The beginings

My ticket is purchased, and I am set to leave January 6th. Housing has been applied for, and it's now just a matter of waiting to see where they put me.

There are a few details left yet to be dealt with. One such issue is the residency permit. I need to go to the embassy in SF and turn in a long application and some money. The snag is that I cannot do that until I have my address in Oslo. I was told it takes 4-6 weeks for this to go through, which makes me a little nervous.

The other challenge is figuring out what to pack for a country with an average winter temperature between 24-44 degrees Fahrenheit. Somehow, I have the feeling that flip-flops and jeans won't work there in January like they do here.