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.
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Congrats
Congratulations on moving back to the States. Glad to have you.
CongratsAwesome that you
Congrats
Awesome that you get to stay with Opera too.
A good thing
Well, you've got to see things positively =)
Now that you're back in the States, I have a wider range of sleeping spots. I mean, in Norway I just invite myself @ olli's place, and in the US at yours ;)
Good luck with everything and happyness to you and the rest of the family.
Greets,
Alastor
Thanks.
Thanks. :P
woohoo!!!
okay, so i know you're kinda bummed, you world traveler, you, but... i'm not. :D
for serious, i think it's a) cool that you were both daring enough in the first place to go to a country in which you don't speak the language, b) excellent that opera's keeping you, despite your move, and c) fabulous that you were able to make such good pals there and have such good experiences there that leaving is bittersweet.
but i'm glad you're back, too, 'cause i get to meet your DAUGHTER (golly day, that sounds weird) and get to see you as an actual dad instead of just a fatherly friend. coolbeans, man.
It's still weird to me that
It's still weird to me that I have a daughter, let alone a wife. I'll get used to it sooner or later. Anyway, I hope to see you soon so we can talk about Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica. ;)
So now that you're in MD...
...we really have to get together!
Lisa and I would be delighted to host you here in SE PA (you might recognize the house:). Or if you're not exactly up for long-distance travel for the time being (understandable), we could be persuaded to take a drive.
You know my e-mail addy - drop me a line. :)
Happy that you're where you and your family are most comfortable; sorry it didn't work out in Norway. I'm sure the people there are great and you gave it your best shot; but particularly being new parents there just isn't time to socialize, and you feel the need to be with the friends and family you've already got.
Battlestar Galactica I enjoy now and then, but it's almost too big a production for me to like a lot. I tend to go more with the smaller underdog productions like Farscape and Firefly. (The fact that it was a smaller, more claustrophobic environment and overall a "grittier" show is why DS9 is my favorite of the Treks, which I assume puts me well in the minority.)
I'll probably take you up on
I'll probably take you up on that offer some time soon. :)
I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of STTNG, but I'm way behind on DS9, Voyager and Enterprise. Maybe I'll get Netflix one of these days and catch up.
Welcome home...
Well, travelling is a tough lifestyle, and being an expat is too. I travel a lot, and live in Norway and enjoy it. But I also see my family several times a year, and visit friends in a lot of places. Without a job it's hard to make a social support network in a strange country - it takes a lot of work and some luck, and only works for some people.
So I'm sorry you're not around, although I hope you'll come back and visit from time to time. I will try to drop into the Maryland office some time - I am really glad that we're still working together.
Enjoy seeing the family... har det bra i amerika, og husk oss! Vi sees...