Week 15: How I know I live in Norway

Almost 4 months in Norway and I think I've started to blend in. How do I know? Well, I've realized I've started to live the Norwegian way...or what I think is the Norwegian way. Here are just a few examples:

1. When I go to the store, my list always includes bread, eggs, milk, cheese, cucumbers and red peppers.

2. I drink morning coffee, afternoon coffee, hanging out with friends coffee, wasting time coffee, Norwegian class coffee and dessert coffee.

3. I always have a lunch packed for work (matpakke), which includes my open faced sandwich with cheese, cucumber and red peppers and a clementine or kiwi.

4. If I leave the house and forget my matpakke, there's always kaffe og bolle at Narvessen waiting for me.



5. I'm waving down my bus so it doesn't leave me waiting.

6. I have frozen cod and rolls in my freezer.

7. I'm wearing rain boots, a wool sweater, scarf and rain jacket.

8. I colored my hair using boxed hair dye.

9. I take Omega 3 tablets every day.

10. I have Draw Something and Wordfeud downloaded on my phone.

11. The sun came out the other day, so I went outside to sit in the sun, smiled and shivered as I watched as many others did the same.



12. I feel terribly guilty for every second spend indoors during a sunny day.

13. I bring my own drinks to parties.

14. Last weekend, I wore a dress, leggings and heeled shoes out! Goodbye jeans:)

15. I can vacation to Spain and it only takes about 4 hours by plane.

16. In Spain, I am in awe over the cheap prices of food, drinks, haircuts and clothes!!

How to stay healthy in Bergen...and on a budget

There is always a big adjustment to diet and exercise in new countries I visit. Every new place has it's challenges, and Norway is no different. At home, I had my regular workout routine and grocery list. Here in Norway, things are obviously different, so I've had to make some adjustments. I don't know if anyone else out there has had these same challenges, but if so, here are some of my ideas.

Challenges in Bergen
1. No full time job = no gym membership.
2. It's no fun to run outside in the rain, and it's almost always raining here.
3. Less selection at the grocery store of pre packaged, low calorie foods.
4. Norwegian food means a lot of bread, potatoes, cheese and cakes!

So, I have had to become creative with my diet and exercise here. What can you do when you have no gym and can't go outside every day to workout?

First, I walk a lot! I don't have a car and my hike up to my apartment is just that...an uphill hike! Try doing this with grocery bags!! This helps a little but I need a little more.


The last of quite a few hills from downtown/work/school/store/coffee back to my apartment


One of the "short cuts" back home

My old roomie helped me come up with some great workouts that I can do in my tiny apartment.

In addition to these fun little workouts, I have also found that you can get anything on youtube! I try to do some quick yoga workouts a few times a week. My favorite is the 30 minute flow yoga (there are loads of them listed).

The diet in Norway has been the most challenging for me. Some things I ate regularly at home and really miss in Norway include ground turkey, Whole Foods Whey Protein Powder, boca meatless things, string cheese, lowfat fage greek yogurt and Amy's meals. There are a lot of carbs in Norway and not a lot of cheap, lean protein. It's been a big challenge to stick to my 5 small meals a day plan. But, I have found what they have at the grocery store and here are a few things I've come up with this week. All of them have few ingredients that are relatively inexpensive at the grocery store (I mean, I am still in Norway so I don't think I can call anything "inexpensive").

Quick Breakfast (I make a few of these and keep them in the freezer to reheat): Homemade breakfast burritos:

Ingredients
4 Wheat tortillas
3 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1/4 onion
1/4 pepper
1/4 can black beans (I couldn't find black, so I used brown beans)
spicy pepper (if you like spicy)
4 slices of light cheese
salsa or tomatoes
salt and pepper

How to:
1. Saute the onions and peppers until soft
2. Add the eggs
3. Add the beans, spices and salsa
4. Place a slice of cheese on each tortilla. They put one scoop of egg mix on each tortilla and fold into a burrito.
5. Yum, yum!!


