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!

Back to the 90s - or something?

 I went to cover a 90s party for the student newspaper last Friday

 But was highly sceptical of how people interpreted the 90s

I mean - neon???

There was a good mix of 80s, 90s and 00s as far as I could tell. Anyway, people were happy, the music was cheesy and the dj even cheesier. There's nothing like a drunk crowd of Norwegians singing to Fresh Prince of Belair, especially when they only know half the lyrics.

At some point there will be photos from my Oslo-trip, and also the christening, but until then, have some neon lights instead.

LETTERS

Really bad phone camera photo as of five minutes ago

This post is to say hello, I am home in Tromsø again, now with my family from Germany, all getting ready for the christening of my nephew Andreas this weekend.

Also to say that if you can make out my address through Emma's handwriting, you could always write me a letter.

Nicaraguabrigaden @ Strandheim

photo by Nadia Andvig Aboelenein (who doesn't like being photographed)

I've met my girls again, for the first time since June, and we've been working with our informational work, meeting other people in LAG (the organisation), meeting the Mexican and Nicaraguan participants in Norway and lots of others. We've been eating, jumping, playing football, swimming, sleeping, in addition to having lots of workshops and meetings.

It's good to be back with people who were in Nicaragua with me, but also meeting so many more people who are interested in Latin America. Yays.

Oslo! Nesodden! Places!

Tromsø in July (taken near the airport though)

I'm (hopefully) off to Oslo tonight, to attend the homecoming seminar for my Nicaragua brigade, in addition to the summer meeting of the Latin America Group, and then I'll have a day or two with my family at Nesodden before they come back to Tromsø with me - since my nephew will be christened Sunday next.

All the information. There you go. Things are happening. I'm a tiredface. 

Skarsfjord, once more

 Yes, we went to Bjørnnessand again today

 Met up with my aunt and cousin

Looked at that pretty view again

We had a small barbecue, talked, looked at the sun, slept a little in the sunshine and went home. My mum and I were lucky enough to get a lift into town with my cousin on his small boat - it was almost like being back in Nicaragua on the pangas. Now I'm a tired fish. It's so tiring having all this good weather, not getting any proper work done, not cleaning the house...

Chess

Anatoly Karpov, previous World Champion, playing against four contestants at once 

 I don't even understand chess, and I found it interesting

Especially when they blindfolded the experts

Instead of staying at home and working on stuff, I went to cover the opening of the Chess World Cup in Tromsø today, for the student newspaper at Tromsø University. I have no interest in chess whatsoever, but it was actually quite captivating. 

Then I had ice cream.