Long story (not made short)

Ok, let's go Tarantino here.

My  Norwegian bank called, I didn't answer, and they left me a cryptic message that there had been some suspicious activity on my debit card and that I should call them back right away!

And now, let's rewind to summer 2011 when Lars and I were in the U.S. having a jolly old time. 

 

Right? That looks like a lot of fun. And it was.
We also did some serious shopping while we were there. If I haven't made this clear enough already, basically everything is cheaper in the US than it is in Norway.

Both of us bought iPads from Target, and when we were going to pay in the electronics section, we totally got duped into opening a Target credit card by the Scottish sales representative on shift. Somehow I was thinking that she said we would save 25% on our purchase if we opened the card, which is a significant chunk of change on a such a large purchase. But the deal is 5% of course--if only she would have spoken a language I can understand (like Norwegian)!

But alas, I was confused and went for it. But whatever, 5% is still money saved. And the plan was just to pay it off immediately at customer service before we left the store, so at that point it didn't really matter. But do you think I was able to do that?

Now, remember this story is delivered to you Tarantino style--
My  Norwegian bank called, I didn't answer, and they left me a cryptic message that there had been some suspicious activity on my debit card and that I should call them back right away!

Ok, so Lars and I roll up to the customer service counter after purchasing out iPads to pay off the card. But they don't accept Norwegian cards. Oh no, of course not! Plus, you actually have to have the credit card to be able to pay it off. They are wondering what my credit card number is... How the hell would I know? I just opened it. Maybe the Scottish lady said that we couldn't pay it that day, who knows, she was speaking English after all, and I obviously couldn't understand a damn word of it.

The card never came before our vacation was over (of course), which was by no means the end of the world. All I needed was to get my parents to send over my credit card when it came in the mail (Target does not send to international addresses) so I could pay it online. After the mail monster that lives in my parents' office had regurgitated that envelope a couple months later, I was ready to get that debt (plus interest of course) paid off right away! But of course, the online system at good ol Target does not support international cards. No, no, of course not. So I couldn't pay then either.

I called Target and they had no solution. I was so irritated (and busy!) at this point that I naively decided to ignore it and pay it next time I was in the US. Target doesn't support international cards, I couldn't pay over the phone because I didn't get my account number until 7 months later and yeah, a big cluster fuck.

SO... (we're getting close to the end now) when I sneak-attack visited my family this March I physically visited Target, with my account information and desperately explained that I just wanted to pay this bill! It was no problem to pay with my Norwegian card the representative told me, and I said that was a relief that they finally got that figured out! But do you think it worked that time? No, of course not, it was rejected then as well. I believe that American machines read my Norwegian debit card as credit, and I get that--that you can't pay off credit with credit. But come on, it's not a credit card! (insert tantrum here)

Her best solution was to transfer money to my American account (thank god I still have one of those btw) and pay with my American card. I agreed that that would work just fine, but it takes a couple days to transfer money internationally and I would be on my way back to Norway by then. So I skipped that option and decided to take out about 800$ in cash, pay the bill in person and to put the mess behind me that same day. They conveniently have an ATM right next to the customer service desk (maybe I'm not the only one experiencing these frustrations?)...but of course it ate my card and froze. I had to wait a half an hour to get my card out and was pretty sick of the entire situation by then.

Yesterday I called my Norwegian bank back as soon as I saw I had a missed call, and she explained that there was some suspicious activity in the USA this year. I said that I had been in the US and that I was in fact American, and that I spent quite a bit of money while I was there. She insisted that it was something more than that but never really said concretely what it was, I could barely hear her, wasn't at home so couldn't check for myself, so I just trusted her and said she should cancel my card. It wasn't until later that evening when I got online and saw four withdrawals of 1.182kr (200$) from the same ATM machine in Silverdale, WA that I realized what was fishy.

Yeah, that was me, in a money-withdrawal frenzy in the middle of the Silverdale Mall. I withdrew the same sum four times in a row from the same machine to get enough cash to pay off that damn Target credit card. Apparently that's "suspicious activity". Isn't that totally normal? ;)

So yeah. I have probably canceled my card unnecessarily, but better safe than sorry right?

But wait a second, that was early in March...are they just notifying me of that now? Late in May?
I am guessing that all my money would have been long gone by now if my numbers had been swiped while I was in the US!

Maybe there wasn't a lot of blood and guts, or intrigue in the least, but it was still a twisted, complicated story. À la Tarantino.
The end.

