•* 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?
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Driving Test .... the test of faith or failure
Ok ... So I failed ....
From the moment I realised that I had driven off without my seatbelt, I knew that I had failed and all I really wanted to do was to turn back, thank her for her time and go eat a bucket of ice cream to console my seemingly string of failures all of a sudden here in Norway.
Then later on, she told me to turn around ..... too late for me .... there was a school I could have turned around in, and I ended up driving for almost 5 minutes just to find a place to turn around. I knew that that was the end of the day.
Oddly enough I think it would have been better if I didn't hear it from her ... or if I got it on a computer generated paper that said FAIL .... I think it would have been better for me ... I don't know .. who am I fooling ... failing is failing .... but I'm so not accustomed to it ....
If it is one thing that Norway is teaching me ... it's how to beat myself up after I fail at something. And like most things in life .. the bad things always outweigh the good things ... so no matter what other things I manage to 'pass', each failure seems to paint over the good things with a heavy coat of dark red paint.
I tried to be confident and calm and all those things ... but it feels like things just are not going 'my way' here .... and it makes me just wish to be back in a place where I am familiar with faces, where my face looks the same ... where I don't stand out as much, where I understand everything that people say, where I can get a job and make my own money, where I know the system and can work it or get around it or just deal with it, where I am somebody ....... anybody ..... and not a nobody .... like I feel in this place.
It's become so hard to put a smile on my face these days ... so hard to live up to a standard that people expect from you..... so hard to be me ...... just me ... the happy, bubbly always planning ... making people laugh ... me ....
I don't know where she went to ..... she's hiding somewhere ... and does not want to come out to play .... anymore ....
And through it all I just think of my mom .... and know that I can be as strong as her .... as resilient ... and gracious, as brave and as giving ... and maybe .. .just maybe if I focus on something positive , being so far from what I love ... and what I want won't be so difficult ... so painful anymore.
But failures are a part of everyone's everyday life. And there are people in this world that have it so much much worse than me. And my baby complaints and 'failures' are nothing compared to what others have been faced with for all their lives .... and I thank God that He has been gracious to me ... that His mercy endureth forever, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that I am a conqueror, than I am an heir to a throne one day, that He ordains my steps and knows the future better than me ... and that His plans for me are to help me ... and never to hurt me, and as long as I have life , I have a responsiblity to make the most of it and be a blessing and to rise up out of my 'pit'.
Just maybe ..
Whey yuh say??
From the moment I realised that I had driven off without my seatbelt, I knew that I had failed and all I really wanted to do was to turn back, thank her for her time and go eat a bucket of ice cream to console my seemingly string of failures all of a sudden here in Norway.
Oddly enough I think it would have been better if I didn't hear it from her ... or if I got it on a computer generated paper that said FAIL .... I think it would have been better for me ... I don't know .. who am I fooling ... failing is failing .... but I'm so not accustomed to it ....
If it is one thing that Norway is teaching me ... it's how to beat myself up after I fail at something. And like most things in life .. the bad things always outweigh the good things ... so no matter what other things I manage to 'pass', each failure seems to paint over the good things with a heavy coat of dark red paint.
I tried to be confident and calm and all those things ... but it feels like things just are not going 'my way' here .... and it makes me just wish to be back in a place where I am familiar with faces, where my face looks the same ... where I don't stand out as much, where I understand everything that people say, where I can get a job and make my own money, where I know the system and can work it or get around it or just deal with it, where I am somebody ....... anybody ..... and not a nobody .... like I feel in this place.
It's become so hard to put a smile on my face these days ... so hard to live up to a standard that people expect from you..... so hard to be me ...... just me ... the happy, bubbly always planning ... making people laugh ... me ....
I don't know where she went to ..... she's hiding somewhere ... and does not want to come out to play .... anymore ....
And through it all I just think of my mom .... and know that I can be as strong as her .... as resilient ... and gracious, as brave and as giving ... and maybe .. .just maybe if I focus on something positive , being so far from what I love ... and what I want won't be so difficult ... so painful anymore.
But failures are a part of everyone's everyday life. And there are people in this world that have it so much much worse than me. And my baby complaints and 'failures' are nothing compared to what others have been faced with for all their lives .... and I thank God that He has been gracious to me ... that His mercy endureth forever, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, that I am a conqueror, than I am an heir to a throne one day, that He ordains my steps and knows the future better than me ... and that His plans for me are to help me ... and never to hurt me, and as long as I have life , I have a responsiblity to make the most of it and be a blessing and to rise up out of my 'pit'.
Just maybe ..
Whey yuh say??
-Failure doesn’t mean that you are a failure; it does mean you haven’t yet succeeded.Borrowed from https://deelyee51015.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/
-Failure doesn’t mean that you have accomplished nothing; it does mean you have learned something.
-Failure doesn’t mean that you have been a fool; it does mean you have a lot of faith.
-Failure doesn’t mean that you have been disgraced; it does mean you were willing to try.
-Failure doesn’t mean you don’t have it; it does mean you have to do something in a different way.
-Failure doesn’t mean you are inferior; it does mean you are not perfect.
-Failure doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your life; it does mean you have a reason to start afresh.
-Failure doesn’t mean you should give up; it does mean you must try harder.
-Failure doesn’t mean you will never make it; it does mean it will take a little longer.
-Failure doesn’t mean God has abandoned you; it does mean God has a better way.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Oh Where is that Birdie in the window????
The one with the REALLY ANNOYING CALL!
ok. Let me start this one on a joyous note ... before I get aggrevated. lol
I am a sun woman. I am a day woman and I'm pretty sure I will NEVER be a nocturnal being.
So during the winter I bought a natural light alarm clock. This was a necessity for me. Since if I was supposed to wake up and feel good about the day, I would have to see some natural light going on. My husband is not like this. He can sleep until 11 am if he wanted to. I have to be sick to do that.
Anyways, this alarm clock I saw on the internet when I was doing some research on how to cope with the winter darkness. So of COURSE I wanted it!. It was a joy from the very first morning! I woke up to light getting gradually brighter and brighter and you just have to adjust how bright you want it to be when you the alarm finally goes off, since ... it starts at a low grade. I am awake by the time it is 4 ...(and it can get to a light intensity of 20!!!!- yes that screams early riser!!) You could set what sound you wanted to walk up to.
I chose birds. How lovely it was to wake up with a little smile on my face when the birds started chirping the next day for me to rise ... awwwww how relaxing and zen was that?
Fast forward to spring....I didn't realise how much I missed the actual sound of birds when winter was around until spring came! Then all of a sudden .. there were birds chirping around and a mass of bird activity! ... It was almost like the hearalding of new life and I have learnt that SPRING is my favourite time of year! ... Since Autumn was a big let down with only a bunch of yellow leaves and not the range of colours like in Canada.
Now that the days are much longer and the light stays around for much longer periods I now longer use the light to wake me up ... in fact we are now trying to shut it out from waking us up too early! It sure is a crazy turn of events!
