The Tall Poppy Syndrome of Norway

Its taking me longer and longer to write something now, since we are settling in... :( Have no fear .. .there is driving and working to come... whenever that does ... not like I'm excited for it) .... but I am still learning about Norwegians and their culture.
One thing that is aparrant is that Norway is a Tall Poppy Syndrome Culture.

Don't expect to see many fabulous houses here. Don't expect to be wowed by a car that has a really cool colour. Don't think that having something that's really cool will be popular.
If its one thing I've realised here is that people do not like to stick out.

Their houses are the same... same as it was from a long time ago. Built with Wood and with a sum total of 2 or 3 different types of roofs.. (yes that was NOT a typo). Concrete is way too expensive and so the concrete houses are usually those of the very wealthy. Don't try to do anything truly amazing with your house, Don't try to bring in the latest colour statements. There are set colours that you find in the paint shop. Anything that deviates from the norm is atrotiously expensive and takes long to get! Anything done with flair and creativity is looked at as either flaunting money, or disturbingly ugly. Hmp! Fancy that. MANY trinidadian houses would be considered to be seriously in need of a beautifying treatment. Heck even I think some of the houses in Trinidad are going way over board! What is up with flourescent houses these day?..peeeople!!... is it to be seen from the planes passing overhead? or just from heaven?

Their cars are the same colour ... you wont find a fancy colour car here often. Nope! And they are usually on advertising cars! White, my dear darling trinis.. is NOT a desired colour! I suppose it could be because of the tar and dirt or something. Silver however, is very popular. And if you were to see a lime green car... know that everyone is laughing at it ... not thinking that its cool. The same thing goes for lasers, lights in "wrong" places etc. This is all against the LAW. Yes... we do have the waywards that break it. But they don't flaunt it like Trinis do.

Although I have to admit, Trinidad perhaps has the highest number of Zooped up cars per capita. I have seen some seriously pimped out cars, especially at Car shows. Do you remember some of those cars? Trinis who still living there .. take a look the next time you out ..and trinis who have not been there in a while... Peeps it getting worse....almost every other car has something "extra"... a "bullet hole" a extra light, some seriously too big rims. In fact, you ever remember seeing a REAL ole car, mash up mash up .. but it have 17" rims on it? Looking like an obzokie monster truck?... and the spinning ones tuh boot. Madness yes. But dat is the male ego. In fact I have a cousin... who's boyfriend pimped out HER new car ... simply because ... it is possible. So I'm POSITIVE its as a direct result of the Caribbean male EGO which is in desperate need to show something of worth (this includes their women!). ..... And there I go ....straying .... tsk tsk tsk ..

Funny thing.... We went to a car shop to look at cars. One that we were looking at, the Sales guy showed us all the different options (I never bought a brand new car so I didn't know you could basically customize your car...country bookie nah!) anyhoos... they had this new thing with stickers that you could put on the car... straight from the factory ... like .. a japanese flag, butterflies etc .. sorry ... there were no bullet holes. And the poor Sales man was simply grossed out by the fact that there was one on a picture in the brochure... "What is that?... are they serious?" he was saying ... No one is into that! ... Well... be that as it may .... everyone wants to have a SERIOUS difficulty picking out your car in the car park .... that's why people try to open someone else's car .. cuz it looks the SAME .... i'm thinking of putting a bullet hole on mine .... just to see all the stares I would get... wouldn't THAT be a great way to stand out in a crowd! ..
The more different and unique something is here... the more frowns and stares you get. You see, unlike what I'm sure everyone thinks of Bergen ...eeehhhhhh .. let me more precise... of Frekhaug .. (i'll leave you to your devises to pronounce that one heh heh heh) it is still very rural, very primitive. I mean if you actually don't have stores open on a Sunday .. then its actually a little worse than Tobago .. not so? .. I mean ... who does that anymore? . Ok ... let me be a good Christian Girl and say .. PRAISE GOD that they are keeping the Sabbath Holy! .... but still .. gimme SOMETHING open nah .. oh gormm!!! ..

So that is something that I think contributes the Tall poppy Syndrome. Its not that they are not exposed. Norwegians, so far ... are the most colour blind people of the Caucasians that I've met. ... AYE! .. if any Norwegian come along and mek meh ha tuh eat meh words .. yuh go see de wrong side ah me today eh! Alllllrightiden!...but there was no slavery here... no indiginous people they had to "get rid of" so there is no ingrained animosity to another colour. In fact, it comes across as simply ignorant ... and ignorance is bliss... This is not the Bad "ignorant" this is the childlike ..they-just-didn't-know. Like I betya ... alot of them would look at me and think my hair is naturally straight and can't tell the difference between natural and naturally processed. God bless them .. dey too tweet!

