Hey everyone! It's about time I updated my diary. This term seems to be going so quickly and the workload feels much greater compared with last term. I've been doing lots of reading and class preparations as I have had quite a few presentations to give (at least one a week and two this week). I'm enjoying it though and learning heaps.
I have also continued applying for work. I've applied for quite a few jobs in Stavanger, Haugesund and Oslo but as in Australia there is always a long time between application and notification of a possible interview. Here's hoping something happens in the next month or so otherwise I will have to make preparations to come home. The only way that I can continue to stay in Norway is if I get a job and then I can apply for a working holiday visa. The job situation appears better than it was at the start of the year and hopefully it will continue to improve. Of course it helps if you can speak fluent Norwegian.
I think that I have been a bit stressed over the last few weeks which has led to a lack of sleep. The workload has picked up and I'm a bit anxious about my money and job situation (lack of). Things will get better given a bit of time.
The weather is starting to really improve. Just the other day we experienced a wonderful spring day and it was the first time this year that there wasn't a chill in the air. Apparently it was as hot as 21 degrees in some places around Oslo. Wonderful! That morning I went for a jog/walk around the island and really enjoyed how peaceful and beautiful the place was. As the weather is improving everything is turning green and the rivers and creeks are swollen with water from the snow melting in the mountains. The birds are chirping and everything seems to be coming alive.
With the spring also comes the russ (pronounced 'roose'). Russ refers to the final year high school leavers. They dress in red or blue (depends on their school) and pretty much make nuisances of themselves. Their mischief is tolerated (to a certain extent) as it is tradition and allows them to let off some steam before their final exams. I guess in Australia we have one day and night after our final day of high school classes and before our final exams. However in Norway the celebrations go until atleast May 17th. Essentially the russ dress in their colours and drive around in red or blue russ vans and buses playing loud music and making lots of noise late into the night. Maybe that is the reason I'm not sleeping that well?
This weekend Margrethe arrived on Friday and we went to a student party where I live. It was good fun and we drank and danced well into the night. Saturday was pretty lazy and the hangover took a bit of getting used to. We spent some time shopping for dinner and then went to Margrethe's parents place where we were preparing dinner for Margrethe's friend Kari Mette and her partner Jon. It was a very nice evening and another opportunity to practise my Norwegian. My Norwegian seems to be going slowly and I find it difficult when people speak at 'normal' speed. But one thing is for sure and that is that my Norwegian has improved greatly since last year.
Today we travelled south of Ski to a place called Dr�bak. Dr�bak is located on the Oslo fjord and is a popular place in the summer. We wandered through the small streets and fought against the cold wind as we walked between the beaches. Margrethe pointed out the fortress located on an island in the middle of the fjord. Margrethe's brother H�kan served there as part of his military service with the coast guard. During WWII, when the Germans invaded Norway on April 9th 1940, the fortress was instrumental in delaying the German advance such that the Royal family and Parliament could flee the country.
Over the last few weeks I have taken quite an interest in the occupation of Norway by the Germans during WWII. While in Haugesund last weekend I looked through a book that detailed the history of the German occupation in Haugesund. It was very interesting to see photographs of familiar places with German soldiers patroling in the background.
14/04/02
As you have guessed things have been quite busy over the last few weeks. I have been mainly getting back into the swing of Uni again and wondering around the Akerhus area.
Last week started off with four new classes and the advanced Norwegian course. The subjects that I have chosen seem quite interesting. I have selected software management and economics, servicing international markets, e-learning in corporations and international negotiations. As you can see I'm kind of focussing on IT and international business in particular marketing and strategy. The international negotiations subject is taught by a professor from Australia. He has spent many years in Europe and Norway and we spent quite a bit of time catching up on the happenings back in Oz. He was right up to date with everything including some of the race results from the weekend! He's a very interesting guy and knows a lot about Norway and Europe. There are many international students in the class and he was able to provide a little anecdote about the regions that the students came from.
Last weekend was spent partying on the Friday night. It was the first weekend this year that Margrethe and I hadn't seen each other. Margrethe had friend visiting from Trondheim and we had spent the last 2 and half weeks together so we decided early in the year to not travel that weekend. I went to a start of semester party at the Uni bar with some of the new exchange students. It was a fun night (read - drunken) and I meet quite a few Norwegians who are planning to travel to Australia this year. I have also met a BI student who will be studying at La Trobe starting from July. So if you know of anyone looking for a house mate please let me know and I will put you in touch with him. Saturday was spent recovering and I did a little shopping and basically watched a lot of television.
