Not in my wildest dreams.

Anywhere between 28-32. Old enough that people take you mostly seriously but young enough that the world still feels like it’s set up with you specifically in mind.

I’ll just go on living my life in Norway, fielding questions left and right like “is it really that bad/racist/scary in America?”.

Roy.

As a former Catholic, I can say at least personally, religion did not make me feel good. It made me feel like many thoughts and feelings I had made me a bad person. It made me smug and judgemental.

A-BAAAY-BAAAYYY!

When I was a kid I could not understand how that line was meant to be peaceful. Even listening to the rest of the song, it was still unsettling. I was raised Catholic so the song just starts with like “imagine the worst case scenario”. As an atheist now, it’s more hopeful to me. Like imagine what the world could be like if we weren’t just biding time until we were dead. If we all just knew this was the one chance one opportunity mom’s spaghetti.

I really liked it, and more than the movie. But I saw them in that order.

But what if you look like, and in fact are, a middle aged person in a traditionally socially closed off foreign land?

Mat Cauthon has entered the chat.

I live in the city center of a small Northern European city. I walk about 6-8 minutes to my job at a bakery. I like that I don’t pollute the air and I can get my body moving. I can get a feel for how busy the day will be based on what types and how many people are out and about, how the weather feels (if it is nice weather!) and such. I dislike when it rains AND is very windy. Or when the rain has frozen overnight and the cobblestones are extremely slippery.

If you move to a rainy city, invest in rain pants, rain resistant or waterproof shoes. and a high quality umbrella as part of your rain gear.

This will be over soon.

God, how is there not more daily murder there.

My passport

We moved here from the US 3 years ago because my husband is considered a skilled worker and he got his visa that way. (Programmer) I was an RN in the US and was happy to cease doing that at the time of the move and don’t miss it one bit. However, I would say to anyone dreaming of a wonderful life in Norway - learn the language like, for real. It is so hard to find meaningful work here without being fluent, even though everyone under like 60yo speaks it very well. It’s required for basically every job, even those non-customer facing. But it is amazing here and I don’t miss the rat race capitalist consumerism society in the US at all. It’s safe and peaceful here.

A passport.