Norway
Oprah
Great Things:
Healthy Food: mostly fresh vegetables and homemade food.
Public Transportation: Awesome pretty much everywhere
Health: Always active, riding bikes, skiing is a part of life
Clutter: Homes are small and people don't like extra stuff. Things are just simple.
Homeless: Really nobody is homeless
Rabies: Rabies Free Country (just a little fact)
School: School is free from toddlers to University. Truly that is nice.
Maternity Leave: Near full pay for 6 months- 12 months. Free to have a kid.
Beauty: Norway was full of amazing beauty. Seriously one of the most scenic places.
Chocolate: AMAZING
Crime: Next to nothing. The cops don't even carry guns.
Summer: Average temperature 70 degrees and SO GREEN!
Not so Great:
50% Income Tax: People are taken care of in many ways. For church members add 10% for tithing and now people only have 40% to live on. Many struggled with this.
Free Health Care: In reality this is nice, but I saw people waiting over 1 year for a simple knee surgery. They sat at home making 90% of their income waiting for a simple procedure. My mission president almost died because they could not figure out what was wrong with them. They sent him to America and they figured it out in no time. One upside: Free to have a child and they give you money per child.
Tax breaks for Single People: Women are given huge tax incentives for being single. Young girls are given money to have a child. There is no incentive to every marry. Many just live with their significant other. Daycare is also free for kids. Hmmm... Why stay home and raise your toddler.
God: Most don't really believe in God. Some do believe in God, but have no need for religion. They are taken care of by the government in most ways, so why rely on a Him who has given us everything.
Unemployment: Near full pay for 4 years after being laid off. That sounds great, especially after being laid off, but it just fosters laziness.
Oh, I do love this part of the country, but boy was it hard to be a missionary. The episode with Oprah was great yet so awful. The women told Oprah there is no need for marriage or God, OUCH! Interesting to bring back the memories.
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow///20091021-tows-women-world
4 comments:
Sounds like it was right up Oprah's alley! I stopped watching years ago after an episode where she went on and on about marriage being an outdated institution that now serves no purpose but to keep women down. I just felt sick knowing how many millions of women value her opinion and look up to her.
On the other hand, The pictures of Denmark were beautiful!
I just watched the part about where Oprah visits the typical danish home. That is not the typical Danish home but it does show very well the simplicity of Danes and Scandinavian design. And yes it made me home sick for my second home. Danmark Det er et yndig land.
Crazy! I knew some of the stuff you wrote but not all of it! Sure does sound like it was a hard mission! Good thing you and Brandon went there, you two are pretty darn amazing!!!!:)
I watched that Oprah and thought it was very interesting and was wondering what your take on it was! So thanks for sharing that! I find how other people in the world live fascinating! I can see how that would be frustrating to be a missionary there. Speaking of, Mealanie went to Tennessee. And I can't believe it either! She still seems so young to me too! She went into the MTC on Tuesday. Crazy! It still hasn't hit me that she's really gone!
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