2007 - here we come

Turkey in the oven? Check. Ironed dress? Check. Not burnt dress while ironing? Check. Hair and makeup? Check. Money to get a taxi home in the wee hours? Check. Party spirit? Well, not really, however for tonight (and tonight only), I'll ignore the grudge I usually have towards New Year's Eve and give it a go. You never know, it could actually be fun.

Have an absolutely fantastic New Year, guys! There are 365 days just waiting for you to fill with happiness and laughter, fun and excitement, tears and joy. Wishing you all the best for 2007.

The road to happiness?

"Hei, jeg er hun sprø venninna til (...), notoriously singel, og håpløs med gutter. Blir du med og tar en kaffe, og da mener jeg selvfølgelig en øl, etterfulgt av enda en, klinings, fylleangst og du ender opp med å blokkere telefonnummeret mitt."

Hehe...don't ask, I wouldn't go for that either.

Lights out

I live on the top floor at all the roomies have windows facing the street. As a result it is very easy to see who's home and who's not. I love walking along the street next to the church and see all the lights flashing, knowing there'll be lots of happy people to chat to when I get in. We're back to the flatmate-issue and I think I'll have to conclude with the fact it would've been boring without them. Trude reminded me yesterday how great a flatmate can be (ingen over, ingen ved siden), and I am forever thankful.

Nevertheless, for the weekend (and NYE) the roomies have gone missing in action and left the big city for a rather small, but very idylic (at least in summertime) town in the southern part of Norway. A whole weekend to myself, not to mention the year's biggest party night. Not that I'm looking that much forward to it actually. After the New Years Eve of all Eves in 2003/2004 in Sydney (think singlets and flip flops, not a winter jacket in sight, four million people out in the streets and the most spectacular fireworks ever), I doubt anything can beat it (I know I should be trying, rather than boycotting the night and giving up).

New Year's Eve is a weird day, everyone has hopes to it, which they should as it's the start to a new year, and it's good to have hopes to the new year, however, it also ends an old one, and if that hasn't gone exactly as you wanted/wished/preferred it's kind of too late to do anything with it then. Luckily there's a new one coming up, so you could always try to make that better, but I hate leaving things behind unfinished. Not that I din't fulfill this year's resolutions, of course I did! Can't remember if I had any, actually. Must have been something with travelling...

But you know the usual ones always pops up: stop smoking (not that I ever have), exercise more, eat less junk, earn more money, learn Mandarin/Russian/Urdu, make friends, improve life etc, etc, radarada. Rubbish. A friend said he had to start the new year in the arms of a girl, and that of course also brings out the inevitable question of your martial status. Are you single at the begininng of 2007 as well?? Jesus, woman! Hmm...well, still got a few days don't I?

Lights on!!

30 - 2

21. 22. 358. 3. 45. 7. 16. 50

My sister turned 21 today. Hooraay! My parents have been married 22 years. It's the 358th day of the year. I got 3 bottles of wine for Christmas. My auntie lives 45 kilometres out of Oslo. I've been 7 times to Australia and I've got 16 countries to visit before I am at 50 in total. Mongolia, the Soviet Republic and Marocco is included. Bahrain is not.

Numbers are quite cool actually, and can mean a lot, or nothing, to people. Triskaidekaphobia is the name for the phobia for number 13. 420 means peace, man to some people and nada to others, the speed limit in Norway is 100, it's 37 years since the coup in Libya and number 9 is the "luckiest" number.

But what's 30 - 2? The scoreboard after the Heia Tufte-gang played some favela-team in Saõ Paolo? The middle temperature in Oslo during August? Bad boys in my life vs nice boys in my life?

It is two life saving numbers. Number of heart compressions followed by number of breaths. And you should exercise these number if someone you love/hate/don't know/etc/etc fall over with a heart attack. It actually came up during our Christmas lunch today somehow, because at my cousin's school they've given every 7th grader a practice-heart-lung-compressions-doll, where the kids promise to teach their families the procedure and through word of mouth the mouth-to-mouth-method shall become widely known in Norway, and hopefully prevent the large number of these kind of deaths. I reckon that's a pretty good idea. You try and remember it too.

My personal favourite is 13.

Que bueno, voy a ir a Nicaragua

Yess! I am heading to Nicaragua!!! If I didn't have ears I'll promise you my smile would've gone all the way around my head. I am going to Nicaragua! I get to travel!! You get an interesting blog to read! Win-win! Absolutely fantastic! I'm pretty excited, and my last few days at work has been, naturally, awesome!

I also have awesome flatmates, we had a great dinner last night, and I've already gotten some good gifts for Christmas. So must've done something good with the carma. Discussed it with Kristoffer and William last night, what religion carma belonged to, but don't really think we came to a conclusion. It's awesome when it does your good at least, and I'll keep being nice, that's for sure.

Another awesome flatmate has offered me a date for NYE, so can't say she isn't awesome either. Stian (not flatmate, yet still in the circle of trust) mentioned that one of my previous blogs written at a rather early time of the morning (or late, glass is half full/half empty) contained at least four "awesomes" in every sentence. Fairly enough noticed, however, it might have been the wine speaking. Now I've been at Kristine's making gingerbread cookies, which was pretty awesome (allright, Stian, mocking you), however, a large amount of sugar in my bloodstream might be doing the talking now.


Congratulations on your licence, Marco. Buckle up.

United we stand

It's now been more than six months since I realized Norway was the place to be (or at least where I could get a job), and I moved to Oslo. I lived for two months at a student housing outside Oslo CBD, but has since August lived with Kent William, Kristin and Kristoffer. It might have been a good time to evaluate the household, however (and this despite my blog being absolutely no-findable if you search Google), I'm not a fan of saying too much in public about people I live with. Even if it's all good and glamour some people don't like to be analyzed in public. Which is fair enough (however, ask me, and I'm happy to give you all the goss)...

Anyway, why this come up today is because we are going to have the annually Flatmate-Goodbye-Before-Xmas-Party. We've bought awesome food, wine and sweets and are just going to have a great time together tonight.

But to the phenomenon of flatmates. I've had 10 in total. Ten different people I'd known for less than 15 minutes when we agreed to live together. It is actually the perfect recipe for a total disaster. However, with the exception of one (and you know who you are, our feelings were mutual), it's been a ball. I've lived with some of the best people roaming this earth. Two of them are now happily pregnant with a total of three kids. One is married, one engaged. One is on her way to become the next Secretary-General of the UN, one will become a High Court Judge, one the CEO of Nintendo and one a top designer. These are some amazing, fascinating and at some times very frustrating people I've had the privilege to live with.

All I can say is that I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I. I'll go home tonight and be nice to my roomies. They've deserved it. Merry Christmas to you all: Shabana, Nina, Trude, Stina, Cassidy, Ivy, Magnus, Kristin, Kristoffer and Kent William!

Where there's smoke there's fire

The weather has finally become so freezing I breathe frost smoke when I walk. About bloody time.

And when there's frost smoke it's nearly minus degrees, which means nearly snow. And when it starts snowing it will make my day even more fantastic than it already is. If it starts snowing I recommend that you hang out with me, I might turn out to be very nice and give you gifts (ethical ones) or bake cookies. You never know.

"Det snør det snør, tittelibom, nå snør det mye mer enn før, tittelibom og huttemegtu."

I still got to decorate my gingerbread house.

Gifts that are good for you

No, not giftcards to the gym or a cookbook with healthy food. Gifts that are good for the inner you. For your carma. Gifts that don't pollute the world with chemicals, plastic, toxins or Britney Spears' voice. Ethically correct gifts. We are talking goats and chickens, massages and computer help. In six weeks Norwegians have bought 5.885 goats and 5930 chickens for people in developing countries. You then get a card which says "You've got a goat for Christmas" and whoever you give it to knows you've done soemthing good for the world. Goooood carma.

It was the world's Buy-Nothing-Day the other week, however many chose to ignore this (yours truly included, although I didn't even buy close to what I had planned), and last Saturday Norwegians used their creditcards threemillionthreehundredandfiftythousand times.

In one day.

I love Christmas, and like getting presents, but only things I can use. Pots, pans, cutlery, steak knives and drink bottles are good. Plastic dolls, clothes that don't fit or in hideous colours, decorative stuff that's not really decorative, Wii or Playstation 2 are a waste of money (at least on me). Then I'd rather have a goat.

Anyway, what I am getting at is that Dagsavisen today had a list of environmentalfriendly gifts that people will appreciate. So I thought I'd make a Christmas-gift-list using those suggestions:

- Babysitter: Jeanette, Shabana or Ivy, three of my good friends who're all pregnant. I'm happy to babysit your offspring next year.

- Jogging company: Kristin, flatmate. I'll happily jog around Frognerparken with you. No, not really. It will be a pain in the arse, I hate jogging, but I'll still do it.

- Crash course in the use of a mobile phone: dad

- Crash course in the use of a computer: dad

- Hair cut: No one would want this from me.

- Foot massage: I wouldn't give that to anyone.

- Wash of the house: mum

- Romantic night: The man of my dreams.

Enough said. Twelve days til Christmas.

