Motgangs-supporter

Vi Rosenborg-supportere blir ofte beskylt for å være medgangssupportere, som holder med et lag som bare vinner og ikke vet hva det vil si å støtte opp når det går i motbakke. Dette fikk vi til de grader motbevist i fjor. I år har jeg tatt mine evner som motgangssupperter et skritt videre. Men denne gang for et annet lag.. (Jeg må på dette tidspunktet understreke at jeg på ingen måte har sviktet Rosenborg). Under snøstormen på Alfheim i går var det en stemning på tribunene som fikk til og med en svoren RBK-fan til å hyle "Heia TIL" og håpe at stemmen, sammen med de over 6000 andre, ville nå fram til banen gjennom vindkastene og hjelpe Tromsø til å berge plassen i Tippeligaen. For min nye posisjon som motgangs-supporter for TIL har også rent egoistiske baktanker.. For at TIL holder plassen betyr flere gode kamper i byen, og ikke minst besøk av Rosenborg til våren, slik at jeg kan dra på Alfheim og stille meg sammen med borte fansen!

Nok om det. Kampen i går var en opplevelse av de sjeldne. Det er ikke ofte man får oppleve en fotballkamp i ekte snøstorm, der arrangøren må plukke fram en orange ball, og kampen må blåses av med jevne mellomrom for å få måket linjene fri for snø.. En opplevelse man bare får i Tromsø vil jeg tro. De to timene på Alfheim inntullet i alt vi kunne finne av vinterklær, ga begrepet vintersport en helt ny mening. Men det var verdt det. TIL ser ut til å berge plassen, og gullet er tilbake i Trondheim, der det hører hjemme...

Halloween Party

On Saturday there was a great Halloween party at the Peace House. And yes, among many others, a couple of vampires did show up. So I guess we do exist... And I have pictures to prove it!

Vampires - do they exist?

In these Halloween-times, Norwegian newspaper focus on extremely important issues, like "do Vampires really exist"? The researcher Dagbladet had talked to (OK, it isn't only newspapers that use their time and effort wisely...) said that vampires are mathematically impossible. If not, we would all be one. Personally, I don't think we should draw any such firm conclusions yet. Let's wait till after Halloween, and then we can discuss it, OK?

Blog Power

Just two days after I wrote my previous post, King Winter did decide that it was time to come to Tromsø. I believe the decision was made after reading my blog, of course. I love winter. The snow makes everything so much lighter, and the cold is so refreshing. At least if it doesn't get any colder than this.

Because of all the snow, I now have some entertainment here in the city library. I got a desk right by the window overlooking a steep down hill, and from the looks of it - the winter came a little suddenly on people in Tromsø this year. Most have not yet found their winter shoes or brushed the dust off their "walking on slippery snow and ice-skills", it seems. No serious falls yet, luckily, but quite a few funny walking styles and almost-falls have been spotted. (Man får ikke mer moro enn den man lager selv, sant...)

Ok. It's time to stop writing unnecessary blog posts and close the internet here now. I must go back to staring helplessly at the computer screen trying to write a few sentences on my research paper. No luck so far. I wish wasting time could be a full time job. In that case I wouldn't have to worry about not getting a job once student life is over..

Change of Mind

As I headed up to Kirkenes on Monday to hold lectures for secondary school students about Operasjon Dagsverk, I was very curious about two things..
1. What could I possibly do for three whole days + an evening in Kirkenes??
2. Would I be able to hold a lecture about Nepal for a bunch of people without fainting or forget everything I was supposed to say?

After having spent a few hours in Kirkenes on my way to and from Murmansk a few weeks ago, I have said that the only thing that could make me concider living there was if I was very newly married or desperately in love. This tiny city where a Latte is still presented as a "nyhet" and every cafe seems to be closed after 9 pm (exept Ritz, which apparently is the place to be) just didn't seem like the place for me. Spending three days there was not really on top of my priority list. But things change. Kirkenes is also a town where the winter comes early (yes, I count that as a positive thing!). It is the place where I first saw a submarine. And it is a place very close to Finland, which means I had the opportunity to stock up on my favorite chips (with dill). It is basically a very koselig little town. And last but not least; it is the home of a lot of really nice people! I met so many nice people during these three days, and it really confirmed my opinion that: it is not the place that is important. It's the people. I was almost sad to leave Kirkenes last night!