My burrito topped with some fresh tomatoes

A new recipe I tried this week: Cod over spinach and tomatoes

Ingredients
Brown rice
2 servings of Cod (I had a frozen bag of cod and it worked out great)
Fresh Spinach
Canned tomatoes
Olive Oil
Honey
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Cook the rice
2. Sprinkle the bottom of the baking dish with olive oil
3. Place fresh spinach on baking dish
4. Place fish (defrosted) on top of spinach
5. Top fish with 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 can of tomatoes and spices
6. Bake (I used 180 for 35 minutes) until fish is cooked throughout
7. Yum!


Cod with Spinach and tomatoes over brown rice



It was delicious!!

Because I have a sweet tooth, I want an apple pie, but I make: Healthy(ish) Apple Coconut Bake with Sweet Yogurt Topping

Ingredients
1 apple
shredded coconut
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp yogurt
1 tbsp honey
cinnamon

How to:
1. Beat egg with milk
2. Slice the apple in thin slices
3. Coat apple with egg mix
4. Mix flour and shredded coconut and coat the apples in this
5. Place apples on baking pan and sprinkle with cinnamon
6. Mix yogurt with honey cool
7. Bake apples (200 until soft), then top with some yogurt mix
8. Yum, yum!!


Baked Apples with Coconut
The coated apples are a little crispy and the shredded coconut makes it a little sweet, so it's almost like eating an apple pie:)


Baked Apples with Coconut and Sweet Yogurt topping

I'll keep experimenting and might share more later (if they taste good)!

Week 13: Easter (Påske) break in Bergen/Spain

You know when you have been away from the sun (and happy hours) for 12 weeks, then you go somewhere where they have sun nearly every day and are well known for their tapas and delicious Spanish wine? Well, this place was Spain and I got to go there this week. When I got there, I had a euphoric, warm, happy emotion and made me feel like I should jump up and sing. I have been to many different countries and can honestly say it was one of the greatest places I've ever visited. I quickly fell in love with the food, people and culture.


So happy to be in beautiful Spain!


One of the many pretty pictures of Torre del Mar

Easter in America for me has always been celebrated on one day and most of the time involves a big family brunch, an Easter bunny, a basket full of candy and an Easter egg hunt in my family's big back yard. It's a completely different story in Norway and in Spain.

Easter in Norway is celebrated over more than a week. Kids are out of school, adults have a few days off of work and they have special meals, treats and events just for Easter. A few of these include:

Easter Events:
Påskekrimmen (Easter crime): Norwegians love their crime stories and Easter is a great time for them. They have crime stories listed on milk cartons during the week of Easter and a crime series on TV specifically for Easter.

Påskefjell (Easter Mountain): Easter is a great time to go on a hike in the mountains. This is the term for that.

Påskenøtter (Easter quiz/trivia): Norwegians also love their trivia. They have special quizzes that they play on the radio that people can call in with their answers and win prizes.

Easter Food:
Påskekylliing (Easter chicken)
Påskelam (Easter lamb)
Påskemarsipan (Easter Marsipan)


Easter crime shows



Norwegian milk cartons with Easter crime stories.

Now, Easter in Spain is more extravagant as well. In each city, they have special parades. They wear their traditional cultural outfits, carry big featured floats, and play music. They do this for many nights and on the last night, walk overnight until early in the morning! It was wonderful to see.


Some beautiful Spanish girls in their outfits during the parade. I was shocked that they walked in really high heels for hours!



One of the many big floats they carry during the parade. They have many people carrying it on their shoulders. It was very impressive.



Some of the cultural outfits warn during the parade in Torre Del Mar.


Outside of the Easter celebrations, I enjoyed so many other things Malaga had to offer. One of my favorites was our visit to the White City.


The White City!


The streets in the White City were so cute!!!



This was the cemetery at the White City. It is a very well known, beautiful cemetery and it was fascinating to see.



Me and the White City

Then, there was the food and drinks. I loved everything I tasted!! Fresh fish, Allioli, Ceviche, Paella, Chorizo, Churros, Candied walnuts, flan, meatballs, prawns...oh this list could go on forever!! I didn't say no to anything, which is why I just ate brussel sprouts for dinner.


Delicious Fish at a very well known restaurant!!


Spanish tapas


Fresh Churros with homemade chocolate dipping sauce! I think i'll be dreaming about these!