But the craziest was one day when I was listening to birds singing and chirping I noticed that there was one particular bird that was expressively persistant. I was not sure what kind of bird it was .. nor am I still ... but this bird has made begun to drive me insane!
The state of my insanity has begun apparant when I finally slammed off the birds chirping sound waking me in the morning and settled for a more yoga dull hollow chimes.
One night we were trying to sleep. As the evening settled and our breathing calmed..... all we could hear was this one distinctive bird ....
poooeeeeee ppoooooeeeeeeeee POOOOEEEEEE PPPOOOOOOEEEEEEEEIII!!!!!!!!!
I woke up and slammed the window shut.... Oh I wish the bird was just go somewhere else and pooeeee away...
After a few moments ...
POOOOOEEEEE!! POOOOOOEEEE!! ... It was almost as though he sat on the window sill ....
My husband laughed .. not because of my act ... but because the little bird's song was just as loud as it was when the window was open.
'Are you serious?' I remember saying outloud.
From then on ... that particular little bird (I'm sure it was ONE bird .. but in truth it was perhaps an army) began taunting me.
I would hear it in the morning to wake up ..
When I was having breakfast
When I came home and closed the car door ... his was the first song that greeted me.
After dinner when we are enjoying a little 'How I Met Your Mother' time together ... there it is
When I lay my weary head to go to sleep ..... there it is!
There was never a song ... you know .. a pretty one that you can go .. awww ....
no ..
It was just ..
PPPOOOOOOEEEEEEE!! ....
I couldn't believe how much I started to hate that little bird. I remember trying to see it once when I came home ... it was sooo loud !!! unbelievable ... what ever it is... it has a very good camuflage so I am convinced that it is a Female bird .. since .. in the animal kingdom we all know that the males are the prettier ones.. meant to be seen ..
I had dreams and thoughts of finding that little bird and caging him up and moving up over to .... someone else's house ... I don't want to kill it .. oh no ... that is cruelty .. and in truth I enjoyed at the beginning.
Today My husband after another exclamation ' OH!!! That BIIIRDD!!!' of mine had chuckled at me .. and explained .. that he was amused when the birds actually came back and I was alll 'OH the Birds! Its so lovely to hear the birds' beginning-of-spring-song-of-mine. He meanwhile had been thinking about how much of the trees around the bedroom he could cut down because he KNEW that bird was coming back to haunt us.
Wait .. you KNEW about this? ..
huh! ..... Talk about letting me experience the whole country on my own ..
How sweet ......
POOOOOOEEEEEE!!!! .
ARGH!
Hurry up and find a mate bird, build your nest or make your babies ... what ever you doing .. u need to speed up the process and better yet ... speedily go SOMEWHERE ELSE!!
Whey Yuh Say?
ok. Let me start this one on a joyous note ... before I get aggrevated. lol
I am a sun woman. I am a day woman and I'm pretty sure I will NEVER be a nocturnal being.
So during the winter I bought a natural light alarm clock. This was a necessity for me. Since if I was supposed to wake up and feel good about the day, I would have to see some natural light going on. My husband is not like this. He can sleep until 11 am if he wanted to. I have to be sick to do that.
Anyways, this alarm clock I saw on the internet when I was doing some research on how to cope with the winter darkness. So of COURSE I wanted it!. It was a joy from the very first morning! I woke up to light getting gradually brighter and brighter and you just have to adjust how bright you want it to be when you the alarm finally goes off, since ... it starts at a low grade. I am awake by the time it is 4 ...(and it can get to a light intensity of 20!!!!- yes that screams early riser!!) You could set what sound you wanted to walk up to.
I chose birds. How lovely it was to wake up with a little smile on my face when the birds started chirping the next day for me to rise ... awwwww how relaxing and zen was that?
Fast forward to spring....I didn't realise how much I missed the actual sound of birds when winter was around until spring came! Then all of a sudden .. there were birds chirping around and a mass of bird activity! ... It was almost like the hearalding of new life and I have learnt that SPRING is my favourite time of year! ... Since Autumn was a big let down with only a bunch of yellow leaves and not the range of colours like in Canada.
Now that the days are much longer and the light stays around for much longer periods I now longer use the light to wake me up ... in fact we are now trying to shut it out from waking us up too early! It sure is a crazy turn of events!
But the craziest was one day when I was listening to birds singing and chirping I noticed that there was one particular bird that was expressively persistant. I was not sure what kind of bird it was .. nor am I still ... but this bird has made begun to drive me insane!
The state of my insanity has begun apparant when I finally slammed off the birds chirping sound waking me in the morning and settled for a more yoga dull hollow chimes.
One night we were trying to sleep. As the evening settled and our breathing calmed..... all we could hear was this one distinctive bird ....
poooeeeeee ppoooooeeeeeeeee POOOOEEEEEE PPPOOOOOOEEEEEEEEIII!!!!!!!!!
I woke up and slammed the window shut.... Oh I wish the bird was just go somewhere else and pooeeee away...
After a few moments ...
POOOOOEEEEE!! POOOOOOEEEE!! ... It was almost as though he sat on the window sill ....
My husband laughed .. not because of my act ... but because the little bird's song was just as loud as it was when the window was open.
'Are you serious?' I remember saying outloud.
From then on ... that particular little bird (I'm sure it was ONE bird .. but in truth it was perhaps an army) began taunting me.
I would hear it in the morning to wake up ..
When I was having breakfast
When I came home and closed the car door ... his was the first song that greeted me.
After dinner when we are enjoying a little 'How I Met Your Mother' time together ... there it is
When I lay my weary head to go to sleep ..... there it is!
There was never a song ... you know .. a pretty one that you can go .. awww ....
no ..
It was just ..
PPPOOOOOOEEEEEEE!! ....
I couldn't believe how much I started to hate that little bird. I remember trying to see it once when I came home ... it was sooo loud !!! unbelievable ... what ever it is... it has a very good camuflage so I am convinced that it is a Female bird .. since .. in the animal kingdom we all know that the males are the prettier ones.. meant to be seen ..
I had dreams and thoughts of finding that little bird and caging him up and moving up over to .... someone else's house ... I don't want to kill it .. oh no ... that is cruelty .. and in truth I enjoyed at the beginning.
Today My husband after another exclamation ' OH!!! That BIIIRDD!!!' of mine had chuckled at me .. and explained .. that he was amused when the birds actually came back and I was alll 'OH the Birds! Its so lovely to hear the birds' beginning-of-spring-song-of-mine. He meanwhile had been thinking about how much of the trees around the bedroom he could cut down because he KNEW that bird was coming back to haunt us.
Wait .. you KNEW about this? ..
huh! ..... Talk about letting me experience the whole country on my own ..
How sweet ......
POOOOOOEEEEEE!!!! .
ARGH!
Hurry up and find a mate bird, build your nest or make your babies ... what ever you doing .. u need to speed up the process and better yet ... speedily go SOMEWHERE ELSE!!
Whey Yuh Say?
Friday, 20 May 2011
April Fool's Day|
Every once in a while I like to think that I can do something that someone will never forget.
