•* The official name of Norway is ‘Kingdom of Norway’.
•* Norway follows the system of Constitutional monarchy and Parliamentary democracy.
•* Norway is situated in Northern Europe.
•* Norway comprises of western and northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula and the northern territories of Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago, along with Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land in the southern hemisphere.
•* The official language of Norway is Norwegian (Bokmal and Nynorsk). However, in some districts, Sámi is also an official language.
•* Norway has an official Protestant State Church, based on the Evangelical-Lutheran religion.
•* Norway is the sixth largest country of Europe, in terms of land mass. However, in terms of population, it ranks only 28th.
•* Norway is one of the members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
•* The coastline of Norway, including fjords and bays, stretches over 20,000 kilometers.•* As per historical accounts, the small kingdoms of Norway were united into a single state around 885 AD, by Harald the Fairhaired, a Viking King.
•* It is believed that the name Norway means “Path to the North”.
•* The highest mountain in Norway is Galdhopiggen (2,469 m). The largest lake in the country is Mjosa.
•* The Jostedalsbreen, in Norway, is the largest glacier in Northern Europe.
•* Pagan Gods, like Odin and Thor, were worshipped in Norway before it converted to Christianity, in 995.
•* Plague (Black Death) killed over a third of the population of Norway in the mid-14th century.
•* Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians migrated to USA in the 19th century.
•* The Christmas tree, which stands in Trafalgar Square in London, has been presented by ‘City of Oslo’ to the UK, for over fifty years.
•* The per capita income of Norway ranks among the highest in the world.
•* Norwegian Constitution was signed on 17th May, 1814. The day is celebrated as a national holiday in the country.
•* As per Encyclopedia Britannica, Norwegians read more than any other population in the world.
•* Norway is counted amongst the wealthiest countries of the world.
•* Norway was rated the most peaceful country in the world, in a survey conducted by Global Peace Index in 2007.
Doesn’t this make you want to go to Norway??!
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Monday 29 August 2011
The Driver's Test and what really happened....
Ok .. so everyone by now knows that I failed my first driver's test in Norway ... well EVER actually. That Last post was really so sad ... geezzz .. get over it Jaemie! Anyhoos I thought that I should perhaps let everyone know what really happened.
It was a great day, I was confident and I was SURE that I would pass. Everyone said that I was good. I had driven with 3 different instructors and they all thought that it was very comfortable to be in the car with me. So I had all the confidence in the world!
Until I met the Examiner
She was a little lady with a slightly mean face. I have to admit a part of me wished that I got a man. Just for the pure sake of that age old saying. Anyways, we shook hands and I got into the car.
She started in Norwegian.
'Can I see you receipt to see that you have paid'
Sure! There is was
'IDennfglejfgej' ..... huh? .... 'IDenelfneof' ... OMG .. what was this woman saying? .. I stopped for a moment and tried to process the word to make sure that I had it right or that I can find what it could possible be similar to in English ..... Nothing.
I started to panic ... She rolled up her eyes at me and I immediately started feeling like a complete fool. She repeated again.
'I'm sorry' I told her ' I don't understand'
'Can I see something to prove that you are who you say you are'
OH! ID! ... I blubbered around in my wallet and took out my trini Driver's Licence.... uh no Jaemie ... that most likely would niether be smart nor accepted. I took out a Norwegian ID and gave it to her.
My mind started racing... this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship I thought.
She changed to English, asked me to turn off the car completely and went through the rules of the day. Do exactly as I do when I normally drive, radio, talking etc. Be comfortable.. Easier said than done now missy!
She asked me to pick a number from 1-9 .. I chose 7. Joy ... that was the question that I had debated with my husband as to why it was really dangerous.
The question was if it was dangerous to drive a car if the power steering didn't work. My rational was that if we didn't have power steering before it became standard in all modern cars did that mean that we were driving dangerously way back when? ... and Power steering really is just to make it easier to turn a wheel ... nothing more. I reluctantly said that it was dangerous, but on retrospect maybe in a round about way. She was obviously annoyed that I didn't give her a straight answer.
We were ready to go. 'When you are ready drive'
So off we went. My heart racing.
