Lots have happened after the move into our cozy lil pad up the hill. I have received my visa exactly 6 months after my application and then most recently, my fødselsnummer (click the link for more info, a recent implementation asks all new applicants to be go to the nearest office in person). I will soon be able to open my own bank account too! Lol!
With the visa, I dived back into the corporate world - I'm sure the company breathe a sign of relief, after an almost two months' wait. Yea...yea.. I'm grateful.. lucky..hehe.. So, the corporate world - of course, it is a Norwegian one.
Back home, in my old job, picking up the phone and have a conversation was just part and parcel of my day. It was a breeze... compared to now. Here's how I reacted to a phone call for awhile..:
*Rrrriiinngg~*
phone in hand - *BREATHE IN*
squeezes the phone - *Yes, you can do it!*
clicks the green button - *BREATHE OUT*
fake, high-pitchy voice squeaks - "Hei!"
the caller - "@^#%$%&"
pokes a finger in the other ear and strain to catch any words then repeats "@^#%$%&?"
then "#$%^"
END
clicks the red button *Oh, I did do it*
*Actually breathes out..*
Trust me... some days, and sometimes a different dialect or accent, it does sound like that --> @##$%^^&. Thank goodness, I could turn to English, as most of the locals understand English. And, the caller and I would just work something out with a half Norsk and half English conversation. Almost always, that works.. of course, there would be some disgruntled calls that ends with the dead tone.
That.. wasn't the only challenge, my job training was all in Norwegian, my colleagues speak almost wholly in Norsk, my boss gives me my tasks in Norsk - And, my latest challenge is to be the internal CRM system's super user and that starts, right at the beginning. I will be sitting in for the customization of the system.. as well as write these meetings' in Norsk. O.O!
Lykke til - means good luck, and I NEED LOTS OF THOSE next week when the meetings for the customization starts~!
SO wish me luck! :) In the meantime, enjoy the sun :)
ABE