São Paulo

Today marks one week in Brazil. The lesson I’ve learnt this week is that perceptions are easily changeable. The things that used to once startle me and intrigue me here in Curitiba are now becoming the norm. I look out the window of our 20 story apartment building and see a horizon covered in much of the same buildings. I no longer notice the details of the buildings, the streets, the environment or the people that once used to stand out so obviously to me here. I’ve had many conversations with my boyfriend about the things I ‘see’ in Brazil that he has never noticed before. Before going to Sao Paulo, it didn’t really feel real that I was in Brazil. Everything felt the same, but the surroundings were just a little different. But going to Sao Paulo really woke me up. It made me realise where I am, and put a lot of things in perspective. I have never seen anything like it.

We went to Sao Paulo because Diogenes is in the process of applying for traineeship programs here in Brazil, and the interviews and selection process all occur in Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo state is the richest in Brazil, and Sao Paulo is the biggest city in Brazil (and the third largest in the world) with a population of roughly 20million. This city is the same size as my entire country. It was breathtaking. The people in Sao Paulo were very ‘real’. The slums entering the city were never-ending on the horizon, kilometre after kilometre, just like in the movies. Sao Paulo had a 22-lane highway (11 lanes each way) coming in and out of the city. I’m pretty sure the biggest I’ve ever seen before this was a 6 lane highway (3 each way). The air was thick with pollution and I preferred to keep the car windows closed. The streets were lined with homeless women, children and men. Helpless people literally slept on the roads, almost as if they were praying to be run over in an attempt to end their destitute lives. Government apartment buildings were 2:1 ratio with normal apartments in many parts of the city. There wasn’t a quiet moment to be heard. I saw a lot of shocking things, like an old man with polio writhing around on the ground trying to stand up after he fell over, and no one came to his aid. I saw young girls being made to go up to cars, with dirty marks all over their pants, and my heart just crushed. Whilst there is much more to the city than the poverty, I talk about it because it’s such a contrast to anything I’ve seen before and really impacted me. However, I actually fell in love with Sao Paulo. We stayed in a geographically high part of city where the air was cleaner, where there was no or little poverty and there were many trees and a vibrant atmosphere. It almost felt as how I imagine New York to feel. There were cultural hubs, gorgeous gardens, people everywhere, all the time, Sao Paulo just never stopped. It was amazing to see how three or four different ambulances/ police managed to navigate their way through completely jam packed peak hour traffic. On that note, I have never heard so many sirens! We will no doubt have to go back there for more of Di’s work but I am really looking forward to getting better acquainted with the city and I’m secretly hoping he gets a job there. I feel I still have a lot to learn and experience there.

We took a bus to Sao Paulo, and it took over 6.5 hours cruising through the luscious green countryside of Parana and Sao Paulo states. The first thing I said when I got on the bus was ‘Oh my god, this is the nicest bus I’ve ever seen’, and it was. Sao Paulo bus station is also the largest in the world, with over 600 platforms. People commonly travel by bus and so the bus services are efficient, clean and luxurious. We stopped over at a roadhouse along the way and I ate at my first Brazilian ‘buffet’ where you get charged by the kilo. The food was glorious. Brazilians know how to eat well. I was surprised at all the different cuts of meat and I told Di to just put a little of whatever he was having on my plate – I hadn’t seen them before, so I had no idea what was good. Little did I know until I questioned Di, ‘I don’t really like this kind of chicken...’, ‘ Oh you don’t like chicken hearts?’ – ‘WHAT? I’M EATING CHICKEN HEARTS?’ Oh my god. So, I had a quick 101 on the fact Brazilians like to eat ALL parts of the animal. In fact, Diogenes mum’s favourite dish to prepare is Tongue. I can’t wait...

Speaking of food, Diogenes and I did our first big grocery shop yesterday... at Wal-Mart. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not really a fan of corporate giants and delocalised food systems, so this was a little interesting/hard for me, but nevertheless fun. It took us a whole day. Food like Quince, a delicious fruit I used to indulge in with blue cheese, costs just over a dollar here. We have been having fresh bread with fresh mozzarella and quince for breakfast with fresh fruit, iced-tea, fresh lime water and muesli and yoghurt. We take our time in the mornings to enjoy, and we are finally starting to develop some routine. Getting used to each other, but particularly getting used to living with someone, being with another person 24 hours a day and being completely dependent on them (for everything) is completely new for me and has been an incredible learning curve and I think day by day Di and I are getting closer than ever. On Sunday we met one of his long term friends Ana Luiza and her boyfriend Henrique and not only were they amazing people who I can’t wait to get to know better, but it was so nice to start becoming part of ‘society’ here. Tonight we are meeting a whole group of his friends, girls and guys. I can still barely speak a word of Portuguese because we haven’t really done any practice, but we are going to start practising a lot more now. I’m very different here. I don’t really feel different, but people like to tell me I am exotic. I hope that’s a good thing...