Paella and Champagne!


Chorizo on fresh bread, candied walnuts and a beer. Yum!!

And the people were amazing! We spent one night out with some of my Aunt's friends and they were the most wonderful people! I met one man who offered me a teaching job in Madrid. I won't lie, that sounds tempting after this last week!!

Week 10: This big, small world

I was invited to the annual SOS Children's Village Conference in Oslo this weekend (I'll get into details of the organization later). I was an intern at the organization in Bosnia and have becoming involved as a volunteer since arriving in Bergen. At the conference, there were country representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. Many of them did presentations on their in country projects and each one brought back a special memory from my past.



The very first presentation was about a group of girls who went to Africa and taught kids in one of the SOS villages to dance. The pictures and videos made me cry, reminding me of the three little boys I met in Swaziland in 2007. These three boys were orphaned, living in a safe house that was soon to be closed. We tried our hardest to find a long term solution for the boys, but left without a solid plan in place and lost track of where the boys ended up after leaving the safehouse. Throughout my post graduate education and professional career, these three boys were my inspiration for everything I did. I found a passion in working with orphans and the many children who are left without parents. These three boys have always and will always have a special place in my heart and I often wonder where they are and how they are. Are they in an orphanage, with a family? Have they gone to school? Are they happy? Are they safe?



Here is me (and my crazy blonde hair) with the boys in 2007.

Next was a presentation about Bosnia and Herzegovina. The woman giving the presentation was the same woman I worked with during my internship in 2008 at SOS in Sarajevo. The slides showing pictures of Sarajevo made me homesick for the food, the people, the culture. Hearing her speak about the challenges in their countries brought back memories of the mothers, children and families I worked with during my time in Sarajevo. I could see their faces clearly in my mind. I might as well have been looking through a photo album in my head. She spoke about the conflicts in Bosnia and the continuing tension among the different ethnic groups living there. There are children going to the same school who don't speak a single word to each other. They use different classrooms, bathrooms, different front doors.



Here is the reunited group from Bosnia (and one friend from Africa)



SOS Superbus!! I worked with this bus while I was living in Sarajevo.

There were so many other moments that brought back memories that made me homesick for my past experiences. There was a video about Vietnam that reminded me of my travels in South East Asia and my life living in Thailand. Someone showed pictures of African kids that reminded me of specific children I had helped bring home to the United States to an adoptive family. One presentation commented on kids playing soccer without shoes which reminded me of the school in Swaziland. It was a bizarre feeling. I think the experiences that have meant the most to me have been buried in the movement of my current life. The small triggers that reminded me of these experiences brought back so many emotions. It reminded me of my love in working with children around the world, traveling to different countries and falling in love with the people, food, and culture everywhere. While they were speaking in Norwegian, I found myself daydreaming about how I could get back to Swaziland, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Thailand, Vietnam, India....somewhere new to me???

Now, my favorite story!

Since I do not speak or understand fluent Norwegian, I was in the English speaking group using a translator. Most of these people were from Africa and I quickly became friends with this group of people, two of whom were from Swaziland. We had lunch one day and I decided to ask about the boys and care givers I had met in Swaziland 5 years ago. I showed her a picture from my phone and she laughed, said their names and said "Oh, yes, I know them very well. They will be so happy to hear I've met you". I asked about the boys and she told me she would be able to find them and contact me with information about how they are. I couldn't believe how amazing it was that we had met, and that she knew the people who had changed my life! Everyone plays the name game, "Oh, you're from Colorado, well then you must know so and so". It is rare you find a common connection. So, how likely is it that a girl from the US, and other from Swaziland meet up in Oslo and find that they have mutual friends???

