Our packing is no less ambitious. In fact in many ways it is considerably more ambitious. We are packing for five people for two years. As you read this you may wonder why we would feel obliged to make extreme preparations to go to a first world country. The answer is cost. Oslo is ranked the number one most expensive city in the world. Yes we do receive a cost of living adjustment to cover some of the additional cost, however we are hearing that the cost of living adjustment is not truly adequate. Also if you can get something here in the states for 1/3 the price why not get it here and save the money.
Consumables Shopping
The State Department authorizes a consumables shipment of food and other items for a lot of third world countries. Norway does not fall on that list, but we are allowed 18000 pounds of house hold effects in Norway. So since we probably only have 4000 or 5000 pounds of stuff we decided to use some of the additional weight to make Olso a consumables post.
This last Friday while my parents baby sat the kids Janet and I did the biggest shopping trip of our lives. We went to Aldi's, Costco, and Walmart. By the end of the night we had completely filled the minivan and were a couple thousand dollars poorer.
A lot of the stuff we got was hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and a fair amount of food and spices. In any other circumstance this kind of spending is would never happen, but we viewed it as an investment that will have a huge ROI in terms of cost avoidance.
It was a unique experience and a pretty fun one that may be repeated over the years in this job. We managed to completely fill up two large shelves and then some.
Traction
As you might have guessed Norway gets a lot of snow. Traction is key to being safe and getting around. Although snow tires are not actually required by law, you are at fault in the event you get into and accident during the winter and do not have snow tires. So the other week we purchased some snow tires and rims from Tire Rack. Another $1200 spent on outfitting for Norway.
Also I had to get snow tires for the bike since that is how I plan to get to and from work. Amazingly they actually make studded snow bike tires.
A New Bike
I've ridden my current commuter bike into the ground, so I decided to get a new bike for Norway. This time it would be a bike I wanted and also a bike that would hold up. I ordered a carbon fiber cyclocross frame and built it into the ultimate commuter bike. Personally as you might have guessed this is my most favorite item. Basically it is a road bike designed to go off road and handle bigger tires like the snow tires you see above.
There has been a lot of preparation for going to Norway and considerable expense. We are so excited that in less than three weeks we will really be there and start the next phase of our life in Oslo in a very Scandinavian looking house with a grass roof and serving our country.
In light of the expedition we are embarking on I have chosen to rename this blog to Norwegian Expedition. www.norwegianexpedition.blogspot.com
