Trying to clear up stuff

Norway = this country.
Scandinavia = Denmark, Sweden, Norway.
Nordic Countries = Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway.
The Cap of the North = Areas north of the Arctic Circle in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Lapland = kind of similar area, but larger than, The Cap of the North, where the indigenous (sami) people of the North live.

Also, for more clarifications: Scandinavia and the World

Prejudice and Prejudice

 Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish and Russian teenagers discussing their prejudice

 Groups doing the Around the World game I posted last week

 Four Russians, alone in insisting that "blonde people are stupid"

 Temmy, listening to what twelve-year-olds think about foreign food

Yesterday, we went, five Red Cross youths, to the 4-H Youth Camp in Manndalen, to teach them about tolerance and inclusion - and prejudice. Therese, Jonas and Sara did the Around the World game with half the group, while Temmy and I did Yes/No/Maybe with the rest. Our exercise is very simple: Three tables, one for Yes, one for No, and one for Maybe. Then we throw statements at the group, and they have to go to the answer they feel is most right, before we ask them why. Some of the questions are very light-hearted, some serious, and most of them impossible to find a single answer to. Examples:
"Foreign food is very spicy"
"I could date someone in a wheelchair"
"I find it hard to trust immigrants"

The participants this time were around 12-15, and it was incredibly interesting to see the differences in the different groups. Our first group was remarkably moral, stating that of course you would date someone in a wheelchair, because you can't judge someone from their looks, their physical or intellectual abilities. Then the Russians came and claimed that blondes were stupid. Ah well, can't get them all.

I think a lot of them learnt to think more about stereotypes, and I hope they'll keep some of this with them. And of course, I was reminded that teenagers are old enough to reason these things out, like when these small blonde girls were talking to Temmy, admitting that they would be scared if a darker-skinned man was walking towards them (even in daytime), yet also realising this fear probably came from too much media exposure.

Flora

Apple blossoms, I think (happy summer days)

Apologies

I've been a bit lax with posting lately, not because I've been to busy, or because nothing has happened, I'm just a bit rubbish at the moment.

I'm reading lots of books before I go on holiday (RC summer camp + Oslo/Nesodden) next week;
I'm housesitting a bit for my parents and removing weeds from (weeding?) their blackcurrant bushes. And my ability to write sentences is decreasing every day, it seems. Hopefully Jane Austen will bring it back to me.

Midsummer's Day

 As good a day as any to get married

 I walked to the bay, where there was a midsummer's party

 And a fire! Because, because, you need a fire.

 And all the children pretending the water is warm enough to dip your feet in

And, apparently a midsummer's pole.

Midsummer in Norway is a big mix of the Christian St John's Day and the pagan Midsummer celebration. I don't really mind as long as I'm allowed to have a barbeque and sunshine and be happy.

Weekend

Watch this film, please do. It's a sweet little romance, a bit like Before Sunrise or Before Sunset. There are so many moments everyone can recognise in this. I'm neither gay nor a man, yet I feel like one of the main characters, with my old phone and buying everything in charity shops. Anyway. Go!

Weather again because

Blatant lies. It's been pouring down all day here, so maybe Falmouth has seen sunshine? 

I should take some photos soon, though. The rain turns everything green and lush.

Around the world

Hello, hello. Today I was translating an exercise I'm doing with the Red Cross for a group of teenagers in a few weeks. Apparently there will be English-speakers there, and of course we'll do it in English.

I thought I would test it on you. Let me know whether I've used words that seem odd or expressions that are slightly wrong or anything like that.

It could be called The Prejudice Game of Prejudice, but its actual name is Around the World.

a) Look at the list below.
b) Choose a crew of three people you would like to travel around the world with - on a sailboat.
c) Choose a crew of three people you would definitely not want to travel around the world with - on a sailboat.
d) Everyone on the list are excellent sailors with a lot of knowledge about sailing around the world.
e) Let me know what you think/what your lists are (I will post mine at the end of this post).

