could make it.  We dove right into water so cold it makes your head ache and swam out like fast little sharks to fully experience the platform covered with bird droppings.  Annaliese jumped off the high platform even.  We are drinking in all Norway has to offer, especially if it involves extreme acts of courage.  Maybe it won't be as cold after we grow a layer of blubber over the long winter  ;-) 

A day in the life

Up at the crack of dawn (7 am is early for our jetlagged selves) and out to catch the city bus at Byasen  Butiksenter for Day 1 of school.  The girls have to switch buses at the Sentrumsterminalen which is not really a terminal at all.  Buses just line up at different stops along two roads in the center of town -- so much for a nice heated terminal in winter when there is 1 m snow and -15deg C.  Anyhow, the school is temporarily located about as far away as one can get in Trondheim from our house until Jan. when their downtown school is finished with being renovated.  The only good part of this bus situation is that I met two very nice mom's on the bus ride back from the school.  Chris, a recent expat from Bath UK, and I shared some coffee at a Bakerei downtown.  Very fun to meet someone who is also pondering the prices in Norway (ouch!!), trying to figure out if we have enough "woolens" for the kids this winter and whether there is a store that sells humus.

The girls seemed happy after school, even though they both seem to think it was a bit more "babyish" than they are used to.  The teachers lectured on respect and responsibility and wanted them to raise their hands to be quiet -- something they had thought they had outgrown.  Melita made a few friends and a boy taught her to say "you are dumb" in Norwegian..so assimilating well.  Annaliese had many girls wanting to show her around at "play time" (which is the way they say recess) and she taught one girl how to say "eye lashes" in english -- wonder why?

I got a bit of work in between the bus riding and then managed to take a beautiful mountain bike ride through Bymarka- our backyard city park.  WOW!  I am out of shape, but becoming inspired by the buzzing norwegians on bike, foot, and even those wheelie cross country skis, as well as the sheep slumbering in the roads, horses, and beautiful views of the fjord. Then the girls and I went all the way to the end of the park via car and then hiked up the tallest mountain in Trondheim.  We hiked up and up through mud and stone and lichens to the tippy top (photo of Melita conquering the summit with a compass and sign to boot).  We want to drink in the summer while it is still here.  The good news is that the whole park is lit up in winter for xcountry skiing -- so no rest for the weary.

From Annaliese

Annaliese impressions:
Hair conditioner is called "Balsam."
People are not fat here.
Everyone is working out.
The 1 Krone coins have a hole in the center
Nervous for school tomorrow...bye

Annaliese in action in Norway, as always.

First Impressions

What is it like to move a family to a foreign country?  Almost as bad as getting divorced.  Seriously though, it has been a roller coaster ride of logistics, apprehension, and saying goodbye mixed with a vague sense of excitement for the future.  The girls and I worked our tails off in the final hours packing, cleaning, getting the house ready for our renters and putting our many affairs in order.   Somehow it all came together in the 11th hour or in Norway they would likely say the 23rd hour.  We are grateful to all of our friends who helped with dinners, wine, packing, fixing, moving, storing, and the many words of encouragement.  Make no mistake, we will be happy to see you all again in summer 2012 Rhode Island or sooner if you can visit.

One of the reasons I chose Norway was the sense of culture similar to Denmark, my work colleagues at NTNU, good schools, and the rule of law.  Having traveled a bit around the world, and having lived in Miami where the power went out nearly every day, I really wanted to feel safe and secure in our new home and know that I was actually renting a "real" house and car with electricity and modern facilities.  The girls almost believed me when I said that we would have an outhouse and have to bring in water from a well for our morning baths.  Turns out we have a beautiful home up on the hill above Trondheim with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and even a treehouse.  The girls each have their own rooms all lined in light wood paneling and very scandinavian in furniture design.

Aside from finding the house, getting inside and unpacking, we have also made a trip into town to get bus passes for the girls' school, the Birralee International School,  and to purchase cell phones.  Again with the rule of law thing, but the  Norwegians won't give you a cell phone contract unless you have a resident number (which I don't have yet) or can prove that you are renting a house and are employed.  All towns today apparently have McDonalds, not that we would eat there.  We enjoy a nice Norwegian pølse, that's a hot dog, or a sandwich with skinke and ost (ham and cheese). 

Well we have to head out to the great outdoors today and see some nature and all of that.  As the saying goes, when in Trondheim...

Norway..............pretty cold

its way colder here then at home! its summer and i have to wear a sweatshirt!!!! i cant wait for winter! but overall its pretty nice i mean our house is awesome and everyone seems nice! we have internet so thats cool! the tv and the plugs annoy me though because the tv is in norweigen and its complicated anyway and the plugs u have to use a converter thing which doesnt work completely well! also the times are confusing because i have to do the math to figure out 17:00! its going to take some time to get used to it but its going to be fun living here!