The Year is Wrapping Up!

Well, as the school year comes to a close... it brings with it my inevitable departure to Norway. This post brings great news... My visa has been approved, the house has a new tenant and I have sold my car! Woo! All the three major stresses are now all covered so I am free to pack to my heart's content! Jippi!

Today at school I farewelled my beautiful tutorial group! I did well not to cry, considering the enormous card they had made me, as well as the numerous presents I received. Yesterday, I also came back from an excursion to a massive chocolate cake on my desk... baked by one of my lovely Year 10 English students. He had gone to so much effort, using fondant to create a Norwegian flag as well as writing 'GOD REISE and LYKKE TIL' on the cake... which translates to GOOD TRAVELS AND GOOD LUCK. I can tell you that I felt very, very, very special!

So now, as we wrap up the working week I look towards Christmas also. I am looking very forward to spending some chilled out, quality time with my nearest and dearest. The days are counting down fast (23 sleeps to go) and I want to ensure that I get my fill before I leave!

Contemplating having a quiet New Years this year... Perhaps just hang out with Ebony and Tye. I have some nice (and expensive) bottles of wine that need to be consumed! Today in Norway, as I write this, it is a nice -6 degrees. I so, so, so cannot wait. I am so thankful that everything has fallen into place. It really reminds me of one of my favourite quotes, from my all time favourite book - 'When you want something bad enough, the whole universe conspires into making it happen.' I am now a believer.

Glad i meg!

Franceska!

30 Sleeps and Counting...

Well, Thomas left last night... It was a strange feeling of sadness, excitement and overwhelming happiness. We had had a busy day, getting up early to go and visit the Norwegian Consulate in Kew to get my visa processed. We also dropped by Toorak and visited the apartment that Thomas lived in when he was here nine years ago. It was an awesome two and a half weeks full of learning. I have definitely learnt that I am actually quite stubborn. This I do not like. Haha. I also learnt that I am actually not crap with directions... I am REALLY crap! Another thing I have learnt is that I have a really poor attention span. After one hour of Norwegian lessons, my brain switches off... Hmmm... will need to employ much better study skills if I am to use every day Norwegian.


Today I got absolute conformation about my leave. They have found someone to replace me, so now it is definitely locked in! Tomorrow afternoon I have an open house inspection so hopefully they will find a suitable tenant and that will be another box ticked. Still need to sell the car!


So... I really only have thirty sleeps until I am on a plane to Oslo. OMG! Woo!

This is Norway...

I shared this video on my facebook page a while ago, but I wanted to revisit it. It is so goddam hilarious. Everything in this video, so Thomas tells me, is true. This both excites me... and terrifies me. I'll let you figure out which is which, but I will add that maybe giving birth to a Norwegian baby is not such a good idea!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebqdwQzmSHM


On another note, shit got real yesterday! Started the visa process and looking at all the things I need to do before I leave. FML.


I don't want to make this boring by regurgitating the boring bits, so I'll leave things here... Watch the video!


Glad i meg!


Franceska!

Confirmation Received!

Confirmation has been received! I am off to Norway! My boss - possibly the biggest legend going around... just approved my request for leave. However, he did not approve my request for six months, instead has asked that I take twelve months... Umm... another few months in Norway? Yes - that will be fine! 

The news arrived at the best of times as Thomas has been here in Australia for the past five days, so it was awesome to get the news confirmed with him by my side! Now for the fun stuff to begin. Not!

Visas, getting out of my lease and selling my car... these are my three biggest priorities... closely followed by trying to figure out what the hell I am actually going to take, or more importantly... what I am going to leave behind!

Thomas and I figured that at a maximum I should be able to pack about 50kgs of stuff. Unfortunately, my packing will not include Misja but I know she will be happy staying with my sisters and being mauled by Voni and Mali. Haha. 

This is big... it is dawning upon me that this isn't just taking a holiday, or moving from Warragul to Berwick. Ummm. No. I am moving to the OTHER SIDE of the planet! 

Another priority I have before I leave is to purchase a warm jacket. Average January temps (during the day) are about -4. I hope Thomas can get used to my complaining!

More soon...

Glad i deg!

The Story So Far...

Hello! And welcome to my blog! If you're reading this, you're most likely a family member or a friend... If you're not - thanks for dropping by! 

My name is Franceska and I am (or will be) an Aussie living in Oslo (pronounced 'O (as in look) - SH - LO (as in look ).

I am a secondary school teacher and I love the following things:

My my mum and sisters

My small group of friends

My cat Misja and most other animals

Reading, long distance running, cycling, cooking/food/eating and watching good films!

I am starting this blog to track my new adventure as I embark on a 'journey' that will take me from Berwick, Australia to Oslo, Norway...  All for love (alt for kjærligheten)!

I met Thomas in September when we were both travelling in Vietnam with a tour group (I will tell you more about this trip later on). He was the only guy in the tour, except Ron - but he doesn't count because he was 67 and the would be wrong.

Prior to my trip I had joked to my friends that I wanted to meet a Norwegian. Just because of the accent. Ha ha. Anyway, you can imagine what I must have been thinking when Thomas introduced himself on the first night of our tour, particularly when his first words were: 'Hi I'm Thomas and I'm from Norway'.'  :-)

Time flew by in Vietnam and as we quickly realised there was 'something there' we also quickly realised that we lived on opposite sides of the world. Upon our return to our respective countries, it became more apparent that this was something... and that, this holiday romance, was bigger than we both imagined.

Our friendship grew and eventually we decided that Thomas would come to visit me at the end of November. This consolidated for me everything that I was feeling. Here, I have a man, flying half way across the world to see me. I'm a lucky girl, and a very happy one at that.

To say things have moved quickly is  true, but with distance being a factor it was always going to be a question of when one of us would move. 

So here we are. November 2011. Thomas arrives in three days time and then I will be moving to Norway in the second week of January where I will live for seven months.'Excited' does not do my feelings justice!

With the support of my family and friends (and my boss at work), I look forward to sharing with you my journey to the Land of the Midnight Sun. The land of, beautiful fjords and fjells, polar bears (but not in Oslo), pølse (Norwegian hot dog), the Northern Lights and of course... Norwegian Wood. Haha.

Glad I deg (love you),

Franceska!

By the way, in case you're wondering, the title of my blog lends itself to the name of the song that reminds me of my time in Vietnam and meeting Thomas.

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG0h1SrNKZ8

 Klem klem (hug hug)!