PLING! PLING! PLING! What was that?????...
You gotta be kidding me ....
I forgot my seatbelt! I started out of the car horrified that I could actually do that. I almost never forget my seatbelt ... In fact ... there have been times when I go to put on my seatbelt and its on already ..... that is how much I have it on automatic now.
I considered asking if we should just turn around and go back.. Surely that MUST have been reason enough for failing ! She said nothing. So we just continued driving.
I turned totally internal. Something JA told me afterwards is always when I don't do as well. When I get quiet ... it doesn't work for me! ...
We continued driving and I tried my hardest to remember every single thing, right of way, signals, car placements ... speed, slow down properly and well in advance.
Things seemed to move fairly in my direction after that. I thought that we would surely go up in a well taken 'difficult' small old road that you had to stop alot in 'Meeting points'. But no that was not my fate.
She asked me to turn into a road I had NEVER heard of before. WHERE? .. I looked desperately for the sigh .. constantly repeating the word outloud to myself so that I would not forget it. There it was. I had passed this road many times but my driving instructor and I had never been in it before.
When we turned into the road, she asked me find a place to turn around. Ok that sounded easy enough. There was a road coming up on the right ... but I could not be sure that I would be able to find somewhere to turn around in there since I had never been in there before. There was a sign .. I couldn't see what it was ... ARGH .. it was a school .. there would have definitely been somewhere to turn in there! .. Missed that one. NEXT!
OOOH! .. Here is another road ... but think that I'm going too fast to turn into there nicely enough ... too bad .. that was a school too ....
Ok .. so I need to find a place to turn around .... I passed a bus stop and thought .. ok , I'm sure after the bus stop there would be another road and whatever it was I would turn into it and try to find a place to turn around.
Lucky lucky me. ..... There was nothing. The road made a swing to the right and then my worst fears were confirmed.
Sea to one side and Rock and hill to the other.
SERIOUSLY???? ... For as far as I can could see ahead of me, that was what I saw...
This can't be happening to me .... Please don't be happening to me .. I started to panic again and looked around frantically for the slightest opportunity to turn around. The road looked like it would take us very far away (if all we intended to do was turn around).
Finally she said something
'Have you understood the instruction? We can't drive any further! You MUST find a place to turn around'
In a total state of panic I finally found the first road off of that LONG DISMAL MILE and tried to find the first semi good place to turn around.
I could see that it was not the VERY best place and that the space was small. Yet I knew that I could turn around in 3 points. But to my utter horror .. here came another car while I was halfway in the road AND the Examiner was looking around in sheer horror at the reverse that I was doing.
Well ... we were back on the road and I was sure that we should just drive all the way back to the Start.
Instead we turned into yet ANOTHER road that I was not familiar with. This time I totally missed the big yellow sign on the left hand sign searching for the road to turn into. I just swung into it hoping that it was correct. It was ... PHEW ... but maybe it was too sudden of a turn for the lady.
After that, I decided that I would just smile... Since I was pretty sure that I had failed and this lady was looking like she had had it for the day.
All this time, I didn't speak to the lady. There as no pleasant talk about the day, the weather, children or anything. I thought that I just wanted to totally concentrate on everything that I was doing. But Like JA said ... when I'm quiet, things don't seem to go as well.
We continued driving and finally reached back to the driving center.
She asked the question.
'Ok so how do you think that you did?'
Seriously lady? You scared the CRAP outta me from the word go, I nearly crapped my pants when I realised that I didn't put on my seatbelt, I could have flung myself out on a curb when I realised that after one little swing I was stuck with a WHOLE LONG ROAD to find somewhere ... anywhere to turn around.... and you ask me how I think it was? ... hahah . ok ..
I started to talk about the fact that I couldn't find a place to turn around..... and was about to say some other things, when she interrupted me impatiently and said,
'Ok I'll let you know how it went. I'm sorry to say that you did not pass this test.'
All of a sudden I couldn't understand English... What? Didn't pass??? ok I know that I should have failed from the word go with the seatbelt, but then shouldn't you have just said so and not wasted both your and my time? ...
