just keep writing

Ok, this blogging break havent been good for me. I feel really lazy again. But tomorrow starts my new project, and I have to complete it. Day by day. So.... Keep reading guys, a new thing is on the way. Thanks to an idea from my friend, Guro! :-)

<-- A little hint...

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Hi guys,

I am around. Just preparing a special advent edition of the blog.

This is how it hopefully is gonna look like when the waiting time is over and I'll be home for Christmas. Lots of snow and beautiful light on the sky...

Competition!

Think out a new, smart blogging-each-day-project I can start now that the alphabet thing is over!

The person who wins gets to make Christmats gingerbread cookies with me! :) As I'm doing here, 100 years ago, together with my sister and mom. I'm the lovely lady to the left, with the lovely girly hairdo.. Making a gingerbread house, important Norwegian tradition.
Cant wait for Christmas to begin!

Now I know my A. B, C's...

As Maya and Ellen have pointed out along this journey through the alphabet, I have made more than one mistake. I skipped E and now I think that there are 2 letters after Y. You can't really blame me though, in Norwegian there are 3 more letters in the alphabet, Æ, Ø and Å.
But now I'm at the end of the road, wondering what to do next. Now I need a new project and if anyone has an idea, give me! I know a friend has suggested one picture from each year of my life. Interesting challenge. Access to digital pictures from those days are limited, now. But at home in my parents house, my father has a huge library of photos. He has one or two folders for each year since the 60's, and he has a scanner. So getting pictures WILL be possible. During Christmas, when I'm going home (hurray!).

But today's picture I have known the whole time what would be. A picture from Zanzibar. I spent a semester in Tanzania when I was in Uni, and outside Dar Es Salaam where I stayed, lie the beautiful islands of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is commonly seen as one particular place, but it consists of the two islands, Unguja and Pemba. Unguja is the main island where most tourists visit. My life long regret will be that I only went there twice within those 5 months I was there... It was truly amazing, beautiful, paradisic (a word?), special, magic. Such an amazing mix of Asian and African culture, together with the Islamic. Herbs, fruits, scarfs, colours, fish, white beaches, superblue water. The smell of cloves everywhere. The night food market, the lovely restaurants with the amazing Zanzibari food, different from anything you'd get anywhere else in Tanzania. The calls for prayer all over the island, the narrow streets, and finally - The Zanzibari Doors, which I have decided to show today. This is how the traditional doors used to look like. They are hand carved, and were originally supposed to protect and show wealth and security.

Zanzibar is an amazing place, it's not just a cliche in the tourist brochures. Gosh, now I REALLY feel like going there!!

The picture is stolen from a friend, Kristin! Hope you dont mind I stole your photo...

Lazy

It's weekend and weekends are used to relax, and not work right? So a cheap shot... Y is for Yngvild. Picture taken in a museum in my hometown, where my sister had her wedding ceremony and reception this summer. It's an old house where the richest family in Vadsø lived in the 19th century. Old furniture, old wallpaper, old paintings, and very cool atmosphere. I couldn't help myself and had to get some pictures taken. Unfortunately my clothes and glasses were too up to date to make it authentic, but I think I have the serious 19th century woman facial expression. Haha.

Have a lovely weekend you guys!

Help.. I have only 2 letters left!! Ideas on what my next row of posts should be about??

xcuse me

X

Never underestimate the power of water

Water is something I like alot. I grew up in Norway, used to constant flow of water and electricity and all that. Living the sweet, comfortable life. Of course not knowing myself how well off I actually was. Until I experienced water shortages in Ghana. In Tanzania. After experiencing 5 days in a row without any water, while living in a student dorm in Tanzania, sharing 1 toilet with 7 girls. Or after days without water in Ghana, while sharing a toilet with a family of 5 + all their friends and neighbors. After taking a bath in bottled water, or after buying a bag of sachet water, cutting them up and pouring them in a bucket to later use it for bathing. Washing clothes with a deciliter of water cos you have to save. Waking up early and run down 7 floors to fill up all you have that can carry water from the water tank on campus before its empty. I could go on and on.

No matter how priviliged I was before, I HAVE LEARNED. Water is so basic. The presence of water decides how your day is gonna be. I love water. And it's a human right. And, it starts with W. The picture is from Tanzania, on an incredibly hot day.

Home, sweet home!