I'm remembering the time when I was in Australia, and I took my landlord's dog to be dogsat by a neighbour while she was gone... and the little ole lady exclaimed when she opened her door! .."Oh My! .. you're so EXOTIC looking!" .. hmm ... it took me a little while to figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. In my mind I was thinking ... "Lady ... if you only know .. there are about 1 million of us where I come from" .. Exotic for Trinis is Hawaii, Bali, Thailand, Peru... oddly enough its never Canada, the US .. or England ... too bad ... you guys will NEVER be exotic... .. but yet again ... that is a bit of a stray .. NORWAY ... Jaemie Norway.

You won't find really amazing crazy clothes, shoes, etc. Oh GORM doh get meh started on de shoes .... Lordy have mercy pun meh!... I am craving a shoe store with some hot shoes. Everyone is so practical. Not like in New York or even London where the weather may be a little more similar. No way hosay! ... People wear the same boring shoes... closed, practical, good for the back and feet shoes. Not pretty pointy toes shoes, or strappy lappy low shoes.... Beauty is NOT painful here.... its just dumb when it comes to your feet. I'm still loving my painful new Tan boots.... I'd lick them if I could... but the rain guard thing doesn't taste so good.

I'm pretty sure that any celebrity could come to Bergen ... and walk around in complete peace. Sure you may get a few stares and ting .. but dat would be all.... Hmm . I can't wait to become a celebrity! .. Although I exhibited a little Tall Poppy Syndrome the other day. It was the last day we were in Trinidad. We were in the Airport and I was tantalizing my eyes with the new sushi kiosk. (YES!! people there is a sushi kiosk in the Airport.... I loooooveee sushiiiii.....) ... sttrrraaayyyiinggg) ..
Anyhoos, I'm standing there and there is a gentleman looking at the options... and the sushi, Kimono-clad young man behind the kiosk was just waaayy to jolly and jovial for a local service provider... Trinis yuh know I eh lying... A good sales clerk will catch your eye. The only thing is this guy was like on 1 too many coffee breaks... he was like " Hello Sir, Welcome to (i forget the sushi place name)" ... With his eyes OPEN as big as they could go and one gynormous smile... another guy came up and he turned to him and said the same thing" Good day Sir, Welcome to Sushi whatever" .. and I am no longer staring at the sushi .. now I'm staring at the boy and thinking ... is he fuh real? ..Same time the gentle man who was bending down looking at the options decides what he wants ... and requests his plates.... I'm now as close as ever .. trying to maco his take... wondering if I would dare to take already plated out Sushi (i prefer it freshly rolled) ... and the guy is like " Great option Sir... It has .. blah blah blah ...in it. ) So of course now I'm wondering ... if this guy from here? ... Doesn't he know that the service he is providing will waste on a trinidadian?? ... As the guy is packing away the gentleman's take away .. the gentleman turns to me for the first time and looks at me in the same disbelief at this young man ... Its Brian Lara... My heart jumps and I'm already so close to him (after Macoing and peering over his purchase) that in a desperate attempt to be "Cool about it" I slap him with the back of my hand on his arm .. and say " AYe MAN! .. how you going? You good??Yea???Ok!!" With a I know-you-so-long attitude. And then I'm immediately slowing trying to get away to hide my shame and embarrassment... That my friends is A Tall poppy Attitude... Unlike my mom.. who immediately gets star struck going " HUH!! that's Brian Lara .. That's Brian Lara!! . Can I get your autograph sir??? " and I'm just trying to get away to hide my sheer fortification of what I've just done ... Slapping Brian Lara like I know him ... oh lors .. why isn't the flight leaving now? .. oh yes!!! I think I hear it calling .. Come along mum...

But it will be interesting to see how much I can "Stand out" yet Fit in ... Because the last thing I want to be is someone who just melts into the place.. No way! . My calling is to be different. To dare to stand above the crowd... to be an amazing example of what the Caribbean woman can accomplish dispite all odds. This is my dream for here.... That I can be an inspirational woman no matter what my background.

