Yes

When I moved to Norway I decided quite soon I would say yes to everything. Well, at least the lawful everythings, since I don't want to end up in a Norwegian (or any other) prison cell. Been there, done that, didn't get the t-shirt. Anyway....

When they invited me to the annual union meeting, I went. Didn't understand a thing, but then again, several of my Norwegian colleagues were at a bit of a loss too. When I was asked to do an interview, I went. Got a lovely write-up in the 'Union Gazette'. I went to another annual union meeting. Understood a bit more, was amazed by the bureaucracy of it all. I went to the 'Welfare' meeting. Same thing again. And tonight I went to the team meeting. 

Because there are so many people working for the company here in Haugesund, it's very difficult to have only one person responsible. So, they have created teams and each team has a team leader. Every team is supposed to have two meetings a year apparently, in which they talk about work, social things and how to make the lives of everybody in the team nicer/better etc. 

I have already noticed that Norwegians are very much into their food. Every meeting so far has had good food, either snack wise or proper food wise. Tonight was no different. Lasagne. Without mushrooms. And for dessert: cake! (No wonder it's so hard to find a decent custard here, they prefer cake!)

I digress however. One thing to bring the team together is by organising things for the team. It can be done by the team leader or by any member of the team. And the team leader came up with a brilliant idea. I think. And I signed up for it as well. Even though I am still a bit hazy on what it actually involves. I think I will end up wet, tired and seasick though. If I understand correctly. 

From what I did gather it's some sort of rowing race on open sea on the 17th May (Constitution Day in Norway). Training had better start soon! I will keep you posted...

Interview

Last week, as I was walking down Haugesund High Street I was aproached by a young man. He said he worked for Haugesunds Avis (the newspaper) and would like to ask me a few questions. Well, I figured why not, so I answered his questions. On CYCLING! He scribbled down my answers, was a bit apprehensive about my name (which turned out to be easy enough) and took my photo. 

I had forgotten all about it, thinking there were probably loads of people he had interviewed. Until yesterday morning my team leader told me I was in the newspaper. Which in turn lead to me having to buy the newspaper to see it! Which I did of course, because I am nothing if not vain.

As you can see I am the one at the far right. Basically it's a section in the paper dealing with '5 on the street' and this week's topic was what it's like to be a cyclist in Haugesund. My answer was that I don't own a bike, but there are loads of bikes around {more than I expected, but he never wrote that down, probably didn't fit}. It looks great, but more should actually have lights on their bikes {since it's quite dangerous not having lights}. 

So, there you have it. Another stab at fame!

Winter in Norway

Snowfall on Lifjell in early April 2012

Before I moved to Norway I was told that it was cold in Norway. And dark. And they were right. It is cold in Norway. And dark as well. But what everybody failed to see that in winter it's cold and dark in most northern European countries. 

When I first moved into my little apartment, I was a bit shocked to find it turned dark shortly after 3pm and was only fully light again until after 10am! Of course that had a lot to do with the fact the apartment is facing north, so I get the least amount of sunlight compared to other directions. 

The last of the sunlight on 23rd February

I have been keeping track of the hours of sunlight this year. What time does the sun rise and at what time does it set. According to the official whatyamacallits. If it continues this way I will actually see more daylight than my parents do, 1000 km south of me! Because there is only like 25 minutes difference now and we're catching up fast! 

And what about the cold? Well, it turns out it hasn't been any colder where I live than it has been where my parents live. If anything, they have had more winter weather than I did with way more snow at least! Of course it only being the beginning of March, this doesn't mean a bucket load of snow can't still be on the cards, but so far we've only had snow of real meaning in early December and a little bit of snow in January. 

Snowdrops in early March 2013

Haugesund is known (like Bergen for that matter) for its rain. And even rain is something I haven't seen a lot. Mind you, everybody over here keeps telling me that will change and by the middle of summer I will be totally fed up with rain. But that is something I will have to find out in the summer. For now spring is on its way and with it daylight!

Found

Taken last week when nothing was wrong. Yet...

I knew for a fact I had thrown it out with all the old furniture I wasn't taking with me to Norway. I had stuffed it in a rubbish bag to be taken to the tip. Of course I should have known better. Because...