Cannot find server

"Cannot find server," or "Finner ikke server" as it is in Norwegian, must be the most annoying message my computer can display. Sometimes I've just been too quick to click on the Internet button, but most time it's because the connection is stuffed or the network is down, or some other thing that makes me incapable of doing anything useful, and leaves me sitting with Solitaire or the Paint program. Not a recipe for a productive day at work.

I've chosen to rename my blog "Finner ikke server" because it is so beyond Guatemala it's time to think a little different. This blog isn't just my travel diary anymore it's a summary of the weird and wonderful things that goes on in Oslo and Norway or wherever I happen to be.

But why have I chosen to rename it with the one message I hate the most? Because it's an invitation to innovative thinking and creativity. It's requires problem-solving and brain-activity. It could be the small gesture of just re-booting the modem or pull out all the cords of the rooter and stick'em back in, but it could also require a call to Elkjøp's Help Hotline. And if nothing works you'll have to figure out something else to do (Solitaire doesn't count, it is so boring you might as well put your screensaver on "a travel through space" and start counting the stars). But you might get something else done you wouldn't have done otherwise.

"Finner ikke server" is a reminder of the fact that things don't always go as planned, or as you prefer/wish/want. Sometimes things screw up, and you just got to live with it. But, as with the internet-connection, if somethings don't go the way you want, you just got to work with it, get over it and move on. It makes you feel better trying to figure out a solution to a problem than sitting down, frowning and eating a family-sized block of chocolate (I've tried it, and it doesn't do the work).

But all this cheer-up-chat isn't meant as a pep-talk to myself, there is nothing to worry about. It's just interesting to think about how you are doing sometimes. Sit still. Close your eyes. Play some nice music or be in a quiet room (not like me, who sitting in the kitchen with the fridge trying to exceed a space-rocket when it comes to making sounds). And think. Is there anything that's not good? Is there anything you want? Or don't want? Are you ok? Are you happy?

I'm bloody fantastic.

Frost smoke

A.k.a. "frostrøyk". It's basically when the air that comes out of your mouth when breathing freezes as a result of the temperature. Certain privileges comes with frost smoke. If it's frost smoke temperature outside and you come in, someone will almost automatically ask if you want a hot cup of tea to warm up. And it's also a good indication that Christmas is near.

Earlier today I ate this year's first bowl of porridge and drank "gløgg". These things are nearly too weird to try to explain Aussies, but porridge is rice porridge, you chuck lots of cinnamon and sugar on it and hide one almond, and whoever gets the almond gets a marzinpan pig or other kind of chocolate if no one likes marzipan. A few years back my grandfather accidently swolloed the almond, however, refused to admit that he had done so, and we'd eaten all the porridge and couldn't force the maarzipan on someone who clearly said they didn't deserve it. We ended up rock-paper-scissoring on who should get the goodies.

Back to the smoke. For the second night in a row I've walked home across Youngtorget trying to breathe frostsmoke (it's a good feeling too, not just an invitation to hot tea and xmas parties), but failed. Today has been freezing, but still, pathetically enough it being December 7th, the air has refused to freeze. Strictly to avoid this blog becoming P.C. and all, but I seriously think global warming has something to do with it. I had a quick read of some of my previous blogs, and one about me getting my licence said, and I quote "I will this summer, and now it's official, so you can all make fun of me if I don't get around and do it." I don't take it back, please feel free to mock me, by all means, however, I believe I now support the environment by not driving. I bikeride.

An issue in the papers this week has actually been about cyclists and whether they should ride with a helmet or not. It's a dumb discussion really (of course you should ride with a helmet, it's your brain all over the sidewalk there), but they've nearly come to the conclusion don't ride with a helmet! Because you get more reckless and actually has a bigger chance of getting run over. I would say four units of alcohol would make you reckless and increase your chances of getting hit, but what would I know?? It is also suggested cardrivers get less thoughtful and are more inclined to bump you off the road if you have a helmet.

Not sure what the world has come to really. Don't protect you and you are screwed, try and protect you and someone will screw you...

Back to the frost smoke again. It is cold when your eyelids freece, and they do, a few times every winter. It just has to be really, really cold. I failed blowing frostsmoke on my way home tonight, but I will try again tomorrow. It has to become winter sometime.

I did come to a few conclusions though:

1. famous people can be mean and make fun of where you work.
2. famous people can be nice and make up for it by buying you beer.
3. I want to go to Nicaragua.

Someone might say conclusion number three isn't a conclusion, but it is. I really want to go to Nicaragua. I will start lobbying at my work tomorrow.

Someone might say conclusion number one and two aren't conclusions. But they are. It depends who makes the rules. And on my lonely planet, I make them.

Dancing bosses, green dresses, it's that time of year

Last night was the annual Kulturstudier xmas party. At my interview for the job back in July my bosses told me they were good on the party-side and there would be lots of Friday-drinks-after-work and stuff. It hasn't. But yesterday at the xmas party everyone relaxed even more than what we do at work, drank good red wine and swung around to xmas carols and alike. The whole of Kulturstudier is jampacked with adorable people, so it was pretty fun! I also met the man of my dreams. But he does't know that he fits the description yet.

Other than that the week has been packed with about 50 hours of work, not much exercise, a madrugada trip to Oslo Airport to ship an Aussie back home and a Maria Mena concert. I won tickets to this Norwegian singstar and immediately thought of giving them to my flatmate Kristoffer (who has a secret crush on everyone named Maria) as a calendar present. Unfortunately he got sick, so ended up heading off with Kristin instead. But it was a good concert, and although I might wouldn't have paid to see her, it was fun to watch her sing. Because she's definitively not bad at it.

Today I've bought all the gifts I did not buy last Saturday on Buy-Nothing-Day. But I'm not sure if it's any more politically correct to buy stuff on Sundays.

P.s. dad, you get an awesome present!

Wii, what??

Imagine two grown up guys, having just been at work all day and now ready for a quiet night in front of the telly. Imagine them not sitting still chilling out, but rather boxing like crazy with two white remotes in their hands. Ducking, hitting an upper-cut, round-punch, knock-out - OUCH!! Yep, that's appearantly what the new Nintendo (?) Wii play console will do with your flatmates. William and Kristoffer were testing out Wii last night and the boxing match just looked ridiculous. For Kristin and me it sure was more fun watching them than the actual game. Anyway, this interactive (can't believe I actually write about computer-games) game really wants you to participate but when I later beat William at both tennis and bowling, the two sports I definitively suck the most at, I realized it just ain't realistic, nevertheless, made up for ten minutes of kinda fun on an otherwise quiet Wednesday evening.

You gotta love the warning at the start of the game "Please make sure there are no people or objects around you that you can bump into." What is this? Subliminal exercise-messages? Actually sponsored by the Heart&Lung-foundation? Maybe even McDonalds? You never know in these times when even sushi at a London restaurant will knock you off your feet.

December 1st tomorrow! Better wrap the calendar-pressies.

Test

Dette er en test. I x-plore der jeg jobber er vi relativt avhengige av at når folk søker på Google etter for eksempel frivillig arbeid vil våre hjemmesider komme høyt opp på lista. For hvor ofte blar du lengre enn side to når du gjøre et Googlesøk? Det var det jeg tenkte ja, du kommer neppe lengre enn side én. Men, ihvertfall, vår nederlandskfødte-engelsktalende-australiaboende sjef har skikkelig peiling på Google og søkemonitorer og får oss i x-plore dermed nesten høyest på lista uansett hva du søker på som gjelder frivillig arbeid og Work & Travel i utlandet. Bloggene deltakerne våre har kommer også bra høyt opp. Hvorfor? Fordi websidene er tilpasset etter hva søkemonitorene leter etter. Bloggene er for eksempel oftest skrevet på norsk, men er tilknyttet www.travellerspoint.com, som er en internasjonal side og som får mange treff totalt. Så da vil summen av at du søker etter norske sider og bakgrunnen travellerspoint har tilsammen gjøre at woopti, der kom våre deltakere høyt opp på lista. Siden jeg har skrevet min blogg på engelsk (og den dermed blir en av mange millioner engelske blogger på blogspot.com) skal man søke sinnsykt spesifikt for å få den opp. Men, nå prøver jeg med et innlegg på norsk bare for å se om det gjør noe. Om det er det lille som skal til for at redaktøren i National Geographic får øynene opp for min blogg og tilbyr meg jobb som freelance reisejournalist. Man kan jo alltids håpe, og når jeg allikevel sitter her (fortsatt ganske sur over den meget lave dørvakta som ikke slapp meg inn på Bjørungs), kan jeg like gjerne teste ut halvgærne internetteorier. Eventuelt bare gå å legge meg. Det var neste punkt på lista. Og dette blir siste blogg på norsk.

God natt!

Paypack time vol. 2

Sometimes you pay back money you owe (like what I owe the government). Other times you pay back because you are jealous or someone has done you something wrong. My crime this time was being nearly 6 foot tall, and totally intimidating the 4 feet 8 inches bouncer at the nightclub we usually go to. I'd been having a good night with some friends and was ready to continue the partying into the wee hours, just to be stopped by this short ass wanker pointing at the sign saying the age limit for this particular party spot was 23 years of age. The only reason is of course they want people with money, and somehow thinks older people have more money. Total ¤/#&%" (there was another word there for a short time until I realized my grandma reads the blog). I haven't had a problem getting into clubs since I was 17, so obviously slighly pissed off for getting my night cut short by (haha) an equally short guy.