I've spent the whole evening looking for a picture starting with U. Getting more and more annoyed at how hard it was. Not remembering that yesterday was the U-day. Today is V and Very easy. V is for Vadsø , my hometown, where I spent the first 18 years of my life before I jumped on a plane headed for Ghana. It's a small town, far north in Norway, with about 6000 something inhabitants. Here it is in the dark. I live right below the Hill from where the photo is taken. The big lighted area right below is my primary school.

In the next pic, taken from the air, you can see parts of the city covered in snow. The island in the top of the picture was actually the real Vadsø. Vadsø means Water Island, and the first known settlements in this area was on that island, rather than on the mainland. It's a nice place, come visit! :-)

Unn-Eirill

This is one of my best friends. Unn-Eirill. She is, like me, blessed with a name close to impossible to pronounce outside Norway. I met her when I was a fresh student at NTNU in Trondheim, ready to start my wonderfully (so far useless) bachelor's degree in African Studies. She was one of 3 girls who were getting involved with The African Studies Student Union. Those 3 girls became my best friends throughout my studies. And I still keep them close. We have been trying to keep Unn-Eirill close but she keeps moving further and further away from us...

Together we have:
1. Travelled on a crazy university trip to Ghana
2. Had millions of lovely nights together with the 2 other girls - accompanied by wine or chocolate.
3. Rode the last leg of a biking tour where I live, during my bachelorette party
4. Cooked for 500 students during the International Student Festival in Trondheim
5. Laughed!!

Unn! I miss you. Don't move to Harstad. Move here!!

Pic: Eating light soup at my wedding!

The terrible (??) two's

Today we have celebrated a very special person. She is a mix of Ghana and Norway and the most precious little girl I know. And by far the most beautiful. I cant wait till I get one of those of my own.
Today it was miss Fafaly's birthday and she turned the magic number of TWO. Isn't she gorgeous?

Super Saturday

Today my good friend invited me to join her on a trip into Trondheim, the biggest city near to where I live. It's also the city I studied African Studies for 3 years. I really love it there. But I dont know anymore if I want to live there. Anyway its nice to have it just a good hours drive from where I live now.

The point IS. That we got paid yesterday, and today we went Shopping! Yay. In Trondheim, they have many more shops and stuff than here. That actually means that it's harder to get anything done, cause you keep walking from shop to shop.
But someone are the lucky recievers of these for their birthdays and Christmas. And I have a lovely dress for my job's Christmas party.

Good things:

1. Went to Trondheim with a good friend.
2. Got to feel the big city feeling.
3. The weather was milder than it has been lately, and its warm in my bathroom again (long story, might tell you later, if only to vent my own frustration...)

Good Sunday to all!

Long time no see

Friday.
The best day of the week if you ask me.
At work we joke and laugh and really get into the Friday mood. It's such an easy day to get through. It's just a happy day.
Unfortunately for my wanting to be a little bit healthier, Friday is also a day where there is snacks, chocolate, cakes or something bad in our lunch break room...

I fell to the temptation today and ate some chocolate. Right English? Who cares. I was at the gym this morning and burned them off in advance.
Over to today's picture. It is R for Reunion. These two girls were exchange students in Ghana when I was there 8 years ago. We attended the same program. The one in the middle is from USA and the one to the left is from Norway. We met in Trondheim in August. The two girls lived in Sunyani while I lived in Kumasi, but we travelled together, and met on camps for exchange students. Two very funny and interesting girls I have shared a lot of crazy times with. Let me sum up:

1. a 26 hour boat trip on the Volta lake, through sunshine and thunderstorms.
2. a taxi ride from Busua to Takoradi, a 5 person car carrying 12 people.
3. nights in Tamale guesthouses with curfew and scary police with big guns (during the Yendi crisis in 2002).

GOod times.

Que?

Oh my God, Q?? I mean. I dont have anything. nothing. Apart from a pathetic try. This is an African Queen. Haha. Have a nice weekend guys, I'll be better on R. Promise.

(Oh, by the way, it is ME.)

By the way, good good good thing today. I put my fingers on a piano again at work, and was able to make melodies. Just using chords, but still. I like. :-)

I have a problem finding titles for my posts

Hey!

I wanna say to all you new (and old) followers of the blog - WELCOME!
And I am honoured that you have decided to follow me, and I appreciate it!

Today we have reached the letter P. 10 letters left, if I'm not making a gigantic alphabet blunder again. And if I'm not adding the 3 extra letters we have in the Norwegian alphabet.