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Getting my hands on

We bought an apartment!

I would love to show you what it looks like but I of course do not live there just yet. We will be moving in early August to an apartment\condo that is twice as big as where we live now and perfectly out of town. The apartment is two stories, with a great kitchen, a balcony, a big dining room\living room, an extra bedroom and a bathroom on the second floor (which is our first floor) and the master bedroom and an additional living room in the loft! There are two fireplaces, wooden floors and we even have our own (albeit shared) strip of grass! I'm not sure that it has actually hit me that we have taken this step. We have a new home and it's gorgeous; I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I have also recently got my hands on my very own Norwegian bank card. It came yesterday in the mail!! This means that I can now officially use the money that I have earned! What a concept! I haven't used it yet but am really looking forward to putting in that four digit code of mine and instantaneously zapping money out of my bank account. It's going to be awesome.

Now I am off to a soccer game...us against Otta who is currently leading the league! We should beat them.
We are best.
(Wish us luck!)
If you can read Norwegian, check out this online article about tonight's game!

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Sold!

We Lars has been renting our cozy little apartment since August 2008. About two weeks ago, it got sold.

Yes, folks, SOLD. So that means Lars and I will be moving. And soon. Before August 1st apparently.

It's not as much of a crisis as it may seem; we have been thinking about moving for awhile anyway. We are ready for a new place, maybe a bit more space, maybe a bit longer out of town. But this felt a bit sudden! A fire has really gotten lit under our asses behinds!

We've been to a couple of open houses and are probably going to decide something within the next week or so (I think!)! It's exciting, stressful and surreal all at the same time. More than anything, I am really looking forward to KNOWING where we are going to live for the indefinite future!

The only thing I could possibly be looking forward to more is the England\USA World Cup game that starts in about a half an hour!!! WORLD CUP 2010 is finally here! :D

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Worry Warts

Generally I think I am a pretty healthy worrier. I worry when it is productive; I find it helpful to worry when it makes you get things done, prepares you better for a test or propels you to ask the right questions. I would even say that I tend to not be cautious enough at times, as countless friends of mine and family members find me to lean a bit too much on the trusting side, or the forgiving side.

But to be honest, I like that about myself. I like that my free time is not consumed by worries, grief and stress. I like that my first reaction is to trust someone and accept them rather than assume they are out to get me. I like that the majority of the time I am propelled by my instincts and not so much by a systematic analysis of a given situation. I am not sure if this is something I have learned or if it is something that was already instilled in me, but over all, I am really happy with the lack of fretting that goes on in my life. Que será, será.

But this work permit situation seems to be getting the best of me. I feel like the longer I wait to hear from Utlendingsdirektoratet (UDI), or The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, the more worried I become about the result of my work application results. There are a few things in particular that really worry me:

1. There is this nasty little paragraph on the UDI website that explicitly says that those that are looking to work in Norway that are NOT members of the EU or of EU affiliated countries, have to apply to the Norwegian consulate within their country of origin first. Lars clued me into this before I left the States, but I thought that it was best to apply that way--that it was recommended, not obligatory. And honestly, I would have had to go to San Francisco which wasn't really in the pre-moving across the world budget, if you know what I mean.

2. There is another, and almost equally as nasty snippet, that details that workers from outside the EU will only be employed if they are bringing something to the table that no one else is offering. It basically implies that unless you have some kind of unique trade or intellectual skill, there is no need for UDI to grant you a work permit. Do we think working in a cafe with minimal Norwegian skills meets these requirements? Hmmm....maybe in my dreams.

3. I have already been working, and quite a bit actually. I need the money from all these hours that I have earned! I have probably earned almost $4,000 so far and haven't seen one penny. And next week I am scheduled to work 5 days, and will most likely be working 6! Don't get me wrong--so far so great with this job--but how the heck am I going to get paid if my application gets denied? I am sure that I will be able to work something out, but here it is just the unknown that is feeling heavy on my shoulders. And my boss has also been asking me when I expect to hear something because he also needs the permit to go through so he can properly pay taxes.

Blegh. There are a lot of things that I am anxious about. Everyday I am checking the mailbox like a fool hoping and hoping and hoping that there will be some news in there to settle my mind.
I really got my hopes up the other day when I saw an official envelope with my name on it!

But guess who it was from? My loan collector! Ain't that a bitch?

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