Luckily, I'll be old enough eventually, he'll stay short forever. Karma getting right back at'ya!

Buy-Nothing-Day

I am usually very good at remembering things. For yonks I used to remember silly and insignificant details like the actual time difference between Bergen and Oslo is 22 minutes, and the tallest mountain in Australia is 2228 meter high. However, now, when it comes to important things I should remember I have to make lists. And one list that is rather important in the upcoming month is whoever is on my Christmas-present list. Don't worry if you're not there, I'm not that good any more at getting fabulous presents, but I do find a good one now and then (it was probably not yours anyway).

Tomorrow is the world's Buy Nothing-day, which I (slightly worn down by guilt) will spend doing all my Christmas-present-shopping. It's not because I don't support a less consumer-focused society, it's just because it's my first free Saturday for more than a month, and my last free Saturday until Christmas.

Anyway, if you believe you should be on my Christmas-present-list and doubt you are there I'd recommend you sending me a rather nice email with some kind words, followed by some flowers and chocolate (preferably anonymously to my work so they all think I've got tons of admirers), promises of that you will remember my birthday which often drowns in the aftermath of gingerbread-biscuits and Christmas-lights, and I'll consider getting you something you need for Christmas. Or, to quote the ultimate chick-flick and feel good movie, Love Actually, "I don't want something I need, I want something I want."

That's a great start to Buy Nothing-Day.

One month til Santa's coming. Hohoho...

Payback time

We have this system in Norway where you can borrow sh**loads of money from the government to study and get a degree, but they don't prepare you for the day a letter drops down in your mailbox and says "GET ON WITH IT, MARIA, YOU'VE SPENT ENOUGH OF OUR MONEY ON WICKED HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD, IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME TO PAY BACK." As you can imagine, a great start to the weekend, and now I better apply for some more work if I want to become debtfree before 2026.

Donations are accepted.

Ultimate annoyance...

We had all these rhymes when we were kids, the ultimate speed was for instance to lock a drawer and manage to chuck the key inside etc. etc. This morning I experienced the ultimate annoyance. I got home late from Bergen last night, and really, really felt like a spinning class this morning at 06.30am. So when my alarm goes off at 06.03 I happily jump out of bed, get my gym stuff, eat a banana and am ready for a great work out. I go out in our dark backyard, through all the leaves, unlock my bike, only to find out the front wheel has decided to blow over the weekend! As I was a little late I had no time making the class by walking, so I had to go back inside without having exercised, one big, big downturn.

So now, as I'm on foot until I or someone with bikerepairing skills fixes my bike it might as well snow! It snowed over the mountain yesterday (not as much as in the photo, which is from a winter a few years ago), but it was so beautiful! Although Oslo-Bergen is one long hike by car, it is definitively recommended, because it is a beautiful scenic route, and you wonder why LOTR was not filmed there instead. It nearly beats New Zealand!

Anyway, it's getting closer to 7am in the morning, and my stomach says it's about time to get some brekky. Still would've preferred bikeriding my arse off in a small dark room with very loud music.

Law and order

As I was bikeriding home from a workfunction with a few beers on the inside (still wearing a bikehelmet and flashing lights and riding on the sidewalk, so no immediate danger) I came to think about can you get caught for drinkriding? In Norway, if I were to borrow my car (hypothetically since I don't have a licence) to a drunk person and that person got caught I would have gotten the same punishment. Which easily would be three weeks in jail and a 15 000 NOK ($3000) fine. Which is fair enough actually. You shouldn't drink and drive!! Not bikeride either but it was the best of two evils.

Put on your seatbelt. And slip, slap, slop. Good night.

October

It's pretty cold now. My room is cold, I live in an old, beautiful house with very high ceilings, which is great because it looks good, but I have to admit, it's bloody freezing every morning. I'm just waiting for the snow to come actually. I like snow, love it actually, but it means I can't ride my bike and will have to choose every morning whether to walk the 30 minutes to work or catch the tram which takes me 32. I think I might walk.

Might go for a walk and look at the yellow leafs on the ground. Went to a party last nigth where they had decorated with leafs. It was pretty.

So long.

I know I'm in Norway when...

"Usjekta, men du är för sen." (It's rather badly spelled Swedish and means "You're too late."). I'm looking at the blonde girl behind the counter and it takes me a few seconds before I realize what hideous crime I've done. There I get it. I tried to buy beer after 8pm on a Thursday night. Oh, yes, welcome to Norway. It was 8.47pm on Thursday night, I was on my way home from the gym and knew I'd love to have some cold beers in the frigde, just in case me or a flatmate felt like one over the weekend, but no, the register-chick takes it and puts it behind the counter. "Come back tomorrow, will ya?" Oh, yeah, I will. Just to clarify, it's not some big problem for me not having access to beer late on a Thursday night, but it made me think back to the differences with Norway and Australia. In Norway you have two good excuses for not drinking. 1. Bottle shops are closed, and you have nothing to drink. 2. It's too expensive. (3. Of course, your'e driving, but I am still not in the posession of a license, so don't have that privilegded excuse). In Australia these excuses are no good (and maybe therefore slightly more alcohol abuse??), howver there is nothing like you couldn't get alcohol. There are 24 hours drive through bottleshops. And if you don't have a car to drive through, feel free to bikeride. Second, alcohol is dirt cheap. Cheaper than milk. Bottles of wine for $3. I'm not saying it's the right thing, it is probably the cause of lots of problems, I am just noticing the differences. But other than that Norwegian and Aussie party culture is pretty similar. Yet different. To quote another alcoholic ad. Anyway, tonight we're taking it pretty chill at home, watching Stingers (I miss Melbourne so bad when I see it, the Police Station on St. Kilda Road, Telstra Dome, the Rialto Towers, cafes in Fitzroy...ahhh), but tomorrow there might be a bit more of a party. That is, if I make it to the shop before the curtains go down on the beer.

Cheers

Ikea and Harry Potter

It has been a very relaxing weekend! After a good night out on Friday, Kristin (one of three flatmates) and I went shopping at Ikea. There's an unwritten rule that on a Saturday afternoon Ikea is absolutely chock a block full, and despite the fact that we waited til 6pm there were plenty of people around looking for stuffed animals in the shape of lions, the occational witch-costume og wardrobes. We spent the evening at Ikea and barely made the last bus home to Oslo.

Today has been a very relaxing day, been watching Harry Potter and doing absolutely nothing. I probably should do my Spanish homework, got a 100 word essay to write (it is harder than it sounds!). Anyway, have a lovely Sunday, Sydney Swans are going to beat West Coast Eagle next week, which I am looking very much forward to! Just to explain for those who don't know who Barry Hall is: it would be like telling Ole Gunnar Solskjær he doesn't played for Man. U...

Cheers!

Go the swannies!!!

It is actually quite pathectic, but only hours before this photo was taken (I broke my right ankle and needed six screws and a plate in my foot for 18 months) me and a few friends were hanging around with the Swans players at Melbourne Cup back in 2003. I think I managed to call Barry Hall a lier and tell him there was no chance in the world he was playing for the Sydney Swans, and Adam Schneider actually visited me in my apartment (at 2am in the morning, I was in so much pain and told him to get out), but anyway, the Melbourne Cup 2003 was great fun, and made me start focusing on who actually played for the team I had been barracking for the past three years. So, when they last year won the Grand Final I was there supporting them (in a car, listening to the radio at a wedding reception in woob woob Victioria), and I am there now going nuts at work hoping for them to win! So despite siblings of Swans players partly being fault in my right foot's limited moveability, I wish them all the luck next week!!! You rock, guys!!

Cheers, Maria:)

Hohohoo...I feel like Santa

Not that I bring any cool gifts or anything, but I do a bit of interviewing for Speak (the student exchange organisation I worked for over summer). And I basically get to decide whether these kids I interview are fit for a year in the States. And if I think they can handle it they go, and if not they are stuck for two more years at a Norwegian high school that's falling apart from the inside, re-naming itself (my old high school just did), without actually improving anything materialistically, the class rooms are still sub zero during winter and the blackboards are broken in two... Anyway, I think it is really cool being invited into these peoples' homes and chatting with student and parent for an hour or two. And of course, I can highly reccomend a year overseas, so it's pretty easy to convince them.

To a whole different thing. Oslo is very dangerous!! I bikeride to work every morning, and they've just made a perfectly safe zebra-crossing into a potentially fatal roundabout. It's not making it much easier that I can't drive a car, and therefore don't know who to stop for or when to go. They've figured it out in Copenhagen, they've got hundreds of kilometres of biketracks, but Oslo is just an accident waiting to happen. So, wish me luck.

On a different note again, Kristin, my flatmate, just passed her, what can you call it, "hunting licence" (jegerprøven), and is now ready to shoot a moose or kangaroo or anything in her way and make a perfect stew on a cold autumn night... yeah...right...