Tink I would be able to stick out? Defy this Tall Poppy Syndrome? Defy all Cultural Odds? Tink I would be an example of an awesome woman of God? One who is not afraid to bless people, pull people up, show women a way when they thought there was no way?
Tink that dream can come true in a Tall Poppy Syndrome Culture? I tink so..
Whey yuh say?

The Bergen Fashionista

Ok .... So ... I've come from a Tropical Country .. where women do bare alot of skin ... and that's the culture .. the tight clothes etc .... tank tops allllll the time ... short pants and lots of dresses to keep cool. And I would say I had my style .... it was ... tropical casual..... as in .tshirt and jeans... and then I had my little light and cute halter tops etc ... so now that I have to cover down to my wrists to keep warm (the short pants and ting was never really my ting anyway) I'm floundering around like the fat seal from Happy feet where in Trinidad I'm the seal in the water and in Bergen I'm the seal on the ice.. ..... Flubbub ... Flubbub ... Flubbub ..
Back in 1998 I went to London for a Work and Travel Visa. I came back from London MUCH more conscious of what I wear ... and I'm sure heading into any Fashionista Big City would do that to one... the only thing is that I'm now living in an island off of the second biggest city in Norway ... so .... think of .. Toco style .. maybe????? yeeea...... hmmmmmm ... Questionable...

Ok dont get me wrong .. there are many people who look very nice .. but I've found that to try to buy clothes, I get what the MAJORITY of people are wearing .. which ... I have to admit .. with the extra ... dot dot dot... pounds I've Put on since I'm married ... is not a flattering look for me.... and I think its Frumpy... is that how you spell that? ..
Anyhoos ... I walk into stores and I can't figure out how to put things together.. ok except ONE store .. H&M ... really lovely things... but its so hard to wrap my head around buying summer things when it's cold outside!! What is up with that???? :) .. hahaha...

So .. You must be wondering by now .. what on earth is so bad???
Well let's start with the Tights..... as in panty hose ... its worn with everything .... with shoes ... whether its open-toe or not!!! ACK! Fashion Faux Pas in my tropical mind!! ...
And how can one where A short pants with tights??? .. eww .. what is that?? if its too cold to wear a short pants ... don't wear it at all!!!
Ok ok ok I've seen in Vogue etc ... High heeled shoes with mid calf high plaid socks and thought ... oooo nice .. but it was almost ALWAYS paired with a pencil skirt or preppy looking pants ... (and maybe I just can't see the panty hose in the pictures) ... and it looks cool ... somehow ... its not looking cool here :( ...
They also wear the "in" thing for summer .. look shirt-like tops with tights that stop anywhere from mid calf to the ankle...
remember those tennis shoes .. white that you used to wear to Phys Ed? .. or P.E. As we called it in NAPS? ... well they wear those .... happily .... ewww .. those where things we HATED .. with a passion ...
Its so hard to find a pretty shoe .. because all the shoes are ... well.. ugly .. sorry .. I love you Bergen .. but OMG can you get some decent Shoes.... the shoes you will see here are equivalent to your granny's granny's styles... oh about 50 years ago.... so you can imagine .. there are lots of clogs and weird shapes, colours etc.... I suppose with summer looming we have some open toes peeping out with some other passable styles.... but .. ummm .. gorsh ....(fades away into daydream thinking of the shopping trips to Puerto Rico with Nestle Peep and the awesome awesome shoooeesssss!s!!!! ...... sigh .. fades back in) ....

I'm desperately trying not to fall into .. what everyone is wearing so I've found myself seeking out London magazines and carefully trying to figure out what IS my style with extra clothes on ....

Would it be edgey? , preppy? ... Country? simple? plain? .. God forbid it turns into OLD lady .. simply because that's what the teeny boppers are wearing around me ....

So this week we are in Oslo for My husband's Work and the style here is a normal mixup of weird to Business .. which u expect for a captial. But one thing I've seen that is just wrong is a short pants ...a short tights and stockings..... WHAA???

*shaking head*

The sun is now looking like its peeking out. So I'm going to go out .. and I've gotten the ok from my Husband to do a little shopping .. note I said a little ... :) ...
Wish me well ... and hope that I don't end up on the wrong end of the Fashion Ladder.
Whey Yuh Say? ... Some tennis shoes??? Nei Takk!

