Moving to Scandinavia...

[Bjern Fita]

Following in the footsteps of our mate Pete J (ROY G BIV) I'm broadening Farkiner's potential riding destinations by setting up shop in the northern hemisphere.

First thing Sunday morning I'm on the plane to begin the first step in my relocation to Norway with my beautiful (and knocked up) girlfriend. She's Norwegian and we're off there to take advantage of the amazing social services (health, education etc...) that the Nordic countries offer. I think I've seen both Pete and Johnny commenting on what's up for grabs; for example, the $8000 baby bonus is going to make the move and inevitable IKEA trip a bit less harsh on the back pocket.

I've met one or two guys from here out on the trails at the You Yangs and Lysterfield, and even though I haven't been heavily involved on the board, I have really enjoyed being part of what is really a fantastic online community. It speaks volumes of the administrators and 'established' members of this board that the atmosphere and culture found here is of such high quality, and that it hasn't descended into what some other MTB forums have, even though the demographic of the users is the same.

I'm sure I'll be lurking here in the future as much as I do now to get my English and Australian fix, and I'll be sure to post lots of trail shots to whet the appetite for the first annual 'Farkin Scando Trip'. A PM is all you need and you'll have a place to crash in Norge should you need it.

Thanks for the lost, misused hours I can never get back!

James

(PS. come in summer unless you like drinking and snowboarding. Actually come whenever)

 

[Pete J]

Wow, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into!!
Seriously though, congrats for taking such a brave step, it really takes some guts to leave your normal life behind (not that i'm big noting or anything). I'm sure you will learn alot and never regret your decision, even though it will be tough at times.
If your language skills are above scratch then you will improve in leaps and bounds by being forced to speak it everyday. My Finnish is quite good now and i am confident enough to speak to strangers without having to make excuses that i'm a foreigner. Those moments where people don't realise that i'm not a native are just priceless!
Hopefully you get work asap because it will ease your transition into a daily routine like nothing else. And good luck with your 'inlaws', my first encounter was pretty nervewracking to say the least.
And if you are struggling there after a while, i can recommend getting a dog wholeheartedly, in particular a Shiba Inu!!
Cheers mate, Pete.

 

[Binaural]

Have fun mate, living in a freezing country like Norway will definitely be a shock to the system... in a good way

 

[Bjern Fita]

cheers guys. My Norwegian is actually not too bad, I've been having informal lessons and my girlfriend is a bit of a tough teacher. I'm lucky enough to have been hooked up with a job in the Norwegian Post mail sorting centre where my language skills aren't too important.

I'm hoping that involving myself in clubs, I'm getting back into my soccer and playing handball, will really push my Norwegian along. I actually went over there for a month last year so the in-laws are cool, her old man has perfect English as it is; bit hard to talk to her grandparents though.

We wanted a dog but now that things have changed and there's a baby in the mix we might have to put that one on the backburner.

 

[::RideSiK::]

wow cool move!!!

expect a pm from a 21 yr old backpacker whos sampling world wide beers sometime in about a years time...

 

[Bjern Fita]

wow cool move!!!

expect a pm from a 21 yr old backpacker whos sampling world wide beers sometime in about a years time...

done, you know how to change a nappy right?

 

[Pete J]

Hey, you should give Salibandy a go as well, it's great fun to play and is very popular here in Scandinavia.
The Post job sounds good too, i've been trying to get a gig with Posti here in Finland myself but to no avail thus far. As it stands, i'm still at the airport which means winter time will be hell again. Working in -30 conditions when the wind is blowing a gale isn't much to look forward to. However it does mean stupidly cheap flights, something like 300e return to Oz!!

 

[Bjern Fita]

Hey, you should give Salibandy a go as well, it's great fun to play and is very popular here in Scandinavia.

I have no idea what that is. The mail job should be alright, and if I'm up to it, a 60km return commute on the pushy. Maybe just in the summer.

 

[Hamo]

Man Im jealous of you =), I'll probably end up moving to scandinavia when I'm a bit older.. just looks like an awsome place from what i;ev heard
anyway good luck with it

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Nice one mate, Norwegia f***ing rocks! Where about are you moving to? I've done a bit of work in Stavanger and Haguesund. They were both amazing places and really good fun and they're two of the LEAST scenically spectaular areas of the country! As well as the breathtaking scenery (and ladies) The food rocks as well!. Also the social system there is really good. Admittedly the government take away ALL your money in tax and give you a litle bit of pocket money in return but the benefits more than make up for it. EVERYTHING works, and if you do find yourself -for what ever reason- out of work, your unemployment benefit is somewhere in the region of 60 - 70% of your last wage. (Disclaimer- It has been a couple of years since I was there so I'm not 100% on the figures. but they did strike me as being pretty awesome)

Not sure about the beer prices though, 16 - 18 dollars a pint still sends shivers down my spine...

 

[::RideSiK::]

done, you know how to change a nappy right?

no... anything like changing a tube on my bike???

 

[Bjern Fita]

Also the social system there is really good. Admittedly the government take away ALL your money in tax and give you a litle bit of pocket money in return but the benefits more than make up for it. EVERYTHING works.

Not sure about the beer prices though, 16 - 18 dollars a pint still sends shivers down my spine...

Yeah the Social Security System is awesome. That outrageous unemployment benefit has been reduced from 3 to one year however, I think they are still plowing money into re-education and training though for people out of work.

It's the government support that has made the decision to start a family relatively easy for us, even at a pretty young age (25 and 23). The timing was spot on to try and money was the only other thing that could trip us up; luckily we can rely on the Government ensuring we don't starve. A free masters education is also a pretty cool deal-sweetener. And the fact that 40-hour a week child-care, should we need it, is probably going to set us back the best part of $90 a month.

Things are going sweet at the moment, saw the little takker waving his/her arms around at the 12-week ultrasound yesterday. Pretty freakin' awesome experience.

Cheers all, all the best and I'm serious if you ever need a place to crash or an excuse to visit up north.