Well, long day, hope everyone is well. All you, Aussies out there, what are you doing at the moment, give us an email:)

Cheers, Maria

Very important meetings...

I spent two hours in meetings today, which is a totally new concept to me, sitting around drinking coffee with your colleagues while getting paid for it and just discussing things to and fro about what goes on at work, and what can be done better.

I had an absolutely awesome weekend. The Friday was as mentioned pretty damn good, and I spent the whole day of Saturday and Sunday outside in the park (it was the last sunny weekend of the year in Norway, so it was well spent). The park is so close we are in login range of our wireless network, which is pretty cool:)

Other than that it is starting to pick up at work, which is great. The guys I work with are lovely, which makes it all that easier, but it is tough if you walk around with little stuff to do, so now that I'm getting into things it is a lot better.

We're considering a movie tonight, there are lots of good Norwegian movies around now, so if any of them get to Nova, run and see it! The Aussie movie Look Both Ways is on cinema here at the moment (a year after Australia), and it is getting good critics.

Anyway, have a good day! Cheers, M:)

Good night...

No, seriously, it was a good night. Now, however, have a good night...

;)

Crikey no more

Steve Irwin - killed by a fish. I can't believe it, at the same time it was the only reasonable way for a guy like him to go. However, it was way too soon at only 44 years of age, and my Australia-loving work colleagues and myself have all had a sad day, remembering his shows on Animal Planet and total, yet very entertaining, stupidity most of the time. Steve (as if I was a close friend) was what I believe is the true spirit of Australia, a bit silly, slightly reckless, yet laidback and with a profound love for everything and anything that has a heart and can grow in some way or another. My sister made fun of me six years ago when I applied to go to Australia on high school exchange, and said if I ended up with an accent like his it would be hilarious. Would I only be so honoured.

He was true blue - rest in peace, mate.

Habla español?

Si, claro! Quieres un tequila? Que? Dos? Un momento, señor. That's about as much Spanish I can remember from Guatemala, however, I've signed up for a Spanish course starting tomorrow (level 4 out of 8, I'm thinking I might be slightly out of my league). I'm impressed by my ex-boss Christine who did her master degree assignment in Spanish, that's a goal, for sure!

Work is allright, I think it might have hit me that I will have no vacation whatsoever until, like, next August or something, and it is kinda of freaking me out. The people at work are nice, by all means, I started working on the newsletter today which was pretty fun, and doing interviews and stuff is all good, but you know how it is, the thought of no holiday after three years of six months of holiday (seriously RMIT, what were you thinking, trying to educate people here??), but yeah, slightly depressing.

It makes me a bit happier to think about several of my friends have now applied to study through Culture Studies, which I think is kind of cool, because the programs look really good, and I might get to chat to them a bit more often (strictly business of course, but you know what I mean:)

I've just made a Grandiosa pizza more interesting by adding tomato and mushroom. STOP! Seriosly, even this blog is falling apart when I'm not doing anything interesting like travelling! Oh well... can always look at a map and see where I could go if I had time. Spain maybe. Si, claro...

Whatever.

I've signed the contract and...

"You've just signed away your life" And then my boss laughs and says it's ok, they won't work me too hard as long as I do everything I'm supposed to without them having to ask me to do it. It is kind of scary being full time employed for the first time! If anything goes as planned (which I have all intentions of) I am now situated in Oslo for the upcoming year, and probably longer. This is the city I've for the past five or so years have said I will never move to or live in, and now I'm right in the middle of it. I started my job at Kulturstudier (www.kulturstudier.com) and X-plore (www.x-plore.no) last Monday and I've had a good first week. There's a variety of tasks, but the fact that both companies want to take advantage of my journalism degree to the fullest is absolutely great, and I'm already writing stuff, which is cool! So now the plan is to become and expert on university exchange, volunteer work, work and travel and cool countries around the globe I can just hope I get to visit once.

It has now been 9 months since I left Australia, my longest break ever since I first arrived, and it is a bit tough. I went to a cycling class at my gym this morning and during the stretches they played the Qantas song, I was really missing it.

Anyway I hope everyone is doing allright! Write me an email if you wish, and take care!

Cheers, Maria

Scary Norwegian prices and did I scare my new flatmate?

Had a long week at work this week, it is getting closer to placement deadline, which means the parents of the 20 or so kids that don't have a host family in the States yet are going out of their skin, worrying if something is wrong with their little offspring, or if their application has fallen behind a desk and or thrown out with the trash, or why on earth little Johnny or Emma doesn't have a hostfamily yet! So, I've learnt this animated speech "No, nothing to worry abouth" "We haven't lost Dottie's application" "We've always managed to place our students" "It just takes some time to find the perfect match for Cesar" "Schools don't start til September" and radarada.

Anyway, most parent believe me, and hang up, while some just keep going and going and going and in the end I was really glad it was Friday (yesterday) and went off to meet Astrid. We made a fabulous prawn, melon, ham, rasberry, white wine dinner/dessert with two more girls (the sewing club as Frederic, Astrid's boyfriend called it), and had a great time at her place last night. Then they we're heading out, I was seriously lacking some sleep after following students to the airport at 6am in the morning, so was ready to head home. The annoying thing in Norway is that a taxiride never costs less than $20 (100NOK). Usually you are $40-$60 poorer when you get home, and with the wish of doing some shopping in NY, I did not feel like an overexpensive taxi-ride home. So I headed with the girls down to Oslo CBD, and just walked home to my new home. Locked myself into the new apartment and realized one of the guys hadn't gone on holiday yet, but quietly went to bed. Then this morning at 5.15am I woke up because someone was emptying the dishwasher (good flatmate!!) and was wondering whether I should pop my head out and say hi, or if that would scare the living deadlight out of him, someone just exiting the room noone appaearantly was living in at the moment. Well, I was hoping for the best and said hi, and he, Kent William, was just about to head off to Lithuania for a holiday with his girlfriend. So, now the place is just "mine" for the next week, but I'll get myself to Ikea and relly get a nice place by the end of the month. Everyone is welcome by the way!

So, now I've gotta check out how long time it takes to walk from this new place to my job. It takes 23 minutes by tram and I'll do my best to beat it.

Have a lovely weekend, Oslo is hitting 30 degrees, and it is definitively global warming working overtime!

So long!

xx

Home, now really, home sweet home

I know I've used this phrase as a headline at least three times before in this blog, however, now I have a home!! I've been working in Oslo for the past six weeks and got a job at Kulturstudier (university exchange/work and travel based company), which I will start in August. Then earlier in the week I had a look at some apartments and met three happy people who were happy to share their apartment with me. It's in the centre of Oslo, behind the Royal Castle, in a beautiful area (where all the embassies are) and I think I will have a great time there. I just need to head off to Ikea and get some furniture for my room, but other than that it is sweet!

I'm heading to New York in two weeks time and I can't wait! The kids I'm working with at the moment are just lovely (at least most of them), and I think it will be awesome doing some sightseeing/shopping in the Big Apple with them.

Anyway, it was just a quick update, and although Norway isn't as interesting as Guatemala and don't have the beaches of Belize it ain't too bad of a country either. I went with Astrid (friend from Sydney) to Hovedøya (island in the Oslo fjord) yesterday and it was the most pathetic beach I've ever seen, nevertheless we had a good time looking at the people barbequeing and enjoying the evening sun. Have a wonderful day!

Cheers, Maria

I won the bet!!!

Hello, and sorry for not blogging lately, but nothing much interesting has happened. That's not really true. I came home a month ago, spent a week at home and celebrated a very rainy 17th May (like Australia Day). Then Veronica and me headed up to Sund College to catch up with the rest of the Guatemala gang. I didn't actually see much of any of them except Marte (the coordinator), as we were stuck in a classroom from early morning til late at night all week editing our documentary. I have to say I think it turned out really good. It was quite a challenge editing on Final Cut Pro, I so wish there had been an extra course on that at uni. Nevertheless, after hours of troubleshooting we had our film finished 12 minutes before our train back to Skien left.

The last week has been spent at an editing suite at TV Telemarks studios, where I've edited two more stories to go on local TV around Norway. That was a lot easier, and although it took its time, it was another editing program which was sweet.

Anyway, I want to tell you about a bet Shabana (my first flatmate in Sydney) and I made back in 2002. Then, she thought I was a silly, young dum, blonde (only two of which were correct!) and thought I was living in a hopeless dreamworld where the ultimate job was working as a travel journalist, or at least somewhere, where the job paid me to travel. So, we made a bet that by the time I was 24 I would have a job where I got paid to travel, and she would be married, have kids etc...She is married to a lovely guy I met at Jeanette's wedding this January, but I have got a job where they pay me to travel!!! I landed a summer job three weeks ago at a student exchange office (an area where I have lots of experience) and they are sending me to New York in August, to make sure the kids heading to the US are getting on the right plane! So I am absolutely crazy excited about that! You have a great summer! Oslo is hotter than Rome and Madrid at the moment, it is amazing, so you just keep having fun!

Some more photos from Utila. It was an absolutely fantastic place!!

Cheerio!