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes... .. I knew that I would have to wait another month or more before I took the test again, I felt like a failure having let my husband and my instructor (who had sooo kindly come OFF his vacation just to help me out) down, and more importantly, I let myself down!
I couldn't believe this was happening.
When she finished all the things that she had to say, she wrote them down and then the tears started falling down.
I didn't even have the heart or mind really to say thank you ... I just got out of the car and walked straight over to my smiling husband. It was then that the reality of the thing hit. I walked straight into his arms, buried my face in his shirt and started to sob like a 6 year old who just hit her knee.
So was the day of my drivers test.
Of course after the fact, my husband chose to tell me that he failed his test 2 times before he got through! Really? Twice???? ... You could have told me that before, that was I wouldn't feel like it should have been easier! ..
But such is life, and life is such ... ( as I say) ... and we must fail to succeed. I have consolded myself with the fact that it was all for a reason, maybe to get me off the road??? Maybe to protect the car? I don't know, but what ever it is, I am grateful for God's intervention in it.
All I know is that next time, I don't care WHO it is, I'm going to make sure to drink LOTS of sugar before and TALK MY HEAD OFF!
Whey yuh say?
It was a great day, I was confident and I was SURE that I would pass. Everyone said that I was good. I had driven with 3 different instructors and they all thought that it was very comfortable to be in the car with me. So I had all the confidence in the world!
Until I met the Examiner
She was a little lady with a slightly mean face. I have to admit a part of me wished that I got a man. Just for the pure sake of that age old saying. Anyways, we shook hands and I got into the car.
She started in Norwegian.
'Can I see you receipt to see that you have paid'
Sure! There is was
'IDennfglejfgej' ..... huh? .... 'IDenelfneof' ... OMG .. what was this woman saying? .. I stopped for a moment and tried to process the word to make sure that I had it right or that I can find what it could possible be similar to in English ..... Nothing.
I started to panic ... She rolled up her eyes at me and I immediately started feeling like a complete fool. She repeated again.
'I'm sorry' I told her ' I don't understand'
'Can I see something to prove that you are who you say you are'
OH! ID! ... I blubbered around in my wallet and took out my trini Driver's Licence.... uh no Jaemie ... that most likely would niether be smart nor accepted. I took out a Norwegian ID and gave it to her.
My mind started racing... this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship I thought.
She changed to English, asked me to turn off the car completely and went through the rules of the day. Do exactly as I do when I normally drive, radio, talking etc. Be comfortable.. Easier said than done now missy!
She asked me to pick a number from 1-9 .. I chose 7. Joy ... that was the question that I had debated with my husband as to why it was really dangerous.
The question was if it was dangerous to drive a car if the power steering didn't work. My rational was that if we didn't have power steering before it became standard in all modern cars did that mean that we were driving dangerously way back when? ... and Power steering really is just to make it easier to turn a wheel ... nothing more. I reluctantly said that it was dangerous, but on retrospect maybe in a round about way. She was obviously annoyed that I didn't give her a straight answer.
We were ready to go. 'When you are ready drive'
So off we went. My heart racing.
PLING! PLING! PLING! What was that?????...
You gotta be kidding me ....
I forgot my seatbelt! I started out of the car horrified that I could actually do that. I almost never forget my seatbelt ... In fact ... there have been times when I go to put on my seatbelt and its on already ..... that is how much I have it on automatic now.
I considered asking if we should just turn around and go back.. Surely that MUST have been reason enough for failing ! She said nothing. So we just continued driving.
I turned totally internal. Something JA told me afterwards is always when I don't do as well. When I get quiet ... it doesn't work for me! ...
We continued driving and I tried my hardest to remember every single thing, right of way, signals, car placements ... speed, slow down properly and well in advance.
Things seemed to move fairly in my direction after that. I thought that we would surely go up in a well taken 'difficult' small old road that you had to stop alot in 'Meeting points'. But no that was not my fate.
She asked me to turn into a road I had NEVER heard of before. WHERE? .. I looked desperately for the sigh .. constantly repeating the word outloud to myself so that I would not forget it. There it was. I had passed this road many times but my driving instructor and I had never been in it before.