I sat in the breakroom of the Kindergarten and listened to the Norwegian prattle as I usually do, trying desperately to one day just realise that I can understand everything perfectly!
Today was not that day.
But anyways, its great to try ... because I would have totally forgotten what day it was!
1st April
What a special day! I think the last time I TRIED to fool someone seriously I was in high school. Too many people expect it ... so it's not fun anymore.
'Is today 1st April? ' I asked one of the bosses. 'Yes'
'Ah!!! I'm soooo going to play a trick on one of the teachers!! I LOVE to joke with her!'
What would work?
We were right in the middle of working out if I would be allowed to come back again after my little vacation. Ah ha! .. That sounds like a good plan.
I had to get help though. A good joke needs more than 1 person to be truely beliveable.
Joke and helper intact, I ended my lunch break with my heart racing to play this joke.
I walked through the Kitchen and had to stand up outside for a while to get myself into character.
The chef looked at me curiously ...
''What are you doing?'' She asked
''I'm trying to get into character. I'm going to play an April Fools' on the boss'' I snickered... while trying to think of something sad, 'I'm going to say that I can't come back to work anymore, that the agency will not let me!''
She laughed then left me alone to get into character...
As I was walking in... she held me back... telling me to wait a bit, the conversation would have taken a little longer time.
Ok... I waited .. I could feel my heart beating wildly. I was taking a chance. I thought she could take the joke, but suddenly I started wondering if she could. Would she be mad at me? ... Oh .. she couldn't! ...
What if it fell flat? ... well too late for all this now!
I felt tears welling up in my eyes and walked quickly into the area.
She was not inside ... I sat with one of the children and continued to think about the plan.
I heard her voice out in the corridor. I walked out. My eyes half filled with tears.
''I must talk with you about something'' I tried to say in my most sad voice.
She looked up at me, being the darling that she was saw the concern in my eyes, and quickly sent the child she had just taken inside.
I knelt down next to her.
''C spoke with NAV and they said that I can't come back to work anymore'' A tear slid down my cheek.
She grabbed me and said,
'Jaemie you are so good at what u do. Don't worry, we will come visit you and we will keep in contact with you.''
She was hugging me hard and we both started to cry and she was wiping my tears away and wiping hers.
She continued saying that I was so clever at what I did and stuff and I couldn't bear to cry anylonger about something that I didn't have to...
''C wants you to come and talk with her''
She said ok and walked quickly into the office.
I walked back into the department snikkering ... and wiping my tears away. My nose was even running!!! Hahahaha!
I waited patiently to hear what was going to happen.
The plan was that she would go talk to C and C will let her know that it was a April's Fool Day. The Chef was so excited to see and hear the results.
''JAEMIE!!!!!'' I heard a loud shout!
I couldn't help it! I burst into laughter knowing that the cat was out of the bag. She walked into the department with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed. We sat laughing for a good while about it ... almost crying all over again.
This is definitely one thing that she will never forget!
Whey yuh say?
I sat in the breakroom of the Kindergarten and listened to the Norwegian prattle as I usually do, trying desperately to one day just realise that I can understand everything perfectly!
Today was not that day.
But anyways, its great to try ... because I would have totally forgotten what day it was!
1st April
What a special day! I think the last time I TRIED to fool someone seriously I was in high school. Too many people expect it ... so it's not fun anymore.
'Is today 1st April? ' I asked one of the bosses. 'Yes'
'Ah!!! I'm soooo going to play a trick on one of the teachers!! I LOVE to joke with her!'
What would work?
We were right in the middle of working out if I would be allowed to come back again after my little vacation. Ah ha! .. That sounds like a good plan.
I had to get help though. A good joke needs more than 1 person to be truely beliveable.
Joke and helper intact, I ended my lunch break with my heart racing to play this joke.
I walked through the Kitchen and had to stand up outside for a while to get myself into character.
The chef looked at me curiously ...
''What are you doing?'' She asked
''I'm trying to get into character. I'm going to play an April Fools' on the boss'' I snickered... while trying to think of something sad, 'I'm going to say that I can't come back to work anymore, that the agency will not let me!''
She laughed then left me alone to get into character...
As I was walking in... she held me back... telling me to wait a bit, the conversation would have taken a little longer time.
Ok... I waited .. I could feel my heart beating wildly. I was taking a chance. I thought she could take the joke, but suddenly I started wondering if she could. Would she be mad at me? ... Oh .. she couldn't! ...
What if it fell flat? ... well too late for all this now!
I felt tears welling up in my eyes and walked quickly into the area.
She was not inside ... I sat with one of the children and continued to think about the plan.
I heard her voice out in the corridor. I walked out. My eyes half filled with tears.
''I must talk with you about something'' I tried to say in my most sad voice.
She looked up at me, being the darling that she was saw the concern in my eyes, and quickly sent the child she had just taken inside.
I knelt down next to her.
''C spoke with NAV and they said that I can't come back to work anymore'' A tear slid down my cheek.
She grabbed me and said,
'Jaemie you are so good at what u do. Don't worry, we will come visit you and we will keep in contact with you.''
She was hugging me hard and we both started to cry and she was wiping my tears away and wiping hers.
She continued saying that I was so clever at what I did and stuff and I couldn't bear to cry anylonger about something that I didn't have to...
''C wants you to come and talk with her''
She said ok and walked quickly into the office.
I walked back into the department snikkering ... and wiping my tears away. My nose was even running!!! Hahahaha!
I waited patiently to hear what was going to happen.
The plan was that she would go talk to C and C will let her know that it was a April's Fool Day. The Chef was so excited to see and hear the results.
''JAEMIE!!!!!'' I heard a loud shout!
I couldn't help it! I burst into laughter knowing that the cat was out of the bag. She walked into the department with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed. We sat laughing for a good while about it ... almost crying all over again.
This is definitely one thing that she will never forget!
Whey yuh say?
Friday, 13 May 2011
Do I LOOK like I'm from Africa????
Ok, I think that I have tried to be patient with Norwegians up to this time. I understand that they are a newly immigrant country, and blah blah blah ... but I had the last straw today ... Too bad... poor old guy.
But I'm so tired of the same conversation....
Hi. Oh Hello (Of course all of this is in Norwegian) ...
Where are you from?
Trinidad and Tobago
Oh ... What part of Africa is that?
pause pause pause .. breath breath and hide the rolling of the eyes.
or.
Hello.
Hi.
Do you speak Norwegian?
Yes a little bit
Are you from Africa?
eyes drop into halfway open and begin to blink rapidly as I start to formulate the polite response.... which more than often is just ... NO
My brothers and my sisters from Africa, I have nothing against you. I cannot deny my roots because at some point in time my ancestors must have come from Africa .. somew... For that I'm quite frankly happy that it was ... somewhere along the line ... Africa is great .. I'm sure .. I've never been ... but now who really would WANT to live ther? Its become like Iran and Iraq .... a kind of pity sigh exudes if they say they come from there... Why? I suppose because of all the negative things you hear about it all .. but then again .. Don't we hear negative things about EVERYWHERE? ..