My Guatemala guide

Not to mess with the gurus within travelguides, but this ain't no lonely planet (despite this photo from Belize showing nothing but tranquility) This planet is packed. There are people everywhere, in every "krik og krok" as you'd say in Norwegian, meaning in every corner and under every stone. There is an abundance of people all over this world, just waiting to meet you, so get out there, and greet them!

I have to say, the past three months have been the most jam-packed ever, something new has happenened every minute, and we were having a few drinks with some guys from the diving school in Utila and we're telling them about our experience. They were amazed by our bananapicking and pick-up-driving, showering in the backyard and way to much beans and tortillas. It nearly sounded surreal, but no, all so true.

If you ever go to Guatemala and region I have some tips for you:
- do a weeks Spanish course in Xela. I loved Xela. In the end I'm not sure because it just meant an end to the beans on the fincas, but it's a lovely big city you easy could spend a week in. There are some hot springs close by as well which are worth checking out.
- See Belize. Take a two-day-trip to Placencia a little way up the coast and you will experience the Beach. Purple Space Monkey Restaurant also have fantastic fish.
- Get your diving certificate in Utila. Utila Dive Centre was awesome, the instructors lovely, and if you happen to bump into Natasha (our instructor) you can't miss her, she says "bubbles, bubbles, bubbles" like the aquarium fish in Finding Nemo. Bubbles is in fact lifesaving in diving, you need to constantly blow bubbles while the regulator is out of your mouth (under water), as stopping to breathe is the most dangerous thing you could do.
- Stay at A Place to Stay hotel in Antigua. This cosy little backpackers is close to the bus terminal, but the reason why you should stay there is because Raul, the owner, would walk on fire for you, and that's before you've even agreed to stay at his hotel. I have never met such an helpful person, he's reliable and friendly and fixed us shuttles to Honduras and back to Guatemala City so we made our plane. Thanks, mate!
- Copan is slightly overrated. Nevertheless, it makes for a great stop on your way to Utila (you won't get there in one day anyway), so you might as well see it regardless!


That's it for now. If you decide to head to Central America, feel free to invite me along on the ride. Cheerio!

Home, bittersweet, home

I am running, no racing, with 150 other people towards the bus. The train got cancelled from Oslo to Skien on my way home, and NSB but up buses instead, but not nearly enough. I ran, with two backpacks, dutyfree shopping, bag, jacket, passport flying and knew I had to be on that bus before at least 100 of the other people. I started missing Guatemala before I even made, it would never have been a problem on the chicken buses there, they are never "full", but here, as I stormed in the door and grabbed a seat, waved good bye to about 90 people left on the sidewalk, I realized Norway and Guatemala just ain't the same.

It was good to be home, no doubt about that. I didn't have to worry my mum would cook me beans for breakfast. There was hot water in the shower, the toilet was flushing, but still, culture shock from the life we have been living the past three months.

Thanks for following the blog, I have a few photos up now, and there will be more in the weeks to come as I get them from the other people I travelled with. So check it again in a while, and you never now, suddenly I'll be on way again. To where? Who know. Doing what? Time will tell. Will it be fun? Without doubt! Take care!

Ever played rock, paper, scissors...

...12 metres under the surface? Sara and me passed our PADI Open Water course on Thursday and it was absolutely amazing. The whole diving experience was just great, kind of surreal and so much different from normal snorkelling, so now I just have to go back to the amazing places I have been snorkelling (or dorkelling as the people at the dive centre has labelled it) and check out the scenery from below.

Our Honduras holiday is soon over, but we have had a fantastic time. Utila is definitively to recommend when it comes to diving and most of the people we met was only going there on a holiday and ended up staying weeks, months or even years. We probably had to if our place tickets (and my insurance) runs out on Tuesday.

This is Sara at the Copan ruins. We haven't quite figured out if the stone head looks a bit like her, but cute is it anyway.

Have a fantastic time!

Paradise, Awesome, Diverse, Incredible...

...It's not the official abbreviation of PADI, but it's true anyway. We started our PADI Open Water diving course yesterday, and today have been the craziest day in my life, it has been tough, it has been long, I nearly did not pass the controlled emergency swim ascent, but we have been down to 12 metres, it has been like an aquarium, and life is just great. I need a pizza and a beer now, have a lovely night!

This is Sara and me on the diving dock after we passed the diving course, pretty happy, I have to say!
XOX

Lapskaus lapskaus, torillas go to...

We had lapskaus (meat, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, stuffed together and boiled, very Norwegian dish) yesterday! It was a fantastic end to tortillas and beans! And that was it actually, the last finca stay is over and done with. It was a good week, we didn't do too much work except for the regular bananacarrying, but had a nice time with the family. Now we've had two quick debriefing days in Xela, and arrived in Antigua tonight. We're heading to Copan, Honduras tomorrow to check out some appaerantly awesome Maya ruins. If you get hold of National Geographic from October 1989 you can check it out, great article on the Ruta Maya (I've still got the mag, dad, it's slightly crumbled and has been soaked twice due to the transportation method on chicken buses, but it will soon come home. And it is kinda cool the Copan-magazine actually has been to Copan...) The photo is from the ruins, and if you can see a missing statue, it's just because the USA took it in the late 19th century as payment for archeologists they had sent down. The Honduras government had no money, and whoever the President of the Free World was at the time decided it was a decent piece of payment instead...

Other than that Guatemala is treating us well except for the lack of high-speed internet connection so those photos are still not out, but the ones who wait for something don't wait forever...That sounds so much better in Norwegian somehow. Take care and have and absolute lovely time, I am!

Photos coming soon!

Hola hola! That was it, last finca stay is over and done with! I promise there will be some new exciting photos here the upcoming days and a longer update, so keep in touch!

Cheers!

ps...Photos are now up and running!! These ones show the fabulous chicken buses we've spent way too much time on, and the other one is an ex-school-bus from the states, still with it's comments-phone-number intact. How are they driving? Absolutely terribly!

Meeting with the army

The start to our last finca stay was not so bad afterall, after the drunken bum had moved away we took a tuk-tuk and met Marte who drove us up to the finca. She had some good news, we were going to a demonstration in the capital on Thursday! The next two days just disappeared and Thursday morning at 03.30am we're on a pick up on our way down to Patulul. We met the others who lives at Vera Cruz and drove in to Guatemala City. About half an hour out of the city, just before morning peak hour demonstraters ran out three cars in front of us and blocked the road. The army was on the spot five minutes later, but there was a hour and a half holdup before anything happenened. We're just sitting in the car, sleeping, relaxing when a man came running and yelling "Wind up your windows, the worst is about to happen!" We closed doors and windows, but after a few minutes it got too hot and we opened them all again. Then, BOOFF, teargasbombs went off, the demonstraters started running and were soon scattered all over the road while the police and army re-opened the road.

We came in to the city and spent most of the afternoon chilling in the main square. There were lots of speakers, but no real action, although we later found out the demonstraters from earlier that morning had been working for the same cause as us. Then suddenly heaps of people came and gathered in front of the building where the presidents and his mates had a meeting. The army and police was extremely present, they had blocked off the entire street and stood fully equipped with anti-demonstration-gear. The day before the police had recieved 17 million quetzales worth (NOK 15 mill, AU$ 3,5 mill) of anti-demonstration-gear, and we're guessing they were keen to try it out...

At one stage the whole street started running frantically and that was rather scary but we soon figured out nothing was going to happen. So, after a few more appeals we headed back home to the finca. It has been some good days there, very hot now, the rainy season is about to kick in and there are lots of mosquitos. Other than that nothing is new, I'm looking forward to come home, and just have to tell everyone who's been sending me emails with tips on jobs - thank you very much! I really appreciate it, and if anyone sees a job that might be interesting, feel free to send me a link! Or if you're planning a trip and need a buddy, I might be interested in that too!! Take care, so long!

Annoying start to finca stay

I'm stuck in an internet café in Patulul, an ugly little town fifteen minutes from the finca. The car we're supposed to catch after Marte dropped us off has broken down, so we had to call her back, begging her to drive us up after she was done at Vera Cruz, another finca which today will recieve three new Norwegians after some drama on their previous plantation. It is hot, it is extremely humid, it's about to rain which will make the drive up La Lucha a living nightmare and we have the most annoying drunk and disorderly and smelly person standing behind us on the internet café.

The photos are of Morten and Tonje Camilla on the way to my house on the finca, and my hostmum making a bananabundle for me to carry all the way from Montesuma.

Other than that everything is well. It's crazy it's the last time we're heading out in the bush, but we're coming home soon. Had an absolutely great time here, and it has been such an experience. Next update and some photos (I have tried to upload them earlier, but the internet connection in Xela isn't as broadbanded as I wish it was) in a weeks' time. Until then, take care!

Jesus, brought to you by Pepsi

The Easter parades yesterday were just spectacular and slightly creepy to be honest. I went out to get some water and snacks about 9pm and was caught by the night parade which I then had to watch. It was full moon, the air was thick with burning insence (rokelse) and hundreds of men clad in black, almost KKK-looking ropes. You could hear the drums in the background while 80 men carried a float the size of a medium sized truck with a coffin on top. If I hadn't known it was a show for and by the people I would have been petrified and wondered what crazy religious sect I'd just run into. Quite an experience!

