This is not the title you are looking for

It’s coming on four weeks in Norway for me and although it feels so much longer, there are still times when I’m surprised or taken aback by things here, both good and bad. For example:

• I found South African wine! There wasn’t a massive selection and it comes at a premium but at least I can get a taste of home in my new home :) You can only buy alcohol at a Vinmonopolet, which is a government-owned regulated distributor.
• I still don’t have my resident card. This despite going for my appointment at the police station on my third day in Norway. This is also a big problem because it prevents me from registering at the tax office, which prevents me from getting a “social security” number. Without that number I can’t get a bank account or an apartment. I’ve gone to the immigration office at the police station station several times (because they don’t answer the phones) to figure out the story… my card was sent for delivery 10 days after my appointment (as promised) but it was not delivered (see point #2), so it’s now lost somewhere in the Christmas-time postal system and will hopefully make its way back to the police station eventually. I’m used to African levels of admin hell so this isn’t quite as bad, but still pretty stressful.
• Apparently you need a mailbox with your name on to receive post. Some of my post happened to make it to me via the reception at my Leilighetshotell, but the residence card was unfortunately not one of those things. Also, my first paycheck has gone AWOL. Or is also stuck in the Christmas-time postal system along with my residence card.
• My understanding of Norwegian has improved vastly — much quicker than I expected — and I enjoy discovering words that are similar to Afrikaans ones.
• The quality of groceries is a bit iffy. You need to pay close attention to the fruit and veg you grab at the grocers. Edit: also, finding nice spices has proven tricky.
• Despite the fresh stuff being a bit dodgy, there is an amazing variety of tasty gluten free stuff… yay! Also, there’s a gluten free shelf in every supermarket I’ve been to (coop, bunnpris, meny) in different locations.

PS. Apologies for the fact that this post had nothing to do with Star Wars, despite the title. The confusion you feel mirrors my own in many of these situations. Here’s a photo of some booze to make up for it:

South African rødvin