I'm sure it's just the stigma attached ...
But I will not Blab about this ...
The fact remains that I AM in Fact a Callalloo .... A real mix of plenty thing ... I can't help it if the Black genes are perhaps the strongest on earth so that as soon as a Pure black person mixes with a pure caucasion .. the result is .... BLACK ...
I don't know about you .. but when i mix white and black on my colour palate I get grey ... and knowing the genes as the wonderful thing that they are .... chances are a mixed kid can look nothing mixed with black and vise versa ....
So now my Norwegian people ... who I am planning on living with ... Either you all need to get on the Computer .. in a book .. or something and realise that black people live EVERYWHERE and not just in Africa...
This man came knocking on my door... Poor old guy I'll put it down to that he has not really seen or heard much of the world since he was in fact A Jehovah's Witness ...
Nothing again the people just to make sure I don't get any hate mail ....
He stood outside my door holding up the norwegian pamphlet and asking if I had heard the story about the Bible etc.
I honestly thought to see if I could engage him in Norwegian conversation ... but my stomach was not interested and I was in the middle of preparing Lunch.
I started to pretend that I couldn't understand (oh .. remember the days we used to pretend that we could pretend that we didn't understand?? .. hahaha .. well I got to do it!)
Hmmm ... he said .... Are you from Africa ?
Poor guy. I did contemplate letting all my frustrations of the lack of knowledge upon this poor little man ..
I imagined the scene playing out a little like this.
From Africa you say ....
Africa?
No, I said .....
Are you from somewhere by Hawaii? .
WHAT??? Look ere man .... I tink you need to go home and read a little bit more about the world .
Are you aware that Black people live in the Caribbean, in France, In Italy, In Europe, in America? In Latin America, in Alaska, in Thailand in Australia and I'm sure in China and the Soviet Union .. although I suppose they would be rare as well ..
But COME ON!!!... Just cuz I'm black means I come from Africa?? ..
Oh Get. With. The. Program!!!
And just slam the door in his face.
But I'm too polite ...... sigh .. so it was simply a fantasy that allowed me to get rid of the frustration .... fast enough before I actually just said,
Its in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago ..... Do you know where the Caribbean is? Let me bring out an Iphone to show you ... What? You have not heard about an iphone ? Why am I not surprised ... It was made in Africa!.
Ok .. no ... I didn't say that either ...
But I politely refused .. got his pamphlet for free and went back inside raving about why people can't get with the program.
Although, truth be told ... Americans do a similar thing...
like.... I'm from Trinidad .. Oh really?? YEA MANN REGGAE! ... No buddy .. yuh wrong.. dahz Jamaica .... Is not the same thing?
Steups....
As I take a breath and just calm down a little bit more ... .and now that my stomach has a little more food in it too... I'm wiser to think that everyone has their faults ...
And Quite frankly ... I can't blame the bigger countries for not knowing about the little ones.... I mean, after all, we who went to school in Trinidad have a pretty good Schooling system and learnt about the countries of the world .... so we ALL know that Norway is some Freezing cold place up somewhere near the North Pole where people still live in little ice houses, keep animals, ride in sleighs with reindeer, go ice fishing for fish, see polar bears everyday, it snows ALL the time and everyone is blonde.
Whey yuh say?
But I'm so tired of the same conversation....
Hi. Oh Hello (Of course all of this is in Norwegian) ...
Where are you from?
Trinidad and Tobago
Oh ... What part of Africa is that?
pause pause pause .. breath breath and hide the rolling of the eyes.
or.
Hello.
Hi.
Do you speak Norwegian?
Yes a little bit
Are you from Africa?
eyes drop into halfway open and begin to blink rapidly as I start to formulate the polite response.... which more than often is just ... NO
My brothers and my sisters from Africa, I have nothing against you. I cannot deny my roots because at some point in time my ancestors must have come from Africa .. somew... For that I'm quite frankly happy that it was ... somewhere along the line ... Africa is great .. I'm sure .. I've never been ... but now who really would WANT to live ther? Its become like Iran and Iraq .... a kind of pity sigh exudes if they say they come from there... Why? I suppose because of all the negative things you hear about it all .. but then again .. Don't we hear negative things about EVERYWHERE? ..
I'm sure it's just the stigma attached ...
But I will not Blab about this ...
The fact remains that I AM in Fact a Callalloo .... A real mix of plenty thing ... I can't help it if the Black genes are perhaps the strongest on earth so that as soon as a Pure black person mixes with a pure caucasion .. the result is .... BLACK ...
I don't know about you .. but when i mix white and black on my colour palate I get grey ... and knowing the genes as the wonderful thing that they are .... chances are a mixed kid can look nothing mixed with black and vise versa ....
So now my Norwegian people ... who I am planning on living with ... Either you all need to get on the Computer .. in a book .. or something and realise that black people live EVERYWHERE and not just in Africa...
This man came knocking on my door... Poor old guy I'll put it down to that he has not really seen or heard much of the world since he was in fact A Jehovah's Witness ...
Nothing again the people just to make sure I don't get any hate mail ....
He stood outside my door holding up the norwegian pamphlet and asking if I had heard the story about the Bible etc.
I honestly thought to see if I could engage him in Norwegian conversation ... but my stomach was not interested and I was in the middle of preparing Lunch.
I started to pretend that I couldn't understand (oh .. remember the days we used to pretend that we could pretend that we didn't understand?? .. hahaha .. well I got to do it!)
Hmmm ... he said .... Are you from Africa ?
Poor guy. I did contemplate letting all my frustrations of the lack of knowledge upon this poor little man ..
I imagined the scene playing out a little like this.
From Africa you say ....
Africa?
No, I said .....
Are you from somewhere by Hawaii? .
WHAT??? Look ere man .... I tink you need to go home and read a little bit more about the world .
Are you aware that Black people live in the Caribbean, in France, In Italy, In Europe, in America? In Latin America, in Alaska, in Thailand in Australia and I'm sure in China and the Soviet Union .. although I suppose they would be rare as well ..
But COME ON!!!... Just cuz I'm black means I come from Africa?? ..
Oh Get. With. The. Program!!!
And just slam the door in his face.
But I'm too polite ...... sigh .. so it was simply a fantasy that allowed me to get rid of the frustration .... fast enough before I actually just said,
Its in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago ..... Do you know where the Caribbean is? Let me bring out an Iphone to show you ... What? You have not heard about an iphone ? Why am I not surprised ... It was made in Africa!.
Ok .. no ... I didn't say that either ...
But I politely refused .. got his pamphlet for free and went back inside raving about why people can't get with the program.
Although, truth be told ... Americans do a similar thing...
like.... I'm from Trinidad .. Oh really?? YEA MANN REGGAE! ... No buddy .. yuh wrong.. dahz Jamaica .... Is not the same thing?
Steups....
As I take a breath and just calm down a little bit more ... .and now that my stomach has a little more food in it too... I'm wiser to think that everyone has their faults ...