The other issue was the speaking-in-front-of-a-lot-of-people-about-a-topic-that-I-don't-know-too-well issue. Scary. Definitely scary. Monday night I considered locking myself in some room in Tromsø airport, and accidentaly miss my plane. But I didn't. I had put too much work into holding presentations for our poor mirror to chicken out now! And after feeling uncomfortably many nerves on Tuesday morning, I held my first presentation - and found out that it was actually kind of fun!!

And last night, as I went on the plane in Kirkenes, I felt the great, familiar smell of winter. It was great. Can't wait till King Winter decideds to make an apperance in Tromsø too :)

Russian Specialities...

On the first night in Murmansk, the guy next to me at the table said that he thought trying new types of food was the most interesting part of travelling. The woman across the table disagreed, and thought food was next most important after the view.

In the case of Murmansk, I have to say that the food was probably a little more interesting than the view. Because we got a lot of Russian specialities - and I think the word "interesting" describes them quite well. "Indefinable" is another one. But of course, we had to try these indefinable foods now that we had the chance...



Lakserogn (Salmon roe): very strange consistency, strange taste, wouldn't recommend trying it really... But in case you do, have a glass of water (or vodka) ready.






Griseflesk med hvitløk (pig fat with garlic): don't even think about it!








Some kind of fancy chicken: Despite tons of butter, this is VERY good!







Chips with mushroom flavor: Not my first choise of chips...









But I have to point out that we also got a lot of good food in Murmansk :)

However, I also have to say that I don't agree with either of my neighbors at the table. The best thing about travelling is either the food or the view. It is meeting the local people.

Murmansk

I am now back in Tromsø after spending the week-end in Murmansk, Russia, and I have to say that it has been four extremely interesting days visiting our neighbours in the east.

My image of Murmansk before I went, was that it would be a very grey, cold, and boring city. And yes, it is grey, but it is by no means as cold as I feared, and it is certainly not boring!

No one in Murmansk live in regular one-family houses. They all live in five to ten-storyes appartement-buildings, and these buildings all look grey and tired from the outside. This is because it is the municipality's responsibility to renovate them, but they never do. In this way, Murmansk looks like a very grey and tired city at first glance.

However, once you get to know the people, Murmansk comes alive. The reason I went there was a meeting in Save the Children, and because of this we got to meet and work with some of the children that are participating in one of the projects SC are starting in the city. Meeting and getting to know these children was really great, and it made the trip so much more special and interesting.

But there is no doubt that crossing the border between Norway and Russia means crossing one of the borders in the world where the social differences from one side to the other is the biggest. And the system is also very different. We got our passports checked three times on the three hour bustrip from Murmansk to the border, every time by a serious military guy with a gun. Some of the cities are very strictly military cities, where noone is allowed to stop, and in some cities one is not allowed to take pictures. In other cities you are allowed, like in Nikkel and Murmansk - and here are some examples

Dear TromsBuss

Let me make a suggestion.
Take a look at the schedule of the incoming planes to Tromsø Airport.
I am sure the number is not astronomical.

Take a look at the times they arrive.
Then take a look at your flybuss-schedule.
See anything that doesn't match??
Exactly!!!
There is no flybuss for the plane that comes in at 1 am!!

I am pretty sure that I speak for almost everyone who was waiting in the 50 m taxi line for over half an hour Monday night when I say that it would be a good idea to do something about that...

Train-question

After taking a fair amount of trains recently, I am left with one question:

Why is it always my train that has to stop and wait five minutes for the train going the opposite direction??

Enjoying the Last Days of Vacation

There are many Excuses to Drink..

(advertisement seen in the streets of Windhoek)

Ooops, I did it Again...