Now, I have to mention SOS Children's Villages. What is this organization and what does it do? They are worldwide and help children in many different countries (132) around the world. Their vision is that every child grows up in a family, with love, respect and security. SOS builds villages in countries where there is a need. A SOS mother is just that, a mother. SOS mothers live in the village and have children they raise, children who have been orphaned or can no longer live with their biological families. Children grow up with siblings, with a mother and a community, in their home country. SOS is not an orphanage, as each child is raised in a home, with one mother and siblings. Very few SOS Villages will place children for adoption. Outside of the children's homes, SOS provides support in many other areas. Most of the SOS Villages have a Family Strengthening Program. This program goes into the community to work with families who are at risk. They prevent children from becoming orphaned by working with the family, educating them and providing them with the support they need to raise a family and be a successful member of their community. In one presentation this weekend, a representative said "Sometimes people ask why the numbers of children being helped by SOS are not bigger. Save the Children and Unicef help so many children every year. Well, the answer is that SOS does not provide lunch to children, we provide a life". I think this is stated perfectly.



Here is one SOS Family. The mother spoke to us and told us about her 10 children.

Here is one of many stories about how SOS has helped children around the world.
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8YVt4SrCZOM

I worked at an adoption agency for two years. I helped bring over 30 orphaned children to loving families in the United States. I was constantly fighting with Unicef. They are openly against international adoption and believes all children should stay in their home countries, no matter what. I agree that staying in their country is the best option for the children, and that adoption should be their last option. If there were enough organizations to help support kids in their country, I would see their argument. But, because there are not enough places in each country for the orphaned children, adoption must be one option. Even with adoption (a very, very, very small percentage of children are able to be adopted), there are many left without a family or a place to live. So, while I have helped 30 children find their forever families and I am happy for that, there are so many more to advocate for. I hope you will remember SOS, learn about it, and tell others. Because, if we can help organizations like this grow bigger and stronger, there will be less and less orphans in the world. And I know everyone agrees that a world with less orphaned and abandoned children is a better world.

http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/Pages/default.aspx

Week 9: Every day is a tea (coffee) party

It's been 9 weeks, but it feels like 9 days. I've been having such a great time! Those of you who know me know, I love food. Cooking or eating...I just love food. I do miss the wonderful restaurant scene in Denver. I miss happy hours, eating at new restaurants, buying groupons and restaurant week!!!! It's not just about going out to eat, because you can do that here. It's about the culture of being social, eating out, finding new restaurants, trying new happy hours, tasting new and interesting foods.

Norway is a little different. I've been visiting here since I was very young. Every time we came, we would travel around visiting different family members and friends. We would never go out to eat. At each visit, we would sit at someone's house for coffee, tea and cakes. I thought this was just a special event because we were in town from the US. Now that I have been in Norway for a while, I've realized that every day is a tea party (and when I say tea, I mean coffee because nobody drinks tea).

Small, fragile coffee cups on saucers, cakes, cheese and bread with homemade jam, and cute little decorative napkins. This is the cute little setup at every visit and I love it. It feels like I'm a little girl having a tea party every day. Except now, I really get to eat the cake and drink the coffee. Yum! Check out these cute pictures of some recent tea parties, I mean, visits with friends and family.


Visiting with Grandma and her brother and sister in law. Croissants, jam, cheese, spiced bread and cinnamon buns with coffee, then a cherry dessert thing. Oh, so yummy!


Grandma's visit. Cakes, coffee and more cakes!




And then there's the cooking. It is not what I'm used to, but it's fun. Here are some recent Norwegian creations.


This is a delicious Norwegian cake,a meringue topped with vanilla saus, whipped cream and fruit. Soooo good!


Cucumber salad, my mom's favorite Norwegian dish. Thinly sliced cucumbers with vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Sounds simple and it is, but it is also SO delish!


Oh, the yummy fish! We cleaned it, then stuffed it with onions, cucumbers, yogurt, and spices, then topped with lemons.


Add some potatoes and look how delicious this meal looks! And it was absolutely scrumptious!!!

And now all this talk of food has made me hungry. But, since I had cake and coffee for dinner (at my tea party), I will pass on another meal and get some much needed sleep. It's raining sideways again which means I get to sleep to the sound of rain drops on my window. My favorite!

What week is it again??

I've lost track. So much has happened in the last few weeks. Let me walk you through February and this first week of March.

