Norwegian Saga

I arrived in Norway on the 7th of August 2008 with more jumbled thoughts than I can think to write, of course that won’t stop me from trying.

It wasn’t easy leaving my family and friends. In fact, I still tear up when I think about them. I left a life in Canada that had people in it I love. Evening bonfires with my family and friends, I even went golfing for the first time in my life with my boss which was incredibly fun, I tried Indian roti (a type of bread) and there are many things which I miss already. However, I will be back for Christmas and then probably the summer after that.

I got to Norway and was picked up by my lady friend, Anne Marit, at the airport. The flights had been quite pleasant and not overly long either. I suppose after working 12 hour shifts one learns well how to sit and bear a slow passage of time, a seven and a half hour flight was easy by comparison.

From the airport it was straight to the student housing administration to get the keys for my student room. We found the place easily. I live in the “Sogn studentby” (Sogn student residence). I was expecting a dirty closet with a bed in it for a room but what I got was a nice clean, large room with a high ceiling and a big window. There’s a desk and bed that are both small for my liking but beggars can’t be choosers I suppose (pic). The common area (pic), that contains the kitchen, is clean and cozily furnished. The living arrangements seem nice enough. My only complaint, which I mention to everyone who asks, is the toilet. You see someone stumbled upon a great idea to separate the toilet from the shower room, essentially splitting the bathroom in two. This way the morning line up (which doesn’t actually exist because everyone wakes up at different times) is divided and everyone can do their bathroom business sooner. Well, the toilet was walled off and a small sink was put in. The problem is that the sink is almost on top of the toilet and it’s very difficult to do anything in there (pic). Just look at the photo and you’ll see what I mean.

The food in most places is fantastic but the weather kind of sucks. Seems I just missed a heatwave in this nation and caught on in time for a coolwave. It’s about 12-15°C with occasional rain. It’s also more expensive than I’d imagined. I thought I had a handle on some of the prices when I believed everything was roughly twice the price of what it is in Canada. I was wrong with some things, like bus fare, which for a single ride, if paid in cash, is about $7CAD.

I will write more, at the moment I’m going to focus on my breakfast.

I hope everyone is well. I miss you all.