Under P comes Pounding fufu. Unfortunately the picture of me pounding doesn't exist on my harddisk, but I did pound it though. Trying to impress Hubby with fufu on an early stage of our relationship. The pic is taken in Haatso, Accra, where I stayed for a 4 month period, working as a personal assistant for a Norwegian student doing research in Ghana. We shared accomodation with this strapping young man who is pounding, while I'm doing the so called "driving" (?), scared to death that my fingers will be one of the ingredients in the fufu.

For those with no Ghanaian reference reading this, fufu is ... boiled yam, cassava and/or plaintain, which is pounded together like on the picture, and it eventually turns into a ball, sticky, like dough...which is placed into a delicious soup and eaten. And enjoyed!

what is YOUR favorite soup?

Good things today (and these are good!):

1. Went to the 6.45 spinning class at the gym, all ALONE (usually i go with a friend).
2. Had lots of chocolate in front of me during a staff meeting, but I didnt touch it.
3. Finished my mom's Christmas present. I think.

Obamarama

I'm exhausted. I dont want to write a lot of bullshit. So today, for O, there will be an Obama/Mills-joke. Haha funny for us who know Ghana, and really boring for the rest of you. Unless I explain it, that is ;-)

John Atta-Mills (to the right, in case you were in doubt..) is the current president of Ghana. He made the deadly mistake of saying "ecomini" in a speech he held. So hereby, the funny joke...

How to explain the word "paa" at the end of his thought..? Any Ghanaians wanna help here? "Paa" means.....Hubby says it doesnt exist in English. So how do I know in my head exactly what it means, but I cant explain it? Mills is basically saying: "Oh, Prez Obama, you are making fun of mee...ohh". You see? I had to add another Ghanaian thing ... ohh...

Language is great!

GOod night!

In my Father's house

This is the Nidaros Cathedral, or Nidaros Dome in Trondheim. The build of this magnificent church commenced in the 1030's, risen over the burial ground of a Norwegian king, Olav, who is now known as Saint Olav. His mission was to gather Norway to one kingdom (when we were still many independent kingdoms), and also make it a Christian nation. He tried to do this with threaths, killing and injuring, and stealing land from those who refused to abide to this new religion. The traditional Norse Mythology stood strong in Norway and he gained many enemies by his ways. In the end he was murdered in a battle in Stiklestad, about 10 km north of where I live right now!

It is said his hair and nails continued to grow after his death. People meant it to be a miracle, and his efforts to Christianize Norway paid off after his death. He is now known as Holy Olav or Saint Olav, the man who made Norway a Christian nation (although through bloodshed).

Todays history lesson along with a photo of Hubby and me outside this astonishing building. It always fills me with awe looking at it, and being inside it (if you get to be alone without tourists) makes you wonder how such a thing could be build that long ago. I love the place.

Good things are not so hard to find:
1. Sunshine, sunshine, frost.
2. Warm feet all day in my new shoes.
3. Tried out a new class at the gym and was suprised about my own (good) shape.

Me, myself and I

No time, no time, need sleep. We have gotten to the letter M and I'm taking the cheap way out. A picture of Me, the Mountaineer.

Chopping wood last Easter at my brother in law's cabin... very Norwegian, and not so very Me.

Night night.

My best friend

Your best friend should be someone you spend a lot of time with right?





Someone you share everything with and do everything with?

I have a special friend and her name is
Laura.
We met as exchange students in Ghana, spent 10 intense months in the same crazy country as confused teenagers. We attended a school so different from the schools we came from, we lived in families so different from those we had back home, we walked the streets of Kumasi, a city so far from our respective hometowns, hers in Germany, mine in Norway. We spent ALMOST every day of that year together. In school, in Baboo's Bazaar (for those who know Kumasi), after school, sharing a soda and sharing frustrations and funny stories. We experienced so many things together, and we had this, I would call it, life-changing experience together.












No one else can ever understand what we lived in Ghana. Nobody can replace the importance this girl represents in my life. Even though our intense year is 8 years behind us now, we are still friends. We have a loose pact to meet every year. She was here this year, as my maid of honor. So I guess I'm going to Germany in 2010!
If you still live there! Will May be ok for you, honey?

Ich hab' dich lieb.

Lower pic:
Laura to the left, in our school uniforms from Kumasi Secondary Techincal School. Me to the right.

Easy and safe

I have fallen behind I feel, cos of Wedenesday without a post. It's now one hour into Saturday but I will take time to post although I should go to sleep. What a lovely Friday. Had a visit from a friend from work, we drank beer and talked all night. It was lovely. And refreshing with new people in my life.