It seems like I never learn..

Finally, the sun and summer temperatures have decided to find their way to Os also. And in true Norwegian summer spirit, I find my bikini and go to lay out on the veranda at the first hint of sun. That is how the Norwegian summer works. So now I have spent a few days just sitting out on the veranda, trying to read in the great, warm sun. It has been great! But too bad that I forgot that thing called sunblock - again! I am now so red that I can barely sit, and I shouldn't go out in the sun again today. But how can anyone sit in when there is weather like this??

The thing which is quite strange to think about is that only a couple of weeks ago I was in Khorixas, where 20 degrees felt really, really cold. It is winter in Namibia now, and people were wearing their jeans and winter jackets - which are just as thick as Norwegian winter jackets (boblejakker på godt norsk!). People were talking about how cold it was, and the funny thing is that I, too, would disapprovingly shake my head and complain about the temperatures being low. It really felt cold!! And here it feels really hot! Strange.

Snapshots from the Khorixas Album

Me and my host brothers Dion and Dannie


















Me and 2-year-old sister Mercy posing in traditional Damara dresses
















Donkerhoek and some of the children there



















Khorixas:

















... and the "Norway Boys":

Back on Norwegian Soil

For those of you who were starting to wonder whether I had been eaten by a lion, I can assure you that I am back home safe and sound. Back home in Norway, that is! And even though I have had a good time and experienced a lot during my seven weeks in Namibia, I have to say that it feels extremely good to be back home too.

Matt, the American Peace Corps volunteer in Khorixas, asked me the day before I left; so, what will you tell all the people at home when they ask if Namibia was as you expected it to be? And that was not an easy question. Because it wasn’t really as I expected it to be, but then again, I can’t really say exactly how I expected it to be, either.

To put everything I have experienced this summer down on paper would be impossible. And for that matter, I don’t think I have realised everything I have learned yet, I guess that comes with time and distance. But what I do know is that I have learned a lot; about Namibia, about other people and cultures, and not to forget – I have learned a lot about myself.

Of course I have experienced both positive and negative things during the last seven weeks. I have seen things that made me cry, I have heard things that left a big lump in my troat. The words “extreme poverty” and “living of less than a dollar a day” have become painfully real to me. Because even though they have tried to hide the extreme poverty in areas called Donkerhoek (The Dark Corner) outside the towns (out of sight, out of mind?), it is there. One of the UN’s millenium development goals is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger within 2015. There is certainly a long way to go. The people in Donkerhoek have never heard about the UN. They live in sheds with no electricity or water, and struggle to get one meal a day. Seeing this, the millenium goal seems so far away. I don’t see how it can be obtained. But I certainly hope that there is a way.

The crime rate is also high, and as a response to this there were always guards with guns in the grocery store, in the pubs, everywhere. I guess they were there to protect us, but I always found it a little uncomfortable. And one thing I think I could never get used to is the lack of freedom I often felt. I am used to being able to walk home alone at four o’clock in the morning, or go jogging by myself in the woods. Now I couldn’t be outside after dark, not unless I had someone go with me. In Khorixas that was OK, because I always had someone to walk with, but in Windhoek it was more difficult. To walk around in the centre by myself was OK, but I tried not to go outside downtown. And I couldn’t take a taxi alone either, so I was pretty much stuck in the centre or at the guesthouse. The fact that I couldn’t go out alone after dark made me feel that six hours were cut off my day, and I didn’t like that feeling. This has really made me appreciate the freedom I have here in Norway, a freedom which I always used to take for granted.

But I shouldn’t only focus on the negative side, because I have experienced a lot of great things this summer also. One thing is the culture, all the music and dancing – that will bring you in a good mood even if you’re having a bad day. I have met a lot of really nice people, and the hospitality and friendliness that I met from people was amazing. Namibians might not be rich when it comes to material things, but they are certainly very rich in culture, hospitality and friendliness. And my host family was great. It was so nice of them to take me into their house for a few weeks, and they not only took me into their home but also into their family. After the four weeks I spent up there I really felt like one of the family, and it was sad to leave. The children were a wide range of ages – 2, 8, 18 and 20 – so they all had different interests which meant that I got to experience a lot of different things. I can’t wait to see them again when I go back this winter.

