.... What's the capital of Organisation???...

Maybe its the Fact that I've not really been oober organised in my life .. or from the fact that I can be PAINFULLY organised when I want to.. either way.. I've turned into an organisation freekazoid.  This of course has nothing to do with Norway .. only the fact that I'm playing housewife... ok not playing .. but I Am.  So I've been researching all that I can anytime something comes up that I think needs to be organised.
Take for e.g. The House.  The Laundry room is not that big but its a separate room, which is awesome in itself ... how do I organise it? Where do I put the shelves ... She heads to the Internet.
The Plastic bags ... that are growing into a huge pile ... How to I make it look neat?? How do I fold them? What do I do with them all? ... Hmm.. the best Answer so far! Japanese folding and the Tissue box!! ... Nyyysssee!!!! My mind started going all crazy on me ... So... If I can fold Plastic bags so wonderfully .. can you imagine what else I can fold nicely? ..

Hmm found one for socks. I'm on a mission now to flatten every single sock that I see ... And all of a sudden I'm getting a wicked gleam of organising evil in my eye!.  and his little Aussie accent was cute too.  Imagine tho that guys will impress the girls with that? .. Hardly likely .. maybe the neat freaks .. but other than that... which guy will take the time?
Then remember the 2 sec folding jersey thing? Well I found one that actually TAUGHT you the thing .. instead of baffling you about it! ...  Yup ... and now I was getting a little Bazodee...
I thought I had the folding bras, underwear,(Although this guy needs some help with his washing.. very funny.. LOL).
The Make up draw needs some organising .... I'll get to that soon.
Who said that we couldn't learn to be an expert housewife by reading a book? .. Well since there is no BOOK about it ..( is there?) ... I'll just keep looking on the net...

How about .. how a dishwasher works?  It helps to know what's going on inside your dishwasher so that you know HOW to load it and how NOT to load it. Of course at the time I was wondering how to load the top cutlery tray since it was not a basket but a tray.. I found my own way though... without the use of the Internet... and only some common sense. lol

How about how to organise your closet? There were waaaay too many ... and who will organise their closet by Colour anywhoos? If you do give me a holla!!!

Oh gorm .. I must be spent about an hour just looking at things to do and how to organise things and what to keep and what not to keep to help you organise things.
My favourite by far tho is the plastic bags... I've just emptied all the plastic bags I have and I'm going to triangle fold everything!
but anyhoos ... you thought this blog was just about how I'm flaying my arms in Norway didya?

Whey yuh say? I bet we do have some organisation freaks out there tho! ... Send me a holla if you are!

Its the "Ethnic" Places that we will thrive in

Its been a while since my last post... Didja miss me?? No? . ok ..no worries ...

We found an "Afro Shop" today ... its aptly named because I suppose it caters to the needs of getting RID of an afro ...lol .Yup Ladies and Gentlemen .. boys and girls... kiddies and grannies ... I found Petroleum Jelly, Hair Relaxer product, Callallo in a tin, Pink Oil, Olive Oil, Dr. Miracle, Motions .. girl .. you name it ... and they HAD it!! it was like walking into a hairdresser's heaven... the only thing that was missing was the shower caps? ... Ok .. I forgot to actually LOOK for those.
The guy in the store, I believe he was Nigerian, thought I was from Jamaica. No offence Jamaicans, but i'm sooo tired of everyone in the world thinking that the caribbean IS Jamaica... People .. get yourself a map of the caribbean... and LEARN! We are important too.. Where u ting steelpan come from? .... Germany? Which German man in their RIGHT mind will tek up a big ole garbage barrel and say .." Hmm I cam make music with this" .. NOPE! it was Trinidad brotherzz . Is only we have nuttin to do wit we time like dat! oh yes it was!

