murmeldyr.no

The weblog of a traveller

   Oct 07

[Not backdated – fresh from the block]

I like the way they sell cakes by writing ‘butter’ on them, even if there’s no butter in them. Butter is far from a word of honour where I’m from…

The contents say "vegetable fat"

The attitudes towards alcohol differs also significantly from home. The student halls have their own bar, employed by university staff bearing the uni logo. It feels funny ordering a beer from a school employee.

University Brewery

University Brewery

The library here has the most fantastic books, and they can be borrowed a whole year! I got a most fascinating book on the Picts and a beautiful medieval-style reprint of C. Agrippa. But when will I have time to read?

Ouch! Freshers’ week is renowned for high pace, and I’m starting to feel it. My body gives subtle hints like aching in the knees for no reason and I keep remembering stupid things I’ve done ages ago. Usually when such things pop up in my head I’m dead tired, so I take it as a sign and slowen the pace a bit.


   Oct 07

oct 1 – underwater

Pretty underwater!

Tonight I’ve been diving! That’s a tick on the before-turning-30-list. All the exciting things I get a chance to do while I’m here:) The main lesson I learnt; don’t dive if you have a cold! The headache was terrible. Other than that, diving is amazing. Very relaxing, very zen. You get a whole new dimension: Up and down. Just breathing under water was a bit of a headfuck at first, very liberating later. I’ll defenitely do more of that.


   Oct 07

oct 1 – practical stuff

There doesn’t seem to be any of those cheap hardware and nicnac shops that are so abundant in Norway here like Clas, Pytt i panne, Nille and soforth, the closest I get is M&S. So I went there today, hoping to find some of the real handy things like tin opener, scissors and pans. The things I was hoping to go together with the flatmates on, as it hardly seems necessary to have one each, but most of my neighbors are almost never to be seen so that proved difficult. Oh well, I guess my role as ‘handy flatmate’ is consolidated now, I’ve already been asked about things like how to unlock the door and how to turn on the stove. Reminds me that the stupid light bulb is still laying on my desk…

At M&S, I had the choice of getting one pan for £9.50, not bad – or three pans for the pretty price of.. 9.50. I came there for one pan, and one pan would surely have been better for the carbon footprint. At one point I promised myself never to buy more than I needed even if the deal was good. That promise broke today.

At least I’m going to lift all such things over on the charity shop that provided my awesome, head-turning £3 blazer jacket when I leave, as kind of a thanks for the bargain.


   Oct 07

26. sep – bikes

The everyday is closing in on me. But first there is weekend!

Boyfriend is in Nürnberg for the weekend without a functioning phone, and I’m feeling the withdrawal syndrome heavily. Are you having fun, dear? Looking forward to the photos! Photos, yeh. I still haven’t found the proper cable for my camera charger, so I must settle for crappy phone photos.

This place has got the most amazing thing – a BIKE LIBRARY (beCyCle.co.uk). Today I borrowed a bike for the rest of the term, just like that. They fix the bikes too, twice a week. And I even got a free lock with my bike. Could this be something for Oslo?

So I and some people from the eco-society Shared Planet went biking to an eco-village outside town. The beautiul farm and the sweet people there (many of the inhabitants are mentally disabled as the place is used for work training, all seemed very happy and harmonious) went stright to our hearts. I finally got to stock up on eco-food too.

The scottish history-course I was looking so much forward to is starting without me. It would have been too much, as I’m now taking both more and more advanced biology courses than planned. It’s ok though. I’m telling myself it’s ok; the new course seems both interesting and relevant for my degree so it’s a good trade. Argh. It’s still my baby I’m killing. Oh well, I can still sneak into lectures.


   Oct 07

25. sep – adjusting

Every time I sit down I feel how tired I am. It takes all my will to get up from the chair.. It’s a bit of a walk to school, and the buses seem to be quite unpredictable. That’s ok, it’s a nice walk, but together with the seemingly infinite numbes of things and names and faces and places and to remember – it’s quite breathtaking when it adds up.

The application for the school admission was quite straightforward thanks to the Erasmus program, but nothing could prepare me for the amazing lot of bureaucracy that awaited here. How many offices, stamps, forms and cards can possibly be involved to be allowed to study when the application is already ok? I think I had to register 3 times total, and that was before even subscribing to courses.

One of the steps was seeing an adviser to set up a reasonable timetable. What surprised me about this appointment was, I wasn’t anxious at all! Normally a meeting like that, and explaining my situation to a stranger, would make my pulse rise and my hands shake – even though it’s really nothing to be anxious about, it happens on its own, so to say. This time I was totally cool. I have been a calm, harmonic version of myself since I came here. Those of you who know the easily stressed Aggy who wants to be ahead of things and trips when she’s not, would be surprised.