There is a lot I would like to comment on about Brazil. There are so many subtleties in particular that fascinate me – like the inherent class system. There is a distinct lower class, middle class and ‘class with opportunities’. I haven’t come across the really affluent class yet, but I’ve heard it does exist – perhaps in Sao Paulo state. Everybody has their role in society here, and everyone happily gets on with their jobs. It’s strange for me to always have valet parking or to have someone serve me at a petrol station, check my oil or wash my windows. I find it hard to comprehend people, even students, have ‘maids’. There is so much inequality. But on that note, it makes the system work. You don’t see ‘made in china’ labels, as there are enough workers and resources for everything to be made in Brazil. The way people from the different classes interact is also fascinating for me. Its so subtle, and most Brazilians I’ve met don’t approve of discrimination, but they inadvertently practise it in their daily lives. How fascinating. Speaking of the subtleties, I was listening to some rock’n’roll with Di in the car, and the band was screaming over and over ‘hock’n’holl’. They don’t pronounce R’s here at the beginning of words, and naturally I found this hilariously comical. Needless to say, my boyfriend didn’t find it so funny that I laughed at this. The rate Brazilians ‘consume’, consume plastic packaging on their food and drinks, consume water when doing the dishes, consume paper serviettes with every meal, and the like is phenomenal for me. Consumption attitudes here seem to be not unlike those of the USA. I’m not sure the environmental revolution has hit here (yet), but I am starting to see signs and graffiti relating to sustainability. That makes me happy! Oh Brazil, how you intrigue me. I'm really learning to love you.

Brazil: The Beginning

Well, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for and probably the moment you’ve been waiting to hear about. It’s the end of my second day in Brazil and I feel I owe it to everyone who’s been reading my blog to update you. Everything was fine when I arrived in Sao Paulo. It was much easier than I imagined. The wait-times were long, and as my boyfriend says ‘Brazilians love to wait in lines’. It took me roughly 1 hour to wait in the border control line, and roughly 10 seconds to be approved for my stay in Brazil. De nada. I took a walk outside in Sao Paulo between my flights. The red sunrise beamed from across the mountains on the horizon, creating silhouettes of the buildings and palm trees. The air was thick and the surroundings felt dense. It felt like what I imagined Brazil to feel like.

The long-awaited reunion with Diogenes was one of the scariest and most exciting things I’ve experienced. Walking out of the Baggage Claim area, seeing him immediately in the crowd waiting anxiously too, there was that moment when our eyes first met... my heart was beating loudly. I was greeted at the airport with a beautiful bunch of exotic roses, presents and chocolates on my seat in the car, another present at the hotel, and 20minutes after we’d had some time to settle down a trolley of champagne, fruits and a huge assortment of different Brazilian foods was delivered by room service. I’ve been taken out to restaurants and generally treated like a princess. Needless to say, I’ve been feeling pretty spoilt. I’m not going to go into personal details, but I can say that it feels like we’ve never been apart and we were quick to remember why we felt and knew it was worth waiting 6 months to see each other again.

