Emily
October 26, 2005
Oh, you’re gonna have a baby, in Norway, and then bring it here after a few months (kinda like mom, opposite way), what a story. *happy tear*
Traveling
Anytime travel is brought to mind, especially having a right to enter a country, I think of the scene from The Saint when Elisabeth Shue’s character leaves the safety of Val Kilmer’s character and runs through a square in Russia dodging the Russians who want to kill them both toward the American Embassy. As she nears the gate she screams over and over “I’m an American!!!” and is welcomed into the safety of the US Soldiers arms. They close the gate on her pursuers and the Russian spits in the face of the soldier. When I came to Norway, but had not yet seen the American Embassy here, I had a romantic notion of being so welcomed. On my first visit to the Consular Office (I have been twice and Tim’s first will be when we apply for citizenship documents for the baby) I came through a construction area (they have recently installed imposing gates around the building) to go through, not unexpectedly, security measures. This was by a Norwegian guard outside. I imagine there aren’t American soldiers here because this is a peaceful, US-friendly country. Then I was directed to one of two lines. The left line is for American citizens, and the right is for Non-US citizens doing either visa or immigration business. This is still outside. While the left line is shorter, it isn’t really much faster as people are invited in one at a time from alternating lines. Once inside you must remove what documents you need, give your belongings to another Norwegian person, and then proceed through the metal detector. This part seems redundant as you have already been waved over outside. Anyhoo, there are a number of chairs inside so I figure they should let more in at a time but I haven’t needed one as so few Americans are there. Almost immediately you proceed to a free window, and are helped by a Norwegian. The non-citizens seem to be helped by American employees. I guess I had this idea of going into my countries Embassy and feeling at home. Oh well. 
Since then, there has been a time where I felt homey American comfort.
Back in May when Tim and I flew home for a visit we were processed by a friendly American guard who, when finished, welcomed us home. We then passed through customs to declare my contraband carrots I had brought back (the baby cut kind which we decided to be honest about). We stepped up to the friendly female guard who asked what I had and when I told her, she said in mock dismay, “Carrots?!,” laughed and waved us through.
I was just visiting the US Embassy website which offers a link to See You in the USA an e-journal about traveling to the US. From what I’ve seen it’s pretty neat. There is a photo gallery of lesser known American sights. So here is the point to my rambling, I started thinking about our next trip home and [hopefully] being welcomed as nicely as in May. Besides luggage we will be toting an about-3-month-old baby. Pretty amazing. Thinking about it, it’s a sit-back-and-say-”wow” moment. I don’t think I have explained how we’ll apply for our child’s American citizenship, I may later. One of the things we have to get soon after birth is a passport for him/her. On the way out I guess their first stamp will be a Norwegian departure stamp. The second will be an American entry stamp, this makes me imagine saying, “Well [insert name here], welcome to America. Welcome home.” On the flight I’m thinking of getting a BA Bear. At least on international flights they sell lots of things including toys and these bears are pretty cute. They aren’t dressed as flight attendants but as travelers with goggles. I thought it would be cute and appropriate recognizing a pretty big landmark. 
I have actually a twinge of sadness over leaving for good. Not that I want to stay mind you but it is the place where I will have spent my first year-and-a-half of marriage and where I will have delivered my first baby. Someday I think I would like to visit, see Oslo and more of the country as well. I think our child should see where they were born, especially since it’s a foreign country and pretty spiffy.
Oh! I have to add our best traveling story, the carrot story might be #2. For our May visit, Tim was only stateside until the 29th (I stayed all of June). My mom and I took him to Dulles airport. He had packed his big ole CPU in his suitcase b/c it was easier and cheaper than sending so weight was an issue though he had regulated that a bit with a scale at home. We gathered around scale and one of the suitcases was like 32.2 kg, it has to be 32. So Tim went into a front pocket or something, pulled out a single black sock and moved it to his 2nd bag. The weight was right at 32! What a good laugh. 