It's a New Year

It's that time of the year,  the time to look back on the year gone and look forward to the future.  The time when one actually stops and says,  "wow time flies, what did I do with it all?!?"

The last year was an awful year and an amazing year all in one;  it was a roller coaster.   Last year my life changed upside down.  I spent the year waiting for my new life, looking forward to the future.  Being optimistic about what was ahead.  And waiting, lots of waiting. Months were spent in the US avoiding the previous country.  I missed my hubby so very much.

I planned a wedding, which I loved and was super fun.  I found so many talents for crafts and creativity that were bursting to get out.  I had many wonderful days with both my parents making and creating, and telling them how to glue what to what, lol.  Please forgive me, mom & dad.  I got to bond with my parents as an adult.  It's something I wouldn't give up for the world, I know them on a totally different level than before.  It was a beautiful blessing in disguise.  I got married, it was all I could have ever dreampt of. My beautiful day to celebrate our love.  I built 2 vacation homes in Southern Oklahoma,  they are currently on the vacation rental market.  Building helped me find myself and some hidden talents.

I reflected on my life.  Resulting is a massive life changing change of heart, I now have a totally different outlook.  I am much more focused on doing things to make "me" a better person, to expand myself, to challenge myself, being creative, being the "real" me not the me I think I'm suppose to be.  I loved working for myself this year.  I look back on my previous career with a degree of self-pity.  Corporate oriented ambition seems unproductive and, well, evil.  I'm trying to make the most of my new country, Norway. I'm excited for 2012, I'm excited about our new life.

Goals for 2012:

1. Get a job.  I picture it a bit like this: Somewhere to spend my time, something to challenge my brain.  Something with projects and where I can make an impact.  Somewhere I can be proud to work.  Probably something engineering and oilfield oriented to use my previous experience.  However this time, I'm not going to let it control my life.  Family WILL come first.  I will not work for months on end every single day without a break, I will not be bullied by my company or it's employees.  I will apply myself to make my company a better place and to achieve our goals.  I will spread my happy cheer to my co-workers.  I will not they them bring be down to their level.  I will work for a happy company, full of happy people, with smiles and honorable goals.  I actually think this will be quiet easy.  Norwegians have a good work ethic based on family time and it is not based on "the corporation is #1."  Plus, they actually have labor laws and believe in them.
2. Buy the ever illusive Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  Use it to make lots of things from scratch, including: a cake, cinnamon rolls and ground beef.  Find it a wonderful prominent place on my counter, for me to stare at with glee whenever I walk past the kitchen.  
3. Improve my cake icing skills. (They currently suck.)
4. Learn what all the settings on the stove actually mean.  Learn to cheat the induction stovetop, or get a new pots and pan set.  My current set doesn't work on the stovetop, most frustrating.
5. Throw a couple dinner parties.  
6. Learn to make sushi.
7. Make friends outside of work, mine and my husbands.
8. Paint pretty pictures.
9. Make my home a little less clean modern style and a bit more India Sari soft.  More "home" like.  I need to figure out what that means myself.
10. Become a better photographer; use light better, fill the image, work with my angles.

It's a brand new year!   It's not usually so exciting.  But It's time for a new year.  2011 you will never be forgotten.



Hope you have honorable goals going into 2012, and have a wonderful New Year!

Slingbox

Culture Shock Prevention Tool #1.

We've done this before, lived in another country.  At the end of that experience we didn't have many good things to say about... gosh the word is hard to say,  about... Azerbaijan.  Yes, some things there are great (tomato's - downright to die for tasty amazingness) and some things were once in a lifetime experiences (buying handmade carpet, while drinking tea in some dark basement).  But, overall not that great a place.  Among other things we suffered from an obvious case of culture shock; although at the time I had no clue.

What is culture shock:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock

This time, we have prepared ourselves to in the fight against "culture shock."  Both, mentally and with goodies from home.  Our favorite goodie from home is a Slingbox.  We have installed our Slingbox in a property back in the USA.  We have connected it to a full satellite suite of TV channels and a DVR (digital recorder).

What does this mean to us:

1. We can use our computer to stream live US TV to our television here in Norway. 
2. We can record US TV shows and watch them whenever we wish. 
3. I can get US style football!!!  Go Packers!

Although, we don't watch alot of TV.  I would be hard pressed to watch 2-3 hours a week, we have every channel you can imagine in English and all the newest shows from home.  When you start to feel out of the loop on the latest sports win, or when everyone is talking about some new show on facebook;  I can actually feel like I'm not so far from home by watching it myself.  AMAZING.