Apparantly the Store Man saw me walk into the store had a big smile on his face and then saw my husband walk in after me ... and the smile faded.... I didn't see this. My husband told me about it after we left the shop, but its obviously not been as racially wonderful for him as it has been for me ... well I have to say ..at least so far

I say so far because, with MUCH trepidation, one little black girl will move to a predominantly white culture. Its not because we don't WANT to be here... (although warm climates are usually more our fortei - check out the history.) Maybe we stand out alot. I have to admit that walking around in Oslo there were more Black people than in Bergen. Now .. let me be clear when I say "Black" people. I have only seen ONE totally black person .... he was riding a bike in Melbourne Australia and I had to take 2 looks and then a third when he passed by because all I saw were teeth - and they were really white! And I have no idea why he WORE black too..... go figure ... so when I say "black" people its normally anything that is NOT white and don't have to go sunning to GET brown. So that included Indians, some other ethnicities that i'm not too sure about etc.

So continuing, I remember in Australia, black/brown people were soo few and far between in Sydney at least .. that they would actually nod at you when u past. There was one I remember who went out of his way to catch my eye just to say hello. You know the tourists ... they don't count .. they normally move around in drones or packs.... carrying cameras etc. and they certainly don't acknowledge you!

..... but I was on Hair stuff..

So I walk into this store and i'm in heaven!!! JUST HEAVEN! I'm walking around like a little dotish chile picking up tings and go .. "Look babe!! Motions ... This is wonderful!!" you would swear it was jewelry store with "FREE" marked on everything!

Needless to say .. it is going to be my "best friend" for my hair. I won't have to order things in from England or tote it in my suitcase next time I travel. That is a WONDERFUL thought.. especially since airlines love to take money for over weight ...

Even more exciting was Right NEXT to the store was a "Global Store" or supermarket per say. That too was wonderful ... Guess what peeps?? I found me some BAKING SODA!! I find it odd that a country that is so big up on cakes (or kake as they say it) would not have baking soda... and not only was a little bottle .. but it was a big ole bottle of it ... that is what I'm say my "global" people.... we USE baking soda... and thankfully it was not a ridiculous price... it was "normal". Actually that whole Global store was MUCH cheaper than a normal supermarket. I started asking myself if they were "underground' or something??? ...
There was Roti/paratha (most likely authentic indian so nothing to jump up and down there), Sushi things (yes we bought some because we are BIG sushi fans!), Thai things, Coconuts in the shell, different ice creams, Corn meal for our Latin folks, "Fresh" produce that looked like it was the last day on the shelf, Frozen occras, and so many things ... I must go back and go through each shelf properly!

OH! and You know how we cut up our meat right there in the place ... and bag it up in different weight bags? Well gorsh ... I miss dat!! They do it in the global market!! Yup!.. juss so!. You get so accustomed to meat being put in vacuum sealed containers with fancy labels on it that you see this and it almost looks "wrong" .. ahh .but it is not ... it is the way the "global" people do it. I think they cater for mainly asians. I'm not sure. But either way, I'm happy ... OH YES! and MILO people .. i found MILO there ... its not as wonderful as back home.. yuh know the big sugary grains that have alot of barley or malt or something in it; its a little more on the nesquik side....:( .. ah well.

So, I'm happy to say that my hair and food troubles MAY be a small thing of the past. But I won't count my chickens before they are hatched .... there is still much to explore in that little global shop....

Whey yuh say.... Callalloo in a tin from Jamaica anyone????

1 year olds ... birthday parties .... and the Norwegian Language..

The other day I was at a 1 year old's Birthday party. My little new Niece ... (yes that word still is hard to say .... that means I'm an Auntie.. or Tantie (taunteh) as they say here .. yup that word actually really exists!)...
So admidst the party scene with the kids running around and ..... well ...screaming ... and people around .... well .. talking .... in Norweeeeeeeegian ... I'm sitting around and .... well .... feeling dumb...

Cuz one thing I realised here is that the Language is really what helps you fit into a place faster ... generate the friends .. and create the bonds ... how do you really bond with someone who you cannot communicate with on a greater level other than ... well ... Hi! and Bye ??
The Party itself was like I said a kid party .. .but for some reason or the other ... of which I will learn when I have my own kid and want to celebrate their one year anniversary .... when they don't have the least bit of a clue about what on earth is going on.... there were more adults than kids .... that being said ...please let me make a small point here.. geared directly at my new inlaw family ...
I love you guys ... I think that you are each so special .. in my little mum way of noting how you move with each other ..... I thank God that my husband has a normal family and a beautifully close one as well ... where there are no internal struggles and the such like .... and if there are ... I guess I'll find out one day ... then I'll be so eternally inculcated into the family thatI won't really think it odd then .. would I? ... Just quirky??