So – first impressions of Brazil? I guess it still hasn’t hit me where I am. It’s really new for me. I’d describe it as a mix between Darwin, Australia, and Vietnam in infrastructure and architecture. Concrete and tiles are building material of choice. The architecture is soviet-esque and the powerlines look fierce. Curitiba is known as the ‘Green City’ and has the reputation of being one of the nicest cities in Brazil to live. On the way from the airport we drove past many slums, and generally poor neighbourhoods. It was a bit of a shock for me. Not because I didn’t expect to see them, but because I wasn’t prepared to see so many of them. The Aboriginal urban government-housing settlements and ‘slum areas’ in Darwin and Vietnam look pretty upper-class compared to some of these places. Brazil is a little hot and cold for me still. The moments we’ve had to explore the more natural parts of the city, such as the hills and the parks, have been beautiful moments for me. The stress and chaos of the big city is a bit more difficult to warm to. I thought I would be scared of Brazil at night, but actually I prefer it and really enjoy the buzz of the city when the sun goes down. There are lots of men randomly standing around waiting down dark streets, alongside stray dogs and masses of graffiti. The general graffiti scribbles mimic Egyptian Hieroglyphics in my opinion, and there is much graffiti ‘art’ throughout the city. Some streets are completed secured off, and when we park our car at night there is a man who runs around the street who we pay and he keeps watch over all the cars. I don’t feel threatened here, and people always advised that I would be fine if I just used my ‘common sense’. Unfortunately I don’t really have the stay-safe-in-Brazil-common-sense yet because many of the dangers here have never crossed my mind before. Nevertheless, I am really starting to understand what people meant by this. I’ve seen many girls from my hotel window walking on their lonesome throughout the streets at night – a sight I never thought I’d see. People don’t really stay in their lanes or follow road rules strictly here, and there is general disarray on the roads (i.e. buses so completely full that they look like something out of a movie!). For the amount of people I see cleaning the streets I can’t really comprehend why everything still looks quite so unkept. Men and/or horses pull carts along and pickup rubbish/paper recycling from the road side. ALL the women wear jeans and knee-high boots – don’t ask me why. I dressed in accordance with the locals yesterday, but it felt a little too Brazilian and a little too little Sarah. I feel there is a lot more to say about what I’ve seen so far, but I feel like I’ve barely seen anything yet. After the weekend and a trip to Sao Paulo on Monday, I can't even imagine what I'm going to have to say.  Day 2 – this is the beginning of my Brazil...

Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland, Olá Brasil

I’m currently sitting in the sun in my bikini, drinking carbonated apple juice, after a nice nachmittags coffee and cake session with my grandfather, Gabi and one of their friends who I met when I was 5 years old. I’m in such a peaceful state right now. It’s roughly 30C, but feels like 25C. The sun is soft and comforting, very unlike the harsh Australian sun. I the smell and sounds of summer. The birds are chirping and fluttering around the garden, the flowers are in full bloom and everyone is taking it easy. Yesterday I caught up with another uncle and aunt we walked their little (well actually it’s quite big) puppy in the forest. Pronunciation in German is very important. For example, hundchen (puppy) and hunchen (chicken) caught me the other day. My Oma and I decided to make Sushi and she asked me if I wanted to make some nori rolls with hunchen. Thinking that hunchen and hundchen were one of the same, and my oma had just asked me to make sushi with puppy, I was a little startled at her question! Needless to say, this became an ongoing joke between my cousins. The forests in this area are just divine. There are families and young children walking and bike-riding everywhere. I have completely falling in love with the Volksdorf area, and the wider Waldorfer area (forested area). My grandfather’s gardener is now sitting with us, enjoying a cigarette, as most Germans over 30 seem to do (there is so much smoking here – even in restaurants!). The community vibe is strong. I love it!

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Today I caught up with another dear friend, Melanie, who lived with us in Australia for some time roughly 7 years ago. The last time I saw her was 5 years ago when I was a mere 16 years old and was fascinated by Spaghetti-Eis (Ice-Cream and fresh strawberry sauce that looks like Spaghetti Bolonaise). It was only tradition that we ate spaghetti-eis again. Last time we saw each other we were figuring out what to study at university and what we wanted to do with our lives. Five years later and having finished university now, with our lives very much on track we had some great laughs about the past. My Oma and I made sushi for dinner tonight, and I am currently sitting on her balcony drinking a frozen non-alcoholic beer. It’s about 10pm and the sky is still light, but the sun has set. The air temperature is cooling, and I am surrounded by flowers with a beautiful view the endless sky. With a mere 20 or so hours until I leave for Brazil, I am really enjoying this moment. I am pondering what is going to happen next, what has happened to bring me to this point, and I am also just enjoying being at peace with everything. I’m really, really happy.

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So... the first leg is complete. Hamburg --> Frankfurt. Next, Frankfurt --> Sao Paulo --> Curitiba. It’s going to take me roughly a whole day to travel back 5 hours and back to the southern hemisphere once again. My last day in Germany was just beautiful. I went out to breakfast with my grandmother to a gorgeous Vienna Coffee House. We had a glorious meal with champagne, tea, yoghurts and fresh fruit, bread and cold meats and eggs and everything! I definitely felt spoilt. Spending this last week with my grandparents, both my Oma and Opa, has been amazing. I don’t know if they’ll ever know how important and meaningful it has been to spend time with them. I guess they probably feel the same. Listening to their stories, and even just enjoying their presence in silence, and feeling the importance of family has been unforgettable. My whole trip has been like this, even before I left; meaningful moment after another. Even though I have departed from my family and friends, I feel like I am closer than ever with them. It feels really amazing to love your family so much.

