Thoughts on Norway

I’m moving to Norway.

Well duh, didn’t I mention that 2 weeks ago? On Facebook? If someone says something on Facebook, then it has to be true. The details weren’t clear at the time so I just announced it and left it at that.

So here we go: I got a 2.5 yr contract to work at the University of Bergen and several of the associated institutes. I’m heading back to the US in April and then start the new job in May.

I would’ve thought after a year of applications, interviews, rejections, I would’ve been ecstatic, elated or some other emotion starting with the letter “e”. But I’m not much of anything. After a year of “holy-shit-now-what???”, I think my body is producing its own form of Prozac.

There is a part of me that would rather go back to the US, settle down somewhere (preferably Colorado) and live a monotonous crazy-lady existence full of cats. But the economy frowns upon my plans … If I can’t go back to the US then I might as well find another adventure and hell, why not pick the exact opposite of Australia.

So now I’m starting the process of moving to another country… again. When I moved to Australia, I was mostly terrified of moving to a country with the similar language, customs, and … yeah seriously? I don’t know what I was afraid of, the unknown I guess. Now I’m sort of excited for it. Rather ironic given that I have to learn a new language and a new set of customs. Right now I can recite the days of the week and count to five in Norwegian. I’m going to be popular with the intellectual crowd.

I imagine this blog will become quite amusing as I finish the last days in Australia and start again in Norway. Most of my actions are now taken with the move/Norway in mind. For example, I am now working my way through every half used bottle of lotion I own. I am not shipping it anywhere but I can’t just throw it away. It’s sad how much crap I’ve accumulated over the past 3.5 years.

3.5 years??? I was supposed to be here for 2….