life evolves

I wrote earlier about our plans for a move to Eidfjord on the Hardanger fjord, but after a short visit there, we realized it's not for us. As our photos show, it's beautiful there, but far away from friends and resources, both here in Oslo and the US. Unfortunately, life in Oslo is expensive, and in the US we don't have health insurance, while Norway provides us with public health insurance, a child stipend, and an affordable student loan.

However, we've been at a loss in terms of finding affordable housing in Oslo after our current rental contract (for a subsidized apartment in the student dorm village at Sogn) expires end of June.

Now we've decided to hit the road, so to speak. We've bought round-trip tickets to Athens and will take the ferry from there to Sifnos, one of the Cycladic islands, where we plan on spending a couple of months before heading over to the US. Unless the house sells, we can stay there from Sept. 1 when our tenant moves out. We would like to stay through November to provide us with plenty of time to visit with friends and family, enjoy some of the things we miss, while also packing up our house and my office. Of course, I also need to make room for writing, and Leighton wants to sit in on a Norwegian class. And we'll take turns taking care of Lilly.

At some point, we'll make our way over to this side of the Atlantic ocean again. We'd like to go to Gran Canaria in December, like we did last year, but then we want to live in Oslo and stay here spring semester as I finish up my book and Leighton his thesis. At that point we'd like to find something we can make a more permanent home here in Oslo. By next summer, we can also look for paying jobs to help pay for it.

So these are our plans for now. Of course, life has a way of evolving, and since we prefer being open to its flux, rather than pushing through with set ways, our plans may change again... But for now, we really look forward to living on a Greek island for a couple of months this summer, and then to be back in the US this fall.

Update 5/30: So we've adjusted our plans already: We now think it'd be nice to be back in Oslo in December, to settle in before the new year begins, and enjoy the holiday spirit of førjulstid here with friends. And then perhaps hook up with some family down in France over Christmas. Doesn't sound too bad, huh?!