New Me is getting to know quite a few people, I’m proud of her. I have to mention Georgia -from Georgia! Yep, true. We talked past each other for a while before I realised it was Georgia the state, not the country. Anyways, I’m glad I found someone who shares many of my views.

And my exceptional luck continues, last night I became the owner of a (expensive) wristband which gives free entrance to a hot-shot club for pretty much my whole stay. Thank to Useful Lucie (photo).

Yesternight was my first real experience of Scottish clubbing. These people are serious about partying! My sore feet did put some brakes on my dancing and my contacts didn’t quite fancy the smoky air, but it was fun.

New Me is also going to start exercising (finally I have the time – or should have), hopefully that will make the get-out-of-the-chair part easier.

UK light bulbs are stupid! They aren’t twisted in, but forced into place in a way I haven’t yet figured. FAIL! I’m a bit too proud to ask or help changing a light bulb – but obviously I’m not too proud to make fun of it in writing. Strange how much easier it feels to reveal oneself on the internet. I’m not sure if I think it’s a good thing, after all the very same people you don’t want to tell something might read the blog. But I still think I think it’s good, as long as it’s the telling part that is the problem and not they knowing. Am I getting philosophical? Maybe I’d spend my time better sleeping. Yeh.


   Oct 07

The flat

Bigger than I thought, and in better shape than I expected for a college hall. Nice view to the park (said the tree lover). The bed is awful, though – I’m going mattress shopping tomorrow. There’s a lot of noises in the house, I guess I’ll get used to them after a while.

It’s an all girls flat, and I consider myself lucky as I was afraid of ending up with slobby party-teenagers who’d never lived away from mom. My neighbors are mature, calm girls from all over the world: Kenya, Ghana, Malaysia and Vietnam. There’s not so much social gathering in the kitchen as I’d hoped, but luckily there’s more social people next door.

But there was one bad surprise: The kitchen is all empty! How unpractical to buy kettles and frying pans for only 3 months.

EDIT: Updating with a photo of the bucket that collects the rain.

the bucket

the bucket

Can someone please fix the roof so the poor walrus can get his bucket back?

South house is the middle class of the student village, better than the part termed “the prison” (word has it was built using the plans of a prison), worse than the new “we even have our own reception” court that has chucked out the down-rated Hillhead-name. But they all have the smelly “impossible to clean” wall-to-wall-carpets.

Why CCTV in a solely residential area? High crime-rate or overly controlling management? Have your pick.

what are they really signalling with this?

what are they really signalling with this?

Also, the egg-yellow walls are slowly crunching on me. Hallway, kitchen, room, stairs, bathroom – I hope they got a really good deal on that paint…


   Oct 07

[Night] woken up by fire alarm

The girls I was to go out with left before I came (8.30pm), such things happen when I’m a lazy ass and haven’t found out where I can top up this stupid UK phone no… It’s annoying having to deal with all these little things that run so smoothly back home.

Oh well. I’ll be up early to go running before the campus tour instead.

The fire alarm went off while I slept, how annoying. The nights are COLD! And they said it happens quite often… No firefighters, only the wardens came and asked who’d been cooking. I think one of them went to the relevant flat to check, best to hide any candles or incense next time. :O

After the time out in the crisp Scottish night in my nighties, no way of sleeping. It’ll be a long, blog-surfing night.


   Oct 06

Sightseeing by bus

Bah. One bus never came, and on the next I totally missed the city centre and found myself back at the halls again… It’s hard to tell the difference when the same small granite houses are everywhere.. :/ Well that means you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to get this update, as I’ve got power on one pc and internet on the other. How convenient.

Tonight will be my first real scottish pub experience – could be interesting.


   Oct 03

Eclectic eccentricity

Say that fast five times… My favorite-of-the-moment jewellery shop. Handmade treasures made from old jewellery, antique keys, even used clocks. Very artistic.

http://eclecticeccentricity.com/


   Oct 03

Contact details

I realise I’ve been terribly hard to get in touch with lately, so here are my contact details for reference, not least for myself – I reckon myself as good with numbers and carry something in the twenties of PINs, phone nos and other numeral codes in my head, but the mile-long UK phone no’s are still a challenge to memorise.

Phone: 07551202360 (if calling from outside UK add +44 and leave out the first 0) My Norwegian no. is working too, but I tend to leave it at home. Texts is fine, I get them eventually.

Address: 195A Hillhead Halls, Don str, Old Aberdeen AB24 1UW

And there is always facebook and msn. Please ask.

Yargh! Why on earth can’t symbols like /, :, – be in the same place on all keyboards?