And Quite frankly ... I can't blame the bigger countries for not knowing about the little ones.... I mean, after all, we who went to school in Trinidad have a pretty good Schooling system and learnt about the countries of the world .... so we ALL know that Norway is some Freezing cold place up somewhere near the North Pole where people still live in little ice houses, keep animals, ride in sleighs with reindeer, go ice fishing for fish, see polar bears everyday, it snows ALL the time and everyone is blonde.
Whey yuh say?
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
God Jul fra Norge II
So .. continuing the last blog .. I know I know .. I'm horriffically late .. but I is a Trini .. so we supposed to be like dat!
Anyhoos... By the time the week before Christmas comes along everyone is in a frantic state of buying gifts ... have I mentioned that Norwegians have too much money that they MUST spend (I really wont get into the tax thing because I plan to stay here in Norway ... let's not hurt our chances with the government!) So people buy an enormous amount of things for people ... and usually they are very expensive.
Christmas is celebrated on the 24th here. It is called Juleaften. Yuh know how we say in trini Christmas eve's Adam?? (meaning the day before Christmas Eve) well that day is call Lille Juleaften here!! ... Yes there is a name for it ...
Now in Norway as 'big' as Norway is, there are many different dialects, and traditions. So the things they eat in north, south east and west are all different ... hmm .. go figure! ... Now here comes the interesting part .... they don't eat that many different things in one family... on Juleaften at least. So you have Lutefisk, Pinekjøtt, klipfisk, Svinneribbe. But you only eat alot of ... ONE thing .... so .. for a Caribbean and a Trini .. it can get pretty boring ... how much of ONE thing can you really eat ... no wonder these people are so slim and trim!! ... if you don't have a Christmas to go crazy and eat waaaaay too much ... its no fun now ... is it??
Whey Yuh Say?
Anyhoos... By the time the week before Christmas comes along everyone is in a frantic state of buying gifts ... have I mentioned that Norwegians have too much money that they MUST spend (I really wont get into the tax thing because I plan to stay here in Norway ... let's not hurt our chances with the government!) So people buy an enormous amount of things for people ... and usually they are very expensive.
Christmas is celebrated on the 24th here. It is called Juleaften. Yuh know how we say in trini Christmas eve's Adam?? (meaning the day before Christmas Eve) well that day is call Lille Juleaften here!! ... Yes there is a name for it ...
Now in Norway as 'big' as Norway is, there are many different dialects, and traditions. So the things they eat in north, south east and west are all different ... hmm .. go figure! ... Now here comes the interesting part .... they don't eat that many different things in one family... on Juleaften at least. So you have Lutefisk, Pinekjøtt, klipfisk, Svinneribbe. But you only eat alot of ... ONE thing .... so .. for a Caribbean and a Trini .. it can get pretty boring ... how much of ONE thing can you really eat ... no wonder these people are so slim and trim!! ... if you don't have a Christmas to go crazy and eat waaaaay too much ... its no fun now ... is it??
Whey Yuh Say?
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Bergen vs Trinidad
No....let me start off by saying that I'm not really going to compare the two ... just that I WENT HOME!!!! YAY!! ... Its' been so long since I had been home .... well so long being a grand total of 9 months... but its been a long time.
What has changed.
Lots ...
Trinidad has become in my eyes the place where I grew up .. the place I always will call my home .. but now I wonder what madness and true craziness has taken over the place?
Driving.
I don't know if its the fact that people has less regard for the authority, their cars or lives that they insist upon swishing in and out through 3 lane roads. Now let's reveal a really interesting thing. The city I live in in Norway does not have a SINGLE 2 lane highway!. Nope sir ree! You will get 2 lanes if you are leading off to somewhere else .. but not on a continual highway. Maybe in Oslo. I was not on any majoy highway in Oslo so I can't say for sure. But Trinidad now has miles of 3 lane highway ... and just like the use of the internet ... people have not learnt how to use it.
When there were 2 lanes people just stayed on one side of the road and drove. Do u know that it is illegal to pass someone on the 'slow' lane? ... Trinis would perhaps pass a cow if that were ever inforced ... and there are sooo many people who did it when it was 2 lanes ... what made them think it would be more orderly with 3? ... The number of times that I was almost scared out of my mind by some crazy MAN swerving suddenly from my left side, swinging out in front of us only to possible come off at the next exit.
I remember after I lost my brother to a road accident, I drove at the speed limit for days! ... and there was hardly anyone who was on the same pace. In fact ... i'm sure it's perhaps DANGEROUS to drive BELOW the speed limit now.
The traffic was amazing .... we did not get into lots of it ... because it was school holidays (well planned there by moi!) but there was still lots .. and I couldn't get over how quickly it would form.
SKYSCAPE
It is really lovely to see Trinidad blossoming into such a bustling place. Everything feels as though its changing ... rapidly. As if I were to come there after 10 years I would wonder if I was in the Trinidad or perhaps Miami ... Lord.. I hope not ... but someone who has not been here for decades perhaps sees it just as that .. a mini US city. .... only problem is a force ripe one. I love my country ... but I do worry for it.
People
I'm nearly scared to say it .. but I think the people have become a lot more 'ah doh care oui' ... and that is sad. I look back at all my great trini sayings ... the power that Carnival is in the International scene all because its PLANNED 1 YEAR in ADVANCE and sometimes more .. and wonder how a people who have ONE thing so well organised and down pact as we say .... can screw up so many other attempts.... how does one plan an International Jazz Festival that is supposed to attract the likes of FANTASTIC people .. if u cant get your crap together even3 months before the event? .. How does that spell success? ... It seems to me that the only thing that is a success in Trinidad is Carnival. Everything else seems to make a big ole belly flopp.
Horrible .. yes yes I know .. I sounding like I Bashing ... but I'm really annoyed actually. I see what a little organisation and discipline (or GORM doh get meh started on dat one) can do ... but it drives me nuts that Trinis will sort themselves out OUTSIDE of Trinidad. Its almost as though the country itself has some horrible bug that won't allow Trinis in the land to excell. Hence our brain drain, talent drain, science drain ... all kindda drain...
TIME
I'm sorry girls .. you KNEW this one wudda come. Not to say that I am a big ole clock work myself .. I'm not ... far from it .. and boy does the hubby know it! ... But I think I forgot when to start a lime??? .... Or is it just that I had lots of faith in people? dunno .. but it not working! Anyways .... I tried to start a lime at 12 pm .... maybe I was just being stupid ... but I certainly will not be THAT dumb again ... One wonderful friend who will simply call .. 'de latest latecomer' popped in at 7 pm. Hardy hardy har .. u might say ... do that in Norway .. people would have had their 'besøk', eaten, drunk, talked had a great time and would have left. You would find yourself staring at people wondering ... who are u? and what do u want? OH! Hi! .. Yeeeaaaa .. um .... everyone's gone now ... *sweet smile* ... Maybe we can try it again another day.