We have come to the letter K, and I'm choosing something easy and safe. Hubby. His name is Kofi in Ghana. And here he is at Labadi beach. Before he put a ring on his finger.
I am so blessed.

Played this song for our first dance at our wedding.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

(Rascal Flatts - God blessed the broken roads.)

Me do wu.

Jeeez....

I'm tired of all the things with this apartement. After the toilet finally got fixed, the internet started fooling. Actually, the internet fools about once every week. It's something about the server. I live in an apartement block. 4 apartements + the landlord is sharing an internet connection. The main server is in his house. We are on the top, and the internet keeps falling out here, but not downstairs. My computer says: Cannot communicate with primary DNS-server.

Anyone wanna tell me what that means and how to fix it please? The landlord has to pull out a plug to the main router to get it to work again. And am I tired of calling and nagging at the landlord all the time? Yes. But he is very nice and patient though. So yesterday was internet free, and then you get to feel how addicted you actually are of this lovely invention. What was life like without internet? Unbearable I guess.

But yesterday should have been J so here is Jesus. With his mama Mary. This picture frame hangs on the wall in my mother-in-law's house in Tema. My husband's nine year old (at the time) niece took this picture. I let her go around the house with my camera (nervously watching and making sure my lovely Canon Ixus didnt fall to the hard floor), taking pics of what she wanted. I liked that she took this picture of Holy Mary and her Son.

IIIIIIIII

Ok, now I have spent about 30 minutes looking for a picture starting with I. And it was IIIIIImpossible, I tell you. I couldn't find anything remotely close to starting with an I. I was about to put a pic there with a Norwegian title starting with I, but I changed my mind.

So, my dear readers, you get to enjoy a bad quality picture of a person I don't know, but have met once, doing Ice skating right next to our apartement here in Levanger.

The girl is from Thailand, and was here last year, doing an exchange year in high school. I did that in Ghana when I was 18. I lived with a family in Kumasi and went to secondary school there. The most memorable year of my life, no doubt about that. Now a new batch of students are in Levanger, and I am a contact person for another girl from Thailand. I wonder if I will take her skating one day. I dont have any skates, so the answer to that will probably be NO.

When I was a little girl, my dream was to have ice skates. The white ones, that the ice dancers used. My two best friends both had skates and I didnt. I used to sit in my bedroom looking out the window at my two friends having fun and skating at the parking lot at my school. I wanted skates sooooo bad. If I played with them, and they were skating, I only got to act as their coach, since I didnt have skates. Boring. But that Christmas I got skates from my parents. I had a diary back then and it is full of my joyous thoughts about me getting skates.... Oh joy. But now I dont have them anymore, and I dont have the skills either.

Today:

1. Had a nice day at work with my nice colleagues.
2. Landlord got a plumber to fix my toilet (hope I wont have to pay the bill....)
3. Went to the gym with a friend and had light soup served for dinner by wonderful Hubby (who is shouting at the TV cos Man U is losing and the referee is an idiot. Really. He is.)

nothing to write home about

I know this pic is bad quality, but I think everyone can see the name of the hotel:

Hell Hotel. Sooo funny, haha. It's a place called Hell not far from where I live, and tourists think it's very funny to take pictures especially at the train station. There they have an old sign, in old formal Norwegian saying:

Hell
Gods Expedition.

Gods means cargo... but Hello?! Funny.

I dont have much to say today cos our toilet is still clogged and it makes me angry cos the landlord hasnt called a plumber yet, and he blames me for it, and he complains about everything we do and I want to move but I cant find a place we can afford. Grrr..

good things:

1. Early shift at work, 6.30am -2pm. Made perfect pizza dough for a birthday boy.
2. Went to the gym
3. Am baking bread..

What a boring day.

E is for Eeeeediot

Shhh! Don't tell anyone at the nursery school I work that I don't know my A, B, C's....

The smart lady to the left is the only one who noticed that I skipped E in the photo alphabet...

And therefore, in her honor, I put her picture here. Of course, her name is Ellen.

Fun facts about Ellen:

1. She used to be my karate student, but turned out to be a good friend.
2. She is very HOT.
3. She owns that motorbike.
4. She lives and studies nursing in Australia, but she is from the far far North.
5. Her whole name is Ellen Margareta Blind Hansen!
6. She is really good at her A, B, C's....

Thanks, Ellen, for pointing out my mistake...
I'll try to be serious from now on!