Swan Family

This morning was absolutely miserable, and it poured buckets for about 5 minutes just before class ended. I've been considerably lucky in that every time it's rained really hard it's stopped by the time I need to go out of the house. By the afternoon though it was a perfectly clear fall day, and I went downtown to a Norwegian speaking group that meets every Tuesday. I was a bit early so I took this picture down by the sea of a family of swans that was swimming around. The cygnets look almost full grown now, but I don't think they'll turn white until they're a few years old.

I was a bit skeptical at first because when I arrived they were giving a very basic presentation about Norway and everything was translated in English - but by the time we got to the chatting it was really good. The Norwegian leaders were very good at making us speak Norwegian and asking questions if it got quiet. I was in a group with a Norwegian and a young man who was from Afghanistan who only spoke Norwegian and Farsi - so we had to speak Norwegian! I'll definitely go back next week, it was good practice.

I also called the tax office today to enquire as to the whereabouts of my tax card. Despite pressing 9 for English as the menu instructed, the menu options continued in Norwegian. Then, when I eventually got to an agent and asked if she spoke English, she said no! Well, so much for having an English option. But I got through the process in Norwegian, and was told that my tax card was sent on the 1st, so I should have gotten it. She said she'll resend a copy and I should get it in 3-4 days.

This isn't the first mail that's gone missing; I expect the same thing may have happened to my bank card which I should have gotten by now, and Marius didn't get a bill despite them having his correct address on file. But other mail has come through fine, including the pin to said bank card I don't have! I wonder if we just have one dumb postman that doesn't put stuff in our mailbox at the end of the street....