Hubby's Hair Cut

Our first attempt to get my hubbies hair cut.  It was getting crazy long, falling all over his ears.  But we had heard horror stories about what a hair cut could cost.  I asked some of the coffee ladies about where to get a hair cut, and one said her husband hot his done across the street from the coffee shop.

I made an appointment,  and 200 NOK (About 34 dollars US) he has shorter hair than I've ever seen him with.  It's not too bad, might take a couple days to get use to, but it might grow on me.   But, it was a try and in our opinion pretty cheap.  There is only 2 weeks between a bad hair cut and a good hair day, they say.

The World's Happiest Country

Norway, was repeated been voted "The World's Happiest Country."

Read: http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2011/12/07/the-worlds-happiest-and-saddest-countries/

Although, When I told people this Happy Fact they could still be negative about my then upcoming move to Norway.   Why? How? What were the reasons?  You ask.

This is how my interpretation of what some people may think of Norway who have never been.  And my first impressions of Norway. 

Isn't it cold?  Frozen Tundra?  Are you above the arctic circle?   They'd ask.   We'll yes, but it seems pretty warm.  It's the end of December and I've only seen snow once, it lasted 1 day and then melted.  It rains alot, and can have a windy day storm.  But, so far so good, no frost bite.  Not even dry skin.  I may be lucky,  I'm in Stavanger.

Don't all they eat is fermented fish?  We'll they do have some interestingly fishy food.  But, they have all the other things too, beef and lamb and yes fish, fresh even.  Right off the boat, for sale in the harbor.  Now, this is pretty awesome for a girl from Oklahoma.  Oh, and that have lovely breads and a pretty darn good produce selection too.  I could go on for days about food.  I'll save that for later.

Vikings?  Hummm...   Yah, they are Vikings.  They are the tallest people in Europe and a nice race of people,  once you get them to speak to you.

Isn't it expensive?  Ok, yes.  It's expensive.  Very expensive.  But the per capita income is through the roof to compensate for it.  So people know it's expensive, but still can maintain a standard of living despite the costs.

I heard if you drink and drive it's awful bad punishment?  Ok, seriously, what is wrong with this.  Seems like a pretty good policy to me.  There is plenty of public transport and taxis,  you can still enjoy yourself and be social with a little liquid courage;  you just get a ride home another way than driving yourself.

I think overall Norwegians, seem, so far, to be very happy people.  They like where they live, they enjoy their culture, and they don't complain.  You don't meet many Norwegian's who want to leave Norway. I take that as a pretty good sign, that Yes, Norway is a Happy Place.

At least it makes me very Happy so far.

In conclusion:  I think some people, think they must be from the best place in the world, and are negative because they want to convince you they are happy and they have the BEST lifestyle and country.  And I'm sure they are happy, and I'm sure their lifestyle and country is the BEST for them.  But, some statisticians think maybe as a whole population, not quiet as Happy as Norway.   And I haven't seen anything to prove them wrong yet.

Small Victories

Today something wonderful happened!  I ran into someone I know, in town. 

Well, ok...  This may not sound that wonderful or delightful.  But, I have been here for 2 months now and my friend group is very small; well basically non-existent.  It consists mainly of my husbands coworkers.  I have been going to a once weekly morning coffee social event.  It's an expat get-together /  meet & greet, type event.  It's been really nice, it's a group of people who are all trying to adapt to a new culture also.  So we share stories, complaints, small victories and enjoy a cup or 3 of coffee.

And then it happened,  while strolling around the post-Christmas sales, looking for my ever illusive Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer "On Sale";  I ran into a lady I met two weeks ago at coffee, oh the JOY I felt.  It's starting to feel like home.  :)

1st Christmas in Norway

Having just moved into our new home this week, we were very happy to be out of the hotel and to be having home cooked meals after months in the hotel.   However, the house is still not put to together fully and we don't know how everything works.

For instance, I learnt two days ago that the stovetop is "Induction."  Which meant nothing to me at the time.  But now means that I can't use any of our nice pots and pans,  or well anything,  not even my stock pot.  We have one thing that works on the stovetop, my cheap $6 hand me down wok.

Despite this setback, I believe my boys and I had a lovely Christmas dinner, Stuffing, Yams, Cranberry Sauce, Turkey and Gravy.   Made 100% with a Wok and an oven.  Welcome to a new country.
 
But, always one to love a reason to be creative.  I organized the present wrapping and Christmas tree before we moved out of the hotel.  Enjoy my 1st Christmas tree away from home.  Not much like a "real" Norwegian spruce,  but modern matchy matchy like me.