Oslo in December

 At least on the first of December, the weather was brilliant

 I went to the market at Birkelunden, where half the wares seemed to have fallen off the backs of lorries

 Then went to a cafe with two of the girls I went to Nicaragua with

And only photographed one of them, Line, because she was sitting opposite me

I also spent a lot of time with my friend Maja, as mentioned earlier,  met another of my Nicaragua-girls, met my friend Samantha from Zimbabwe, relaxed and drank all the tea in the world.

Can you tell I've just gotten around to editing photos?

Snowstorm

The view outside my house, December 3rd

I'd left Oslo in a summery (almost) 7 degrees and sunshine, and came home to this in the evening. Full storm, although you can't really spot the wind...

SURPRISE

Me and my little brother last night (photo: Tore Johansen)

Last night (Thursday), I was coming home (to my new house) from swimming, after a long day of work and back and forth and general stuff, when I got a message from my mum that my brother was on a surprise visit for the evening, and that I should come home (to my parents' house) as quickly as possible. You see, my little brother lives at Svalbard, almost two hours flight away, and will be working over Christmas, and we were prepared not to see him between November and February. 

So I packed all my things and went home and we had a tiny Christmas celebration and charades, and I said goodbye to him this morning outside my work and felt like my younger brother (of only 19, will be turning 20 by the end of January) has grown up a little.

This was the post of all the parentheses.

Baking again

with my grandmother, who's 86 years going on 87 (photo: John Harald Johansen)

last Friday, I was baking Norwegian Christmas cookies (kakemainna) with my grandmother Ninna, something which has become quite the little tradition from the past three or four Christmases. We've become a very good team, finishing the entire operation in less than two hours, leaving us with just enough cookies to survive Christmas.

Now there is Christmas in every sentence in this blogpost, and I am happy (one week left, excited!).

News

from the day we got internet in my house in Falmouth, October 2010

1. I have a house that I'm renting with four others, only one of which have moved in.

2. I now have internet in my house! Almost as happy as on the photo above.

3. The reason I went to Oslo was to go to the Global Dignity evaluation meeting for all the district leaders (yes, I was one of them), and after that, go to a formal(ish) dinner at the Norwegian Crown Prince's residence. Yes, I shook his hand. Yes, it was exciting and very pretty and not too lavish.

I think that's about it so far... Getting ready for Christmas now!

Majajajaja

 Dancing a Norwegian Christmas song (På låven sitter nissen) at Christmas 2010

 Visiting the Vigeland sculpture park in summer 2009

 Housewarming our house in Falmouth, autumn 2009

Waiting for the whale meat to cook, summer 2012

I've been staying with my friend Maja this weekend, after my other friend fell ill. We've known each other since we were two of the three Norwegians starting our photography studies in Falmouth in 2008. Then we moved in together with three English people for our second year, and ended up living together those last two years of our studies. I've been seeing her more than our other housemates, since I go to Oslo now and then. Still, when we met yesterday, it had been more than a year since we saw each other last.

And yesterday we were back in the sofa, having a late Saturday breakfast, watching Friends and going back in time.

All the stuff

two pages from our book

What have I been doing the past two weeks?

I've been going to house viewing after house viewing, securing an actual house, finding house mates and new house mates when the previous house mates decided against the house, signing contracts and getting electricity contracts,

choosing photos, editing photos, editing texts, downloading programs, downloading files, uploading files, copying files, and designing and doing the layout and exporting an entire book of photography and text about the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. I wouldn't have had any content without my co-travellers, who have provided me with all the brilliant texts and beautiful and important images, but the layout part was mine.

I've also been working more, and then I moved to our new house on Wednesday and went to Oslo yesterday (Friday) for reasons you'll hear more of later.

In short: busy busy times with a computer which doesn't have the letter 'e', means no blogging from me. And I'm sorry if I sound complaining, because in reality I am very happy to have found a house to stay in with my friend Elise, and I am happy to have finished with the photography book from Nicaragua, which I am hoping will turn out all right at the printers (all fingers crossed).

