It´s been a torturous decision to make, as Oslo is a great place and we love so much about living here. Oslo is a safe and beautiful city, and Norway´s social and political system is among the finest in the world.
The welfare system and humane policies regarding the poor, labor laws, and healthcare are fantastic and provide all citizens with protections that assure that no one falls below a certain level in society. Everyone has access to superior healthcare at all times, no matter whether they are employed or not, and although there are high taxes here, everyone benefits from the fact that very few people are desperate. Crime rates are relatively low, and Norwegians take the attitude that prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to social problems. They prefer to rehabilitate rather than punish, and prefer to handle potential problems aggressively before they become bigger - such as providing great amounts of resources to children at risk.
We´re set to leave Oslo in about a month from now, and are very nervous about the move. We don´t have jobs in New York yet, and economic times are tough. Jobs are hard to come by. We´re hoping for the best, and decided that rather than waiting to move until one of us found a job, we´d just do it and go. Getting a job in New York while living in Oslo is a tall order, and we might never move if we wait for that to happen.
It feels a bit irresponsible to go as a family of four with no jobs. Sigh. It´s a conundrum. We don´t feel that Oslo is our forever home, but at the same time we´re highly aware of what we´re giving up by leaving this wonderful country that gave us two beautiful kids, a gorgeous wedding, 2 years living in the woods in an 18th century farmstead, a Fulbright Scholarship for Sarah, interesting experiences working for a time in the foreign ministry as an English teacher for dad, and some great friends and great memories.
Aidan´s reaction to the move seems to be a combination of curiosity and concern. He´s not looking forward to first grade, and says that he doesn´t want to grow up and doesn´t want to be any bigger than 6. He´s well aware that growing up brings with it increasing demands and responsibilities, and he doesn´t think it´s all fun and games to get older. We talk about it alot, and I try and assure him that there are many positives and that we´ll still have fun and make time for relaxation and play. And that even in school there´s time for fun and play. He watches the kids series Arthur Reads alot, and the third graders there seem a bit intimidating to him it seems. He´s fascinated by them, but also sees the social struggles and the academic demands reflected there, and it seems daunting. I´d like to show him what first grade is like, but there´s not much out there on YouTube or otherwise that shows that. Hmm, a book about first grade might be a good starting point. I´m going to look for a good one or two for him.
Daniel is doing well after having a gastroscopy last week. He has chronic stomach pain, and we´re trying to figure out what´s behind it. The initial results were normal, and the suspicion is that he´s allergic to dairy protein. I suspect that other foods may also be problematic, so we´ll probably do some elimination diets to try and figure it out. He´s definitely reacting to the changes in the air. Our entire apt. looks totally different than normal after putting it up for sale. Here in Norway, when you sell your place you need to make it look perfect, like a furniture showroom, without personal items around and in perfect condition. We renovated our bathroom, painted and renewed the furniture. We even bought 22 plants and flowers to have around the place for the viewing, to make the place look fresh and woodsy. Aidan said that the place looked like a hotel :)
Lately, wherever I go I seem to meet someone I know. Even at Daniel´s gastroscopy, I met a friend from school. I met a former colleague yesterday at Linderud Center, and met friends from Aidan´s kindergarten at a concert yesterday. Oslo has become home, almost. New York is more my home, but it is still with a heavy heart that I leave this cool place for my other hometown, the one that feels 60% like home.
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