On Sunday I decided to get out and about and explore the region a little more. I wandered around the island just outside of Sandvika and marvelled at all of the people bike riding, rowing and generally enjoying the day. I then walked to another nearby island and had look some of the boats in the harbour and dry dock. Many of the boats owners were out preparing the boats for summer. The boats themselves were amazing! I have seen large boats and yachts before (like Brighton and St Kilda marinas) but never have I seen so many in the one place. There was millions of dollars worth of boats at this place!
This week I have continued with the classes and gave a couple of small presentations. This was the second week of Norwegian course and I am really beginning to enjoy the classes. This term the classes seem to be more conversational, with not as much reading from the course text book. I'm really enjoying it and the classes are much smaller so it is easier to ask questions and get individual attention. I have started speaking more Norwegian when shopping and talking with Norwegian friends. I am also trying to read some of the Norwegian papers inorder to build up my vocabulary. Increasingly, I am finding that it is easier to understand spoken Norwegian. I certainly won't be fluent by July but I hope to have a good grasp of the language.
During the past two weeks I have also been applying for jobs in the Haugesund and Stavanger area. I hope to find something in that area so that Margrethe and I can get a place together. If I end up working in Stavanger then Margrethe will have about a 1 hour drive to work. Ideally I will get something in Haugesund.
This weekend Margrethe arrived and we enjoyed a relaxing Friday night. Saturday we had alazy breakfast and then made our way into Oslo and took the 'trikk' (tram) to Vigeland Park. Vigeland Park is named after the artist who created all of the magnificent sculptures in the park. The highlight is a huge monolith in the center of the park that contains around 120 lifesize sculptures of people. Check out my photos for more details, especially the angry boy and the packet of TimTams! Following the park we wandered through an area of Oslo called Majorstua. Majorstua is very much like Chapel St as it is the play ground of the young and rich who enjoy being seen in the many trendy cafes and bookstores. Unlike Chapel St it didn't seem as snobby and prententious.
We continued walking and reached the Royal castle where we watched the Norwegian equivalent of the changing of the guard. Nothing terribly exciting but interesting to see. We then met up with Hanne and Johan and travelled north of the city centre to meet another friend Marte at a cafe. Like Melbourne there is a huge cafe culture and the place we went to was a little like Smith St. A number of trendy cafes in a light industrial sort of area. There are plans to move BI from Sandvika close to this area so I would imagine that the place will turn into a Brunswick St rather quickly. Probably a good time to buy property there. We enjoyed a beer and a catch up and congratulated Hanne and Johan on their engagement.
After the cafe we had dinner at Margrethe's parents and enjoyed a couple of bottles of very nice wine. Feeling completely exhausted from the day we settled down early and watched a video.
Today (Sunday) we were up early and travelled south down towards Fredrickstad and the Swedish border. Bernt's (Margrethe's father) sister Randi was celebrating her birthday and Margrethe and I had been invited along. I was a little bit daunting as it would be the first time that I would meet ALL of Margrethe's aunts and uncles. It was a very large gathering with around 30 people including grandparents and great grand children. Many of Margrethe's cousins are older than her so they have already married and started families.
The party took place in the hills around Fredrickstad and it was possible to see out across the Oslo fjord. The area is very rocky and Bernt explained that a lot of the rock was dug out and transported to Oslo for use in building houses from the 1800's up until the 1960's. Interestingly some of the sculptures in Vigeland Park are carved from stone sourced in the same area. We had a great day and it was good opportunity for me to practice my Norwegian.
1/04/02
Wow! It has been so long since I updated my diary! Since my last entry so much has happened.
To begin with, from the 10th until the 22nd of March I spent a lot of time finishing off term papers and studying for an exam. I think that the term papers went well and I learnt a hell of a lot. I found the topics quite interesting and quite enjoyed writing some of the papers. One in particular was for a subject called strategic alliances. I wrote about managing the 'soft' side of alliances. That is the relationship between the partners in the alliance, and how trust and commitment can be established. It looked at a number of strategies for developing these constructs, including the appointment of an alliance manager with specific capabilities and the application of cultural sensitivity by each of the partners. I found it quite interesting and wouldn't mind working in the role of alliance manager.