It found me. Moving over a 1000 kilometers didn't keep it away. It took some time catching up, but catch up it did. I never notice it until it is too late. I don't get the usual signs everybody else gets. In my case it just sneaks up on me and then hits me. 

I am talking about sinusitis of course. Normal people get colds and then suffer from sinusitis. I just get sinusitis. Without the cold. No sneezing and sniffing for me. Just debilitating headaches. And by the time I realise I have sinusitis, it's three days in!

Fortunately I had packed some steaming capsules before leaving the Netherlands and before I went to bed last night I used two of them. Immediately I felt a lot better. I took two more paracetamols before going to sleep and this morning I woke up with only a hint of a headache and a heavy feeling in my upper cheeks. 

The headache didn't come back today. It was just a hint all day. I did get some more paracetamol though. Just in case...

The key

Everything in life has its place. And when you move, things loose their place. They have to be found a new place. Take my battery loader. It used to be in my fruitbowl-that-hadn't-been-used-as-a-fruitbowl-for-ages or somewhere in my work room. I knew it was around somewhere. Until I moved to Norway and it somehow mysteriously disappeared. It probably is in a box somewhere, but since I haven't opened them all and don't even have them all here... I got myself a new loader. Which sits on my desk.

Anyway. I had to work last night. I would be finished at 00.46am and then it was straight home. No need to take the key back to the office (the bus washer would do that) or the shift book (I had made a copy). I would be home by 1am. And I was. Or at least I nearly was. Because as I was nearing the house I started rooting around in my right jacket pocket. The jacket pocket that is assigned to hold the key to my apartment. All I found however were tissues, a glove (the right one) and a button. No key.

It took me about five seconds to realise where the key was: at the office. So, I trudged back down the hill and to the office. Of course there was nobody there, since all the drivers had already gone home. And without somebody else with a key to the office I couldn't get in. Since my key to the office is (you guessed it) on the same keyring as the key to my apartment! So, I trudged back to the diesel area. Where I fortunately found two people still working. Fuelling up and cleaning the buses. They had a key to the office. 

The key to everything is organisation. And keys should not be left in the lock of my locker, they should be put back in my right jacket pocket immediately after using. And as soon as I get the key to my new place? A spare will be made and carried in my bag!

'Red'

Well, there was only one red thing I could think of: my new home! I am thinking of calling it 'the little red house' (but in Norwegian of course: Det lille røde huset). It is not my home yet, I will have to wait until May. However, the first visitors to my new home are already 'booked'. My parents. I hope there will be a lot more! Although not at the same time. Unless they bring tents: plenty of space to put them up!

This is my 43rd entry for Photo Theme for Thursday. Why not join?

Forgotten

If there was one thing I absolutely loathed about housework (apart from the cleaning) it was doing the dishes.  And since I had so many plates (about 20) and mugs (nearly 100), I didn't need to do the dishes that often. Of course, when I had run out of plates and mugs, it would take me over two hours to do the dishes!! Then I got rid of most of my plates and mugs, but I still didn't like doing the dishes. 

When they redid my kitchen a few years ago, I got myself a dishwasher. Whoever invented that, should get a medal! It was brilliant. I loved it. And then I moved again. This time to Norway. To a small apartment. With a cooker and a fridge, a micro wave and a washing machine. But no dishwasher. There was talk about it being installed in January, but it's now nearly March and I still have no dishwasher. And I still don't like doing the dishes by hand either.

But today I had to do them. There were plates all over and they were all dirty. It took me nearly an hour, but everything is clean again. I think I will have to do some serious saving to get myself a dishwasher in the new house... 

A walk

The last of the sunset

One of the things that gets organised on a regular basis at work is a walk. Usually around 6 or 7pm and somewhere around town. The walks aren't that long, only about an hour. Yesterday I was finally able to join, which I had wanted to do for some time now. I was still in uniform, since the walk was only a quarter of an hour after I finished my shift, but I had good shoes on and that was the most important. 

In the end there were five of us walking. Of course the sun set a little before we got started, but we got the last of the sunset while walking. It wasn't fast, it wasn't professional, it was just a nice one hour walk along a coastal path. I took some photos, but since it was darkish/dark they didn't come out all too well. 