Campaigning is over

So I've been to Norway twice before we moved here, and for some strange (And yet great for my husband) reason, the weather was always pretty nice. I had heard about the Bergen weather that its raining all the time... that its slushy snow in winter etc etc all the terrible things.... Well I never saw any of that before... what on earth are they talking about?
I was boasting that I brought the great weather... when I was here in January 2009, it was a lovely little winter.... cold .. but not too cold. Mind you my husband was telling me that it doesn't get too cold only like -5 C So I was thinking.. oh .. that's something like Sydney Australia weather... something I had been through .. survived ... and really enjoyed.
Of course this time I totally forgot about the fact that Australia is a DRY place while Bergen is decidedly WET.Needless to say, the winters are totally different no matter WHAT temperature they are!. Australia had some beautiful winters! Perfectly clear blue skies. In fact alot of the time that i remember the sky perfectly blue and clear was in Winter. hmmm But then again when it was warm .. who was looking up at the sky for some weather blues relief right?
The Second time I was here was in June... and boy was it lovely!! ... people were out and about and we actually had a few days of some serious tropical weather. Now let's get the tropical weather in Bergen in perspective. This simply means that you have weather at around...ish.. 30C... However, the winds in Bergen are enough to bring that temperature down to about 25. So stay out of the winds... oh and stay out of the shade .. because it IS the SUN and not the air around you that is warm... But that particular week was lovely...
Imagine I'm sunbathing on our back patio taking in the sun ... I just came from Broiling sauna like heat in Jacksonville, USA, and before that the lovely Mild June weather in Tobago.... so how is it that I'm already as tanned as I can get .. and I'm stripping down to a bathing suit top to take in SUN?... Yea I thought it odd to ... like.... I KNOW that its rare.. so let me take in some Vitamin D while I can. So I forgive all Trinidadians (my brother included) who run away to cold places and call 10C warm weather... not pointing any fingers ... (fingers pointing to Canada)

Anyhoos... enough daydreaming about Australia, Mild weather in Tobago and 2009's June... I'm in Bergen 2010 now ... (slaps herself to wake out of the dream). And its NOT dry... according to my husband's Best friend, (and joke about politicians, Heaven and Hell) ...The Campaigning is over .... and once he got me here ... there's no turning back .. so the weather no longer needs to co-operate with him....

So now .... after I write that lovely blog about lovely weather it slaps me in the face with a day like yesterday ... and now today ... sigh.
its just about ooohh i figure 9 C outside ... but um ... the winds are enough to blow that 9 C right through you... at 34 km/hr!

But that's ok cuz now I understand what keeping the weather forcast on your igoogle settings is all about .... Yuh know how we in de Islands does Look the calendar year over EVERY year and check out de long weekends and mek plans for dem? .. Well I think people here look at the weather forcast EVERY DAY to make plans... Rain? .. um stay home... Sun .. AH Picnic.... Sun with Chances of Rain ? ... Let's go hang out somewhere????

Whey Yuh Sey??? .. Love de weather God Gih Yuh Yes!! .. Cus Somewhere else somebody Loving up they own!!! ..

Bergen Weather

It's been a week since my move to Norway and I have to admit, I've been loving the weather here so far. Its been an airconditioned kind of world as we Caribbean people would say. Its fascinating also that you go OUTSIDE to be cool and INSIDE you are warm. It is the total opposite in Trinidad. You are smeltering outside in the relentless heat and then you run inside for the respite of aircondition. Even in the shade is a welcome rest from the burning rays of the sun, whereas here, its the opposite. You actually avoid the shade cuz then it gets cold. Whey yuh sey dey???
Today was the first time that it was overcast and I have to admit I actually like it like this more.... terrible I Know!. But it was actually warmer.. I did my first set of sweating today ... like getting dressed or outta the shower like we do in Trinidad. Then when we went outside I was so pleasantly suprised to have a warm breeze.. I could have happily driven with the top down TODAY ... but it somehow it seemed to be "almost raining" to my husband... ah well ... Convertibles would never work in Trinidad .. who wants to have a burnt head every day ... ??

I'm still fighting to get into the time zone. If you have any suggestions please let me know .. But I'm dying for sleep! I wake up at a decent hour like 8am or 7:30am .. but end up running back to that warm place called bed. Only to wake up at the 2 pm mark ... ARGH ... wrong time zone!!
I'm supposed to be learning Norwegian and I've sort of given myself a time frame... but we are still unpacking so that is perhaps not going to happen until I have absolutely NOTHING to do BUT learn the language...lol ... ok that will NEVER happen . i WILL always find something to do!.
But seriously ... 3 months? think I can do it? .. I'm confident that at least i can blurbler my way thru a conversation ... excluding business and fancy talking ... give me a 5 year old and we can have a great conversation!

