Some problems were cosmetic, but some were much more. The plumbing was all exposed. The drainage pipes were too small. Everytime we stepped in the shower, I worried someone might fall through the base of it. The floors were cold, uneven, and mismatched. And the toilet. Well, it was in the corner and difficult for anyone over four feet tall to use. I’ll just leave it at that.
But now – all I can say is our landlord spoils us!
Here are a few BEFORE pictures:
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| Mismatched flooring, toilet on the short side of the ceiling, exposed electrical and plumbing |
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| Tiny shower cabinet (too short for tall Zack), with a drain that was too small and caused problems |
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| An incredibly nice – and large! – shower, and a great vanity & sink |
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| Panoramic pics always distort things, but you can see that things look a LOT different! |
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| More lighting (over mirror & overhead), where we only had one small light before |
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| New toilet, new (much higher capacity) hot water heater, new walls, new ceiling & floors… new everything! |
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| So glad to have this much-improved room – including heated floors (important for cold Norwegian winters!) |
Once again, we find ourselves beginning another school year. This is the boys’ second year at their international school (their first full year there). William is beginning PY5 (primary year 5), and Daniel begins PY2. Both seem happy about the new year.
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| Hanging out on a viking ship (a replica of one that was found in our city) |
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| Charming home in a town we visited last week |
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| This shop had great baked items! |
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| What a scenic area! This place is about 40 minutes from where we live |
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| We attended our first Sandefjord Fotball game |
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| Zack hanging out in Oslo (Starbucks!) with good friends |
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| First day of school in February/ Last day of school in June |
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| Boat Procession on Midsummer Eve (June 23 – the longest day of the year here) |
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| Exploring a viking burial ground with friends |
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| The boys love trying new foods. Here, Daniel is enjoying caviar paste, mackerel in tomato sauce, and liver paste |
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| One of our new favorites: biffsnadder |
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| We love walking by the whaling monument in our city |
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| Saw our first Norwegian rainbow last week! |
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| People have to stay in shape for cross-country in the offseason! |
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| We rarely see squirrels here. They are brown, very small, and have pointy ears! |
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| Hanging with new friends! |
About nine months ago, the movers pulled into our driveway in Georgia. They boxed kitchen items and toys. They carefully wrapped beds and other furniture. And most of our personal belongings (what remained after several yard sales and countless trips to drop donations at thrift stores) were placed in some faraway storage facility, awaiting our arrival in Norway.
Nine months later, I sit in our home on another continent. Awaiting the arrival of another team of movers. This team will come today with all of those boxes and furniture. And after almost three months here, we will finally get to unpack and really settle.
I don’t know exactly what to expect today. I imagine there will be surprise as we see things that we’d forgotten were around anymore (many things were packed when we sold our house back in September 2011). There will be excitement as the boys unwrap beloved toys. Maybe some disbelief as we wonder why in the world we thought it necessary to pack some of the items for the move. And probably a little anxiety and frustration as we try to find a place for everything!
One thing is for sure: this weekend promises to be a busy one!
We (Zack & Jenn) have Wednesdays off from language class. So this morning once the boys were off to school, we studied for a while and did homework. Then we decided to take the bus to Tønsberg, a nearby town we’d visited once before. We leisurely walked around the mall, and even found a couple of items we’d been trying to find for a while. Then we grabbed two kebabs (similar to what some cultures call doner, donair, shwarma or gyro) and found a bench by the fjord. The sun was out and it was 7C – a beautiful day! We enjoyed an outdoor lunch & beautiful scenery (and the rare chance to eat slowly and quietly 🙂 ).
Unplanned dates are often the best dates!
After several weeks, we are starting to feel more at home here. The boys are in the third week of school and doing great. An we (Z&J) started language classes today.
I’m attaching several pictures. I never know in what order this crazy app will post the pictures! But here’s what I’m including:
-We take victories anyway we can get them. I got a haircut using my limited Norwegian and the hairdresser’s limited English (she did a lot better than I did!)
-We spent Saturday at a conference in a nearby town. It was a beautiful place. And bonus: they had English interpretation via headsets!
-Friday William was invited to a birthday party for a school friend. So while he was gone, we treated Daniel to McDonalds.
-Being from the southern US, we were unfamiliar with these big metal electric blocks that thaw the ground in order to dig a grave.
-Daniel was excited to help us grocery shop today, with a kid-sized shopping cart!
A few pictures from our first few days here. More soon!
Please be praying for William & Daniel as they start school on Monday!
