Last Day at Work

Well today is my last day at work, before the christmas holidays and i think its only good that i write something before i go. I am coming back on the 5th January where i will write loads and loads of posts on my different holiday experiences around parts of Norway. I am really excited about the trips i will be taking, but at the same time its really hitting me hard that i am not spending Christmas with my family.

I got a gift from South Africa yesterday, it was from my boyfriend. He gave to Vidar who is in South Africa but came to Norway for his December holidays. If i did not say this incident made me even miss home more i will be lying. Well enough of that i am going to Stryn and Arndel, so people of Stryn and Arendal brace yourselves a South African is coming to town. I have some self evaluating that i need to do. I kind of need to look at myself and see how i have grown and it what areas i have grown in?

3rd Week of December

The Christmas spirit is on an all time high, everyone around me is talking about gift shopping and how many days they have left till they go home. Its all rather exciting. I am also looking forward to spending my first Christmas in Norway, and i must say i have experienced alot of the traditions through various events that have been taking place from the beginning of December. I sincerely hope i will experience a white Christmas but apparently where i am going it is not a guarantee that it will happen. The days are certainly coming closer and closer and Christmas is here people. I already know where i will be spending my Christmas holidays, and i am looking forward to seeing other parts of Norway in the process. As hard as this time of the year should be especially since its family time. I am still really looking forward to spending my Christmas here. Its kind of funny because most of the time i have been complaining and feeling like things are very hard that i have only realized now that i am doing absolutely fine. I am fully adjusted now and i am no longer weary of doing things on my own. I have treated a life for myself here in Norway and it feels good to be happy and at peace about everything.
This past week there has been alot of event attending. I tried ice skating, since there is a huge ice ring in Oslo central now, and as much as i feel i was terrible. People have been telling me i was not so bad for a first timer. This was really cool and i think i am going to go again and see if i can find my own technique or balance. I also attended a Chirstmas boggie on Friday and got to meet some of the people i will see at Strini and i had a great time. I meet some really lovely people. Yesterday i went to a girls movie night and we were watching Mama Mia. Mama Mia is really a great girly movie that i enjoyed. Most of the girls i was with we watching for the second time but still managed to be glued on the screen. I now want to hire the movie Love Actually, as i have been told its a great Christmas love story movie.

In the work front, it getting close to wrapping up time. The year is almost over and my last day at work is on Friday. I am looking forward to the London Trip taking place in February and i am so glad i am part of the organizing committee. I had a great meeting with the two others leaders for this trip, and we had some great ideas. This is going to be one of those projects that will be really close to my heart. I feel extremely excited about this and look forward to putting together the final logistics in it. As from January i will also be visiting different groups, so i look forward to meeting everyone and sharing some information about my country and the HIV virus.

I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. I will try to carry on writing even through my holidays.

2nd Week of December

Well its already the second week of December, and believe or not i am starting to get scared. Towards the end of the week, i was not feeling to well. I had a sort of fever and a massive headache. Surprisingly enough after resting for about 2 full days and taking painkillers i was fine on Thursday. Thursday was also the day for our office Christmas Party and the day i was leaving for my weekend to Bergen. I got really emotional when i received a gift from everyone in the office. What made it so emotional for me first of all, is that they brought me the perfect gift. The kind of gift that is so perfect that it would have to come from people that listen to you when you talk, and who want nothing more then your wellbeing at heart. It was also emotional because for the first time, i was actually hit with the realization that everyone in the scout office has become a part of my family.

They are the people that i spend more time with than anyone, and they are the people i am going to miss most when i go back home. The realization of the fact that i am going to leave them in may was really overwhelming for me, i care so much about each and everyone of them. I also believe that when they call themselves a youth organization, they really do stick to their word. I really would have never dreamed of being in another organization then the YWCA-YMCA Scouts and Guides of Norway. So since i was so emotional at the dinner, i think this is the opportunity for me to say Thank you to all my colleagues and that they all Rock!!!

On Thursday i also left for Bergen, where i we were hosted by Birgitte. She is one of the GoCy's and also a good friend of mine. I must say this before i carry on, i am in love with Bergen. The moment i got out of the train and just looked around i thought to myself this is definetly a homely city. Oslo however is still very close to my heart but Bergen is just out of this world. Its a city that is still very much in touch with its history monuments, and its evident in their achirtecherer that the influence from the medieval times is still very much alive. I love the fact that you can walk around the whole city in a few hours and everywhere you turn you are just drawn by the essence of the city. I find this city even more breathtaking because of the fact that the city is surrounded by houses on its mountains.


