Work takes all my social time

I'm not too sure if it's worth it. Currently my work is eating all my social time. I'm at school full-day, and then i'm at work for 4 hours. Around 9 in the evening i've got time to start doing something for myself, and guess what... I've got no energy for it, there's no time, and it's really too late anyways. Last week i worked all workdays but one, this week i was supposed to do the same. However, though today was supposed to be my free day, and i even had plans for it; Guess what? I get a phonecall that somone is sick and they really need me at work today. Bah! These were the slowest 4 hours at work so far, when i had my mind all set on free time. And this sunday, wich is the universal free day, the store has a ware-counting, so i'm at work sunday too!

Sure, it could be worse. I could be without a job and not getting enough hours, then i would be sereously in trouble. And! Next week i'm going to Ukraine. The week after that is spring vecation. Do you think i'm looking forwards to it? I'm not having a bad time at all right now, i'm just letting out steam because all this work is more than i've bargined for.

Murmaid in Vesterålen

Picture of the month!

You have to fullview this. I was not part of taking this picture though i was there, all credit to Karoline and Remi. I love the color, the concept, the mountains and - most of all - the details! Fullview is a must.

Operation days work

I'm leader of Operation Days Work at my school again this year. Dosen't feel particularily great, but i might as well just do it as i do anything else. Operation days work is a charity project where students all across norway, in all signed-up schools, work somwhere one schoolday to earn 200 NOK for the central pot that goes to a charity project, wich is a different one each year.

In this years project, they're providing a 1-year education to girls in Bangladesh, who are otherways married away, as the families don't want girls who cannot make money like boys can in the male-dominated society. The edications is rather basic and increases littaracy and hygene awareness, as well as giving some basic foundation to do some jobs. The project is run by the Strømme-foundation, wich means it is christian-based. It's luckily based on the thought of solidarity rather then charity - help to be self-helped.

It's a good project and a great way to found it, but i can't honestly say i care too much about it. I'll do my best as leader, though!

Surprising smile

So I'm sitting in the register at the store, doing my work, completely in my own thoughts, monotonely beeping the wares and typing weightcodes. And suddenly, there's a girl smiling warmly at me! My first thought is if i know her, but i soon realise i don't. I'm too stumped to really smile back, but i say hi to her more cheerfully then i usually do, and she keeps smiling all the time she's there. Such a big, warm, beautiful smile! I don't think i manage to smile back, but as she leaves i thank her for smiling, and she says everything is more fun when you're smiling. And I'm in a brilliant mood for a good while after, being more nice to the other costumers and looking more brightly on my job.

That was a few days ago. Today she was there again, and surprised me just as much with her smile. This time i smiled back, spontaneously and probably quite wide, because I'm properly happy to see her again - and I'm happy the rest of the workday, and i still feel good when i think about it. Such a wonderful thing to do! She actually really lifted my day twice now!

I wish there were more people like that.

Four girls died and cheap toilet paper

Quite a strike of proportions. Today i had two e-mails in my inbox. First said that it was sad days for the people in Zulusponsor, as 4 of the girls in the project has died - without much more details than that.  Second said that my local store has half-price on toilet paper. You know, 2 big packs of toilet paper in the original price is enough to have a child in the Zulusponsor project for a month!

Zulusponsor

Headed for Ukraine!

Holy otter! I'm going to Ukraine on an Active-seminar the start of next month! I just got a phonecall from Ida in Juvente, who asked if i still wanted to go to the Ukraine seminar. "Yes?" "That's good, because you get to go!" I never thought so, i just went to Budapest on a Active-seminar earlyer this year! So, paying not a dime, i'm going to Ukraine for a full week seminar, meeting great Active-people, having fun. I'm happy!

Interrail this summer?

As i preveously announced my crazy plans for driving around the balkans - things makes me realise that i'm evidently not experienced enough for that yet. Nether will i be in one year. A good idea to substitute, as proposed by Mari, is to Interrail! It's cheap, it's nice and it'll be exiting. Maybe combined with some hitchhiking? We could go as many as we want, we could travel where we want and see a lot of the world. I could easily afford two full months of interrail time! Sleeping at stations, seeing the balkans... Brilliant idea!

Expensive car rant

I've just spent some time calculating how much money has been tossed into being able to drive around relatively freely. My car, so far, has cost me over 60 000 NOK. That's 30 000 buying it, 15 000 ensurance, 5 000 reregistration, 6000 repairs. Then theres an upcomming ~ 10 000 for additional repairs. 70 000! And then it's what i spent to get my drivers license, about 30 000. 100 000 NOK! And what do i have to show for it? I think if i'd known what i know now, i'd waited a year. 

School trip to Hemsedal

I'm just done with a school trip to Hemsedal in mid-southern norway. As you'd expect from a agricultural school, we've been visiting different farms and people who have made something else from their farms tourist potential. I've got no chance translating the termology to english, so i'll just leave it at saying that i had a fairly nice trip, was somewhat inspired to do something sometime, but i'm also realising that the farmers life is not the life for me. At least not yet.