Yup .... Don't be fashionably late to a norwegian party ... no matter what kind of party. People arrive at the time u tell them to arrive. It was actually a bit annoying to me at first .. I was like ... Gorsh .. not even a 15 min or 30 grace period so? ... 3 pm? BAM ... 3 pm there is a knock on your door ... and don't feel they were not sitting outside in their car .. just waiting for enough time to time their footsteps to your front door!.
Norwegians are sooo good at that tho .. on a side note ... I go to a choir and a beautiful lady lets me come along with her or 'sitter på' and she knows exactly when we will pass my street ... to the minute. I thought it must have been just practice... but one day we picked up another lady further down .. and she got that one right too ... no wonder they are on time ... if I could figure out that kinda thing I wouldn't need GPS system .. now .. would I?
But apart from those 'LOTS' the sun still shines ... people still smile and know how to have a good time .. too much sometimes ... the beach is still popular ... bake and shark still win, and life in the tropics is .... well .... the tropics ...
I love Trinidad ... but I think I am beginning to appreciate Norway more and more for what it is ... and the change it brings into my life ...
Whey yuh say? Change ... is ... good ...
What has changed.
Lots ...
Trinidad has become in my eyes the place where I grew up .. the place I always will call my home .. but now I wonder what madness and true craziness has taken over the place?
Driving.
I don't know if its the fact that people has less regard for the authority, their cars or lives that they insist upon swishing in and out through 3 lane roads. Now let's reveal a really interesting thing. The city I live in in Norway does not have a SINGLE 2 lane highway!. Nope sir ree! You will get 2 lanes if you are leading off to somewhere else .. but not on a continual highway. Maybe in Oslo. I was not on any majoy highway in Oslo so I can't say for sure. But Trinidad now has miles of 3 lane highway ... and just like the use of the internet ... people have not learnt how to use it.
When there were 2 lanes people just stayed on one side of the road and drove. Do u know that it is illegal to pass someone on the 'slow' lane? ... Trinis would perhaps pass a cow if that were ever inforced ... and there are sooo many people who did it when it was 2 lanes ... what made them think it would be more orderly with 3? ... The number of times that I was almost scared out of my mind by some crazy MAN swerving suddenly from my left side, swinging out in front of us only to possible come off at the next exit.
I remember after I lost my brother to a road accident, I drove at the speed limit for days! ... and there was hardly anyone who was on the same pace. In fact ... i'm sure it's perhaps DANGEROUS to drive BELOW the speed limit now.
The traffic was amazing .... we did not get into lots of it ... because it was school holidays (well planned there by moi!) but there was still lots .. and I couldn't get over how quickly it would form.
SKYSCAPE
It is really lovely to see Trinidad blossoming into such a bustling place. Everything feels as though its changing ... rapidly. As if I were to come there after 10 years I would wonder if I was in the Trinidad or perhaps Miami ... Lord.. I hope not ... but someone who has not been here for decades perhaps sees it just as that .. a mini US city. .... only problem is a force ripe one. I love my country ... but I do worry for it.
People
I'm nearly scared to say it .. but I think the people have become a lot more 'ah doh care oui' ... and that is sad. I look back at all my great trini sayings ... the power that Carnival is in the International scene all because its PLANNED 1 YEAR in ADVANCE and sometimes more .. and wonder how a people who have ONE thing so well organised and down pact as we say .... can screw up so many other attempts.... how does one plan an International Jazz Festival that is supposed to attract the likes of FANTASTIC people .. if u cant get your crap together even3 months before the event? .. How does that spell success? ... It seems to me that the only thing that is a success in Trinidad is Carnival. Everything else seems to make a big ole belly flopp.
Horrible .. yes yes I know .. I sounding like I Bashing ... but I'm really annoyed actually. I see what a little organisation and discipline (or GORM doh get meh started on dat one) can do ... but it drives me nuts that Trinis will sort themselves out OUTSIDE of Trinidad. Its almost as though the country itself has some horrible bug that won't allow Trinis in the land to excell. Hence our brain drain, talent drain, science drain ... all kindda drain...
TIME
I'm sorry girls .. you KNEW this one wudda come. Not to say that I am a big ole clock work myself .. I'm not ... far from it .. and boy does the hubby know it! ... But I think I forgot when to start a lime??? .... Or is it just that I had lots of faith in people? dunno .. but it not working! Anyways .... I tried to start a lime at 12 pm .... maybe I was just being stupid ... but I certainly will not be THAT dumb again ... One wonderful friend who will simply call .. 'de latest latecomer' popped in at 7 pm. Hardy hardy har .. u might say ... do that in Norway .. people would have had their 'besøk', eaten, drunk, talked had a great time and would have left. You would find yourself staring at people wondering ... who are u? and what do u want? OH! Hi! .. Yeeeaaaa .. um .... everyone's gone now ... *sweet smile* ... Maybe we can try it again another day.
Yup .... Don't be fashionably late to a norwegian party ... no matter what kind of party. People arrive at the time u tell them to arrive. It was actually a bit annoying to me at first .. I was like ... Gorsh .. not even a 15 min or 30 grace period so? ... 3 pm? BAM ... 3 pm there is a knock on your door ... and don't feel they were not sitting outside in their car .. just waiting for enough time to time their footsteps to your front door!.
Norwegians are sooo good at that tho .. on a side note ... I go to a choir and a beautiful lady lets me come along with her or 'sitter på' and she knows exactly when we will pass my street ... to the minute. I thought it must have been just practice... but one day we picked up another lady further down .. and she got that one right too ... no wonder they are on time ... if I could figure out that kinda thing I wouldn't need GPS system .. now .. would I?
But apart from those 'LOTS' the sun still shines ... people still smile and know how to have a good time .. too much sometimes ... the beach is still popular ... bake and shark still win, and life in the tropics is .... well .... the tropics ...
I love Trinidad ... but I think I am beginning to appreciate Norway more and more for what it is ... and the change it brings into my life ...
Whey yuh say? Change ... is ... good ...
Thursday, 17 February 2011
My first totally Norwegian "Lime" with the ladies
Its been long enough.. Ok ok ok .. I just have to get off my little or rather expanding hiney, and write some more .....
I went to my first totally norwegian girls lime .. where there was no one for me to hide behind, under, or around.... I was on my own .. had to understand the conversation, had to understand the jokes and more importantly ... had to try to respond ..
It all started grandly enough ... I FALed my way into the lime ... well who tell me do dat? In my every effort to regain some sort of socialite status as I had (or at least I believed I once had) in Trinidad, I overheard a conversation at work about a little Lime happening (oh ! Sorry for my non Trini readers ... a lime in Trini slang is a impromtu (or planned) get together. In American it's usually referred to as "Hangout"). I understood perfectly what was being said and I was being a little brat wantin to be part of all the action. "What about me?" I had said ...
Tsk tsk tsk ..
My mother may have hung her head in shame ... So there we had it ... I Forced A Lime (FAL) with these wonderful people.
Ok so ... after I reached home I really thought about the damage I had done. I was going to be surrounded by Norwegian in a "relaxed" setting. The dialect out here is going to kill me!
