Officially...

...Starting

The previous one was just about self promotion.

I wasn’t sure I would keep a Blog once we moved. Lots of people asked if I was going to pursue my new found addiction but I thought I probably wouldn’t. I was closing the Chinese chapter and with it the blogging chapter. What could possibly be as exciting as our daily life in Asia when each time you step outside you have a cultural shock experience, where at every corner of the streets there are photo opportunities?

There were many reasons why I didn’t want to have a Blog about our life in Stavanger:

• Reason 1. “Deja Vue Done”: “Did-it, Done-That” kind of feeling
• Reason 2. Culture: what can I write about Stavanger (population 120 000 and that's because there is a lot of Expat -mainly Oil industry- and Military -Big Nato Base-) that can be as mind blowing, daily cultural shocking as Beijing (17 millions inhabitants -NOT counting the expat/illegal migrants- that is 4 TIME the size of the population of the WHOLE Norway)
•  Reason 3. Life: I thought that writing about my “normal” new daily life would be quite boring (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, chauffeuring, etc….)
• Reason 4. Food: I won't be able to sample fine restaurants (still looking for them) without taking a 20-year mortgage (fix rate, insurance on Jeff's head): Cheap is not a word used often at this latitude!
• Reason 5. Weather: When the first thing you learn when you arrive and oh so slightly complain about the rain that "Det fins ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær." ("There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing") you know that the weather is not on your side.

But then I thought there are so many reasons why I should have a Blog about our life in Stavanger:

• Reason 1. “Deja Vue Done”: Because I did this, done that BUT I survived it and then when I’m old I’ll be able to relive my youth by re reading it (Printed copy, in big characters!!)
• Reason 2. Culture: Because underneath it all there are a lot of similarities between China and Norway... yes indeed
• Reason 3. Life: Because I thought that writing about my daily routine you'll be able to relate as opposed of my former (so missed) life in Beijing (How much I am willing to give for Ayi & Mr Wang right now.)
•  Reason 4. Food: Because I have to find the humor in spending the same amount of money in a Club sandwich + Coke than what I was spending on a 5* lunch at Maison Boulud
• Reason 5. Weather: Because you want to share your new found knowledge about “Water Proof” vs “Water Resistant”, which rain gear makes your b*** big and which one doesn't. And no a girl cannot have too many pair of shoes rain boots.

But most of all because of Cindy, Don, Violaine, Marie, and Benj's encouragements.

By the way SVG refer to Stavanger not Scalable Vector Graphic...
I (heart) Adobe not (rain cloud) it!