Pølseveven: May 2007

Monday, May 21, 2007

Sunday, May 20, 2007

17th of May - the Norwegian national day

A classical national romantic motive... Blossoming fruittree and national costume. This is in front of my parent's house.

The 17th of May is the Pohela Boishakh of Norway. Big crowds, processions and celebration of everything national and rural. Me, Shaheen and brother Thorbjørn on our way to wave to the royal family.

The royal family on the balcony where they stand for about 4 hours waving to the school children's procession.

This is me in my national underwear...with Inger-Johanne and Daniel's cute-pie Bodil in my lap. Bodil and I have had our moments of toe biting (her) and screaming (I), but are now very good friends.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Saturday I visited Karianne, Håvard, Hanne and Mio the cat. They have recently moved to a neighbourhood with two evil cats who keep chasing Mio up trees. Mio is the black spot you can see far up in the tree, Karianne is on the ladder and Håvard is on the ground. Hanne and I are watching through the window.

A night in Lillomarka

Friday night Jorunn, Gase, Gase's friend Stian, Ingvild and I spent in Lillomarka, one of the forest areas surrounding Oslo. We walked to Revelitjern, where we made a fire, ate pølse and lompe, and slept under the open sky. It's been a few years since last time I did this, but I don't think as long time will go until next time.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Basking on the pebbled shores of Brighton

On my way back from Dhaka I had a stopover in England to go and visit Mishu in Brighton. I called when I arrived in Sussex. Mishu came to find me, but I happened to be at another bus stop. I called again, but we were disconnected because of low battery. Luckily, he managed to tell me where to go before we were disconnected; I should find my way to the student residence "Islop". This was at least how it sounded in my ears, and this was what I asked the first person I met :

- Do you happen to know where Islop is?
- You are looking for Hislop? That's just over there, turn left in the crossing.
- Oh, Hislop is what it is called! Thank you!

I felt that she looked at me a bit oddly, but didn't think more of that. After turning left, I met someone else:

- Can you tell me where I can find Hislop?
- Yes love! That's the buildings you can see over there.

I arrived at "Hislop" only to find to my great amazement that the name of the place is in fact "East Slope", but with the peculiar British way of swallowing letters, it turns out more like "Islop". But the most amazing thing was that everyone understood what I was saying, except for myself...

Looking up on the rows of low houses that is "East slope" student residence, I realised that there has to be several hundred students living there. How to find Mishu? By asking someone, of course! I asked the first and the best, a guy coming towards me on his way to the garbage bins:

- Do you know Mishu?
- Sure! I'll show you.

He took me to a courtyard and up some stairs, and there he was, and it was great to see him.

The day after we spent basking on the pebbled shores of Brighton. The man behind this poetic expression, Nabil, was unfortunately not there because he had to submit an essay. But Antonie and George came out from London, and we bought some beer and some crisps, as they call it in Britain, and basked in the sun till it was time to go for a little sightseeing before I entered the bus to Heathrow.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Dhaka people

Coming back to Dhaka was very good. When I came out of the airport and smelled the early morning Dhaka air, every good feeling I have had in Dhaka came rushing back to me. The pictures in this entry is of a few of the people who meant a lot to me while I was in Dhaka, and who means a lot to me when I am not there. Like Imran and Anna captured at a rooftop party in Niketon above. It was the leaving party of someone I have never met before. That is typical of my experience of living in Dhaka - going to parties where you don't know the host, but are welcomed like a friend.