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!