List of people you could travel with

1. A mercenary who has participated in several armed conflicts
2. A Belgian Catholic missionary priest
3. A beer-drinking crook (criminal)
4. A young, female prostitute from Ghana
5. A woman from Rwanda who has been crippled by a landmine
6. A gay Spanish singer/artist
7. An Afghan member of Taliban
8. An Egyptian businessman wanted for fraud
9. A female American heroin addict
10. A rich, lazy, Italian playboy
11. A mother with seven children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years, she must bring her youngest child
12. A Tibetan monk who only speaks his mother tongue
13. An obese person, weighing 385 pounds
14. An ex-prisoner who has served twenty years for murder
15. A model who has posed naked for a porn magazine and looks like Naomi Campbell
16. A previous dictator from Uganda
17. A previous sailor from North Africa who has been out of work the last ten years, who smells and is dirty
18. A blind, female nomad
19. A gypsy who exorcises demons
20. A 25-year-old HIV-positive man

So?

Personally, I chose

Crew I do want to go with

1. A mercenary who has participated in several armed conflicts

2. A gay Spanish singer/artist

3. A previous sailor from North Africa who has been out of work the last ten years, who smells and is dirty

Crew I do not want (at all)

1. An Egyptian businessman wanted for fraud

2. A rich, lazy, Italian playboy

3. A mother with seven children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years, she must bring her youngest child

I'm very conditioned through the Red Cross and through travelling though. I tried to think of who would be stronger physically, but also would be comfortable at sea and motivated, and not kept back by anything. And the opposite for the negative list. This does not mean I don't respect these people in a normal setting, I just think it would be difficult to be HIV-positive or a heroin addict on a boat trip around the world.

In real life this exercise also includes people in groups making new lists, and then the whole group making a final list.

Boats'n'things

 Went on a trip to Kvaløya the other day, which is the island outside the Tromsø island (ø/øy=island)

 Looked at old boat houses that are still in use

 New dried fish (stockfish)

 Beautiful sunshine, around 9 p.m.

Walked out on an islet where the seagulls were shrieking loudly,

turned to my right and realised I was almost standing in their nest.

Didn't take the eggs since I wanted to come home without a clawed-open head.

We've had a lot of grey weather this week. But when the sun comes out in the evening, or at midnight, and everything is green (because of all the rain) and everyone is outside and happy, you realise why people settled here, and why they are staying. Why you yourself is staying. All the patriotism stems from these three, short summer months.

Mats er gammel

 my cousin Mats, reading all my brother's old comics

Having caught four or five different types of fish (halibut, cod, mackerel and pollock, I think)

Eating all the cake

Gratulerer med dagen, Mats! My cousin turned nine a few days ago, I completely forgot because of reasons. But happy birthday now, at least we had cake in advance a few weeks ago!

summernowplzkthxbai

Dina, my Norwegian Pixie

 Dina with my cousin Helena (this (to Dina) is probably something, removed in English)

 Watch comparisons, because guess who just got her first watch?

 This one, and mighty proud of it too

 Dina looking like a hippie-child

Mats, Dina, and Elisa

Our family was visiting from Germany a few weeks ago, my aunt, her husband our German uncle, and their three children. I am always very jealous of their easy mastery of three languages - German and Norwegian from their parents, and English from school/films/internet. They also learn French and Latin and whatnot. I came and picked them up from my sister's house and drove them back to Tromsø, just to find out there was an airport strike and they would have to go all the way back on Monday to find an open airport. Anyway, we had a good weekend, and if you ever feel that I am crowding you with toddler photos (which there will be more of), remember that this is also a way of showing my photos to my family, wherever they are.

Pappa!

going on phototrips with dads on summer evenings, how it should be

And finally, London III

 I met up with my Norwegian friend Ingrid in London, ate good food, went for a walk and ate some more

 Sister did her last minute shopping an hour before we went to get the train

Hyde Park's all right, isn't it? 

