Last week of Novemeber

I cant believe its already the last week of November. It will be Christmas soon and i wont be at home with my family its feels a bit strange almost unbelievable. After 21 years of spending every Christmas with my family this year, i will spend it half away across the world with another family. As much as i know i will not be alone on Christmas, i cant help but feel like i will be alone in some way. This weekend has been filled with alot of talking and discussing of issues between me and my roommate.

On Friday she came with the decision of leaving Norway and just dropping the whole program . This came as a big shock to me because i thought that we were both doing okay, and have learned to adjust to our new surroundings and all the challenges they have brought with them. Its so much easier to judge and ask someone why they have not adjusted and why they are quitting when you are not in their shoes. Each and every GoCy has their own story to tell, and their own feelings to share. Nune decided to stay at the end of everything because she wants to finish what she started and to teach her self that some things in life need you to persistent and not to give up. Seeing Nune in that situation made me reflect a mirror on my self and this is how it goes.

The current situation is this. I have never been abroad before or have been far apart from my family for more than a week. I went abroad to be an SA YMCA Youth Ambassadors. This means that i came with the pressures of wanting to represent my organization and more importantly my country. I took on this challenge and told myself i can do it. I get to Norway, and its as if i have entered a new world that i do not fit in, they speak another language, they have different culture ect.

I want everyone to understand that as much as there is benefits through doing something like this. There are also disadvantages. Its not a small or easy thing like some people see it. I know it sounds like i am complaing which i am not sure i am doing or not. This is a big step for any individual and sometime situations and circumstances can make it even harder for you to carry your step through. What happened with my roommate gave me a wake up call, that lets stop trying to hide our feelings and continually say everything is great and fine. Because we made big decisions, yes they are great opportunities but that dos not take away the fact that they are challenging to stick by and they are just not that easy.

Let Nune's experience be a wake up call to all of us about how hard a situation we are in, and how much we need to know that its one day at a time and one step at a time. So if i feel like i am complaining all the time and life is difficult, i am not going to beat myself up about it because i am in a foreign land and no matter what i do it will never feel like home. But it can be like home away from home.

On the work front, we are trying to get some media coverage on the 1st December for HIV/AIDS Day so today we will be putting some ideas about the media strategy. I am also working on potential activities that can take place during the trip to London for World Thinking Day. I still cant believe i am going to London soon. One of my colleague's has also taken me through the evaluation of the Fire and Flames weekend so we all have an idea of what the participants thought of it and what can be done better next year ect.

3rd Week of Novemeber

Its funny how life can take you in a journey that you have never imagined even in your wildest dreams. Its strange how things can change in one day. Its funny how fear can sometimes rule your life and avoid you from experiencing life changing experiences. When i was given the opportunity to go to Norway, i remember deep down in my heart i really wanted to go. My brain on the other side was telling me logical things like. Do you know how far away you will be from home? They speak a different language from you? Its cold at that place? Are you going out of your mind? But because of the curiosity in my heart and the longing for change i had in my heart the fear did not win.

I remember the first 2 months in Norway, my brain was telling my heart i told you so, and look what you have gotten us into now. I personally felt a deep pain of stupidity and could not believe how i could have talked myself into doing something like this. In life i have noticed that life is how you make it to be, i could still be mopping around complaining to myself about the weather, the language, the difference of culture ect or i could take this whole experience and embrace it. It was really a decision i had to take for myself and it was a hard decision.



I have looked at a typical young South African my own age, and what kind of memories they will build for themselves. I looked at myself, also a typical South African young person and what kind of memories i will have. Firstly i want to give you a sneak preview of my life here in Norway. I live with an Armenian girl, now this is me living with a girl from a country i did not even know existed. When she calls home she speaks Armenian, which sounds extremely strange to me but i am sure my Zulu sounds just as strange to her. I have a contact person that has lived in South Africa for 2 years also on an exchange program, what are the chances of me working in Norway in an office where the most important person to me here in Norway has lived in South Africa. I work with a great crew of people, all from different parts of Norway who each individually share a part of Norway with me in a different way. I work on things that i feel really makes a difference in people life, whether big or small. I work for an organization that focuses on youth development in a very holistic view. I have a friend who i meet at the Norwegian course from Ethiopia, who plated my hair yesterday. It ironic how while she was plating my hair, i kept thinking to myself who would have thought this time last year. I would be in Norway sitting on the floor with an Ethiopian girl plating my hair and my Armenian roommate taking some pictures or even being in a Norwegian class, where i have meet people from Austria, Phillipean, England, Poland, Somilla ect.
My life has changed, the way i look at people has changed. I have realized that i am part of a global world and a cultural diverse world. Where my culture is not better than yours or the other way around. Life is not only in the city or town that you are from. I have found life in a totally different part of the world for myself, and this life is a life that has thought me more then any part of my city or country would have thought me. I am still going to have hardships in this country and things will never be like being at home but I have made life long memories and the next time i see someone from a different country in my country i will make sure that i don't see them as strange because now i have also been a stranger in a strange land.