Me and my best friend Andreas

Taken earlier today when he was slobbering all over my neck (photo: John Harald Johansen)

This week I've been getting my laptop back (in worse condition than when I sent it in for repair), working in kindergardens, looking for houses to rent with my friend, celebrating one friend's 24th and another's 25th birthday, as well as recelebrating my mum's 50th, and held a photo course at the Red Cross. Now my brother is visiting from Svalbard for the weekend, my sister and her children have just left, and we are about to watch The Sound of Music, seeing that it is a Sunday afternoon and there are no more QI reruns.

Sober October and all that

Me on October 31st, wearing my volunteer tshirt from Insomnia festival (at Tenerife), photo by Nina Haug Johansen

So how did it all go? Did I manage to finish October without breaking the rules of all my challenges? Actually, the supposedly most difficult one, eating fish every day, was the easiest one. Mostly thanks to my dad who is a pescetarian and eats fish fairly often anyway, and my mum and the rest of the family who are used to catering to different diets, but also my Northern grandmother who was married to a fisherman and has always lived off the natural resources around Tromsø, and my Southern grandmother who is a brilliant cook and sent me some wonderful recipes. 

I found it more difficult to wear only volunteer tshirts, because I found it hard to feel dressed up in them. I actually broke it once, while visiting my sister and going to a party with her and her fiancè, when I wore a pretty dress for the duration of two or three hours. I did only drink apple juice though, and the Sober October part of Sober October is, after all, the most important part.

What else? Oh, I forgot myself and put on a little perfume on October 5th. Other than that and the dress incident,  I think I managed rather nicely. I think next year I shall have to add an exercise challenge, because this is the one thing I've been really failing at all autumn long.

Another thing: Do I now feel extremely healthy and fresh and new? Not really. I probably am though, and my body has probably enjoyed the omega-three and a rest from alcohol.

So now, let's see if any of these practices stick with me or change me in any way.

Long story long

Hello,

I am here, after almost four weeks off the blog, not completely on purpose.

October 18^th, I was busy doing a lot of stuff at the same time, and as I was getting my kindergarden agency papers and drinking tea and logging on to where I track my working hours, when I spilled my tea all over my laptop. In my seriously-I-have-to-finish-logging-my-work-frenzy, I didn’t turn it off immediately, only threw a tea towel on it (how appropriate) and kept on writing. Aaaand then it started failing, refreshing the window every time I typed an ‘r’, creating a new window every time I typed an ‘n’ and so on. So I panicked a little, cried a little (you did know that Mac users have a reputation for getting ridiculously attached to their laptops? It’s actually a phenomenon) and resolved to take it to the Apple Store next day. Long story short, I kept going back and forth, between my house and the Apple Store, retrieving receipts and doing backups and all sorts before I managed to hand it in on the 25^th. Then they had to send it halfway through the country (to Trondheim) for repair. They’ve finally been looking at it, telling me that a) my battery is broken (which it has been the last four years) and b) they can’t replace my non-functioning keyboard because it’s too old (six years). Now I’m just waiting for them to send it all the way back to Tromsø before I will buy an external keyboard and start working on the layout for one of my Nicaragua-projects.

Of course, this is a bad excuse for not blogging. There are, after all, other computers. I have been blogging on my other blog though, and then I’ve also been to a Red Cross Youth Camp, been on holiday in Spain ten days (oh noes, poor me, I was too busy sleeping, going to the beach and reading to be blogging) and now I’ve just come home and have managed to borrow a Red Cross laptop.

So, hopefully, soon you'll get some updates on how Sober October went, and if I get my laptop back in working order you might even get some photographs.

And then...

 Winter was properly here on Tuesday morning

And today, after the winter winds have settled a little, it's even looking quite pretty

I am excited by the snow this year, seeing that I was away most of the winter, and haven't been close to  snow since January. I am also already exhausted by the snow, realising that it means six months of hoping our neighbour will come and clear our driveway in the morning, of starting every car journey ten minutes earlier in case you have to clear off the ice and snow, of getting stuck, of darkness, and so on.

Snow is very nice at midday, when you have daylight, when you don't have to go outside, and you have your book and your tea and your sofa and your cat. Other than that it can be a bother. I remember that. Still, at this moment I can enjoy it. (It is midday. I am inside. I have a lot of the aforementioned things.)