So let's see how the weather and the Fluency in the Norwegian language works with me .. Shall they coincide? Or shall I be blurbbering my way with a 5 year old quite to france in Winter?
Whey yuh Sey? eh?

skive med pålegg

I moved from having bake and saltfish with orange juice or smoked herring (thoroughly cooked) and fry bake, or just the good ole corn flakes and milk... to having Skive med pålegg. Mind you this is pronounced for us good ole english/ trini folk as shiva meh pohrleg. If you are still unsure.. its just 1 slice of bread with something ontop. Of course why we can't put TWO slices of bread with something inbetween is beyond me... so here i am trying to balance things on ONE slice of bread like smoked trout.... yes ... trout that looks basically raw. I can't really complain about the taste ... i'm just waiting for the great side effects this much fish oils should bring me. Then you have interesting pastes ... cuz who wants to put all the things together from scratch ???

So you have shrimp paste which is like diced up shrimp with mayonaise, you have like a liver paste ... and some other interesting things.... Pancakes are NOT breakfast ... it is a crime to have anything sweet for breakfast ..except orange juice ... and coffee mind u .. is not usually taken with milk or even sugar.

Nope breakfast is not for the sweet tooth ... so all those things we have for continental breakfast like croissants and buns are forbidden.

Lunch by the way is ALSO 1 slice of bread with a topping... Dinner I suppose is where it all happens and its usually done early ..like around 4 pm ... but that's another blog .. because it is serious business!!!

so Whey Yuh Say? .. Skive med pålegg anyone??

Norwegian preparation

It has been a short time in the making ... this migration. A decision was made and in 4 months we (my norwegian husband and I a trinidadian girl) made our way to Bergen. It was 2 months of waiting for a visa and hoping that it would come through... and then exactly 3 weeks of mad rush selling everything we owned, telling people and telling my parents; admitantly the hardest thing I've had to do in a very long while.
We got a car sold on the very last day that we were in the Island of Trinidad but still have not sold a weight bench (if you are interested please let me know!)
The trip to Norway was not without its hickups of course.
After willing myself not to cry, I succeeded only to burst into tears as the plane taxiied down the runway in Tobago and I saw my father's Hotel, The Golden Thistle Hotel zooming past the window.
I suddenly remembered everything with crystal clear vividness.
I remembered my Younger brother as he walked away from us eating lunch, My dad's expression as I walked up the Departure stairs, my mom as she came up to us at the departure gate and hugged us as much as she could, the last time I saw my good friends, liming ( a trini slang word meaning hang out) with them in my old bedroom talking about boys... the difficulty with which I stood in front of my church to encourage them and how they have all made such an impact on my life.
There is much that Tobago has taught me. It has given me the confidence to be my own person, to have my own opinions and form my own ideas. It was the first time I was a manager - A grossly difficult task - handling people.

Needless to say, crying and thinking about these things the poor girl next to me must have felt uncomfortable, while my husband was trying to to comfort me on the other side, feeling a little embarassed I'm sure.

Before the trip I did ship some stuff ... yes I did... however things just kept popping up .. I swear!! .. I found myself with 5 suitcases between us both. No.... 3 belonged to my husband ... I had 2 ... don't mind the 2 suitcases was still too much for the Virgin Atlantic Flight since they have reduced free checked to only 1 ... yup... the joys of Airline extra charges. We tried to help them out some more with over weight charges. I'm sure we are in their good books for next time we travel.

Norwegian Airlines however, could not find our booking once we reached to London and waited for a 12 hour layover, since someone must have been playing farmville on FB while at work and messed up the Bergen Flight. That made checking in 5 suitcases (when you get NONE free) a little more exciting. We are also on their happy books with the over weight payments.

Ah .... Bergen ... 10C ... warm and lovely .... yea right! .... an empty house greeted us ... tomorrow we start to unpack and I start to enjoy my lovely new life in Bergen with my husband.

Let's see how long it takes me to get into the right Time Zone. So far I'm doing terribly, since it is 12:32 am and anyone who knows me.. knows that the last thing I am is nocturnal.

Everything is going Great! .. What more can I ask for? ... a Perfect Husband, my own home to decorate and coo over ... and a brand new wardrobe at some point in time!
Whey Yuh Say Bergen ? HERE I COME!