Wednesday 29 August 2012

I wonder whether the weather is something to worry about in Norway

The weather was an inevitable subject I had to speak about at some point. I was trying to wait a little while in order to have a clear picture of things generally. I now think I have seen enough of the varied weather patterns hear to give a fair reflection, I also had a request from an anonymous reader who was curious/worried about it. Well I hope this helps;

Firstly I must put this into context, I can only remark on the weather in Bergen in the western part of Norway  and only for the short time I have spent here. That is several weeks last summer, a couple of weeks at Christmas and then the last two and a half months.

Now with the disclaimer out the way lets get to the point, I would say the weather here is generally . . . as expected, if anything nicer. A little anti-climactic I know and I shall explain. Bergen is about the same distance from the equator as Scotland, seeing this on TV in the British weather forecast I knew largely what to expect and that was; a bit colder than most of England, a little wetter and some proper snow in the Winter. Both this summer and last have both been largely and most importantly relatively, very nice. From what I've seen from English people complaining, nicer than what they had, but then again nothing gives English people more pleasure than moaning about the weather. To take the comparison away from England and be more general I must say for many days it was over 20 degrees C, shorts were worn many times and we seemed to be having BBQs and eating outside nearly every day! Sure it was by no means tropical , one wouldn't suddenly think they have walked into Egypt, or even south of France. However it was very pleasant and I did pick up a nice tan. I must even confess that last year after several hours sun bathing without any protection my stupid English skin even got a little burnt!

So thats the summer, pretty good right? Nothing to worry about I'd say, well now for the other extreme, winter. I came over on December 26th Expecting meters of snow all around and the city to look like a cliché Christmas card. I had seen it in the sun and marvelled at its beauty and I was really looking forward to seeing it covered in white. I was however disappointed to say the least. Decent snow fall is common in Bergen as throughout large parts of Norway in the winter. Last year however it just wasn't quite cold enough and instead I just saw large amounts of rain. Occasional lashings of snow, but never settled and was always quickly washed away again. On the whole it was pretty cold. Around 5 degrees I guess. Again, not very far away from what I am used too and I would say very manageable. It might sound terrible if your used to tropical weather and having never lived in a hot country myself I wouldn't know what it is like but I would say its fine! Not ideal, but totally liveable, it wont stop you doing anything, just invest in some good weather fighting clothes!
I must also add that one day we travelled about an hour on a coach to go skiing and we found loads of snow. I was fascinated by how close it was. So ski enthusiasts, fear not, good snow is never far away in Norwegian winter time, even if it has failed to arrive on your doorstep. 

We are now entering Autumn in Bergen and this is obvious as it starts to rain a lot more. Bergen is famous for being insanely wet. Now as Autumn is the wettest season here and I have not been here during it I cant comment but so far I would agree that at times there is a lot of rain, and when it does rain it can be very aggressive. Yesterday for example I went out and it was stormy for a large part of the day and I was well soaked through. However the previous day had been lovely with a slight chill in the air but not a cloud in the sky and today has been cloudy but mostly dry.

So in summary of what I hope is a slightly useful summary for those wondering about the weather in this part of the world I would say Bergen is pretty unextreme all over and like many other parts of Europe. If you are fearing freezing temperatures most of the year then you are mistaken, that is left for the crazy people in the north.

Do however invest in an umbrella, just incase ;)

Last summer, me outside bryggen. Not a cloud in the sky


Skiing last winter just outside Bergen. It was actually very warm while skiing, although that didn't stop us enjoying some awesome hot chocolate while waiting for the bus home. Good times!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

EMPLOYED!

Now dont get too excited, as I can see you were. It's very uninteresting but I am pleased none the less. I have just get a job which I started on Monday. I am doing maintenance and stuff but essentially I'm just a general labourer and handy man/bitch. Obviously not ideal and its only a temporary contract but I shall start with the positives, of which there are several! (I originally mentioned the specific company but probably not a good idea in retrospect and as its not relevant I have decided to take it out.)

I can finally complete my application for proper long term residency! This is a big deal, I have described myself several times as a 'glorified tourist' as that is kind of how I felt, unemployed and not even allowed to open a bank account. But now with contract and passport in hand I can wonder down to the police station (I havent actually done this yet but will soon) and pick up a personal/birth/national insurance/social security number or whatever you call it in your particular country. I also strongly believe this will boost my chances of getting a long term job doing something in my field. I understand that no one wants to hire the fresh of the boat Englishman with no proof of his Norwegian written or oral or even that he would work well with other Norwegians. Its completely fair enough, I've only ever worked in England and although I may put in a personal statement 'works well with all types of people etc,' I had no real documented proof. But now I do and hopefully it shall be a big boost to future applications. I am also sure that working around Norwegians all day will help me with my Norwegian which is progressing still nicely at a very slow speed.
O yer and I almost forgot it pays very well, loads by English standards for such a position. Obviously it doesnt go as far here and most positions pay much higher than in the UK but still I'm chuffed.