I can still remember two houses at the top of its mountain that were identical, and Birgitte told me they was a TV show about the two families in the two twin houses. From the top of these mountains, one can see a stunning breathtaking views of the overall city. We went past a wish well, where you can throw money in and make a wish. The whole atmosphere around the city is very calm and tranquil.
Bergen is a city just like Oslo but for some reason its a city that you can feel more at home in. I have to remind everyone that i saw Bergen at a very cold time, and still thought it was stunning. I cant Imagen how gorgeous it looks during the summer. Bergen is definetly a city i would like to visits even when i have gone back to South Africa. I have decide that i am going to start writing down a list of all the places i get to visit around Norway, so i can make sure that when i go back home i see alot more of my country like i did Norway.

So i have definetly had a fantastic weekend, i am feeling very refreshed and looking forward to more traveling during December and seeing more of Norway.

First Week of December

I really had a great weekend; I went to something traditionally Norwegian activity on Friday and had a great time and I meet some lovely people. In ths blog I am sure everyone has realised that I have not only made it my travel blog but also a discussion blog. I enjoy writing this blog because it lets me share my experience with so many different people, but over and above that it also shows realistic experiences and challenges when living in a foreign country. I continually make sure that I am forever honest in this blog because I know that when I have left Norway it is I who will read it.

Humour/Jokes, such a great word and something that we all need from time to time to keep us going. But humour/jokes as great as it is if used the incorrect way can be the most insulting, de-grading and embarrassing way of attacking another human being. My dad always you to say ‘Every joke has its meaning’, whether this is true or not I still stand to find out. I have come to learn of a different form of humour in my time here in Norway, and that is sarcasm and irony. This is a great way of joking and at times I have found it more humorous then most jokes that people have to tell or say. In between all this laughter though, I have also experienced that there is a fine line between humour and being down right of offensive.

I have ask myself the question of so where is the line between these two different dynamics and how does one know when they have crossed it or stepped on to you. I have been thought and learned for myself that one should think before they something to another person. This can go as far as re-capping those words like they are coming to you personally from someone else and ask yourself how they would make you feel. Now this is extremely difficult to do especially when having a flowing conversation between two different people and getting lost in the moment as I always say. So I have given myself guidelines and precautions when it comes to humour, I believe that humour should not contain offensive or laughable information about a person’s religion, culture, race, gender, background and sometimes most importantly history. I choose these guidelines because I believe that they are factors that interlink with the individual holistically. These are aspects one can not change because these are factors that make the individual who they are, and so humour linked with them is similar if not exactly the same as making fun of the individual themselves.

I know some people might say I should take a ‘chill pill’ or just ‘loosen up’. But my culture, my country, my race and background have been the source of many criticism, humiliation and de-grading for many previous years and some aspects till currently. I will be the first to admit that these reasons have in some way made me sensitive, but also in other ways they have made me the person I am today. I carry these internal scars with me wherever I go, they have been inseminated in my mind and therefore I cannot just shut them off. I guess one of the reasons why I immediately take a disliking to humour that has to do with race, gender, culture, religion ect is because of the country that I come from, where it is utterly not tolerated for one to be humours about those aspects because of the history we have and how fresh and new the scars are still to many people. I share this with you because I want to hear your views about this broad and funny topic called humour, I want to hear what your boundaries are when it comes to humour.

In the work front, we were handing out HIV/AIDS badges to the public today at Karl Johan Street. It was a very entertaining morning, and I would like to thank everyone who participated in this great course. My invitation letter will be getting sent out very soon, so I am looking forward to meeting all the different groups and sharing a bit of my country with them. February is slowly creeping in, and that is during my trip to London, I really can’t wait. We will be having our first committee meeting on the second week of Decembers, where we will discuss potential activities that will take place during the trip and other logistics.

Its already December and we are just a few days away from Christmas, I really cant believe it. I will be spending Christmas with one of my colleague’s family, and I look forward to experiencing my first Norwegian Christmas and hopefully a white Christmas. I am also going to Bergen, for the coming weekend to visits a friend. I am really looking forward to that and I think it will be a truly entertaining weekend filled with lots of laughter. My December holidays seemed to be filled with a lot of different activities so I am really looking forward to this month.

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.