The other day I was talking with someone who is coming to Oslo with the State Department. During our conversation I realized there are so many unknowns about going overseas and that can be really stressful. Over the last year I've been able to figure a lot out. Here is my guidance to someone coming to Norway with the State Department.
Medical Insurance
As diplomats we aren't part of the Norwegian health care system. We can access anything and everything medically here, but we need insurance. The State Department has a couple of plans that work really well. The first is the Foreign Service Benefits Plan and the other is some form of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. With these plans you go to whatever doctor or hospital you like, pay for it or get a bill and then you submit it to the insurance company. It doesn't need to be in English. Same thing with pharmacies, using a prescription you go and buy what you need and submit for reimbursement.
Quality of Medical Care
I was relatively impressed with acute medical care. Last year a couple weeks after getting to country, Lucy got some sort of bug that made difficult for her to breath. She ended up in a hospital for three days. When I took her to the urgent care facility they took her back immediately and in less than a minute we were getting treatment. From there we were transported over to a children’s hospital where the care was as good as anything I've seen in the US.
Accessing Medical Services
The embassy has a local hire nurse who more than anything is a portal into the Norwegian medical system. The nurse will find doctors, give advice, and set up appointments. It is nice to go in and ask what the heck Advil is in Norwegian.
Getting Medicine
The pharmacies here are fully stocked with the good stuff. I have seen a lot of times they go with name brand over generic pharmaceuticals. Online ordering through Amazon or Walmart for over the counter stuff is flawless. Prescription stuff can also be had via mail order through the insurance company. Prescription pharmaceuticals bought locally can be submitted for reimbursement.
Groceries
Ramstein, Embassy, Amazon, local. The embassy can get food from the military commissary in Germany. Every 2-3 months we can order food in bulk from Germany. The advantage is we get familiar foods, more selection and better pricing. We get cereal, peanut butter, frozen pizza, hamburger, cheddar cheese, butter, and many other items we go through. The embassy store is an extension of Ramstein as basically everything comes from there. It is Little America. It is the place to go for one off seasonings, condiments, chips, soda, candy, frozen pizza and meat. All our fruits, veggies, dairy and breads come from the local grocery store. We also get items that we don’t have in stock at home or at the embassy. Most other items can be ordered online from the States.
Mail
The State Department uses the Diplomatic Post Office. DPO addresses are basically US address. Everything has to come through the USPS and there are some restrictions and quantity of liquids. Size limitations are pretty generous, I think 107 total inches. Basically I could ship a bike. We have Amazon Prime and ship all sorts of stuff that way. I can order something on Monday and have it by Friday. I also had one shipment misdirected to Iraq; that took more than a month to straighten out.
School
That State Department pays for K-12 education. We send Maddie to the Oslo International School. We like the school. There are lots of nice perks including nature school, cross country ski class, and swimming. I feel that Maddie gets lots of good individual attention.
Pre-Schools
OIS does a preschool, but I don’t know too much about it. The other options are Norwegian Barne Hauge or Barne Parken.
The Barne Hauge is basically a traditional preschool/day care. It is all day and I think that really young kids can go. There is plenty of outside time but also lots of classroom time. The downside, it is in Norwegian. Depending on the kid, they may be able to learn Norwegian.
Barne Parken is usually from 10:00-2:30 and is almost completely outdoor play. This is a great solution for a stay at home parent. The kids get out and play all days of the year. In the fall and spring they put on full rain suits including gloves and boots when it rains. During the winter they layer up in some serious Norwegian snow gear and keep playing no matter the weather. They have a cut off of about 12 degrees F where they start late and end early with a mix of inside time, but I haven’t seen things called off yet. James and Lucy do this and I think it is awesome. Both of the younger kids physically rocks from the hours of outdoor play. Physically I think it sets the kids on a positive trajectory of health and fitness. Also it is hardcore. For the rest of their lives James and Lucy can tell their friends that as little kid they spent hours outside playing in the Norwegian winter day after day. It costs 2000 NOK per month, which is about $350 per kid.
Security
It is not my area of expertise, but Norway is not bad. Oslo is much safer that New York or Philly. I lock the doors because theft does exist, but I don’t worry about walking the streets a single bit.
Safety
I am the POSHO. The Post Occupational Safety and Health Officer, or embassy safety guy. I manage the safety program for the embassy and the homes. I make sure people have safe homes from the get go and are equipped with fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and CO monitors. I also make sure railings are high enough, the electrical system is electrically grounded and wet locations have GFCI’s. If accidents happen I investigate and make changes to assure it doesn’t happen again.
Facilities
We lease homes for most of the Americans in Oslo. Although the landlord is responsible for maintenance, the reality is that my staff in the Facilities Management section are the ones coming to your house to fix things. If it is too big a project, we get the landlord involved. When that happens it can take time. Some landlords are great, others are a pain.
For owned homes we are your one stop shopping. We’ll jump through hoops to take care of things. We do have limited funding and can only do so much. My job is to match expectations with available resources. At the end of the day I am trying to provide a safe, functional and good looking facility. I will always be able to give you the first two. The third is sometimes a little harder to achieve.
Getting Outdoors
This is the best thing about Norway. Hiking, biking and cross country skiing. On the north side of Oslo is the Nord Marka. In the summer it is an endless network of hiking and biking trails. In the winter it is groomed ski trails. Also during the winter it seems that every soccer field is turned into an ice rink. By our house are pastures where horses and sheep hang out. The Norwegians are cool with people just walking through the fields. The kids have some great memories.
Snow Driving
Get snow tires. 4x4 alone isn’t going to cut it. There is something magical about snow tires for giving a vehicle traction. Roads are plowed but they are often not salted so they have hard pack on them. With snow tires we are able to drive almost as if it were dry ground. I have no worries about Janet driving through the
snow or in a storm.
Clothes
Adults should get their winter gear in the states. Kids should get it here. The Norwegians are picky about kids gear and rightfully so. Nothing compares to Norwegian snow gear.
Buying Locally
You can get most of what you need locally, but you usually pay a premium. Most items have a 25% value added tax. If you keep your receipt you can submit it on a quarterly basis for reimbursement.
Phone
We have a Vonage box and a US phone number for our “landline.” It is great being able to make and receive phone calls from the US with no issue.
Cell phones will have a local number. It is best to bring an unlocked phone. Getting a SIM will be easier than trying to buy a phone and sign up for a subscription locally. It took a while to learn that. 3G or 4G networks are in and around Oslo. Outside Oslo it is 3G.
Internet
The internet is pretty good. The speed of the connection depends on the provider and where you live. It is comparable to the US. This is a first world country.
TV and Movies
If you are allowed to mount a satellite you can get the armed forces network. It has a selection of shows and movies from the US. Also there is local cable, much of it is in English.
We do internet streaming. We established a VPN account, configured a VPN router and use a Roku for Amazon Streaming and Netflix. The VPN gives us a US based IP and allows us to access US only content. This has been perfect for us.
The non VPN route to watch shows you want is to use Apple TV. Most of their content is not geographically bound like Netflix and Amazon. This the easiest choice for the non-tech savvy person.
Others do Sling Box; to me is sounds like a pain.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the embassy has people and processes in place to take care of people and property. We make sure you have a safe home, are secure, your mail comes, your medical needs are managed and you are happy. Norway is a great place to live and there is a great team taking care of you.
