Odds and Ends

Last night we went to a party. It was the birthday of a good friend of my wife (from high school)- who just happens to be married to my new office mate. It was at a handball clubhouse on a lake near downtown. We bused there, not knowing how we would make it home, since the buses stop running at 8pm on that route. It was a very cool party and we met some very interesting people, including a couple of doctors who were recently married. She was from Malaysia and recently moved here. We traded notes on being newly transplanted in Norway. We stayed much later than we expected, and enjoyed an expensive taxi ride home. Considering how many people were at the party, there were very few cars in the parking lot- maybe one car for every pregnant woman who attended.

I finally washed the car at the Statoil down the street. It is actually cheaper than in the US, where there are all sorts of water usage taxes. I then went on a nice bike ride in the 40 degree temperatures. I really need to get in shape. All this restaurant food has taken a toll on me. I forgot to mention that back in Bremen we ate at the same nice Italian restaurant each night, until the last night we had the ill-advised idea of trying a Mexican restaurant. When will I learn? Mexican food in Europe is terrible. It just doesn't work. Tappas is alright, as are every other ethnicity- but Mexican is best prepared by Mexicans. Anyway, enough ice has melted that I should be able to bike to work next week.

Next we looked at buying a house. We already met with the bank last week. I found that I could have a Visa card- despite what the last two bankers said, or rather lied about. I was worked up that we would pull our money out and bank elsewhere if I couldn't have a cash card with a Visa logo so I could use it abroad and in parking ramps. I had been given very lame reasons why I was not eligible in the past- which was odd considering who easily I received a credit card from a competing bank. We met with a very nice banker who only spoke Norwegian, but she spoke so clearly that she was rather easy to understand. We will be able to borrow as much as we need- so we should be able to find something livable. We are fortunate that we have already been through the house buying process in the US, since I think it helps us structure our search. An interesting aspect about buying in Norway is that they buyer does not use an agent. Sellers agents take a much smaller commission. Of course there is a 2.5% sales tax on homes. Another oddity is that some townhouses sell with a secondary maintenance loan- so if you buy the house, you also buy the balance on the loan to fix the roof or whatever. Those townhouses tend to sell for less.

A typical 2 -3 bedroom side by side or "apartment" in the 80-100 square meter range tends to run around 1.7 to 2 million nok. We could purchase a full house way out in Klepp or Time for the same money, but then we would need to own a second car, pay for a ton of gas, and spend a lot of time in traffic. Norwegians tend to pay more for houses and spend less on extensions of the living or dining rooms- in other words, going out to eat or out for drinks or coffee is far less common. People entertain more at home. Many people have space to sit a dozen people in their dining rooms. My preference is something easily accessible with a view- even at the expense of giving up some room. This is a beautiful country- I need a view- mountains, ocean, or fjords... I am not picky. Last time we were house hunting, I dreaded it. This time I can't wait. We start tomorrow.