Winter is coming

 and it has been present in the mountains for a while

but now, it's creeping down towards us

Apparently it did snow on ground level today. Luckily, we were visiting my sister two hours away from Tromsø, and only had a nice, sunny albeit chilly day. My dad has changed the tyres from summer to studded ones. This week it's supposed to start snowing, and the winter winds are on their way.

Also, I have lots of photos of babies.

All the important news from the North then, through my blog.

Some title

My newly made bed, even if it doesn't look that newly made

Here, a photo from a few weeks ago, when we still had sunshine and a nice autumn. We've now moved into late autumn, which has all the rain and wind, and all the leaf-less, sad-looking trees.

I've not edited the photos from the North Cape. Nor have I transferred the photos from my last visit at my sister's. For now, you'll have to enjoy looking at my room. Very yellow, isn't it?

Tomorrow I'm off again, holding a volunteer training for my Global Dignity volunteers, this time at Finnsnes, a two hour drive from Tromsø. Here I quote my mum: "When you consider how awkward and shy you and I were in our teenage years, isn't it a wonder how we're both enjoying having presentations, trainings and courses in front of lots of people?" Thanks, mum. I do agree, though.

Back in Nicaragua

Bosawás

is where I've been this week. Nadia, one of the girls from my group, came up from Oslo, and we spent two entire days locked up in my family's house in Tromsø, working on choosing images for the photo-book we'll be making and also writing texts and making postcards for our information work.

I've also held two trainings for my Global Dignity volunteers, and will be doing more this coming week. We went to a moustache themed party. I've been to a small festival arranged by the city's oldest bank, been to a book swapping event, a vintage fair and a second hand market, I've watched too many films, too many QI reruns and just enough Friends reruns.

Life is being very busy right now. I'm hoping this will right itself in a little while, and it can go back to just being a normal sort of busy.

Sober October and everything else

 May 2012, where I am obviously drinking and I have a moustache

July 2013, where I am having my own private tea party while Skyping with Emma

Yes man, it's time for Sober October again. It's snuck up on me a bit this year, but I have plenty of plans and challenges to make my life harder/more interesting/more boring.

• Stay sober all month, i.e. No alcohol
• No make-up
• No perfume
• No hair products (except for shampoo and conditioner because WELL)
• No shave
• Only wear t-shirts obtained through volunteer work (Bukta, Døgnvill, Insomnia, TIFF, ++++) but no Red Cross t-shirts, unless there is a Red Cross event (this is completely new because I need more challenges)
• Eat fish at least once a day, no eating meat for dinner but perfectly allowed to eat leverpostei (meat) for breakfast and/or lunch, as long as I eat fish at least once a day

Seriously. The two last ones seem the most challenging ones to me, but then again that could be because they're new. I did no meat last year, but it was far too easy. I never eat fish, so this'll be fun. Oh, and anyone's welcome to join me in any of the challenges.

And theeen to Juhl's Silver Gallery

 In Kautokeino, which I'd forgotten that I went to when I was 16

 Is more of a gallery than a jewellery shop, and is both, and has traditional and modern, 

Sami and Norwegian, Danish and German jewellery styles

 And a whole room dedicated to Afghan art, rugs, candles, perfume, tables, games and so on

 Mirrors for me to photograph myself in

And yes - lots of games

Such an interesting place. The couple Juhl come from Denmark and Germany, and moved here separately because they took a liking to the North and the people, then met and built a house where they kept making art, especially in silver. If you ever do find yourself in Kautokeino - this is very worth visiting. As well as Diehtosiida.

Mooore Finnmark

 We went to Kautokeino to visit Diehtosiida, which holds many Sami institutions in one building

 Talked to several people, including Mikkel, 

who told us about the movements of reinherds and the difficulties with new roads and mining companies coming into the grazing lands

 Then we went to Karasjok, to visit the Sami Parliament, which had Sami sayings on the walls

And the prettiest library lighting I ever did see

Both buildings are filled with Sami art, both modern and traditional. The buildings are made with wood from the Nordic regions, the interior inspired by traditional materials and cultural ornaments, and everything is very big, pretty and nice. For Norwegian readers, there is this though, discussing how much money goes into keeping these buildings and institutions going. We also went to the Finnish Sami parliament, and they state they get ten times less the subsidies the Norwegian Sami Parliament is getting. What the professors at the Sami University College are talking about in the article above though, is that of course it's going to cost to revive a culture and its traditions. Especially after the pressure it has been under from the Norwegian state. 

