10 ting jeg liker i Norge

I thought it might be fun to make a list of 10 things I like from my every day life here in Norway. Obviously I like the big things too, like the fantastic landscape, the art, the literature, the monuments, etc., but I thought it would be a good idea to scale it down to things I actually have going on around me on a daily or weekly basis. So here they are, in no particular order:

1. snøfrisk (a creamy white goat cheese that comes in a triangular box)

2. skiskyting on tv (biathalon, my favorite winter sport)


3. rundkjøring (roundabouts instead of stop signs and lights)


4. adventsstjerner (electric stars hanging in windows during advent, Christmas, and beyond. Nice in the dark)


5. Nytt på nytt (a weekly "news" summary show, Norway's answer to The Daily Show)


6. the amazingly good (and inexpensive) bread available in every store, including 7-11!

7. Rauma finull (my favorite yarn: fingering weight wool)

8. Nesoddbåtene (my ferry commute)

9. Kvikk lunsj (like a Kit Kat, but better)

10. bjørketrær (birch trees, of which we have many in our yard)

Have a nice weekend!

Hjemme? Borte?

And just like that we're here in Norway. The past five days were very intense: grading, cleaning, packing, traveling in one big whirlwind rush. We arrived at Gardermoen airport late last night to silence and cold, and stayed the night in a nearby hotel. It was so lovely--duvets, radiant heat in the floor, wood, peaceful quiet, and amazing Norwegian bread at breakfast. Waves of relief and anticipation of my new life are rushing over me.

It started to hit me on the flight from San Francisco to Munich that I'm now really and truly an expat for the first time in my life. All my other sojourns abroad have had an end date. Not this one!