It’s been a little while but I’m back with the eleventh interview in my Adjusting to Expat Life series.  I’ll be running interviews, writing about my own experiences adjusting to expat life in Peru, and rounding up the best expat resources on the web.

Anne-Sophie Redisch is a bilingual freelance writer and translator based in Norway. She wanders the world, mostly with kids, sometimes solo, and particularly likes hopping off a train in a new city. She has visited more than 100 countries on six continents. She’s a NileGuide local expert for Oslo, contributes to Boots’n'All and the Matador Network, and blogs at Sophie’s World.

Anne-Sophie has lived in the USA and New Zealand. Here she shares her experiences about living in these two countries.

Where do you live now?

Presently, I live in Drammen, Norway. That’s home.

How long did you live abroad?

I lived in Oklahoma in the USA for 5 ½ years way back in the 80s. In 2003, I brought my daughters, then 14 and 1, to New Zealand to live for half a year.

What made you choose to move there?

Oklahoma wasn’t a choice. Not at first. I got a scholarship from Rotary to go to high school in the USA and Oklahoma is where they sent me. I was a bit like Fes in That 70s Show, except people knew my name and where I was from . I did choose to return for college, though. And it was an easy choice; I had many friends there and my American host parents were always there for me.

As for New Zealand: when I was on parental leave after I adopted my youngest daughter, I used the opportunity to live in another country for a while. I wanted a warm climate and my then 14-year-old wanted somewhere English-speaking. It ended up being a toss up between Australia and New Zealand. It could easily have gone either way, but we landed on NZ. When the US – Iraq war began during our stay, then NZ-prime minister Helen Clark decided not to join that war (as opposed to Australia); I was quite proud of my temporary homeland and very happy with our choice.

How did you make a living?

Living in Oklahoma was very cheap, so I lived very well on Norwegian state student loans and scholarships. When we lived in New Zealand, I was on a year’s fully paid parental leave.

Did you find it easy to feel at home?

It was easy to feel at home in New Zealand, as it felt very similar to Norway, both good and bad. On the positive side, there are mountains, fjords, a stunning landscape. Both top the list of the world’s safest places to live. The people are fairly similar, too. Kiwis are nice, but a bit reserved, most seemed to prefer having a small close circle of friends, often from childhood.

I never really felt at home in the USA, in fact, there were times I wondered if I had landed on another planet. However, Americans excel at friendliness, so it was a very easy place to be.

Were you part of a close-knit expat community, or were you closer to locals?

In the USA, when I was in high school, definitely locals. There wasn’t really much of an expat community in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Later, in college, I would have to say most of my friends were from everywhere else, at least towards the end. I made heaps of friends of the Middle East especially, people I still keep in touch with 20 years later.

In New Zealand, it was a mix. Since I didn’t go to school or work, the people I met were other toddler parents at play groups. Many of those were emigrees and had moved to NZ permanently. Most were from the UK. I found it difficult to get to know Kiwis well, as I found them a bit reserved as I said above. At the same time, I could very well understand, coming from a culture where people also often prefer keeping a certain distance.

Did you think about your adopted country as home, or as somewhere you happened to live, at the moment?

While I enjoyed both immensly, I never considered moving permanently either to the USA or to New Zealand. So I suppose it was more a thing of the moment.

What were the greatest differences you noticed when you first arrived?

Nature, definitely. As a 17-year-old from a mountainous country, coming to the plains of the American midwest was a bit of a shock. Even locals say it: in Oklahoma, you can go for miles and miles and not see anything but miles and miles. And also little things: like how Americans eat differently. In the high school cafeteria no knives were allowed, but they made an exception for me and the other exchange students, a Belgian girl and a Brazilian boy. We just didn’t know how to eat without one. Also, that strangers would strike up a conversation. Very weird, I thought then. I learnt to appreciate that, though.

In New Zealand it was the weather most of all. In early January, we had left behind the Northern winter with minus 25 degrees C and landed at the height of summer. To live! It was wonderful. It took a while before it sunk in that we were there to live, not just for a holiday.

To what level did you speak the language when you arrived?

I spoke fluent English. I’ve always found it easy to learn languages.

So the language difference wasn’t a problem?

In the USA, not at all. In New Zealand, it took a little while to get used to the quick speech and certain dialectical peculiarities, like how Kiwis “swallow” vowels. Fish becomes fsh.

Do you have a local partner? How does or doesn’t that help you integrate?

No local – or other – partner, so I suppose that doesn’t apply.

Would you consider taking out citizenship abroad?

I wouldn’t trade my Norwegian citizenship for anything in the world. And through the EEA agreement (between the EU- and EFTA-countries), I can choose to live and work in any of 30 countries. Best of all worlds.

What are your feelings on living in a country where you have no political voice? Could you stay on indefinitely without it?

Having a political voice is extremely important, of course. But I don’t think voting is the only way to express that. For example, in New Zealand, we participated in demonstrations against the war in Iraq.

Was there a moment when you suddenly realised the extent to which you had integrated? To which you hadn’t?

I felt fairly integrated when I realised I dreamt in English.

What advice would you have for ‘newbie’ expats? What do you wish you had known before moving to your new home?

If I was to move to a new country for a long time (several years), I would visit before committing. I think it’s important to get a feel for a place. That said, every country has its ups and downs. Ultimately, it’s a matter of attitude, mostly your own.

Would you live abroad again?

Definitely. And I plan to. There’s something about the temporariness that appeals to me. I like Britain more for each visit and I’m considering a longer stay. I’d like to try living in various parts of the world really: South America, Africa, South-East Asia, the Middle East…. everywhere!

I love that surge of optimism at the end – reminds me that life in an adventure, and there’s so many new things to try!