Byebyebye...
Too many goodbyes in 2006. Some forever, at New Years. Some for a very long time, as we in January sat at the airport in Dar, red-eyed after saying goodbye to people we had loved so much, and when you finally got to know someone well, its time to leave. Typical exchange student phenomenon... You get so close to people so fast, and you have so much in common, and you need these friendships so bad. You meet supercool people who you'd never meet at home, in university or anywhere. Those who travel or go on exchange for one reason or the other, have something special in common, which they might not share with those who stayed home.
Now its happening all over again. Live at this student block and got to know some fantastic cool special people. But of course, they are not from Norway. They are leaving. Martha is going to Ethiopia tomorrow. Mario is leaving for Colombia on Wedensday. Andrea is going to Germany, but luckily not before Im out of here. Mario and Martha are even coming back in August. Its me who is leaving for "good". Im not coming back in August as I have done after every vacation the last 3 years. Coming back to Trondheim. Now Im gonna leave everything here. Friends, my life.. By all means, Ill be back probably not in too long. But nothing is for sure. There is no plan, there is nothing I "have" to do in Trondheim. Then we are going to Ghana in August. And in December ill be at the airport in Accra crying my eyes out again, because I know I have to leave someone again, for God knows how long...
Travelling, meeting people from all kinds of places and backgrounds has become a very important part of my life which I wouldnt be without. But it has a downside - having to say goodbye long before you are really ready. Its easier to leave than to be left behind though. Lucky for me...
Now its happening all over again. Live at this student block and got to know some fantastic cool special people. But of course, they are not from Norway. They are leaving. Martha is going to Ethiopia tomorrow. Mario is leaving for Colombia on Wedensday. Andrea is going to Germany, but luckily not before Im out of here. Mario and Martha are even coming back in August. Its me who is leaving for "good". Im not coming back in August as I have done after every vacation the last 3 years. Coming back to Trondheim. Now Im gonna leave everything here. Friends, my life.. By all means, Ill be back probably not in too long. But nothing is for sure. There is no plan, there is nothing I "have" to do in Trondheim. Then we are going to Ghana in August. And in December ill be at the airport in Accra crying my eyes out again, because I know I have to leave someone again, for God knows how long...
Travelling, meeting people from all kinds of places and backgrounds has become a very important part of my life which I wouldnt be without. But it has a downside - having to say goodbye long before you are really ready. Its easier to leave than to be left behind though. Lucky for me...
......
The other day I was walking home from school, when an old lady came walking slowly towards me. It was cold and nasty, raining and windy. But the cute old lady with her hat and pink coat and Velcro sneakers had her coat un-buttoned and looked a bit confused and lost. Old ladies usually button their coats when its cold. But at the same time she looked just careful and fragile as old cute ladies usually do. But I thought: Maybe she is lost? Maybe she has forgotten the way home? It happens. But then you think: I shouldn't meddle in other people's business, insult them by asking: do you need help, are you lost? So she passed me, slowly and carefully, while I, and the others on the road, chose the safe path and pretended like nothing. Or maybe the others didnt even pretend, they didnt even notice her. Norway is a sad place sometimes.
Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them!
Angry bitter depressed grumpy sick and tired? Look here, it will make you feel waaaaaaaaay better!! (If you are a girl....)
A little piece of Ghana
...in Trondheim. On Friday i was sitting in my kitchen and in walked a Ghanaian student who was there to study with my roomate. I charmed him immediatly with a couple of Twi phrases (Ghana language) and the next day he invited me for dinner. It can be that easy. But the Ghanaians here dont find it easy to get to know people in Norway, which most of the discussion around the table was about. "Norwegians dont like Africans" was their claim. What should one say to that? Maybe its true for many Norwegians as well. The Ghanaians blamed media, Africa is hyped as something bad and terrible, and news about Africans and other foreigners comitting crimes leads to generalisation. Which is part of the truth. But coming to Norway for a year, maybe two, is not enough to learn all the social codes, how Norwegians communicate, and make friends. In Ghana you can meet someone on the bus, chat with the person and exchange phonenumbers just like that, and then you are friends. Or you can come into someones kitchen, chat with a person for 2 minutes and the next day you invite this complete stranger home. A Norwegian would need weeks before he could invite a person home. Many meetings and talks are necessary before you have crossed the limit where its ok to say: hey lets meet somewhere else which is not the place always meet coincidentaly". A Ghanaian on the other hand, who would talk to a Norwegian at the bustop in Trondheim will give a strange impression, The Norwegain is gonna wonder why this stranger is talking to him like they know eachother and might feel uncomfortable about it. Others are of course more open than what I describe here, but I think many Norwegians would feel this way. Including myself. If a stranger, Norwegian or not, would start talking alot to me on the bus, I would start to wonder myself. But in Ghana I've had a bunch of conversations with people on the street, bus or wherever.
In Norway you can be beat up on the street and noone will try to interfere, you might fall on your bike or on the ice and noone will help you up - everyone is afraid to enter the intimate zone of a stranger. In Ghana, you'd get more help and attention than you might want if you'd trip or fall.