Leaving London is always such an odd mix of green and industrial landscape

Last photo taken on the train which led us to Gatwick, on the very train where I put a hand-luggage suitcase up on the overhead rack (no, it'll be fine there, anyway, there's no other space for it) which later fell onto my sister's head, which luckily she had her glasses on top of, and her glasses broke but her head is all right, or at least, no worse than it was before. Next time I will make space for my bag... somewhere else.

London II

 My sister, always afraid to have too little to drink: At our short picnic, we had a whole bottle of wine, a massive bottle of water, two smaller bottles of water, two different apple juices, and probably some cider I've forgotten...

 Hampstead Heath was our chosen place to stay hydrated on this wonderful summer day

 One very hydrated, happy (we did have wine), out-shopped sister 

 Dedicated to Christine. He-lloo Panda!

Love walking from City to Brick Lane, such a change in buildings and environment.

We're getting there, aren't we? Today is two weeks since I returned to Tromsø, which has been behaving much like Falmouth used to, with snow and sunshine and rain and sleet in a big, odd mixture. Tomorrow I will post the last London photos and there will be a return of family + random nature photos, since this is all that happens/exists in Tromsø, unless I am reckless enough to bring my camera to an event - actually, the next event should be a Red Cross one, which will likewise bring nothing new. Celebrate the known!

And finally, London I

 Kensington Gardens in the evening

 To watch The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, much happiness ensued

 Graveyard behind a church in Kensington

Far end of Portobello Road Market

I can really recommend the 360 version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - yet probably mostly for those who have grown up with Narnia, either the books or the old tv-series. My sister and I grew up watching these on taped-from-tv-videos, again and again, long before we were old enough to notice the beat-you-over-the-head Christian theme. Watching the show in Kensington Gardens was very much a nudge/whisper/LOOKIT'SASLAN-experience for both of us, in the same way that we now watch the Lion King together. It is a very cleverly done play though, with a circular scene (duh) which means they need have actors facing in all directions - I'd say it's interesting for those who are interested in theatre as an art as well as fans of the BBC-series, and moreso for those of us that are both. Go, go!

Niki & The Dove - Tomorrow

Beautiful song is beautiful. Strange video is strange.

Hello there, Venus

 People trying to see the black spot on the fun looked amazingly funny, also, this was about 01 am last night.

 We probably looked like this ourselves, but who cares, we saw Venus (or a black spot) crossing the sun

 Sun with normal camera, tried stopping it down (this is a lot darker than reality),

but ofc I have no amazing equipment or tin foil, so no Venus for you

Why are all these people on a sports field in the middle of the night?

See this video and article by the Guardian, so I don't have to explain anything. Anyway, we're lucky in the North, because the transit started around midnight, and where else can you actually see the sun at midnight in June? (Canada is also part of the North).

I very cleverly agreed to come to this event after a day of cycling and exercise and stayed up until two am, while having to get up at eight this morning to go to the Red Cross house and photograph people for their website. Oh, and I also have a cold. Clever girl. Now my bed calls me softly, and before that I think I hear some tea and chocolate calling from the kitchen as well.

Brighton, the one and only

 Flowers at the cemetery, never quite sure how (in)appropriate cemetery photos are

 I agree. So much stuff about the Queen's Jubilee, I'd say a lot worse than the wedding last year

 Went to the Brighton Pier, disappointed by the loud music and noisy people, impressed by the sea

 Amazing weather, wanted to be these guys on the water

 Kayung a few hours after finishing her year presentation and handing in her proposal, happy days

 My English hosts, celebrating a) Kyle's birthday and b) hand-in 

Wonderful tea-house with all the china plates and all the cakes

Brighton was really lovely. I was expecting it to be, and it was, although there was a lot more poverty and drugs visible than I had imagined. My first day, we walked past a man bleeding on the pavement, police dogs sniffing bags with white powder + police officers talking to shady looking people in a park, and a man walking unsteadily from one side of the road to another, while bleeding... All of this at 4:30 in the afternoon. After that though, Brighton was all sunshine and tea and cake and cider and wonderful films and nomsome breakfasts (thank you Kyle and Kay) and gardens and vintage shops.