The time is almost here. On Wednesday I will be leaving Canada for Norway. I won't be back for at least a year when I hope to get funding to come back to a conference being held at my alma mater. If I don't go to that it may be years before I return. It's a really strange feeling to be saying good-bye to so many people when you know you'll probably never see the majority of them again. Of course everyone says "We'll see each other again" and insist that yours is an everlasting friendship but realistically, at least in my experience, this isn't true most of the time.
I've barely started packing. I'm allowed bring two bags as long as neither exceed 50 pounds but then there's the hassle of getting my luggage to my residence. It's largely an issue of pack or purge and I'm getting rid of quite a lot of clothes. It's hard to really decide what to bring and what I'll need to buy once I arrive. I don't know if I need to bring kitchen utensils like cutlery or pans. I know I'm capable of going without numerous comforts but in many cases I don't want to. For example, on my last three month trip to Oslo I didn't have a curtain, sheets, or a pillow. As a result I hung a fleece blanket in the window but it only covered half the window that let in the midnight sun all night, I slept in a sleeping bag, and I used a blow-up neck cushion with a t-shirt draped over it as a pillow. Not exactly luxury living and not something I'd like to repeat for the long term. I could get by with a lot less clothes than I'm packing but I've spent quite a significant amount of money on band shirts and hoodies and I actually do wear them all. Then with pants I'm only bringing one pair of jeans (plus the pair I'll be wearing on the day of travel), simple black pants, a pair of dress pants, and maybe a pair of capris. Another issue with moving to Norway is that I also have to prepare for winter. My trenchcoat weighs a good couple pounds by itself and my hoodies are bulky. What I'm going to have to do is pack up a couple shipping boxes and have my mom mail over the things that I won't need right away.
Once I'm done packing I'll post a list of what I'm bringing.
Still so so many things to do and only a couple days to do them.
Wrangling my stuff is the hardest part of moving for me. I'm packing up too and I'm definitely doing my best to cut back. I've found that I've brought stuff I thought I needed (mostly cooking things) that I really could have done without and could have picked up dirt cheap in Glasgow. The trick is to hold off on buying stuff until you get to know the area so you know where the pound shops (or the norweigian equivalent) are. However in true girl guide fashion, I always want to be prepared and this definitely goes counter to the attempts to pack lightly!
ReplyDeleteHey also remember this modern world lets you easily stay in touch with folks. That helps a LOT. I was recently out for beer with friends I hadn't seen face to face in 2 (her) and 5 (him) years. Yet I knew lots that was happening with them though on-line contacts so we just picked up where we left off. Now it will likely be another couple of years before we cross paths again...
ReplyDeleteHi, from a fellow Canadian living in Oslo. I wish you well in your journey in Oslo. I have a blog that may give you some insight on life here. Lykke til! www.theosloeye.com
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