Tag Archives: expat

Day-to-Day, Travel

Reunited: back on the same continent!

Leave a comment
About 2 1/2 weeks ago, Zack boarded a flight and headed for Atlanta. There were a number of reasons that this was the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. I’m really glad that it worked out for him.For 17 days, he’s been able to spend time with his family (and some of mine), connect with some stateside partners, help with some practical things, and be there for the birth of his nephew. I think this visit has been really good for him, especially getting to spend some quality time with his mom and dad.

But with all of that said, can I just say how excited I am that he will be home with us later today? It has been quite an experience for the three of us still in Norway. I have a new and overwhelming appreciation for single moms. Seriously. How do you ladies do it? I’m not even working full time and I still feel like I’m barely keeping things running!

The boys and I have had fun, with some challenges mixed in. But we are definitely ready to get back to our normal craziness, instead of this unfamiliar extra-craziness!

Can’t wait to have him home tonight.

Language

Liebe Gruß and Language Formalities/NwotD

Leave a comment
When our friends Jeff & Deanna lived in Germany, they were taught the proper way to end a conversation. It included a greeting to your family, friends, etc. And they quickly learned that it was quite important and could be considered rude when not used.

So Jeff’s question was this: Is there any formal or informal greeting or salutation in Norwegian?

There are things that are appropriate to say, but so far we haven’t learned anything that would be considered rude if we didn’t say.

Here are some helpful greetings and phrases.

For a greeting you might say

  • Hei!
  • Hei hei!
  • Hallo!

Often after this, you will say

  • Takk for sist! It means thanks for the last time – basically acknowledging our last meeting. It could possibly be compared to an English phrase like “good to see you again.”

If you are welcoming a guest into your home, you might say

  • Velkommen til oss! Straight translation: welcome to us.

As you are departing, you can say

  • Ha det bra! Taken word by word, it literally translates have it good. But this is the word we would use like good-bye.
  • You can also say Ha det, a shortened form.

And many times in your departure, you may choose to say one or two of these

  • Takk for oss! (Thanks for us)
  • Takk for i dag! (Thanks for the day)
  • Takk for i kveld! (Thanks for the evening)
  • Hils familien! (Greet your family)
  • Vi ses snart! (similar to See you soon!)
Day-to-Day

Ex-pat living: I can’t think straight

1 Comment
I have so many potential blog posts rolling around in my mind. But I can’t seem to get any of my thoughts straight.Maybe it’s a pitfall of the ex-pat life. Maybe it’s because I have several languages waging war against each other in my head. (Russian and Spanish have really gotten their feelings hurt recently for being so neglected!) Or because I’m constantly struggling to remember the things we thought were so strange when we first came here. Most of it’s just the norm now. Maybe I can blame it on the fact that I’m the mom of two exceptionally energetic boys. Or because I’m nearing 40.

Ouch. That last one kinda hurt to type.

But whatever the reason, I could use a little feedback.

Via comment here or a Facebook comment or Twitter reply, let me know what you’d like to hear about…

  • Have you wondered about a certain aspect of life in Europe?
  • Questions about the language?
  • Anything you might have seen in an old post and wanted to ask about?
  • Do you have a suggestion for a post that I could write from the perspective of an ex-pat?
  • Or a “What’s It Like” topic?
  • Or a suggestion for another blog series I should consider?

Ask away, and I’ll try to address any questions or suggestions we receive!

Travel

Spania: a quick trip to Malaga

Leave a comment
We just returned from a conference in Malaga, Spain. Sunshine, temps around 15 – 18 C. Yeah, almost like Norwegian summer.We didn’t have a lot of time outside, as most of our days were filled with meetings. But we managed to take advantage of the breaks and explore a little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a bit of Norwegian practice for myself, I have decided to occasionally include the Norwegian translation of a blog post. (Thanks to sweet friends here for helping me with my grammar!)

Vi er nettopp kommet tilbake fra en konferanse i Malaga, Spania. Det var sol, og circa 15 til 18 grader. Ja, nesten som norsk sommer!

Vi fikk ikke så mye tid ute, på grunn av mange møter. Men vi utnyttet pausene og utforsket litt.

cross-cultural living

Ex-pat living: Easy things aren’t so easy

3 Comments
In the US, a trip to the salon was easy. Even relaxing.Paying at the grocery store didn’t require any special thought.

A trip to the bakery was something I wouldn’t think twice about. Other than the fact that we didn’t really have a lot of bakeries.

But when you’re an ex-pat, the simple tasks can be difficult. Stressful. Exhausting.

You think about what you need to do. Location. Best time of day. You think about what you need to say to accomplish your task. Will it require everyday talk, or perhaps some special vocabulary you haven’t learned yet? What might the other person say back to you?

And if/when you accomplish what you set out to do, there is definitely a greater sense of accomplishment. An enthusiasm for getting the desired result. And maybe a little bit of pride when you’re able to complete it all without switching to English.

Earlier today, I arrived home from the salon. Mentally drained from a 40-minute conversation with the stylist. Proud that we didn’t once switch to English. And excited that I got the cut that I wanted. It’s a good feeling to be able to do normal things.

Time will make them easier. And the emotional ups and downs will give way to the ‘no big deal’ attitude.

But for now, we’re still excited when we are able to successfully take care of the little things.

Today, the salon. Tomorrow, the world!

celebrate, cross-cultural living

365 Days Later

Leave a comment
A year ago, we woke early at a hotel by the airport, boarded a shuttle bus, and then made our way onto an airplane. We said good-bye to our home country and anxiously prepared for our first field assignment.Two flights later, we we arrived in what would be our home for the next 3.5 months: the beautiful and big city of Vancouver.

I remember that first day in Vancouver. We were exhausted, nervous, a little sad, and very much overwhelmed. We boarded the (wrong) SkyTrain towards our apartment in Surrey, and finally made it there. We were excited about the cool views from a very hip high-rise apartment. We were hungry. We needed to go grocery shopping. We didn’t know where anything was. We wandered aimlessly, searching for what would become our routine: grocery stores, shops, restaurants, coffee, etc. While it wasn’t always easy, we really enjoyed our short time in Canada.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we left our normal. And yet in some ways, it seems like even longer than that!

A few photos from our journey out of the US a year ago…