The term in Sandvika was completed by an exam on the 15th about intercultural management. It wasn't too bad and I think that I did reasonably well. Really can't say until the results come out. That night I had a couple of beers with a few of the exchange students that are leaving and packed my bags and headed off to Haugesund.
I arrived in Haugesund late Friday night and enjoyed a very relaxing weekend with Margrethe. I spent the following week settling in and completing my last term paper which was due on the 22nd. During the week I managed to do heaps of cooking which I really enjoyed and also sent out copies of my resume to heaps of companies. I also registered with the local employment agencies and the prospects sounded quite promising. Margrethe had to work all week, but it was very nice to be able to spend the evenings together.
During the time I was at Haugesund I registered with the library, mainly so that I could access the Internet for free (half hour only) but also so I could occupy myself with some reading. I managed to finish the Cider House Rules and started on a collection of Patrick White short stories. I found the short stories not terribly interesting, however the Cider House Rules was excellent.
While in Haugesund I decided to get stuck into a bit of exercise. The first step was a spinning class. It was a very interesting experience. It was strange to have someone yelling out instructions in a language that you don't understand. Margrethe didn't tell me at the time but one of the first things the instructor said that it was an advanced class and it would be tough. Little ol' Shane had no idea what was about to hit him! It was tough, but I managed to last the class and follow just about all of the instructions (just watched the others!). The second step in my fitness regime was the discovery of a swimming pool within walking distance of Margrethe's place. I invested in some swimmers, googles and swim cap and dived in. It is compulsory to wear a swim cap in the pool and felt very strange. The change rooms were plastered in instructions on how to wash before entering and exiting the pool, which made little or no sense to me. The swim was good and I enjoyed a sauna afterwards.
On Wednesday the 27th we packed our bags ready for a few days in the mountains at a cottage owned by the family of one of Margrethe's friends (Mari). There would be six people at the cottage (3 couples) located about 2 hours from Sandvika. Hans Christian (Mari's boyfriend) lives in Stavanger and was driving to the cottage and offered to give us a lift from Haugesund. The trip from Haugesund takes about 7 hours and covers some of the most impressive scenery that I have ever seen. He arrived on the Wednesday night and we got an early night before the long trip ahead of us on the Thursday.
We left Haugesund at about 8am and for the first 3 hours I just watched the amazing scenery. We travelled around many fjords that were walled in by huge snow capped mountains. The Hardanger fjord area was incredible. Following this area we entered the Hardangervidda. (click here for more photos) This was unlike anything I have seen before. Essentially it is a plateau that stretches for as far as the eye can see. The plateau was covered in a deep layer of snow which meant that the landscape was competely white. In fact, due to the fog and mist it was impossible to see the horizon and with no trees or other objects to colour the landscape the glare from the snow was intense. Hans Christian did a great job driving. The road was a like a bobsled track with 1.5 meter high walls of snow on each side. The place was packed with cross country skiers, however the glare from the sun and bare landscape would not have suited me.
We arrived in Fl� at about a 2:00pm and made our way up a mountain to where the cottage was located. The road in was muddy, icey and snow covered and the last 300 meters proved too much for the little car, which needed to be pushed up the hill as it kept getting bogged. Mari, Ingrid and Thijs had arrived a couple of hours before us and Mari and her father met us at the car park. Now came the difficult bit - the cross country ski into the cottage. Mari and Margrethe had anticipated how difficult it was going to be for me and Mari kindly offered to take my backpack in for me. Thank god she did or else I would never have made it in one piece. I found the skiing very difficult as the snow was very soft (and deep!) and unlike the trails around Oslo the trails were not prepared. This meant skiing over new snow without nicely prepared tracks to follow. I was exhausted and very fustrated by the time I arrived at the cottage. The trip normally takes about 45mins, however I managed to extend it to about twice that. I found that I would just fall into the snow (usually after a downhill section) and it would take ages to get out again. The snow was more than a meter deep in most places, so trying to get back upright was very difficult. If I put my hand down to support myself while trying to stand up it would just sink about a meter into the snow. It was very fustrating and by the time I arrived at the cottage I was soaking wet and very pissed off!