And I have also met some other amazing and inspiring people who have started many interesting projects for children from poor or troubled areas. Since my project is about sports for development, I also wanted to talk to people who have started other sport projects in the country. And it turned out to be quite a few. I met a woman who had started a weekly football tournament for several hundred kids to keep them away from doing “not-so-good”-things and give them confidence and organization skills. I met a guy who had started an organization that imported thousands of broken bikes from abroad so that people could learn mechanical skills and open small businesses, in addition to exercising and improving their health. I met someone who had started an organization that focused on young kids who had come in trouble with the police – and which also organized sports events to keep these kids out of the streets. And I met many more. And to see what these projects do for the kids - how happy they are when they are playing, and how much they appreciate having something like this to do – that is a great sight. I know that sport is not a miracle cure that can fix all the problems in the world. Not by a long shot. It doesn’t end poverty, hunger, criminality or conflicts. But it can certainly be a helping factor in some cases. And it gives the kids something to do, a free time where they can think about something else than all the difficulties at home. Sports can’t help them all. But it can help some. And that’s important too.

Off to see the Elephants

The days just seem to fly by here in Namibia, and today it is just a week untill I leave.. I don't know how the days manage to go so incredibly fast, the days just never seem to have enough hours.. Since I got to Windhoek I have gotten a lot of interviews with different organisations and people working with different sports for development projects here in the area. There are a lot of interesting projects and facinating people with many great ideas! Yesterday I went to a huge football tournament that one American lady arranges for over 500 kids every Saturday!

Otherwise I have gone shopping for some really nice souvernirs, and although my bargaining skills are not the best, they are improving - and I actually made a deal I was quite proud of yesterday. I am now planning to buy an African drum, but a friend of mine is going to help me with that, since he said that they will ask much more from me since I'm a tourist. So now the only problem will be actually getting the thing on the plane.

And from tomorrow I decided to take a few day's vacation, and go on a safari up to the Etosha National Park. It is a camping safari, and I have to say that I wonder how it is going to be sleeping in a tent, since I normally sleep with two duvets, two blankets and a sleepingbag - indoors! (people told me that it would be cold here this time of year.. but I don't think I managed to imagine quite how cold...) But I have survived quite a few camping trips in Iceland, and surely Africa can't be colder than that! Anyway, I can't wait to go up to Etosha, and I really hope to see some Elephants, Giraffes, and Lions - oh, and not to forget the Meerkats, of course!

I hope you are all enjoying the summer!
I am going to try to stay in a safe distance from the lions.. I'll tell you how it went on Wednesday!

AUCH!!!

Those four last posts were things I have had on my memory pen for a while. Maybe not so interesting, but since I had already written them, I decided that I might as well publish them, too.

Things have changed a little bit since that last one was written. I am in pain. IN PAIN!! And I only have myself to blame... You see, I decided that the lemon blonde hair was not enough. I needed a tan. So this morning, I took my book with me, put on some SPF 10 and sat in the garden for a while. The SPF 10 did not do the trick. At all. Result: One red lobster in pain. AAAAAAUUUCH! OK. Enough complaining.

Windhoek is treating me well. I am doing some interviews, some shopping, and hanging out with friends. And now I have to go. I have to prepare some questions to ask at the Ministry of Youth and Sport tomorrow. Wish me luck :)

Lemon

Just as I suspected, my skin refuses to get any kind of tan - even if exposed to the strong sun of Africa. (Well, that is not quite true. I have discovered that one part of my body actually gets a tan. I have a tan line from my sandals. But somehow that just makes it look like my feet are dirty. ) I have a sneaking suspicion that none of you will believe me when I say that I have spent 6 weeks in Africa. You will all think I decided to do my fieldwork on football in Siberia instead.