First of all, it's starting to feel more like spring in Bergen. There are more puddles and less slush, more sun and less daytime dark and it might just be me, but I think there are more people out and about every day. This does not mean it has stopped raining, but what's wrong with a little rain anyways? In the movies, rain always pours when people are discovering something they never realized before. Maybe they are in love, maybe they are falling out of a sewer pipe after crawling the length of two football fields to freedom....or, they are just singing in the rain!! People seem to complain about Bergen weather day in and out. Everyone here knows it rains all the time, so you might as well have a positive attitude about it...just look how much fun Gene Kelly had:)





Now, back on track here. February was a wonderful month. The fifth and sixth week in Bergen were tough for me. My cousin was on the receiving end of a phone call from an unemployed girl in tears, every facebook post about Denver made me homesick and all Skype calls made me tear up after saying goodbye. So, it was perfect timing when my Dad came to visit me in Bergen.

Dad's visit was great! He was only here for one week, but it was the perfect visit. We organized my Grandma's house so she could get around easily, had lots of great visits with family members and even took a quick weekend trip to Hardanger to visit one of his sisters. Check out some of these pics!!


A pretty, small island on the drive.


The view from my Aunt and Uncles house.


Another photo of the view from my Aunt and Uncles house!


The most delicious (and very Norwegian) sandwich i've ever eaten. Fresh bread, squeeze mayonnaise, shrimp and king crab with lemon!!! I ate nearly 5.


The bucket of fish. Oh, the delicious fish!!!


And of course, the one week I didn't want to work, I got a call for work for the entire week for a kindergarten assistant. What a great week with some cute kids!! Of course, with Bergen rain, each kid has a snowsuit, a rain suit, rain gloves, warm gloves, rain boots, gym shoes, and inside shoes. Getting them ready to go outside was like getting 30 kids ready to go skiing. That is a lot of work! Kids in Norway spend a LOT of time outside. I used to complain all the time when I was cold and my Dad always told me to stop complaining. I never knew why he never got cold. Now I do. He was one of the Norwegian kids that went outside for hours a day, in the rain, snow, sleet or even hail! Then the week ended and it was winter break, so one whole week off of school, and no chance I'd be called in.

So...for my week off, I went back to Hardanger to help my cousin paint his mom's(My Aunt's) house. A few of my cousins came as well and we had a great weekend. We played games, my cousin's made rolls, we watched futbol, celebrated a birthday and painted.


Dad, these two are for you. Painting, part 1.


Painting, part 2.


Yes, my cousin looks like he is being pushed out of the window, but he is falling. He was reaching for his beer, which was out the window and fell out. His brother was trying to help him up (while I took the photo and my cousin ate his fresh roll).


The roll making.


The roll baking, yummmm.

While in Hardanger, I got a call from the school. They needed an ESL and Performing Arts teacher, it is unknown for how long. Does anything sound better??? I think not!! So, that is what I am doing now. Working every day this week and hopefully longer. I get to work with small groups of kids from grade 1-5 on their ESL and I'm teaching performing arts grades 1-5. I forgot how much fun teaching is!! Let's hope this continues (while also hoping that whatever is keeping the regular teacher out is not too bad or sad).

What's coming next in Bergen? This weekend is the SOS fundraising event for the village in Malawi and next weekend I'm off to Oslo for the SOS conference. This is such a great organization and I'm so happy to be involved as a volunteer. If you don't know what it is...check it out! http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/Pages/default.aspx



Week 9, Here I come!

Thank You, Bogetveit family (and Nordstrom Rack)

My Dad arrived in Bergen last night!!!! I am so happy to see him and have him in Bergen for the week. And, every expat here knows what a visitor from home means...STUFF FROM HOME!!!! I sent a small list of things home to my Mom and yesterday, Christmas happened when my dad opened his suitcase. Mom went well beyond the list I sent and I am thrilled! New clothes, comfy pjs and warm socks, shampoo and conditioner, mascara, even Spanx (how did mom know I was eating so many carbs???).


Look at all of it!! Oh, so beautiful!



Shampoo and Conditioner, and TWO things of Dior mascara!



Anthropologie, I love you!



Justine's Peanut Butter snack packets!!



The thing I think I miss most...awesome deals!! Yes, these shoes were $119 but reduced by 85% to $18.

So, thank you Mom for shopping for me, and Dad, for carrying it over!! Now, I just wish you were here to see how it all looks on!