The cottage was great! It was basic but had lots of charm. There was some electricity that came from a solar panel however, there was no running water so we had to melt snow in order to get washing water. Luckily Mari's father had access to a snow mobile and was able to bring in some fresh water and our supplies for the 5 days that we would be there. The first night I recovered from my epic journey with a couple of glasses of red wine and Margrethe and I prepared a dinner of pasta carbonara. It was a lovely relaxing evening and we headed off to bed quite early.
Friday and Saturday were very much the same. We all enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and then headed off for a ski trip around the many mountains surrounding the cottage. The skiing in the morning wasn't as bad as the soft is not as soft as it is in the afternoon. The weather on both days was fantastic! Clear blue skies and a warm sun. On both days we set up a little picnic area in the snow and lit a fire on the snow. Hans Christian carved out a bench for us all to sit on in the snow and ensured that the snow was packed hard enough so that we all didn't fall through it. We then collected firewood, started a fire on top of the snow and grilled some p�lser (sausages). It was fantastic! We stayed there for a couple of hours relaxing and working on our tans. Since coming back to Sandvika everyone has commented on how tanned I am! On the Saturday Margrethe and I built a toboggan track while the others went for a longer ski. We had a great time and took lots of photos.
On Sunday (Easter Sunday) Margrethe and I skied back to the car park so that I could take some of the heavier things from my back pack to car and also get rid of some rubbish. It was very tough and once again I got fustrated and pissed off. I felt like I hadn't improved at all and it was pretty humiliating face planting in the snow at the bottom of every downhill section. Margrethe was very supportive and reassured me that I had improved. When I looked at it a little more objectively it was true that I had improved considering I had only been skiing for a couple of months.
Today we tidied up the cottage and made our way back to the cars. Hans Christian and Margrethe left a little earlier as they had to travel back to Haugesund, while myself and the three others made our way back to Sandvika (only 2 hours!). I managed the ski back to the car park without too many problems and was pretty exhausted when I arrived.
The cottage trip was just fantastic! It was great to get away from it all for a few days. In fact we only saw two other people the whole time we were there. I learnt that it is going to take me a long time and lots of practice to become a better skier, however I shouldn't be too disillusioned as most of the others at the cottage have been skiing for 20 years. I just have to accept that it may take some time. The whole trip was unforgetable and something that I would like to experience many times again.
10/03/02
What a week! I spent most of the week working on a term paper that was due on Thursday. So there was quite a few late nights spent in front of the computer. As always I tend to leave things to the last minute... I've now finished one of the three term papers and hope to finish the remaining two by the end of this week. I also have to study this week for an exam on Intercultural Management on Friday. Should be too difficult. It's quite an interesting topic.
This weekend has been quite nice and the weather absolutely fantastic! It is certainly getting milder and much of the snow has now dissappeared. It seems a bit strange not having to negotiate the snow and ice. I kind of miss it. The days are becoming much longer. Today the sun rose at about 6:30am and didn't set until just after 6pm. I'm looking forward to the summer!
On Saturday Margrethe had to do a few errands so I spent most of the day studying. We then met in Oslo and went on a mission to find a nice cheap Thai restuarant. Well, we didn't find a Thai restuarant and it wasn't that cheap, but we did find a Vietnamese restuarant with reasonable prices. I had a bowl of tasty beef noodles and a nice large glass of the local beer Ringnes. It came to about 120NOK which is about $26 AUD, and I guess relatively cheap by Norwegian standards.
We then spent the next few hours exploring some of the local watering holes. The first place we went to was called something like 'The Justice bar'. It was basically a huge two story house with many rooms and a low ceiling (bumped my head on a few doorways). Away from the bar, the place was lit almost entirely by candles. It had a very nice cosy atmosphere. After a half bottle of wine we moved onto the next stop.
The next place we went to was called the Three Brothers and it was quite different. It was set up like an old bookshop, with hundreds, if not thousands, of books lining the walls. Everything was made of a dark wood with many couches and counters to sit around. After a brief stay we decided to head back home and settle in for the night.
