Saying goodbye to certain people Saturday morning was of course veeeery sad, and I cried a lot. Upon arrival in Oslo I also started crying. Suddenly it felt so real. I was back in Norway. For good. Not on holiday. But forever. (Or at least for a year, as I keep telling myself.) The picture below shows a very tired and confused Stine enjoying dinner on the terrace of my parents' new summer house Saturday night. Yes, Norway is beautiful. But it was a shock to the system, and very cold.
Fiskepudding i hvit saus på terrassen
The next day I got to see lots of Scandinavian artists in concert, at the memorial concert (one year anniversary for 22 July) in Oslo. It was raining cats an dogs, but we had a good time! And "the boss" turned up as well. Yeah! Bruce Springsteen sang "We shall overcome" and you can read an article about it (in English") here.
Yes, it's Bruce Springsteen...
After the very wet concert, we went to "Restaurante Español" somewhere in Oslo, and I had my first encounter with patatas bravas made in Norway. Not the same quality as those served at La Venencia or Ebe La Polaca, but not too bad either. And the waiter was from Madrid. And I got to speak Spanish. And the atmosphere there was lovely. The picture below is from the restaurant. Ha ha!
My grandmother's 90th birthday the following day was a great success, and everyone was happy that all went well. It was also nice to spend three days at the summer house with my parents, my sister, her husband and the lovely, adorable kids after the birthday party. The house is really nice. And there's enough room there for the seven of us. Not bad! :)
The summer house in Horten
I have also met some of my lovely dear friends. Very nice to catch up with them again, and to have some quality time together. What strikes me now is that I can see them again in a few days, a week, a month, - because I live here now. It takes time for it to sink in properly. But I like it! I think.
Some of you asked for pictures of exotic Norway. Here are a few shots taken with my mobile phone. I hope you like them! Norway can be quite beautiful actually.
In the city centre of Oslo on a sunny (!) day
An evening in Frognerparken, aka Vigelandsparken
Another part of Frognerparken. I love the light.
So what is my impression of life in Norway? How will I cope? How will I manage without the sun, the beach, the palm trees, the cheap food and wine, the discipline at Aloha, the small classes, - but most of all: How will life be without all of you? To be honest, I don't know. Maybe I've done something crazy? Really don't know. What I know is that it feels good to be here, although I sometimes feel that I don't fit in anymore. I have missed out on three years here and realised when talking to a friend that I don't know anything about Norwegian entertainment anymore, for instance. Well, I guess I'll be back on track sooner rather than later.
I will finish off with some observations. It's up to you to interpret them and compare with life the way you know it.
People in Oslo
- walk very fast. They don't look up, they just continue straight to wherever they are heading
- are constantly in a hurry, so they haven't got time to sit down and eat. Take away food doesn't mean food you take home, but food you eat while walking to your destination
- look at you with a strange face when you say "hello" when entering a shop, "thank you" when they have given you the goods you have purchased, and "goodbye" when leaving the shop
Living in Oslo is expensive. Everything is expensive. Food is expensive.
The sun is quite strong when it is out. Lovely!
People cycle, walk and travel by public transport.
It is confusing to hear Norwegian spoken everywhere. I miss hearing Spanish.
My friends are lovely.
Epilogue
In order to obtain my residencia again (so I can buy a contract for my mobile phone, internet access, get electricity in the apartment, but most importantly so I can get paid from my new job) I need to fill in a form. And the lady at the tax office made it perfectly clear that holding a Norwegian passport would not give me any benefits at all. Why should it? Should it, perhaps?