So ... I told my husband that I wanted to be able to force myself to learn the language ... so I guess not everyone is perfectly comfortable with the English Language ...and besides that I would have hated to be the ONLY reason everyone was talking in English .. it would have put a downer on the party .. seriously ... can you imagine having a party in Trinidad and everyone had to talk Spanish ...??? Yea .. we would just bring out the Soca and forget about talking ... yuh sure right!! ..
Anyways ... The Language really struck me as I listened to it.... and it will be really hard right now to give examples since .. like i'm sure you can't give any examples in Finnish right now either ... except if you google it ... so don't get all oooie on me....

For a long while ... I sat and listened .. really listened to the language .... Ever saw on Movies how they learn a language over night or something??? or at least in a very short period of time?? .. Well ... I don't know about the speaking part ... but there are quite a few words that are similar to English , Spanish or French ... and that is what makes the whole thing a real interesting thing to listen to.

As I sat there listening to the conversations that were going on around me ... Some things sounded like spanish ... something things sounded a little freenchiiee ..and other things sounded like english with an ice cube in your mouth....(bra, for, etc) So I actually got alittle bit of it ... Sometimes when my husband speaks I can understand a joke or something .... He laughs... I laugh and I feel like I fit in ... of course who knows if the joke I got was the same joke everyone else got ... no worries .. I laughed in a good enough time.

For example... there was something about smoking ... and for some reason I knew that was what they were talking about.... someone asked someone else .. "Do you smoke?" .. and almost like muscle memory I figured it out ... as if they spoke it in english ... it really was very cool ...
They went on to talk more about smoking and I started to fade away ..... I guess I always had A.D.D. in class ... was never a good book girl ... throughout my ENTIRE school life I was given . "Jaemie has so much more potential. Jaemie must work harder".. The Problem with me is that I learn so much faster when I WATCH or copy than when I have to learn it myself....

This brings back memories of before Internet was the Dictionary and encycopedias ... or parents ... which we normally hoped would be faster ... My father was not .. in fact it almost more dangerous to go to ask him something that to go look for it in the library with the books covered in dust battling long legged spiders and ultimately picking up the wrong section of the dictionary. He would go " Ok let's see".... ARGH .. that was the beginning of the end .. he would get book after book and then properly instruct you to read .... in my mind I was " dad ... I asked YOU what was the largest planet.. not how many planets are there, along with 10 other things he had to explain looong before I got my answer ..... if I got the answer at all :S
hmmm ... I'm rambling ... let me get back to the topic ..

So of course during the course of .... I think it was 3 hours hanging out with the family ... I learned a sum total of 1 word... to Smoke ... å rØyke. What a word to learn huh?
Of course knowing the language will help you know when they tell you to come for food .... or that you have to get up and go get it..... Like what happened to me ... yup .. and I'm sitting there like a Queen Bee thinking food was going to be walking my way.... hmm .. ooops .. nope.

(that learning the language thing in one day from the movies .. just BTW is a LIE!)

But I have to admit after all is said and done ... that the Norwegian language is not spoken by that many people and very well may be a dying language. Rosetta Stone has chosen NOT to have Norwegian as an optional language perhaps for this very same reason. But have no fear ... I SHALL conquer the confusing language ....

Then I found out that like Trinidad, there are many different dialects .. and within those dialects, there are different words for the same thing, different pronounciations for the same word ... the best example is "I" Jeg .. which is pronouced in at least 3 different ways depending on where you are from .. north, west or East ... ..... ahhh hhaaa.... riiiigghhtt... okay then.... hmmmm ....

I take solace in knowing that once I can speak the language I'll be able to understand Swedish and Dannish.. Whey yuh say? ...

