Citizenship? Norwegian!

None of this has really felt real to me until I got to DIA on Wednesday. The first task was getting all my many bags prepared for check in. United changed their baggage regulations in July, giving you ONE bag for international flights. I had 4. I had to rearrange my three big bags to avoid additional overweight fees (one at 49.5lbs, one 49.0lbs and one 50.0lbs). I just barely made it! The charge for my two extra bags (take a deep breath), $270!!!! OMG, that took my breath away. But, I would have spent far more buying things in Norway, or shipping my $100 pounds of shoes, jackets and wool sweaters. Next, I headed to the gate with my carry on roller bag and my backpack, filled with my computer, and my purse squished inside. My plan worked out perfectly. “This is a full flight and we may have to check any baggage that will not fit in the overhead compartments. If you are willing to check your bag, we can check to your final destination at no cost”. Done. So, I ended up traveling with my backpack (computer case) and my purse. Just as I had planned.

The biggest shock of the day today (with exception of the $270 bag fee!) was my check in. I scanned my travel document, my NORWEGIAN passport, and all my information was on the screen. Name: Elizabeth Solvor Bogetveit. Birthdate: 23.03.84. Nationality: Norwegian. WOW! I handed the agent my Norwegian passport. Red, brand new, and very official. At that point, I really felt like this was real.

After a long flight to Sweden, 4 hours in the airport and one short flight, I made it to Bergen. I had a fabulous welcome in the airport and went directly to the apartment to meet up with my other cousins. We went to the store to make dinner, and then out for the night. Good thing they like coffee in Norway and that I was stocked with my 5 hour energy, because we had a full night planned. We had a concert, then a night out in Bergen. Somehow, I stayed up and awake until 2am! I was exhausted enough to sleep until 10:30am today. Hopefully, this will mean that I can skip the jet lag.

So, what did I do on my first day here? First things first, I unpacked and made my little place feel like home. Then I met up with the boys and we went to the bank and out shopping!! Where to go? Asane, including IKEA. They were having a sale, which means things were almost priced the same as in the states. I bought a few girly things for my little flat, then came home and we made cod and rice (only because we were out of potatoes).

I learned something new today. Norwegians count weeks. There was a sign at the mall advertising a sale for “uke 50”, meaning “week 50”. I better start counting.