Another issue entirely, is how dependent the Sami Parliament and all the other institutions are on the Norwegian State and the money they get or don't get from them.

Travel to Finnmark

 Last Sunday, we went on one bus and two ferries, and met Gollis at Lyngseidet (sadly got no close-ups)

 Saw some of them beautiful fjords them on our way to Olderdalen

 Nestor took my most popular profile photo to date

And I took some photos that they probably wouldn't want as profile photos (Felipe and Nestor here)

Then we spent one week driving from town to town, visiting different offices and edifices and people, staying in each place no more than one or two nights. More to come! 

On my way home

at Alta Airport, looking fresh as usual

The rest of the group left on the Oslo flight at 11:30, so I'm hanging around the emptiest airport I've ever seen, enjoying some random internet time for the first time in ages.

You know how all airports have a three-letter-codename? Alta Airport's short name is ALF. That's all.

Sunniva travels

Nestor, Joysi, Jennifer, Felipe

to Finnmark, the northernmost district of Norway, which makes Tromsø look like a warm and inviting haven of verdant trees. Not as bad as Svalbard, it's still slightly colder and slightly further north and slightly more sparsely inhabited than Troms (my district/county/something). 

Anyway, I'm here now for the week, travelling around in an old, battered car from Rent-a-Wreck with another Norwegian girl - the translator - as well as two Mexicans and two Nicaraguans. We're all from the same organization, and they are here the same way I was in Nicaragua. Now we're driving around to learn more about mining and indigenous rights in Norway, as this is the area of Norway that has traditionally had more indigenous people living there. More to come!

A photo project

 June 3rd

 June 5th

 June 18th

June 24th

During my last holiday in Nicaragua/Costa Rica, I had, in addition to my digital camera, an analogue one which I'd brought with me from Norway. With this, I took one photo each day, of something interesting or dull or pretty. You can see the rest of the project (and get a little explanation with each photo) on my tumblr: Sunniva Johansen.

There will be more updates, up until the photo from July 7th, which was the last one.

Throwing Northern Lights at you

 Because tonight, as I was sat by my computer, in the very lit-up house

  My dad sent me a text saying "Show her Northern Lights outside now"

So I woke Sammy up (poor thing) and went out to look at this beauty

And it was amazing. Northern Lights are usually quite nice, kind of small, green waves in the sky, maybe it looks like a small cloud and you're not quite sure whether it actually is the borealis or no. AND THEN you get nights like these, when the Aurora Borealis takes leaps, the castles in the sky exist, and you're afraid to wave at it in case it steals you away, like in the old stories.

These were taken less than an hour ago, just outside my house.

Youth delegates

 Not this one, this is Dasha getting ready to photograph the delegates

 These ones though, taking photos for their blog

 June and Samantha going to stay in Norway, Mari and Sigbjørn going to Zimbabwe, guess who's who

Now, let's take some more photos of each other

Monday and Tuesday last week (man, time flies), Dasha and I were at Sørmarka near Oslo to meet the new delegates. This week, the Norwegians have left for their respective countries, while the rest have travelled to Tromsø to participate in Street Mediation in the Red Cross. As said, we will have two Colombians here in Tromsø until Christmas. They seem to be the only ones I haven't captured in a photo yet, but I'll have lots more time with them.

As of now, Samantha from Zimbabwe is staying with my family for one week, and we are discussing the Norwegians' fondness for bread, the meaning of names, and the differences in the Red Cross and Red Cross Youth organizations from country to country.

What have I been doing?

 Besides photographing 50 Cent,

 Sirkus Eliassen,

Band of Horses and many more, all at Døgnvill festival,

I've been

starting my new job with Global Dignity, trying to figure out how it's done,

travelling to Oslo to meet the new youth delegates - we'll be having two Colombians at Troms Red Cross Youth until Christmas this year and we're looking forward to it,

seeing my sister, niece and nephew when they visited this weekend,

planning information work with LAG,

and trying to get rid of a bad chest cough.

Time is constantly disappearing. More exciting things to happen after the weekend!