Climbing Eldsfjellet

Yea.... ok ... so my husband, my brother in Law and my neighbour were sure trying to ... well .. ummm ... to say it nicely ... kill me the other day.
This hill ... yes its a hill... Is about a 10 min Drive away from where we live. Its on the same Island and the last time I walked up that "hill" it was in June Last year. It was a cold and windy day and on top of the hill is notorius for being very windy .... after all .. it is the highest point on the island.
Eldsfjellet is translated as "fire mountain"..... this I found out AFTER I climbed the thing. So Hubby and I are happily enjoying an afternoon back home and his best man and neighbour called to invite us up this ... hill.... Would I like to go .. my hubz asks .... with MUCH trepedation.. I agreed. In my mind now .. I'm wondering, what on earth am I trying to prove? .. I'm huffing and puffing like a cow climbing a vertical tree on the Small hill right behind our house and I'm trying to go up a Fire Mountain with 1 guy who is pretty much fitter than I am ... one guy who has been doing it fast enough but often enough .. and one guy who just earlier that day .. ran up the bloody thing! ... Obviously, I've lost my mind, and if I thought that my competitive spirit was going to rise to the competition ... I think I overestimated it .... severely..
We reached the ... hill.... and started climbing .. me in a sweater and everyone else is lighter tshirts. Just the beginning of the climb was enough to make my heart sink. I totally forgot how many muscles I had in my bum and my thighs oh no wait ... I didn't realise they existed! Oh the Pain ... I tried to keep my face from showing my extreme Distraught but I think there was a tell tale sign somewhere, since one of the guys kept asking me.."Why do you keep looking at me with that evil eye?" Hmm Go figure....
I pushed along going basically up steep stairs for about 20 mins. It doesn't sound like that long does it? But if you warm up with "Go climb a 60 Degree mountain... yuh kinda get alittle puffed in about 20 secs ... I kid you not ....

oh shut up you fitness freaks ... I'm not talking to you today ....

There came a point where my breathing became as as laboured as a rhinoceros in labour .... I chose to leave out the noises ... after all I was the only girl amidst guys and I really didn't want to seem like I was about to keel over. My brain no longer functioned for talking, smiling or laughing. All I could do was think about where to put my legs.... look for trees to hold on to ... and hope that no hoggorm snake would be in my path ... sunbathing .. since it was a warm enough day. There were norwegian jokes being thrown around all around me.... guys laughing ... I really was not even trying to understand ... I suddenly wondered how on earth did I get this unfit? Where did all this flubber come from? I used to be so fit and be able to walk the Paria hike .... with ease .. in fact there was a time when My brother and I actually ran it for a bit ... good fun.... I was remembering all the President's Award hikes through some interesting terrain ... all the hikes that I would be at the front of the pack .... and now ... I'm wheezing like some overgrown gorrilla ... breathing so hard it felt like my throat was bleeding... my eyes were starting to glaze over and my thighs and buns were screeming to me" STOP you DITWIT .... I'm on STRIKE!" My nose were burning, running and hurting all at the same time
all i could hear in my mind was " Just keep pushing Jaemie, Don't you Dare let these guys think you are a wimp" ...
ahhh Too late ... all of a sudden my legs gave way and my and I had to stop. I was breathing way to hard for my own comfort and everyone around me was telling me that I'm doing great .... huh? Yes .. great for a 1000 Ton Leatherback turtle on Turtle Beach in Tobago .... GRUNT >.... GRUNT..
oh for shame... so much for feeling all competitive and trying to look like I can rival guys in their natural setting....
Reaching the top was such a relief. I can't thank God enough for giving me a great hubby who basically pushed me the last few meters. Yea .... he's so great !!:) .. awwwww..
Just like giving birth the moments of pain and labour are forgotten once the child is born ... well... ok for me it was not immediate ... I was subjected to paparazzi pictures of which I no longer had the energy to quickly smile in my infamous way.... so after a few moments of catching my breath, I looked around.
seriously people ... Norway is one beautiful country.... I'm such a sucker for views, Landscapes and nature that my husband didn't really need to sell the country too much ... I just love the green around me. That day was a great clear day, so we could see so far ... and we were not being blown over like is the usual on top of Fire Mountain.
God creates the most Awesome paintings ... all the time.....
Heading back down ... of course .. is so easy ....... a Cave man can do it...
Whey Yuh say???? Fire Mountain anyone?