Today we're supposed to climb Volcan Pacaya (previously notoriously dangerous, both for robbers, and natural wonders. A Canadian tourist was struck by lightning here in 2002. Now a specially designed tourist police have made it slightly more safe for machete wielding locals, but you still have to watch out for thunderstorms and lava, as Pacaya is one of Guatemala's three active volcanoes.) Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling rather sick, and Sara joined me later in the day, so Kristin is at the moment climbing the volcano all by her self (and the tour guide). We are rather jealous, but I'll steal some photos from her, think they will be quite fantastic.

Other than that, Antigua has quieted down after the masses of people that were here yesterday, only scattered flowers in the gutters and Pepsi commercials posting Jesus is reminding us of that one big holiday that happens to go on at the moment.

Still no signs of the Easter bunny...Take care!

Happy Easter, all!

Some people love it, some people hate it, but you'd be silly to miss it! That's how Lonely Planet describes Antigua, and I belong to the former group of people. We came here yesterday and was met by the biggest crowd of people I so far have seen in Guatemala. There are loads of locals, Guatemalan and international tourists here, and today, Good Friday is the most spectacular day of the year. We went out last night, and in good faith and wanting to make a good documentary for our information work we "had" to stay up til 3am when the first of many parades started infront of a massive church next to our hotel. It was just surreal, Guatemalan cities usually die out after 8pm, and now the square was packed with people and Roman soldiers on horses imitating Jesus's last hours and days. There was a parade this morning at 6am, which we accidently missed, but they've continued all throughout the day and with some amazing flower and sand paintings on the streets. People spend hours and hours on making them, only to see them being wiped out in two seconds as people tramp all over them. Well, well...it's been really good regardless, and although this is appaerantly Guatemala's gringo town number one and Maya Disneyland, it's been really cool to see, and really get to be a tourist (not something that happens on the finca). On that different note, it's back to the plantation again on Monday, and not long til we come back to Norway now. Wow, it has gone quickly, but oh, what fun!

Happy Easter to you all and hope you'll get loads of easter chocolate. I've realized I'm about a kilo and a half away from my normal chocolate consumption during this week of the year, but all good, all good! Tata!

Hot shower

Yess! Finally, after more than eight weeks in Latin America have we finally come across a hot shower with a decent waterflow. You can actually wash your hair and get all the shampoo out afterwards! San Cristobal is a really cute, quite big town, with some amazing buildings shattered around everywhere. The bull fighting arena is only a block away from the hotel, but I think we just missed a match yesterday (no, Cristina, I promise, I wouldn't have gone anyway), and there's some pretty big churches around.

This is Sarah on the way to immigration, note the sign saying please leave all your arms on the outside. Just a hint...

Other than that, we went out last night, had lovely dinner and tried out the only nightclub open. Lots of salsa and good fun, got back home around 2ish and saw Roald Dahl's Matilda on the English movie channel. Slept til noon, which is ridiculous, and have just had breakfast (it's 2.30pm). Now we're about to go shopping, I need some new jeans, I'll get a photo of my old ones, they are virtually non-existent and I'm scared they're going to fall apart any minute. And there's supposed to be a great market here too!

Fun!!

Bundles of beetles

We arrived late in Xela last night, and unfortunately missed a soccer game where Xelaju ended up beating their competitor 2-0. It was an early start this morning, we paid a ridiculous amount of money (nevertheless, not more than what it costs from Skien to Oslo) to get a shuttle from Xela to San Cristobal De Las Casas in Mexico. Some people had been up all night checking out the night life at Kokolokos, and it was a tired bunch of people boarding the minibus at 7am. It was a fairly long drive to Mexico, took nearly 7 hours, but a lot better than on a chicken bus.

And it's good to be in Mexico! I was supposed to go to Tijuana more than three years ago with Astrid, but she'd left her green card at the hotel in Los Angeles, so we ended up in San Diego Zoo instead. Everything seems to work slightly better here than in Guatemala. First of all there are road signs. There are lots of speed bumps and areas where you are prohibited to overtake, and on the three hour trip from the border I only saw one chicken-bus-style overtaking, and it was not even our car doing it. The ATMs are open 24-hours, an issue which is absolutely hopeless in Guatemala. I don't know any other place it is so hard to get money outside normal business hours. And it is clean here. In Guatemala everyone uses the bus-window as a rubbish bin. It's a big no-no here, so don't even think about it. Now we've found ourselves a lovely little hotel right smack in the city centre, we know a bar where the coctails are free tonight, and I think we'll have a few good days here!

Ohh, and yeah! Mexico is one of the last places where they produced the old VW Beetle (or "boble" as it's called in Norwegian), meaning there are loads of them bumming around on the roads here. They are so adorable and if I ever get my license (which I will this summer, and now it's official, so you can all make fun of me if I don't get around and do it) I want such a little car!

Anyway, take care and enjoy!

Moving Maya ceremony

We left Guatemala City early yesterday and went to Panabaj, near Lago Atitlan with Conavigua, the widow organisation we had a meeting with on Friday. Panabaj is the village that was worst struck by Stan. A mudslide at 3 or 4am in the morning totally buried an area the size of a few soccerfields. The houses in the area were made of sugar canes, and the people living there had no hope of survival. 400 people are still missing.

We met a group of widows and a local Maya priest and had a memorial service on the grounds at the start of the mudslide. It was very disturbing standing on top of what used to be a village and know so many people were still there. The area was hit bad in 1992 as well. The government massacred many villagers, and as a result the people there now have been very negative towards aid from the government. We saw parts of the local hospital which had been completed in early 2005 to provide better services for pregnant women, only to be destroyed on October 5. It was sad to see the women cry for the loved ones they lost, one lady lost 14 family members, and it felt kind of intruding running around with a film camera and taping it. On the other hand, they begged us to spread the word, tell our friends and families about the situation there, and they were positive to the information work we'll do when we get home.

An update from Mexico is next...

School for life

We're now in our second debriefing-period in Guatemala City. We spent two days at Kab'awil's People's College, an amazing experience. It's a school run by the earthreform organisation and has 14 kids from the plantations around Xela who live, work and learn at the school for a year. These kids were incredible, 14-17 years old, some of them have had a few years schooling and yet, they were discussing the consequences the Free Trade Agreement with USA and Mexico will have on their economy, people's health etc. They were talking about how they wanted to learn more skills to become leaders in their communities and improve education, health, leadership and so on, and it was just inspiring to hear kids talking about such important issues. So, sorry to say, but Norwegian and Aussie children, you suck! Get off your arses and get involved in something - anything! Other than that, we've just had a meeting with URNG, a leftish, socialist party that fights for what's right, and this afternoon we're meeting Conavigua, an organisation of widows after the 36 year long civil war. Should be very interesting. I didn't get the job as assistent for the Brigade this autumn, so a bit, no very annoyed actually, but I'll go and find the biggest ice cream in Guatemala City and be happy again. I've heard there is a place with cauliflower and beer-flavoured ice cream! But, I think I'll go for triple choc-oreo-mint-caramel-dream-swirl-heavenly-flavour instead maybe...

Bananatrouble

Oh, and yeah. There has appearantly been a cyclone in Queensland, Australia which has wiped out most of the bananacrop. I feel sorry for all Australians, but if you ever feel like bananamuffins, or bananamilkshake, or bananacake or bananas feel free to come here, because we've got plenty!

I miss Australia

Because in Australia everyone always asks you how you are doing, and it is a great feeling to constantly walk around and declare you are having an absolute ball. Because I am.

I arrived back in Xela this afternoon after a short week at the finca and it has been great! It was dark and wet when we arrived on Monday night, and we had to push the ute up one of the hills, it was so slippery. But, gone was the nervousness of a new family, we knew the toilet facilities would be different and beans would be a part of every meal, and we were welcomed straight back into Guatemalan farmer-life from the word "go".

It was bananapicking the third day we were up there, and I went with hostmum Roselia to Montesuma at 6am in the morning. We gathered 13 bundles of bananas and took a few of them home, before we picked up another few in the afternoon.

We've done some good interviews for our documentary we are going to make after the stay, it is especially interesting to talk to the teachers at the school. They have great ambitions for the kids, but the government does nada to help them along the way. Very frustrating, but it makes a good interview.

Other than that I've actually only eaten beans twice this week. The food has been pretty good, I get lots of soup and fried platanos, which I love, and Tonje Camilla hate. Last night I heard the first drunken finca-people. There is next to no (visible) alcohol on the finca, but last night there was a small gathering outside my house, and the family which usually goes to bed by 8pm stayed up to past midnight. And this morning there was a slab of empty Brahva beer bottles to return to the shop.

Well, off to write an application for a job as assistent to this autumn's Solidaritetsbrigade. Wish me luck!

Bananas here we come

It's been a few good days in Xela, but now it's about time to head out in the jungle to pick some bananas and clear some forest. Have a lovely week, it's a shorter stay this time, next Monday it's back to Xela to spend a few days at the college for indigenous youth.

Take care, so long!