When we turned into the road, she asked me find a place to turn around. Ok that sounded easy enough. There was a road coming up on the right ... but I could not be sure that I would be able to find somewhere to turn around in there since I had never been in there before. There was a sign .. I couldn't see what it was ... ARGH .. it was a school .. there would have definitely been somewhere to turn in there! .. Missed that one. NEXT!
OOOH! .. Here is another road ... but think that I'm going too fast to turn into there nicely enough ... too bad .. that was a school too ....
Ok .. so I need to find a place to turn around .... I passed a bus stop and thought .. ok , I'm sure after the bus stop there would be another road and whatever it was I would turn into it and try to find a place to turn around.
Lucky lucky me. ..... There was nothing. The road made a swing to the right and then my worst fears were confirmed.
Sea to one side and Rock and hill to the other.
SERIOUSLY???? ... For as far as I can could see ahead of me, that was what I saw...
This can't be happening to me .... Please don't be happening to me .. I started to panic again and looked around frantically for the slightest opportunity to turn around. The road looked like it would take us very far away (if all we intended to do was turn around).
Finally she said something
'Have you understood the instruction? We can't drive any further! You MUST find a place to turn around'
In a total state of panic I finally found the first road off of that LONG DISMAL MILE and tried to find the first semi good place to turn around.
I could see that it was not the VERY best place and that the space was small. Yet I knew that I could turn around in 3 points. But to my utter horror .. here came another car while I was halfway in the road AND the Examiner was looking around in sheer horror at the reverse that I was doing.
Well ... we were back on the road and I was sure that we should just drive all the way back to the Start.
Instead we turned into yet ANOTHER road that I was not familiar with. This time I totally missed the big yellow sign on the left hand sign searching for the road to turn into. I just swung into it hoping that it was correct. It was ... PHEW ... but maybe it was too sudden of a turn for the lady.
After that, I decided that I would just smile... Since I was pretty sure that I had failed and this lady was looking like she had had it for the day.
All this time, I didn't speak to the lady. There as no pleasant talk about the day, the weather, children or anything. I thought that I just wanted to totally concentrate on everything that I was doing. But Like JA said ... when I'm quiet, things don't seem to go as well.
We continued driving and finally reached back to the driving center.
She asked the question.
'Ok so how do you think that you did?'
Seriously lady? You scared the CRAP outta me from the word go, I nearly crapped my pants when I realised that I didn't put on my seatbelt, I could have flung myself out on a curb when I realised that after one little swing I was stuck with a WHOLE LONG ROAD to find somewhere ... anywhere to turn around.... and you ask me how I think it was? ... hahah . ok ..
I started to talk about the fact that I couldn't find a place to turn around..... and was about to say some other things, when she interrupted me impatiently and said,
'Ok I'll let you know how it went. I'm sorry to say that you did not pass this test.'
All of a sudden I couldn't understand English... What? Didn't pass??? ok I know that I should have failed from the word go with the seatbelt, but then shouldn't you have just said so and not wasted both your and my time? ...
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes... .. I knew that I would have to wait another month or more before I took the test again, I felt like a failure having let my husband and my instructor (who had sooo kindly come OFF his vacation just to help me out) down, and more importantly, I let myself down!
I couldn't believe this was happening.
When she finished all the things that she had to say, she wrote them down and then the tears started falling down.
I didn't even have the heart or mind really to say thank you ... I just got out of the car and walked straight over to my smiling husband. It was then that the reality of the thing hit. I walked straight into his arms, buried my face in his shirt and started to sob like a 6 year old who just hit her knee.
So was the day of my drivers test.
Of course after the fact, my husband chose to tell me that he failed his test 2 times before he got through! Really? Twice???? ... You could have told me that before, that was I wouldn't feel like it should have been easier! ..
But such is life, and life is such ... ( as I say) ... and we must fail to succeed. I have consolded myself with the fact that it was all for a reason, maybe to get me off the road??? Maybe to protect the car? I don't know, but what ever it is, I am grateful for God's intervention in it.
All I know is that next time, I don't care WHO it is, I'm going to make sure to drink LOTS of sugar before and TALK MY HEAD OFF!
Whey yuh say?
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