Most of the bars and clubs in Norway have their own age restrictions. Even though the legal drinking age is 18 many clubs won't allow you in unless you are over 21. Some clubs will only allow you in if you are over 23. This is because there are two legal drinking ages. When you turn 18 you are allowed to consume beer and wine, however it is not until you are 21 that you can purchase spirits. Therefore, in order to ensure that all patrons are of a legal age, many of the clubs increase their entrance age by a couple of years anticipating that underage patrons will get in. So instead of serving drinks to 16 and 17 year olds, the 21 limited clubs are serving beer and wine to legal patrons. So goes with the 23 clubs and spirits. I guess by also not allowing 18,19 and 20 yo's they reduce incidents of misbehaviour and alcohol abuse... hmmm... well, maybe.
Alcohol is an interesting phenomena in Norway. As I have mentioned before, the sale of alcohol is regulated by the government to the point where you can only buy wine and spirits from the government sponsered shop Vinmonopol. Only recently have they begun opening stores were you can actually physically browse the different products (like in Australia). Most stores require you to select the product from a catalog and the sales assistant goes out the back and gets it for you. The times at which you can buy alcohol are very strict and forget about a drive-through bottle shop... The government taxes all alcohol sales very highly and I think that often taxes make up 60% of the price.
Something that I noticed last weekend in Haugesund was that late at night there are often mid aged people walking around in a brightly coloured uniforms. Margrethe explained that they are mostly parents that have volunteered their time to make sure that everyone behaves themselves. Like any town or city, kids that are too young to drink often congregate in city centre and catch up and just hang around. It was quite amazing to see so many volunteers just wondering around and making sure that everyone was having a good time.
On Sunday we had a bit of a sleep in and then made our way to Holmenkollen. Holmenkollen is a huge ski park where a world cup skiing, biathalon and ski jumping event is held each year. Sunday was the start of the 10 day Holmenkollen Ski Festival. Traditionally the first day is for the kids with many junior ski events, activities and food. The train was packed with mums and dads and excited little kids keen to hit the slopes. I have discovered that unofficially Norwegians have set a limit on how many children you can have. You can only have as many children as you can carry skis. There were all these poor parents carrying up to 4 sets of skis! No wonder you don't see too many large Norwegian families!
Holmenkollen is huge and the ski jump is just awesome. The jump hangs over the entire park and it scared the hell out of me just looking at it (regular readers willl know that I have fear of heights when combined with speed). Essentially the ski jumpers just jump off the ski jump into a huge hole in the ground with some jumpers going as far as 120m. They are crazy! I took a heap of photos so keep an eye out for them soon.
Next to the ski jump is a large arena for the start and finish of the x-country and shooting sections of the biathalon. Today it was full of kids participating in some of the many activities organised for the day. Tiny kids probably no older than 3 were doing some x-country ski events. They looked very cute, in their ski pants, jackets, gloves, hats and tiny skis. Many of them shuffled along very slowly but they were all very determined to finish.
It is amazing the amount of money that families must spend on ski gear. Bj�rn Dahlie is a famous Norwegian skier that has since retirement started producing his own range of ski gear. I can understand why he is now a very rich man. Just about anyone who x-country skis, owns atleast 1 piece of his range of ski gear, if not an entire outfit! Truely amazing and expensive!
After watching some ski jumping we had a look at the Holmenkollen chaple located just up the hill from the ski jump. Apparently the royal family go there on the first day of Christmas each year. I would also understand if a number of ski jumpers also paid a visit there before jumping.
Walking back from the chaple we stopped and had a look at a huge statue of King Olav V. Margrethe tells me that King Olav was a true people's king. He was the previous king to the current monarch and enjoyed x-country skiing with his dog. Apparently there is a well know photograph of him sitting on the train with his ski gear and dog and paying for a ticket. As a youngster he was a keen athlete, even competing in the ski jumping at Holmenkollen.
The ski festival goes until the middle of next week so hopefully I may be able to go out there again before the end of the week.
28/02/02 - 4/03/02
Spent the weekend in Haugesund with Margrethe. We had a very relaxing weekend. We ate some great meals and enjoyed a couple of bottles of wine that Margrethe had won in a raffle at work (She's won it two weeks in a row!). Margrethe also decided to knit me some nice warm socks, so she spent most of the weekend knitting while I read the last two Harry Potter books. And that was it! Very nice!