Xelaju Xelaju Xelaju

We spent a few more nice days in Livingston, met some Americans and went to Los Siete Altares with them. It is a serious of tiny waterbasins which supposedly should be surrounded by waterfalls, but considering it is the dry season, only one of the basins had water in them. We hiked the five kilometer from Livingston to the sight (a walk and tourist attraction which is supposedly notoriously dangerous and you should always get a police escorte, however we did not...) and at the end of the beach hit the jungle. Five hundred meters into the jungle these basins occured out of nowhere and it was just surreal. The Altar we went swimming in was freezing cold (Livingston and Belize have been so, so hot), so that was very refreshing and it started pouring down with rain so everything got soaked. But, it was interesting to see, and although it would have been nice to see the waterfalls the downpour created some tiny wannabe ones and it was worth the hike.

This morning we headed back to Xela. Caught the boat to Puerto Barrios and got a first class bus to Guatemala City. We got there and as always when you jump of a bus there is ten taxi drivers trying to get hold of you and your luggage. Transport in the capital is pretty stupid organised, each bus company in the country have a terminal and they are often far from each other. We asked one driver who said we had to go to Zona 1, another said Zona 8, one pointed at the bus next to us. In the end I got the lovely Lonely Planet Guide, called (my first phone call in Spanish) one of the bus companies, asked if they had a bus to Xela (buses run mostly in the morning, and are scarce if existent at all in the afternoon and evening) and we headed off there.

Now we have had dinner at McDonalds (first and last time) and I think we might just chill out the rest of the night. Someone in the group is constantly sick of something and at the moment it is Sara so we will go back to the hotel, watch Harry Potter and cheer her up. Have a lovely Sunday!

Lost laundry and back in Guatemala

After getting slightly sunburned at the beach yesterday we decided to head back to Punta Gorda to catch the boat back to Guatemala this morning. Charlotte had the day before handed her dirty laundry to cleaning and when we went to get it, we got told the lady had taken it to the neighbooring town to wash it. We missed our first boat trying to get it back, eventually got half of it back and jumped on a bus to P.G. that just happened to be there 38 minutes after scheduled time. We got to P.G., met an American who was looking for a hotel and hooked up with him.

We got up early this morning and caught the boat across. Blue skies and blue water is just fantastic. Now we're back in Livingston having lunch at Happy Fish and plan to spend the rest of the afternoon in a hammock, before eventually heading back to Xela.

Cheerio!

What a wonderful life

The beach is fantastic. There is nothing more to say.

So long!

Playing on the playa

It was awesome just relaxing a few days in Livingston, but we felt like seeing a new place so this morning Veronica, Charlotte, Kristin, Sara and me headed off to Belize. I did not feel much like it at 5.45am this morning when I woke up and started packing my backpack for the fourth day in a row (it's like playing tetris, everything fits, but only in one spot and if I do it wrong, there is no chance to close the lid). But we had a great boat trip across a small part of the Carribbean Ocean, the sun was shining, the water calm and it was hot. We came to Punta Gorda and thought about looking for a hotel until we came across the bus station and figured we should check out where we could go if we wanted to. An American couple said Placencia a bit further up the coast was beautiful. So we jumped on the first bus, got dropped off in the middle of nowhere and got told to keep walking down the road and we'd find a boat that would take us across a mangrove river. As said as done. Another fantastic boattrip and we got dropped off in, really, the middle of nowhere. Placencia has one of the best beaches in Belize and is a tiny town with only 600 inhabitants at the end of a 50 km long peninsula. You can either drive the dirt road all the way there or catch the boat over. We followed two Swiss guys who thought they knew where they were going and found a hotel. And then, what we had been waiting for, after days in muddy water in Livingston - pure turquoise water, a white beach and a sea breeze. It was so beautiful and absolutely worth the whole trip just to chill there all afternoon.

Now we've had a fantastic dinner at Purple Space Monkey Village, a little expensive compared to Guatemala, but the fish here even beat the one we had in Xela last week when we "celebrated" the firs finca stay. So far so good, we'll see what happens tomorrow, Charlotte and Veronica doesn't like staying more than a night at one place, so it might be back to Livingston, we'll see, we'll see!

Take care!

Chilling out in Livingston

This is such a cool place, we've had a few great days at the beach. It is extremely hot and humid, but as long as you only have to go swimming and eat ice cream, it's really not a problem! Nevertheless, it's about time to get some more stamps in the passport so tomorrow morning we'll head over to Belize, a former British colony which apparently has a great mix of people: Spanish, Creol, Garifuna, Chinese, Africans and so on, so that should be great.

Enjoy your Monday!

And check out the ATM, it can sometimes be a little hard to get cash...

Holiday at the Pacific Ocean...or the Atlantic?

Holiday!! Yess!! We had a meeting with SOS Children Village on Thursday which was really interesting. It was a beautiful large area in a suburb close to Xela city centre with 12 houses and 102 children. The children are free to go out and are guaranteed 9 years at school. When they turn 15 they move out with other teenagers and a "bigbrother" and they learn a trade and are helped getting jobs and a house. The cutest thing was four year old Andrea who came into the house we were visiting and grabbed Sara and gave her the biggest hug ever. Adorable!

Other than that we've arrived at the Atlantic (or Carribean) ocean after a rather long busride. We went from Xela west in the country to Antigua (in the middle), to Escuintla (very close to the Pacific Ocean, totally in the wrong direction from where we should go). We stayed there one night, caught a bus to Guatemala City, a rather long and sticky busride to Rio Dulce and a fantastic boat trip up the river to Livingston. The scenery was amazing, a bit like Daintree Forest north in Australia, but with far more bananapalms and coconut huts. Livingston is inhabited by black Spanish people, decendants from African slaves who escaped from the slave ships 400 years ago. It's very laid back (more than Australia) and very hot, but I think we'll have a few good days here.

Have a great Sunday!

Junglesafari

Home, sweet home! It's was absolutely fantastic to come back to Xela this afternoon! The last week has been long, it's been a lot of hard work, more pineapples have been planted, the area the size of MCG or ODD Stadion have been cleared for bushes and lots of cards have been played. But overall, a fantastic experience which has resulted in a few blisters. We carried 175 kilos of bananas over a very long distance (we were four people, two being under 13), so it's definitively physically challenging.

At the moment I just need to get some lunch, and relax a little, and a more detailed update and maybe some photos will come a little later.

Take care!

License to kill...I mean drive.

Just a very short update from the middle of nowhere. Happy International Women's Day to all the "mujeres" out there. It is also the reason we've escaped the jungle and get to spend a few hours close to a internet connection, La Bendicion has a female group that invited us to celebrate the day with them at a community house in Mazatenango, an hours drive from the finca. And here comes the issue with the chicken buses again, the drivers CAN NOT DRIVE! It is absolutely ridiculous, and every time I get off I think that was the worst driver ever, but no, next time will be worse.

Anyway, I am having an allright time at La Bendicion. I spent the first night throwing up all over my family's courtyard, but other than that it's been hot, sticky and hard work. I've planted a 1000 pineapple plants and cleaned areas the size of a footballfield for bananapalms. By all means, it is absolutely amazing, I've done stuff I never would dream about, tasted the weirdest fruit, and I just have to say, to give a bananatree one good wack with the machete and then see it fall over is one very good to get rid of any tension. But it's tough. I'm looking forward to come back to the big city and just relax. The days end at 8pm when the family goes to bed, and starts at 6am, which is not too bad for those who know me.

Have a lovely time til next week. Out coordinator Marte and assistant Elin (whose job I want) are coming up to the finca later today, so I'm guessing it will be stocking up on ice cream and heading back to the jungle.

Cheerio!

Back to origins

Tomorrow is the big day when we finally head of to La Bendicion and over the next two weeks we´ll hopefully learn a lot about the locals, earth reforms, coffee productions and how to make tortillas. I´ve realised I have to think twice what I write here since our coordinator Marte checks in to the blog now and then, on the other hand, it´s been an absolute ball til now, so I´m pretty sure she can read anything I allow my parents to see! As you can see I´ve finally managed to get some photos up and running.

But, better get gumboots and a machete off Marte and then it´s about time to pack. Can´t wait to get the machete and have a play, check out the photo of Tonje Camilla further down, it was pretty fun.

Next update will be in two weeks. Until then, take care and be jealous of our little trip to Lago Atitlan, it was stunning!

Home, sweet home

Back in Xela, and it feels good! The nightlife in Panajachel was definitively overrated, but we had nice dinner at a local restaurant. And that is one thing that is absolutely amazing with this country, it is extremely cheap. A dinner is expensive if it costs $6 or NOK 30. Our three-hour bus ride to Xela this morning cost $4 or NOK 20. Calling Europe costs 20c or NOK 1 a minute. Our hotel last night cost $5 or NOK 25. It is just ridiculous, and the loan from the government definitively lasts longer than in Melbourne!

The photo is from one afternoon after Spanish school, just chilling in the city, and having an absolute ball.

Yesterday we headed off to San Pedro, a city across the lake. It was an absolutely fantastic boat trip, the sun was shining as always and the lake was just amazing with volcanoes in the background. I promise I´ll get some photos out here soon, is just that I need a cable for my camera. San Pedro was nice and small, we chilled on the beach and had lunch before heading back to the city. However the boat trip back was so different. It was rough sea (on a lake, yes), the boat was rocking like crazy, taking in wated when high waves came to close and it would have been rather scary if the scenery around was not so beautiful. We even worked out an escape route and how to save the videocamera I´ve been dragging along everywhere.

