Police Station, Sail boats, and the library

We started the day by attempting to register as foreign nationals at the police station, where, by the time we got there at 11:15 (it opened up at 8:30) we were 95th in line! Fortunately, a nice woman gave us her earlier number, making us only 56th in line. Of course, by the time our number rolled around, we discovered that without the coveted residence permit, we could go no further.

Then we met fellow Fulbrighter Rachel (see pic) and her boat, the Sophia. Had a lovely time. We both love it here. She talked about how much she enjoyed being able to take a fifteen-minute train ride from Oslo to hiking trails, lakes, and rugged vistas. I told her how much I appreciate all of the activities for kids. No one seems, and, okay, this is an exaggeration, but, I gotta tell you, it really seems this way, nobody in Norway seems particularly stressed--from the cab drivers, to the bank tellers, to the street musicians, to the mothers and their babies--just about everybody has a sense of well being, as if, not having to worry about getting food, health care, education, and shelter (which comes with the welfare state), they can enjoy their lives. Physical activity is an integral part of life because everything (grocery shopping, post office, buses) is within walking distance. Sidewalks have separate lanes for bicycles (today at a crossing, I counted 11 bike riders), and in the ten days we have been here, I haven't seen any morbid obesity. Well, okay, the place isn't perfect...given how health-conscious the nation seems, a surprising number of people smoke.

Next we went to the library where they have a piano and guitar the kids can play on. Guess where we're going tomorrow!