As of March 3rd, Rebekah, Sara Ellen, and I have moved back to the United States. I had originally hoped we'd stay in Norway for about four years, and possibly settle down there for good. However, Rebekah's ties to her family are much stronger than mine and being so far away just didn't work for her.
It's hard for me to write or talk about this without it seeming like I'm blaming Rebekah for our return to the US. We both enjoyed living in Oslo and think it's a great city. We're also both very appreciative of the experiences we had there. And, we're both, to a certain extent, disappointed that it didn't work out.
However, all that didn't overcome Rebekah's unhappiness at being away from her family. It wasn't just that, either. While I was out all day at work, enjoying the camaraderie of working on a great program like Opera with a great bunch of folks, Rebekah sat at home. There really aren't many opportunities in Norway for people that don't speak Norwegian.
To be fair, Rebekah didn't go out of her way to find things that might interest her. But one does wonder how much work one should have to put into finding happiness. Was it really worth all the trouble when we were like fish out of water in a foreign country?
That all aside, the good news is that the rest of our immediate family has finally gotten to meet Sara Ellen. In the first few days since our return, we've spent most of our evenings visiting with my parents and siblings, while we spent most of our days with Rebekah's family. And I have to admit, it's great being back on US soil and in a familiar place.
Further good news is that I'm going to continue working for Opera. I'll be reopening the Opera Software office in Maryland, right from my living room. The stuff I'll be doing won't change (much), so it's really a win-win situation. Now, Rebekah is close to family again and I get to keep my fabulous job. Cool.
