Hello to all! My family and I currently live in Southern California. I am American and my husband is Norwegian/Japanese, from Norway. His family is in Norway (Oslo & Oppdal areas). We want to raise our children in a more wholesome place where outdoor life and nature are more a part of life. We don't really have family around here either so we'd like to bring our kids to a place with more family.
There are so many things we personally love about So.Cal. - the weather, the convenience of having anything you want at your finger tips... BUT there are also SO many things we are getting more and more unhappy about here in Southern California and the US as a whole. There is SO much crime here, especially where I work!!! Growing up I used to sleep with my bedroom windows open to let the cool night breeze come in - LOVED IT! That was Montana, NOT LA! There is NO way I'd sleep with my windows open here for fear of the very real threat of home invasion! We have a 150 lbs. mastiff dog as protection for when my husband is out of town. Can't just let the kids go out and play, have to watch them EVERY SECOND!!! My assistant at work told me about a girl from the high school she went to that had a birthday party and just invited family and friends. Some gang members from the same high school heard about it, showed up at her party and stabbed her boyfriend to death when he answered the door and refused to let them in! CRAZY crime here...and I live in an upper middle class area! We spend almost all of my salary as a teacher to pay for my kids to go to a good private school because the public schools are SO bad out here now, and only getting worse because of huge budget cuts every year at least until 2014!
I know that moving to Norway is going to be a HUGE adjustment for me and the kids (my husband grew up there so he'll be fine), but I'm convinced it is the best option, and we have the option to introduce the kids to a different lifestyle so why not do it! Right?!
Any advice for us on schools for the kids? We have a boy that will be 8, a boy that will be 6, and a girl that will be 4 when we move. Should we do international school for the english? Should we do Norwegian schools? Do the Norwegian kids tease kids that don't speak Norwegian? (The kids and I are trying to learn as much Norwegian as possible before we go)...
Any help or suggestions would be GREAT!!!
Stephanie