Haraldshaugen is a national monument

It was nice to get out after sitting all day long at work though. Stretch the legs, get some gentle excercise in and then get a colleague to drive me home! I will definitely walk there again. When it's light and probably crawling with people! It was still quite busy when we were there.

Wow

How not to get sick? Sit in front!

Reading yesterday's post again I just realised how completely boring it all sounds! Get on bus, get on ferry, get on bus, walk, get to meeting, walk, get on bus, get on ferry, get on bus, home. It would have been only one line! And yet...

Tunnels and bridges are very important in Norway!

The busride certainly wasn't boring. I had never been to Bergen by bus before, having flown in in August last year. So, it was a treat for me just to sit on the bus and look at the surroundings. Me getting a bit queasy before we had even properly left Haugesund was only due to the oldness of the bus (smell) and the road, which was full of curves and ups and downs and the occasional bad road surface. 

The view of Bergen from the bus was a bit blocked on the way back

(I must admit though, I prefer the stretch from Haugesund to Stavanger (south) to the stretch from Haugesund to Bergen (north). Mainly because the route south is a lot more open. But it was still interesting to drive north.) 

You never know what you're going to see when walking around

On arriving in Bergen we had to walk through town and it was nice. I recognised buildings and stuff and quite enjoyed it. I knew where I had gotten off the bus on my test drive. I recognised the park in which I sat while calling my Mum to tell her the news that the interview had gone well. 

Frank Aarebrot

The meeting itself was really interesting as well. Frank Aarebrot has quite strong views and he knows his stuff. Even if he looked a bit scruffy! Probably the professor in him!! It was really interesting to hear him talk about politics, because even though I will not be allowed to vote in Norway's upcoming general election, the stuff he talked about fit very well in the Netherlands too!

When we were waiting for the ferry in the morning, this is
what I saw: a lorry from near to where I used to live!!

Whenever I have been to any type of meeting in the Netherlands and there had been a break, you could get coffee or tea and a small wrapped cookie or a piece of simple vanilla cake. Here, it was a completely different story: sandwiches, fruit, fruitsalad, chocolate cake, strawberry mousse, waffly pancakes, several other types of cake, crisps and a lot more! Amazing! Of course I had left my camera in the meeting room and needed fresh air, so no photo of that. Next time though...

Sunset over the fjord

The return journey later that day was a lot of fun as well. I had one of the front seats this time and did not feel queasy at all. Well, not due to the road or the bus anyway (I had a few glasses of wine though). Arriving at the ferry we had to wait a bit and in the mean time the sun was slowly setting. When it arrived we got on and as it left the port again I took a photo of the last bit of sun! Beautiful. Although the photo doesn't do it justice in any way, shape or form. 

And that was my Saturday. A bit less boring like this wouldn't you say?

Another meeting

Waiting for the ferry

I went to another union meeting yesterday. Another annual one, but this time it was the meeting for the whole region and not just our little part. It was over three hours away in Bergen, so we took a bus. Along the way we picked up some more people, drove through a 8 km tunnel which was at its deepest about 240 meters below sealevel! 

The ferry itself

After another bit of driving we arrived at a ferry. We all got on, parked the coach and went upstairs. We were nearing the end of our ferry journey when we were told to get on the regular coastal coach, because our coach wasn't working anymore. So the sixteen of us trooped on the other coach and we drove on to Bergen. Where we had to walk all over town to get to our meeting. Fortunately it was nice weather. 

The union chairman Roger Moun

The meeting started off with professor Frank Aarenbrot. He is apparently quite well known around the world and gave us a talk. Since this year there will be elections here in Norway, his talk dealt with political parties and the like. He was interesting to listen to, if a bit long at times. After his talk there was a short break with plenty of yummy things to eat and then it was back to the meeting where they would have a debate about what the prof had been talking about, which I missed. 

Walking to the meeting

Later on the meeting dealt with voting for one thing or another. It was fast, it was furious and on occasion it was over before I realised what was going on! Funny though... The meeting was over just after 4pm and then we had to go back to Haugesund. But first we needed a bus again. It took some time to get one (the driver had to go to the bus lot to get one), but we finally got on a new bus and made our way back home. We had fun on the bus, but I was glad to be back home again.