Negatives then, well I'll only touch on them as I'm in a staying positive mood. The contract states its a short term deal until when the jobs done or December 31st, whichever comes first. Therefore could in theory be over any day, a couple of months has been suggested as an approximation and I hope that is the case. The problem here of course is that even if it is as long as two months, it may not be enough to boost my CV, improve my Norwegian and then a month later when all the money has run out again I'm in the exact same place I was last week! Also the job itself is very boring, so far I have been begging for things to do, been sent home twice by 15.00 and I really want to work a proper 8-4 to earn the money but just hasnt been enough to do. I'm hoping that as they see my enthusiasm they find more. Easy money is nice in theory but I want to show I'm worth having around so they keep me. Meant to be doing a load of painting tomorrow so that should be good, nice lengthy tangible task, perfect.

Anyway that is all for now. I am proud to have joined the club of crappy first jobs in a foreign country, I've heard of a few interesting stories before and by their standards mine is pretty good. Please share your first expat job stories with me if you have them  :)

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Beautiful Norwegian Red Sky.

Yesterday it was beautifully warm and like so many times over the last few months we sat in the garden catching some rays and having a BBQ. Popped out later that evening and the sky was looking awesome as the sun was setting behind a moutain and beaming its last rays through the broken cloud formations.

I only had my iPhone on me at the time so the quality is not the best and I have slightly edited them to get the full effect. The colours truly were very vibrant, a lovely site.





Monday 13 August 2012

Sunday the day of rest, best spent hungover

Although still unemployed, due to my girlfriend Marianne now working regular office hours we have entered the world of living for the weekend and Saturday night being the big one for the week. The night life itself I will save for another time but I just wanted to quickly touch upon Sundays in Norway.

Traditionally I think in many parts of the world everything closed on Sunday, you were meant to go to Church, see your family and all that jazz. This is of course no longer the case again in most places as far as I'm aware. In England for example although shops will typically close a little earlier, basically everything is open. Many banks even work full days Saturdays now so its probably only time before even they have to face the grind with the rest of those who work in retail and hospitality and swing open there doors on what was once the sacred day of rest.

In Norway however, everything is closed on Sunday. When I say everything, I really of course mean most things, but still loads more than I would expect. Bergen it seems to me has a lot of shopping malls for example, apparently you just can't have enough H&M and Carlings (clothing stores) within a thirty mile radius. It therefore seems strange that of just two none working days in the week they are all closed. If you look a little deeper though this does sort itself out quite nicely. These stores are largely open till 20/21 in the evening throughout the week and with the majority of Norwegian offices clearing at 16:00 (and not a minute later if what I have been told about Norwegian working culture is to be believed) then this gives ample time to still shop during the week and saving Sunday for its blissful simplicity.

It's not just the shopping malls though, the supermarkets too. In order to be legally allowed to trade on a Sunday the store in question must be of a certain size, I can tell you from experience this size is small. About a quarter of the size of a regular Norwegian supermarket which itself less than half the size of a decent English supermarket. I have no doubt American ones are several times bigger than that again. I'm aware that probably all got rather confusing, and short of creating a crude diagram I must ask you simply take my word for it, you have to be prepared for Sundays. You don't want to be under-supplied, its deeply tedious

The easiest way of not having to think or worry about all this hullabaloo in my opinion is to make sure you plan to have a big night Saturday and have along with your preparations for the night also organised yourself for the subsequent hangover on Sunday and then, viola! You don't want to leave, you don't need to leave, who cares whats open. Bliss.

The point that started this all off in my brain was that this weekend Marianne and I went out Friday, this meant hungover Saturday and a chilled Saturday night in. This was then inevitably followed  by a very boring Sunday. The weather had not quite lived up to our hopes for a trip to the sea and therefore we were left twiddling our thumps all day. If I'm being totally honest this doesn't bother me too much, I have previously been described as an expert at doing nothing, and some may consider a hangover to be doing nothing! But I'm afraid you would be wrong, a hangover is like putting the tent down after a camping trip, a tedious but necessary task that follows the initial enjoyment.

As always I have found myself going off on so many tangents, who knows what my initial point was and I have no idea how this post ended up so long so I should probably quit digging.

Please feel free to suggest you best Sunday activities :D

Wednesday 8 August 2012

IF

I'm not certain if I mentioned it in a previous post but I clearly remember saying to myself and a few close friends & family that I thought the first couple of months after I moved to Norway would probably be fun and then get increasingly difficult, stressful and depressing until the end of the first year. I then suspected it would get easier after that and hopefully truly comfortable and at home after around three years. Given I am fortunate enough to have time on my side still being just 22, this was a timetable I had accepted.

I am now just three days off the two month mark and I think I am well on target. I have been slightly negative at moments but largely things have been really fun. A few nights out, a couple of little trips, visitors from home and the best mark I could have hoped for in my degree. I must look back very fondly on most of that time.

