Hello, I have been here now for three weeks. Max & I have been relying on Jeff to drive us anywhere outside Stavanger Sentrum. So we can do many things here in the sentrum. It is also pricey (hello its very smart to charge more next to a harbor). I finally took max down to the bus station. First I went to the train station, nope, wrong place!! Walked on to the Kolumbus Bus Station. Walked through the tolken people smoking directly infront of businesses. So walked in, got my ticket, even though no one was in line at any teller. Then I started the process of getting a buss card, I got a Flexi pass for one month I can bus all over Kolumbus routes. One weeknights (after 5pm) and weekends I can take max & Jeff with me for free. I couldnt get Max one of these passes so I just got him a card with credit on it. Then drama with my card and putting my birthdate on it, my american drivers license said 6-12-1979, thats what she put on my card, Norwegians do DD-MM-YYYY so then I needed a new one, blah blah. It didn't take as long as it seemed for me. You see I have control issues, so letting go and getting in a bus and following a route in another country stretches my mind. I also am taking my kiddo with me so it makes me feel very uneasy about relinquishing control.
Next, we are standing at the stop, I'm trying to keep my cool and trying to act like this is completely normal for me. Max is holding his bus pass with excitement and mulitple questions in a normal voice (he might have been just as nervous). Bus #1 arrives, I follow the directions the lady told me about using Max's card. That works and the bus driver is very short with me (perhaps he cause he is a man my size!). I hand him max's card and say going to Forus, and he scans it and explains I have money left on the card (I knew that, I was the person who put the money on it), can't understand the short mans words. I nice english man behind us explained I used 16 kr for the trip. Then my card, it didn't work. The driver just said doesn't work, well I am blocking the line, already paid to get max on the bus. So I ask to use Max's card, no, shorty tells me "you pay" (just like the nail salon people). So I ask him how much, I did have some coins on me. 31 kr, then shorty loudly helps me count my Kroner coins. Laughs when I pull out a 1 kr. Finally I get my half kr coins back and am sitting with max. Now I realize I just paid 700 kr on that card that he said was no good. AND I need at least 31 kr to get back home from our destination (IKEA, Max's choice). Ah man, this wasn't even part of the worries that I had. At least I am off on an adventure right? Well an adventure with more excercise (we will have to walk 1.4 km instead of taking another bus to ikea. Boo. Just to pop your bubble of excitement or keep you interested... Ikea wasn't there. I don't think it moved since last week, I just don't think my address book likes me. I wish the address was something I double checked before I left (like the bus routes, I spent 30mins this morning and 30 mins last night). One more adventure touring stavanger without cell roaming.
After I broke the news to Max the Ikea is no where in site. You have to understand its in a industrial park/car sales lots. All the buildings are 2-3 stories and I'm the size of short bitter bus driver. So I figured if I followed my maps directions it would eventurally appear. At the end of the 1.4 km walk on a nice paved path through warehouses we found the tire place, so we decided to turn around and walk back 1.4 km :). Poor brave little cold boy!! So we get back to the bus stop and we miss it by a minute tops. I think I needed that time to ponder. Max played on his phone. I tried ignore the only other soul at the stop. She was quite involved with chewing her fake nails off and spitting them out. Thankfully, she was spitting opposite of Max & I, but still she spit them towards the bus wall, glass with spit & nails were very clear. The bus arrived on time. My card worked this time. Ah shorty bitter driver might have been wrong. So back at the bus station I got a refund and they checked my card and it was fine. I wonder what shorty is calling me in his blog right now...
So I treated my tired self to McDonalds. I didn't know how much the coke would make most of my pain slip away. I did meet an american there that works there. He may have spotted out that I was trying to put my food away, people usually leave their fast food out on the tables. Its very sweet.
The McDonalds did its job, I am much more kitten like about my day now. And also I am getting my birthday wish. I have been trying to work on Jeff taking a family weekend trip. I have looked at Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Nice, Rome. Rome seemed the most reasonable btw. So I was trying but since we still don't know about our house stuff I knew it would be a dream. Jeff was asked to participate in a meeting in Rome june 6-10!! WOOhoo!
So tomorrow with better directions to our destinations. Max & I are going to take the bus again. Maybe I'll see my new friend shorty. So max will have another adventure!! I love that he wants to go to IKEA, I have a perfect kid. That is a good note to end on... PEACE!
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