Its wonderful to be part of a group of ... something, teachers, mothers, singers .. something! Just ANYTHING! .. And it's wonderful to go to work and be surrounded by good natured easy to get along with people .... but maybe I bite off more than I could chew for now .... with a Lime in Norwegian..
Conversation was moving very quickly ... I barely said anything .. but I appreciated the fact that I was being actively included in the conversations ... (See these women are DARLINGS I tellya!) But there came a point in time .. when I just had to zone out :( ...
I am forced to listen to, and speak norwegian for 6 out of the 7 days of the week ..Saturday is my only totally English day (if I want it to be!) ... This was a Friday night ... which by Sabbath standards ... is Saturday!
Things were going well enough. I was understanding the majority of what was being said, but keeping my peace. When I did try to talk , my brain was so tired , I was faced with many quizzical looks, but urges to go on for full comprehension.
I had predecided that I would leave at 11 pm to come home and sleep .. since I'm notorious for being REALLY REALLY sleepy as soon as 10 pm hits.
That however, proved to be more difficult than I imagined.
I suppose I'm not a very good limer with girls. I have grown up with boys around me and a busy mom and a quiet dad. I didn't really get inaugurated into the "Let's talk and talk and talk" club.
But I was facinated how I couldn't even get a sigh in!
You know how, sometimes, obviously not always, when a lime is going good... you have talked alot, and you have food, drink and yuh good... there is usually this lovely Pause with a big ... ahhhhhhh .. sigh .. when people go .. ok well gosh dis was lovely ... let me go home! ...
None of that!
Maybe I was in the midst of night birds and I didn't know it .. but this little early bird was having GRAVE difficulty focusing ... her eyes were starting to cross and the norwegian was becoming more and more difficult to understand, since ... well ..let's face it .. yuh need to be semi awake in order to translate a different language.
Now on top of that, my bodily functions were starting to give in as well. We had had pizza with minced meat on it. It was really really good ... too bad I had eated so much before I went!!! But now, I needed the joy of a throne ... and it was becoming very impatient. So, since there was going to be no sighing and pausing .... I thought maybe I should just make an graceful exit at the best moment.
11 Turned into 11:30pm ... then into 12pm .... at 12:10 I could feel my eyes like gravel.
Something had to be done! I knew I had a semi fairly early morning the next day, but everyone seemed so into the lime still ... My graceful exit needed to be now.
Suddenly, I jumped up, thinking that I would HAVE to HAVE to use the toilet, but then turned around and said,
"Now , I must go" In Norwegian of course.
I saw the shocked faces from my sudden jump and shout and immediately felt pretty dumb!
I tried to smooth things over with gentler (and more on the graceful side) hugs and assured everyone that I DID have a great time.....
Maybe I've destroyed my chances of being invited again ... lol .. who knows!!
I had a good laugh at my self on my way home thinking of all the OTHER ways I could have done it Gracefully ....
But I'm excited that I am getting into the social scene ... even though I may be forcing it on .... But how else will I get friends and the such like? .. lol ..
I'm looking forward to more limes ... and more times when I will be a part of the prattle just as much as any other woman around the table! .....
Whey yuh say?
I went to my first totally norwegian girls lime .. where there was no one for me to hide behind, under, or around.... I was on my own .. had to understand the conversation, had to understand the jokes and more importantly ... had to try to respond ..
It all started grandly enough ... I FALed my way into the lime ... well who tell me do dat? In my every effort to regain some sort of socialite status as I had (or at least I believed I once had) in Trinidad, I overheard a conversation at work about a little Lime happening (oh ! Sorry for my non Trini readers ... a lime in Trini slang is a impromtu (or planned) get together. In American it's usually referred to as "Hangout"). I understood perfectly what was being said and I was being a little brat wantin to be part of all the action. "What about me?" I had said ...
Tsk tsk tsk ..
My mother may have hung her head in shame ... So there we had it ... I Forced A Lime (FAL) with these wonderful people.
Ok so ... after I reached home I really thought about the damage I had done. I was going to be surrounded by Norwegian in a "relaxed" setting. The dialect out here is going to kill me!
Its wonderful to be part of a group of ... something, teachers, mothers, singers .. something! Just ANYTHING! .. And it's wonderful to go to work and be surrounded by good natured easy to get along with people .... but maybe I bite off more than I could chew for now .... with a Lime in Norwegian..
Conversation was moving very quickly ... I barely said anything .. but I appreciated the fact that I was being actively included in the conversations ... (See these women are DARLINGS I tellya!) But there came a point in time .. when I just had to zone out :( ...
I am forced to listen to, and speak norwegian for 6 out of the 7 days of the week ..Saturday is my only totally English day (if I want it to be!) ... This was a Friday night ... which by Sabbath standards ... is Saturday!
Things were going well enough. I was understanding the majority of what was being said, but keeping my peace. When I did try to talk , my brain was so tired , I was faced with many quizzical looks, but urges to go on for full comprehension.
I had predecided that I would leave at 11 pm to come home and sleep .. since I'm notorious for being REALLY REALLY sleepy as soon as 10 pm hits.
That however, proved to be more difficult than I imagined.
I suppose I'm not a very good limer with girls. I have grown up with boys around me and a busy mom and a quiet dad. I didn't really get inaugurated into the "Let's talk and talk and talk" club.
But I was facinated how I couldn't even get a sigh in!
You know how, sometimes, obviously not always, when a lime is going good... you have talked alot, and you have food, drink and yuh good... there is usually this lovely Pause with a big ... ahhhhhhh .. sigh .. when people go .. ok well gosh dis was lovely ... let me go home! ...
None of that!
Maybe I was in the midst of night birds and I didn't know it .. but this little early bird was having GRAVE difficulty focusing ... her eyes were starting to cross and the norwegian was becoming more and more difficult to understand, since ... well ..let's face it .. yuh need to be semi awake in order to translate a different language.
Now on top of that, my bodily functions were starting to give in as well. We had had pizza with minced meat on it. It was really really good ... too bad I had eated so much before I went!!! But now, I needed the joy of a throne ... and it was becoming very impatient. So, since there was going to be no sighing and pausing .... I thought maybe I should just make an graceful exit at the best moment.
11 Turned into 11:30pm ... then into 12pm .... at 12:10 I could feel my eyes like gravel.
Something had to be done! I knew I had a semi fairly early morning the next day, but everyone seemed so into the lime still ... My graceful exit needed to be now.
Suddenly, I jumped up, thinking that I would HAVE to HAVE to use the toilet, but then turned around and said,
"Now , I must go" In Norwegian of course.
I saw the shocked faces from my sudden jump and shout and immediately felt pretty dumb!
I tried to smooth things over with gentler (and more on the graceful side) hugs and assured everyone that I DID have a great time.....
Maybe I've destroyed my chances of being invited again ... lol .. who knows!!
I had a good laugh at my self on my way home thinking of all the OTHER ways I could have done it Gracefully ....