Last night it blew up to a tiny storm and we had nice dinner before heading back to our room to play cards and talk about the next few weeks at the fincas. Then this morning it was a trip to the beach before heading back to Xela on a chicken bus. And know we´ve had dinner for less than $5 (NOK 25) and are just going to relax before the upcoming coffee picking. Take care!

Chicken buses and chicks on the run

Yess!!! Vacation, finally! We had a pretty late night last night playing cards in Charlotte´s and my room, so it was pretty hard getting up at 4.15am to catch the 5am chicken bus from Todos Santos to Huehuetenango. We rocked up at the plaza just before five, but realized two people were missing and went on a frantic search around town to get them on the same bus as us. It was a bumpy ride over the mountains, but beautiful to watch the sunrise at such high altititudes.

This is Veronica and me having a pretty amazing time waiting for the boat to San Pedro.

Oh well...I should really explain the chicken bus phenomenon a bit further. It is old buses from the US, which I am guessing was bought during the 50s or 60s when car companies in the States extinguished any chance of a public transport system by buying all means of public transport and selling it off to developing countries so the Yankees all had to buy cars. Nevertheless, it means the buses now cruising Guatemalan streets are big, yellow, polluting and all display "School Bus: Adequate seating for 39 adults or 59 children." But, who can read english? How about 65-70 adults crammed together with very loud meringue music blaring from slightly too old speakers...And this is at five in the morning! But you can not say they are not efficient. The driver and his assistant know excactly where you should get off, and before you and your nine friends accompagnying you (in our case), all our ten backpacks which had travelled on the roof are on the ground before we have managed to get out of the bus at the designated stop.

We had a stopover in Xela on our way to Panachael, a city close to Lago Atitlan, but managed to lose six members of the group. We really wanted to get moving so jumped on the first bus and with very limited Spanish managed to get there, avoid annoying middle-men wanting us to stay at their hotel and got a lovely little hostel in the middle of the city. Now it´s about time for a shower and then to check out the night life in this little town, which the guide books call a "gringo magnet". Should be fun regardless. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

La Bendicion - The blessing

Another new sunny day in Todos Santos. It is like Norway during easter, hot, clear skies and absolutely beautiful. The photo is me attacking a watermelon on the roof of my house...looovely!

Anyway, some of the point of this trip is to work at plantations, and I am off to La Bendicion, which means the blessing. It is one of Kab´awil (a organisation working for the rights of Indians) oldest plantations, or fincas as they call them, and I think it will be a great experience. La Bendicion is known for its coffee, pineapples, papaya, peanuts and bananas, and we will spend the first few days of next week picking bananas. I am going to live with a single mother (unsure where the husband is) and her three children. The cool thing is that she is pretty high up in the running of Kab´awil, so could probably get some amazing stories out of her in addition to lots of information.

Yesterday we did our first interview for our documentary, Kenny, the son of my Spanish teacher, devoted Barcelona fan and with a wish to become a teacher. Andreas did the interview because of his already excisting Spanish skills, but I will definitively be able to do it myself soon, the Spanish is getting better every day. I had a chat to my Spanish teacher yesterday and it is pretty crazy how focused Norway, Australia and the West is on goods and services. I told her how much my flight ticket cost, it is about half a year salary for a Guatemalteco and I just felt kind of sick...We spend a lot of money, that is for sure...

Anyway, off to play cards on the roof of my house! And all ex-RMITers, if you read this, drop me a line on maphilaaa(at)yahoo.no and let me know how you are doing!

All Saints...

You know you are in the middle of nowhere when there is a limit of four computers with dial-up internet in a whole mountain range. At the moment our little group of 12 has moved to Todos Santos (meaning all saints) in the mountains north of Guatemala. It was an absolutely crazy ride up here. First on a chicken bus from Xela to Huehuetenango with a good 65 people on board something not fit for more than 30. Then another tiny taxibus up steep hills on one side and down steep hills on the other. The chicken bus was subject to a random police search which was pretty crazy. Armed police stopped the bus and all men and boys had to go out, got searched before they could board the bus again. Went allright, but still, not something you´ll experience in Norway or on the bus from Melbourne to Sydney.

The photo is Tonje Camilla going nuts in an old corn field with a machete. We all had a go at it, and I can promise, it was just as fun as it looks like!

We came pretty tired on Sunday night, a few people with hungovers or carsickness and we had some pizza before heading off to our hostfamilies. Charlotte and me ended up in the same family which was just great. It was one of the two Latino families in town (the rest is Maya and speak the indigenous language Mam in addition to Spanish), and with 15 people it´s just great fun.

The language school is not as coordinated as in Xela but we learn a fair bit as well, as well as going on hikes in the mountains around the village. Yesterday I had a quick brush of food poisioning. Woke up in the middle of the night feeling pretty crap, but today it´s all better.

This weekend we´ve got some time off and the plan is to head to Lago Atitlan, an area that was hit pretty bad by Stan, but hopefully some tourist dollar will aid their economy. It sounds pretty stupid maybe, but it was the case after the tsunami as well, the most important is that people dont get scared away but keep coming to the area, and Guatemala is such a beautiful country!

Next week we´re heading off to three separate fincas (plantations). Im off to La Bendicion with Morten and Tonje Camilla and the finca is famous for its coffee, pineapples and bananas, so Im pretty sure I´ll have an allright time. I´ll definitely find out lots about coffee growing here in Guatemala so I´ll keep anyone interested updated, no worries!

Take care, it´s a lovely day and since I was inside all yesterday it´s about time I got some sun and some new freckles! We´ve spent most of the mornings on our roof playing cards, and life is really not that bad.

Ciao!

Hotel Quetzales

We found a lovely little backpackerhotel yesterday, it was pretty hot walking around the city with heavy backpacks, but when I left for Guatemala I only had 12,9 kilos with me, which is quite spectacular! We went out last night and have been slightly reduced today. We went to a market and bought lots of fruit, $1 or 5 NOK for two pineapples and a watermelon, thats pretty cool!! And then they have this weirdas fruit, it is green and looks like a dried up cucumber. Then it has large green seeds inside with white fruit-stuff around, and you eat this white fruit-stuff and spit out the seed. Interesting!

We are about to get some dinner, but have a absolutely lovely weekend!

Cheers!

Did you want tortillas with that?

Hello, and wow I am sick of tortillas or what? Not because they taste so bad, because they don´t, it´s more because they have to go with every main meal. Even when the main meal consists of tortillas! Did you want tortillas with your tortillas??? The other day I had nice (however slightly overcooked) pasta and guess what the side was? Yess...tortilla!

Other than that I´ve finished my first week at Spanish school. When I came to the host family I could hardly speak a word besides thank you and si, last night I had a long discussion with my host father about the differences in Norwegian, English and Spanish. At school today we got our certificates, I´ve successfully passed level two and we had to make a speech. Like the Oscars, I had mine prepared but it was quite fun speaking to the whole school and I made my first joke in Spanish.

Tonight most of the Norwegian group is checking in to a hotel. First of all because that helps us illiminate similar situations like the one on Tuesday night, and second of all it costs no more than AU$ 6 or NOK 30 per night.

Last night we drove up the mountain side of an active vulcano, jumped in our bathers and went for a swim in a hot spring. It was absolutely awesome, 40 pluss degrees hot at some places, and so nice just to chill after a pretty long week with lots of Spanish.

Anyway, better go and find that hotel!

The rule of three

Happy Valentins Day, all! I know I´m a day late and all, but anyway...We decided to celebrate the day of love last night (actually not true, it was just a great excuse to hang out and have a few Gallos.) Before we came to Guatemala we were filled with stories of great danger, armed robberies and what worse is, so the school set up a rule saying we always have to be three together. We´ve made great fun of this little rule, pretending to find two others just to go the the bathroom or get a drink etc. However, this early morning at 1am we discovered it wasn´t such a stupid rule... Xela is a great city, but at one in the morning it´s kinda scary. We live in host families all over the city and struggled slightly to find a way so no one had to go home by themselves. I ended up going home with one of the other girls, Kristin and staying at her place. In Xela there are lots of stray dogs, which you take no notice of during the day, but when it´s dark and you are alone...not so funny! We came to her place and she struggled big time with the keys. After five minutes or so two men came up and asked whether we needed help. We did, but were also so ready to drop everything and run if they were up to no good. But, our guardian angels opened the front door and we were "safe" inside. Because the crazy killerdog of the house had woken up during our attempt to get in and went nuts, we hoped it was tied up somewhere and luckily made it to Kristin´s home. Because Guatemala is a country were tomorrow tomorrow is the general rule we had little information about our host family, and I had no way to contact them to say I wouldn´t make it home because I was all by myself. I was scared they would freak out and call the police, but when I came home at 6.30am this morning they were find with my explanation it was "muy peligrosa" (dangerous) walking home by myself.

So, a rather interesting night and day, now we´re going to have our first meeting with Kabáwil, the Mayan earth reform organisation. Take care!