And from the part of the world that brought you ABBA (one member of the band was Norwegian, the others Swedish), we bring you our new piece of art! We picked this up at an antique store this week. It may be retro, but we think it looks cool, and that is what counts with art, right?!? It also matched the furniture somewhat, so that is also important.
Speaking of ABBA, they are still quite popular here. Popular enough that I actually heard a little girl (probably about 7 years old) singing an ABBA song the other day. Maybe it was just because of the Mamma Mia! popularity.
Sidney went to her Reception Year Induction at school yesterday. Reception year is on the same level as kindergarten in the U.S. She met her new teacher and new classmates. She will actually begin in August. She was very cute in her little bumble bee dress, so we included the gratuitous Sidney picture for your enjoyment here.
I also went to school yesterday. You see, I will be working at Sidney's school starting in August (provided I can complete all the work permit paperwork, etc.) I won't be practicing as a nurse, but will be working full-time with a little girl coming in from another country that needs full-time assistance. My class will actually be Sidney's sister class, so I will be there the same time she is every day.
Now a little on Norwegian bureaucracy - I have investigated practicing as a nurse here and found some obstacles. I would not necessarily have to learn Norwegian to get my authorization, but I would have to take a class about the national health system here which is only taught in Norwegian. Further, if I were to work in the local hospital, the charting would all be in Norwegian. Considering we will only be here 1 1/2 - 3 years, learning that much Norwegian would be almost impossible. Another little obstacle is that my current license is a U.S. license. Unless you have an E.U. license here, you have to go through verification of education (submit copies of all coursework, exams, etc., to ensure they meet the "standard") and work history (to ensure you worked enough to meet the "standard"). This can take five months on the short side, even if everything is in order (which it most likely won't be.) Needless to say, I am happy that I will be working an doing something that, while it is not "nursing", will at least use my nursing skills and talents.
And a little more regarding bureaucracy - beer here is just too expensive. What does this have to do with the government? The government imposes a "sin tax" on all alcohol sales. I understand the idea and actually agree with it on some levels. But when a beer costs $2 a bottle for the CHEAP beer at the grocery store, and $10 for a glass of CHEAP beer at a restaurant, that is just too much. Don't get me wrong - I am not a heavy drinker by any means. I MAYBE had two beers a week back in the U.S., and rarely drank more than two beers at any one time (even at parties), but with these prices, I can't afford to even do that in good conscience here. I know things are generally more expensive here, but it is just sad that we are a two hour flight from Frankfurt where you can get a case of 1/2 liter bottles of good beer for $12.
With that, there is the kind reminder to anyone that should come to visit - stop at the duty-free at the airport and by your limitation of alcohol for us! This is the custom here! You will also see every Norwegian on the plane buying their limit of alcohol at the duty-free as they return home.
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