But I'm excited that I am getting into the social scene ... even though I may be forcing it on .... But how else will I get friends and the such like? .. lol ..
I'm looking forward to more limes ... and more times when I will be a part of the prattle just as much as any other woman around the table! .....
Whey yuh say?
Saturday, 29 January 2011
God Jul Fra Norge
I must apologise, it's been way too long since I've written anything! Between the Norwegian Classes, the Barnahagen and Saturday Social Studies, I've barely had time to breathe!
I had been asked to a small article to write on the Norwegian Christmas traditions. The only thing was... I didn't actually live the Norwegian Christmas... as yet. Now, I realise that the article I wrote was a little bit wrong.There are many interesting things here in Norway, especially when it comes to the Christmas Season.
Norway has a very christian foundation. That does not mean that most people here actually practice the religion. They are born into a church of Norway. Pretty much everyone is baptised and confirmation is part of the school as opposed to the church.
For Christmas, it starts with the Advent Calendar. They celebrate the 4 Sundays before Christmas by lighting 1 candle each Sunday. They have special songs that are sung when they light the candles, some for children and some for adults. It is usually a purple affair. All the stores and candles are in purple. Advent Calendars are very popular and unlike America or Trinidad, there are alot of handmade things. The Candles are normally displayed in fancy arrangements, arched candle sticks etc. Also, it is popular to put a star or an electric candle set in the window. I'm not too sure if anyone know why they did the candle things, but I read once about a German custom of encouraging children to put a candle in their window to remind passers-by of the light of Jesus Christ. So maybe that tradition was just handed over?On December 13th, they celebrate Santa Lucia Day. This is usually celebrated in the barnehagen or schools. Lucky for me, I got to see it. It is a very adorable little celebration. A young girl is chosen to be the Santa Lucia, who has a crown of candles (fake of course) on her head followed by a few other chidren with fake candles in their hands. At least 30 something years ago they used to use real candles. My husband remembers real candles I can only imagine that being the Santa Lucia was not really an honour when they used real candles. I mean can you really imagine having hot wax fall on you everytime you moved your head? ... yea I couldn't either ...
But however, the Lucicatta is the BOMB!!! Its a bread made with safron and cinniman. It was sooo good. Usually, the little children walking around in line carry these goodies in baskets to give out to people. I had one of these things and I was hooked. I was determined to try it at home. The recipe, I found out, called for safron. Now, norway is all .... ehem ... cosmopolitan... it like to think ... but I could not find safron powder ANYWHERE! I used a substitute that was not so great. So, of course Jaemie with her fass self and domesticated mind, decided to try the bread - needless to say, I couldn't really eat it .. it is now my permanent Christmas decoration ... (or a weapon against intruders... which ever is needed more).
So that one didn't come out so great, but I have tried the brun pinner and a nøtteroser, peppakake, and kakemann and I have one more to do. I'm pretty proud of all the baking I've done for this Christmas. It's the first time that I have had a my own family (only husband right now) and its been great! I think I've spent more time in the kitchen this year than I have for years before I was married. But I love to bake .... and I guess I'm just revisiting that love that once blew up in a cloud of fire and smoke when I was younger... making pholorie for my brothers and threw water into a pot of hot oil .... on fire... .... yea ..... I MUST have panicked!
Any ways, they have a big thing with peppakake which is like spiced cookies or what we call ginger cookies. They make houses with it, they make christmas decorations, advent calendars, the list goes on and on and on ... Its a great way to start off Christmas I must admit... it made me want to eat everything in site .. because ... well .. everything WAS edible! ... but that sounds worse than a Trini Chrismtas huh?? ... well.... give me a chance to continue with Even MORE Christmas stuff!!!....
To be continued.... whey yuh say??
What the ????? huh?
Lots of swear words!
You've heard about the"Radio Version" of songs, the only thing is that if you never buy the CD, the Radio Version IS the version of the song to you. Back in Trinidad the entire country would be up in roars if any parent heard swear words platantly sung on the radio.... whether or not they were a swearing parent
There does not seem to be such radio cencoring here in Norway (or I think the greater Europe). Sexual Images are displayed on Television quite normally, Music is blaring with swear words that you perhaps would not want your kid hearing just ... on a day to day basis.
If it's one thing that still jars me here its the ease with which these swear words can be on normal radio stations. How is it that going to a new language makes the things that are unacceptable in your own country somehow seem acceptable.
I remember in University hearing Jamaican swear words just didn't seem bad .. it seemed .... well ... u know ... funny ... I mean ... when u break it down it was like ... cloth Whaaat?? ... seriously???? okay.
And here my husband and I had a talk and he actually didn't realise what we considered to be the REALLY bad swear word ... WAS the bad swear word ... He always thought it was the other way around. Now this does seem a little interesting enough ... but considering that there are words in the Norwegian language like Dirty - skitne .... n.b ... "sk" in Norwegian is prounced as "sh". It is a fitting description for Dirty in the english language though. (When I learnt that word I was giggling so much). But there are other examples of words in norwegian that have the sh... word ...
Even the F word is an easy word to accidentaly use. One of my neighbour's kids says the f word for frosk .. which means frog ... and its supposed to be funny.
Television Ratings on Television are not the same as in Trinidad or USA for that matter. There are rating for under 10 etc and some of the shows seem to be more like over 16 to me. But then again, the kids here seem to grow up faster than the ones in Trindad. I mean 8 and 10 year olds are traipsing all over the road playing on bikes alone. Ok Ok Ok ... that is the 'its not safe in Trinidad' Jaemie talking ... but still! I would prefer they be at someone's house quite frankly.
The other day we had a family over. It was wonderful to have people over and kids playing and making a whole lotta noise. Of course once the grown ups wanted to talk for a bit the TV was a great silencer. However, after a while, my husband said ' Is this still the Kids channel? There is a whole lotta swearing going on'
I couldn't believe that it was still the same channel. I couldn't operate the remote control when I first came and I was sure they didn't change it either. Ah yes .... it was the hip hopish like show about young teenagers .... a kind of ragga ragga show we would call it. But if 7 pm they are showing swearing on TV what hope do you have of encouraging your kids to NOT use that sort of language here? It seems almost impossible. Admittantly, I was a bit of a swearing kid. If I got really mad it used to make me feel better. Simply because of the naugtiness of it all. But as I got older, I realised that it really didn't make me feel better, or even better about myself. And all that with NO big setta swearing around me! So Oh Lorrdie helo meh chirren!
Even Advertiements are in the Openness with nudity. An Axe commercial that would not have flown in Trinidad with near nudity at the end of it ( u know the one where the robot changes the man all the time??) was a shock for me to see on tv! Sometimes it feels like there is so much nudity in the simplist things on shows or movies. Things that show women top bare that seem pointless to show;scenes that I think if they were played in the US would be left out. We get it.... they made whoppie.
But its not so much me that I am worrying about now, but the kids ... Can you tell I'm now in the kiddie mode?? Good grief! Parents must worry sooo much !!!!
Whey yuh say?
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