2nd Week of November

My life here in Norway seems to be taking a comfortable turn for the better. I have not been feeling hectically home sick lately and i feel like i am at peace with myself. I have accepted my new life here which even though is not surrounding by all the people i love and care about so deeply. Its still surrounded by kind people who i care about more and more everyday. Its getting close to the end of my Norwegian classes and must say i am still not confident with my Norwegian at all, well 4 months later i can only say 'my name is Nelly' and 'i come from South Africa' not very good hey. I guess when you are surrounded by people who speak the language so well you almost become very intimidated to even try. I know this is not within my character, because i always believe in trying and making a fool out yourself in the process but language is a different story.

My social life has had a bit of a turn these last few weeks. I went to a concert by one of the top South African artist Tumi and the Volumes. I don't remember when last i had such a good time, it felt great to be able to dance the night away and just have fun. I know for a fact that i want to do Oslo nightlife more often than not. I also had dinner at one of my colleagues houses yesterday, and then we went mountain climbing. We had the Norwegian traditional dish which includes meatballs, potatoes, greens and gravy. This is a dish that i gave come to encounter in alot of occasions, and for the record i don't mind it because i think its great. We then went mountain climbing and found a short steep hill that was good enough for a beginner like me, it felt great to climb to the top but its a pity i cant say the same about going down. I learnt a few tricks about climbing yesterday, thanks to my very informed companion. The trick of going down is to go with legs first unsteadying of the norm where you find balance with your hands. Its also important to keep the rope tight at all times, to find a solid tree to tie your rope on and last but certainly not least to have a good companion at the bottom who can hold your weight should anything happen. I am now looking forward to trying out skying.

The work aspect, we have just finished 'Fire and Flames' and personally i think everything went fantastic. I got to learn how to make Tapas over a fire, i was really amazed at how much you can cook over a fire. It was certainly amazing. I also did my HIV/AIDS badge presenation which i think went well, i just hope that when i do speak about this subject to people they don't feel like oh well it would never happen to me because that is where the power of this diseases lies. Everyone always thinks it can never happen to them until it does and they don't have sufficient knowledge about it. I also received a short crash course on Microsoft Designer yesterday from Ragnighd, when i was assisting her in putting together a poster for the Christmas Campaign. I will be sending out my invitation letters soon to all the scout groups in Oslo, so i look forward to meeting new people and sharing some of my country with them.

I know i have not been posting any pictures lately, but i will try to very soon.

November has started

I still cant believe i have already been in Norway for 3 months, time seems to be flying and i already know when i am taking my Christmas holidays and when we are having our office Christmas Party so that kind of shows me that time is moving . I have kind of adopted a new feeling towards this whole experience and sometimes speaking to older and wiser people shows you that somethings in life are not measurable. I know for a fact that when it comes to personal growth and learning more about yourself these past few months have been an extreme eye opener. I feel like for the first time in my life i know what is going on with me and how i feel, which is different from the life i have at home which includes my work, my boyfriend, my friends and my family and i always have to divide my time between all these different things which easily makes me forget to have time for myself and what i feel most of time. So as i look into finishing the next month i open myself to self realization and just treasuring each and every feeling i experience.

Okay enough on that, the past few weeks have been surrounded by alot of things happening around my work and personal life. Me an Nune hosted our first dinner at our place which was a huge success, i really had a great time with everyone that came. During the last weekend i joined the young scouts on a sort of treasure hunt around Oslo. The concept of the game was 'Try to save Norway from a terrorist attack''. I got to see parts of Oslo that i have not seen and it was interesting to see old Norway monuments that have been turned to something else now. I also went out for hot chocolate with my roommate on Sunday to a great coffee shop in Gronland, and we took a long walk back home. I am going to a South African act concert on Thursday, i am really looking forward to that and i think its going to be so great.

I will be going on a leadership seminar this coming weekend which i am really looking forward to. I also have alot of things in the pipeline that i am looking forward to, but i will speak about them as they happen. Norway is getting colder by the day and today i am going to buy myself winter boots, i really hope i make the right decision on the kind that i buy. Other breaking new, i have undone my braids so today is my first day at work with my afro, which i am not sure how i will maintain but i feel like i can now move forward and i have let go of every part of my beloved South Africa. Will post some pictures sometime tomorrow.