The low feelings however are slowly peering their ugly heads in small waves as I plod along day to day, searching for jobs and generally just waiting for something immense to happen. This will however not be a negative post, oh no! Instead I will share one of my tricks for staying positive, and it is through the words of 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling. I remember few things from my childhood as clearly as I remember the first time my Dad read me this poem. I was instantly moved by it and kept a copy in my room for a quick read whenever I was feeling down. 

Years later it still works as well as it ever did, I'm sure many of you would have heard it many times but I just read it after receiving my fifth job rejection e-mail in two days and I felt the need to remind the world of these wise words. I have been heavily considering getting IF tattooed somewhere and if it carries on keeping me upbeat I think I will have to.

The link is to a slightly better quality version of the same video. Personally I prefer to read the poem out loud to myself to get the full effect hence why I have posted the whole thing below. However this is a really nicely put together video that is well worth a look at.


IF
  • If you can keep your head when all about you
  • Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
  • If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  • But make allowance for their doubting too;
  • If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
  • Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
  • Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
  • And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
  •  
  • If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
  • If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
  • If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
  • And treat those two impostors just the same;
  • If you can bear to hear the truth you ’ve spoken
  • Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
  • Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
  • And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
  •  
  • If you can make one heap of all your winnings
  • And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
  • And lose, and start again at your beginnings
  • And never breathe a word about your loss;
  • If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
  • To serve your turn long after they are gone,
  • And so hold on when there is nothing in you
  • Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
  •  
  • If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
  • Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
  • If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
  • If all men count with you, but none too much;
  • If you can fill the unforgiving minute
  • With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
  • Yours is the Earth and everything that ’s in it,
  • And—which is more—you ’ll be a Man, my son!

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Min mor i Bergen/ My Mother in Bergen

Last weekend my dear old mother and her husband Dave visited Marianne and I in jolly old Bergen. Sadly just a short 3 night visit and the weather was the worst I'd seen since I moved here. Being a mixed party of British and Norwegian however as you may imagine we were all used to this kind of obstacle and more than capable of laughing at it and refusing to let it hinder. Weather aside for now though (I plan to post about this soon) we had an awesome time and I thought I'd let you into what we thought was a great couple things to do. Sadly though after starting I realised as always I had far too much I wanted to say so I'm just going to talk about a bit of it now and other bits at a another time. (I have finally made a list of future blog topics as I always forget and therefore should be posting much more regularly)

They arrived early on a Friday evening and we all spent the night indulging in the very Norwegian activities of eating steak, drinking boxed wine and talking about how beautiful wooden houses are. We then got a relatively early night in preparation for the following days activities. We began the next morning and each subsequent morning with a big Norwegian style breakfast of baked bread rolls and a table full of exciting toppings, unsurprisingly this went down a storm. We then headed into Bergen centre to show  them the sites. I think we spent around two hours or more wondering around seeing loads of points of interest such as; Bryggen, the fish market, blue stone etc. These are all fairly obvious attractions and all well worth a wonder round. They may not play a regular part in my life in Norway but I do feel that they are great interesting things that are lovely to have close by and a must see for any tourist visiting Bergen.

After being driven slightly insane by my mothers insistence of photographing every thing in sight it was time to travel up Fløyen. A quick wikipedia search will tell you this is the most visited of the seven mountains of Bergen and it has a funicular that takes you 320 meters up that is used by tourists and citizens alike all year round. More importantly I say, it is great day out with hours of lovely walks both easy or treturous. It also provides some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. I've been to the top of the Empire state building, The Statue of Liberty, Snowdonia and a number of other British mountains and the veiws from Fløyen destroy them all in my humble opinoin. The beautiful combination of sea, forest, mountains and the city itself is just spellbinding. I have been up Fløyen I think four times now and I plan to do it many many more. Its not even just the main veiwing platform at the top of the funicular, go for a wonder around and find your own private angle to enjoy Bergen from. Few things can make me forget of England so easily and I consider myself very fortunate to live in such a beautiful city.

We went walking for about an hour up 
Fløyen and when the rain set in hard we found cover and enjoyed some skillingsboller, a tasty traditionally Bergen cinnamon bun. We then took a nice leisurely walk down the mountain which takes less than an hour and makes you feel you've made up for the laziness of getting the funicular up. 


I fear I must leave it there for now and once again begin my job application duties but I shall return soon, promise. 


Bryggen at the bottom and a very foggy Fløyen behind. Fortunatly the fog cleared soon after so we could actually see when we went up. As it often does though fog did make it look cool

Looking up at Fløyen from the city. In the middle you can see some of the funicular track and the building and viewing platform at the top where you get off




This was actually from the first time I went up Fløyen, it starting raining and everyone took cover allowing me to have the viewing platform to myself and capturing this lovely image. I felt like I was looking over my future Kingdom, it was a very peaceful and contemplative moment. (And also quite wet)