So I decided that at least I have to make use of the sun for something - and that is to get my hair blonder. Therefore, my brother Dannie and I decided to do a little myth-buster, and see if there actually is some truth to the good, old lemon trick. So we squeezed a couple of lemons in my hair and made a couple of highlights in Dannie's. And it worked! Well, Dannie's hair didn't really change at all. But my highlights did! Some of them actually turned platinum blonde!

And that will be my evidence of having spent a month and a half in the sun. That, and the sandal tan-line, off course.

Separated at Birth?

Now in these World Cup times, I was talking to my football fanatic neighbor Philip. The subject of Sweden participating in the World Cup came up, and he asked which famous players plays for Sweden. I listed up the ones I knew, ending with Zlatan Ibrahimovich. Then there was a little pause where my neighbor just looked at me before he said "Yeah. You actually look like him".

Well, I don't know MJ, do Zlatan and I make it to your look-alike-list??

Jump, Shake your Bootie

The first days I was here, at the preparation course for the Norway Cup project, I learned a new game. It was called "Jump, shake your bootie", and turned out to be very useful when I have tried to learn a little bit of Namibian dancing.

The dancing here is just incredible. Dancing is such a big part of the culture, and almost everyone dances wherever there is music - which means basically everywhere. And it is just amazing to see.

So I decided that I also wanted to try to learn to dance the way they do here. And this involves a lot more flexibility than I am used to, and yep, also a lot more bootie shaking! But I just can't help trying to dance when I hear this music. And my attempts are always met with laughter and applause, and I just try to convince myself that they are laughing with me and not of me. I undersatnd that even if I try to do like thay show me to, my dancing just looks very, very stiff to them. "Why aren't you people more free?" they ask me. Good question. I didn't find an answer.

I have decided that learning by observing is probably the best way. And the posibilities to observe are many. At the break time of a football tournament, the boys will put on some music and have kind of an impulsive dance show on the side of the field. I think you would have to search long and hard to find 15 year old boys in Norway doing the same. At the youth hall there are often traditional dancing competitions, and even the smallest social gatherings seems to involve music, dancing, and singing. At the preparation course when the boys were asked to show us some traditional dancing, they didn't hesitate for a second. When we Norwegian people there tried to come up with some dance to show them, we had a hard time coming up with any. And when I ask the boys what they'd like to know more about Norway, they always respond that they would like to know more about Norwegian traditional dances..

Unfortunately, I don't think my learning by observing method has made me a much better dancer. But at least it has given me a lot of fun, and let me see some incredible dancing skills!

A Lesson in Namlish

Even though English is the official language of Namibia, it is noone's actual mother tounge. Actually a school here in Khorixas has a poster on their door saying:

"Don't be ashamed if you make mistakes when speaking English, it is a foreign language!"

At home most people speak one of the bezillion tribal languages, and often they don't start to learn English before they start school - when they have to learn it because all lectures are given in English. Therefore, the level of English varies greatly.

There are a few phrases here that everybody use when they speak English, though, phrases you don't normally hear an English speaker use. Therefore, we can call the language Namlish. For an already language-confused Norwegian, Namlish can be a bit hard to follow at times, at least before you recognize the pattern.

The thing that has been most confusing to me is the use of the word "must". "Must" is used in every context, and covers pretty much everything from can, could, should, will, have to, and do-you-want-me-to. While I always think of must as in "have to" (Norwegian "maa"). So, on my first day when my brother asked me "must I save some of the dinner for you Hanna?", I just said "oh, you don't have to if there is not enough"... But later I realized he was actually just asking if I wanted some dinner.. I did want some dinner!

The one thing I find most funny, though, is this: time apparently has a different meaning here, and the word "now" means more like "in a couple of hours" than "right now". So what is very funny to me is when a person is telling me they'll be back in a little while by saying "I am coming right now" just as they turn and walk away from you. I am still working on getting used to Namibian time..

And when I come back home, chances are big that I will end every sentence with "neh?" or "man!"

Gotta go! See you later, neh?