In one situation in Norway where Norwegians become like Africans are at a party, when alcohole is included. Then everyone is open and friendly, talk to strangers and not afraid to step over the intimate limit we stay away from sober. And we have so much fun in this condition!: Thats why people drink, because they WANT to be able to talk to strangers and dance without feeling ashamed and embarrassed. But that is actually quite tragic. Foreigners here complain to me that: "I met this girl at a party, and she was really nice, but when I met her at school she pretended she didnt know me." Well, maybe she doesnt even remember you... At a party involving plenty of alcohole isnt always the place to make new friends. So not even there can this Ghanaian succeed in his search for Norwegian friends who can teach him the language and the culture. What are they supposed to do? Tell me....
In Norway you can be beat up on the street and noone will try to interfere, you might fall on your bike or on the ice and noone will help you up - everyone is afraid to enter the intimate zone of a stranger. In Ghana, you'd get more help and attention than you might want if you'd trip or fall.
In one situation in Norway where Norwegians become like Africans are at a party, when alcohole is included. Then everyone is open and friendly, talk to strangers and not afraid to step over the intimate limit we stay away from sober. And we have so much fun in this condition!: Thats why people drink, because they WANT to be able to talk to strangers and dance without feeling ashamed and embarrassed. But that is actually quite tragic. Foreigners here complain to me that: "I met this girl at a party, and she was really nice, but when I met her at school she pretended she didnt know me." Well, maybe she doesnt even remember you... At a party involving plenty of alcohole isnt always the place to make new friends. So not even there can this Ghanaian succeed in his search for Norwegian friends who can teach him the language and the culture. What are they supposed to do? Tell me....
Spring in Trøndelag can stink!!
Right now I'm sitting at my sisters boyfriends farm, with 22 degrees in the shadow, and all the farmers around have spread cow or pig excrements around everywhere so its stinks. Well, it doesnt stink that bad, but I just wanted to make it sound more exotic. I went to the farmland to get away from my urban jetset life style in Trondheim (yeah right)...
But the part about 22 degrees is totally true! Its summer!! A bit early, and not very smart to place it 3 weeks before exams. On Thursday I was in school from 8 in the morning anf thought: Today i'll get a lot of work done. But the little devil on my shoulder (aka Veronica) told me to go to town with her and have lunch in the beautiful weather instead. And I'm not hard to convince so we went. Guro, Vero and me decided that we weren't just wasting valuable study time, we were having a Kick-Off day for the exam period! And thats very important to have if you want to succeed in your exams! But the day after there wasnt any kick-off in sight, so I went to the farm 1,5 hours north of trondheim instead, with some stuff that has to occupy one of their rooms indefinitely until I decide what to do with my life after Christmas. And I stayed here.
Today, my maybe soon to be brother in law, Arnulv, took me and my sister away to a deserted field on his tractor, only wearing a weird mix of my "pretty" clothes, and stuff you can only wear if you are working on the farm. He left us at this field, with 2 waterbottles, a bucket, and 2 iron rods and told us to remove all the rocks in the field. So we did! and it was sooo hot we had to work only in our øhm..bikini tops. Hopefully it resulted in an early tan! After some hours, we were bored, so my sister (impressively enough) drove the tractor back home with me in the back with all the rocks.I think the boss himself was a bit pleased with us even! So if I havent studied this weekend, I cant be blamed! I had to work at the farm....very important.
In the evening we had a barbecue and ate moose and a calf they killed because it was too small....mmm....
But the part about 22 degrees is totally true! Its summer!! A bit early, and not very smart to place it 3 weeks before exams. On Thursday I was in school from 8 in the morning anf thought: Today i'll get a lot of work done. But the little devil on my shoulder (aka Veronica) told me to go to town with her and have lunch in the beautiful weather instead. And I'm not hard to convince so we went. Guro, Vero and me decided that we weren't just wasting valuable study time, we were having a Kick-Off day for the exam period! And thats very important to have if you want to succeed in your exams! But the day after there wasnt any kick-off in sight, so I went to the farm 1,5 hours north of trondheim instead, with some stuff that has to occupy one of their rooms indefinitely until I decide what to do with my life after Christmas. And I stayed here.
Today, my maybe soon to be brother in law, Arnulv, took me and my sister away to a deserted field on his tractor, only wearing a weird mix of my "pretty" clothes, and stuff you can only wear if you are working on the farm. He left us at this field, with 2 waterbottles, a bucket, and 2 iron rods and told us to remove all the rocks in the field. So we did! and it was sooo hot we had to work only in our øhm..bikini tops. Hopefully it resulted in an early tan! After some hours, we were bored, so my sister (impressively enough) drove the tractor back home with me in the back with all the rocks.I think the boss himself was a bit pleased with us even! So if I havent studied this weekend, I cant be blamed! I had to work at the farm....very important.
In the evening we had a barbecue and ate moose and a calf they killed because it was too small....mmm....