Saying goodbye at the airport was harder than I thought it would be. I shed a tear or two when I left and, again, I just felt so much love and gratitude for my week in Germany. My darling uncle Lars and my gorgeous aunty Elke came out to the airport again with Theo (Malte is on an island somewhere), and my grandparents were naturally there. Lars and Elke always show so much enthusiasm for me and always make a beautiful effort to see me and make me feel very welcome and loved. I really appreciate that, and I’m not just saying all this because they told me they wanted an honorary mention in my blog! (hehe) All my friends and family here in Germany, and my family in Australia too, all called or Skyped to say goodbye and goodluck. Its amazing how many people are reading my blog and giving me beautiful feedback (Altanta - you deserve an honorary mention for your support too!) I feel really whole as a person right now, and completely ready to take the next step. Wow.

By the way, I hate Frankfurt airport. It’s probably my least favourite place in the World. After many phone calls to Lufthansa/TAM Airlines/Hamburg Airport trying to figure out what my baggage allowance was for Brazil, it was a consensus I could have 1 x 23kg bag, and 1 x 8 hand-luggage. When I got to Hamburg Airport the lady told me I could check in 2 bags (even thought my first bag was quite overweight) and she would find me nice seats too. Lars (look there are two mentions now, Lars) bought me a lock for my hand luggage bag away it went. It is so nice to travel lightly for once. Normally I am sweating and struggling with all my heaviest items in my hand-luggage. So – good start! But then I get to Frankfurt and it all goes downhill. I have to catch trains and walk a thousand miles and my flight isn’t displaying on the screen (there are 1000 other ones though!). I get shuffled down to a part of the airport that has no air-conditioning, really mean looking security guards and war-time German architecture. This part of the airport is for Africans and South Americans. There are few ‘westerners’, and I’m starting to feel like I stand out. Not to mention I keep setting off the security gates and I have no idea why. This part of the airport lacks the traditional German efficiency, and everyone is running around like a headless chicken. All the staff are African and South American as well, and I guess this is giving me some idea/preparation for my arrival in Sao Paulo. The German language is slowly departing my mind as I hear Portuguese words whispered around me at my gate. I’m flying Lufthansa to Sau Paulo, but saw a bunch of TAM air-hostesses and they are all very ‘Brazilian’. You can spot a Brazilian by their eyes – somehow they’re very distinct. Everybody is about 6 inches shorter as well. Western manners, behaviours and general reservedness have gone out the window and kids are screaming, people have no shoes on, their feet on the seats, etc. Fascinating to see the contrast. I haven’t even left Europe yet and I already have so much to say. 18 hours left until my final touchdown and I’m reunited with my White Knight. I know I will have a lot more to say then. Olá Brasil!

Lübeck: Marzipan, Strandkörbe & Wasabi Peas

I’m back from Lübeck where I spent the weekend with my cousin/aunty Martina and her folks Manfred and Ingrid. Lubeck is a gorgeous town about 65kilometers north of Hamburg in Schleswig-Holstein, along the Ostsee. The first thing you notice about Lubeck is that it is an old city. Unlike Hmaburg which, as I mentioned, was completely demolished in the war, Lubeck was relatively unscathed. The cobblestone streets, old museums and perfectly intact buildings and churches give a wonderful charm to the city. I’ve realised from my journey so far, I’m a sucker for cute, old, small towns

Martina and I enjoyed the beautiful sunny skies exploring the city centre and Timmendorfer beach. We went to my favourite shop in the world, the original Niederegger Marzipan shop. It’s been exactly 5 years since my last visit, and it hasn’t changed a bit. Delicious marzipan shaped like vegetables, fruits, animals and natürlich the originelle marzipankartoffeln line the walls! Speaking of kartoffeln, I can see why Germans eat so many potatoes. They taste delicious here! I have also realised that I underestimated ice-berg lettuce in the past too. I used to find the stuff insidiously boring (perhaps that is an overstatement, it’s not that bad), but there are many variations with yoghurt and fruit dressings I have discovered here. I have since added a few more entries to my recipe book.

Germany is a curious place in some ways. It has a reputation for progressiveness and efficiency, yet there are so few credit card facilities. Coming from Australia and Norway where plastic is the new cash currency I have been finding it frustrating not being able to use my VISA cards here. Everything is much the same price as in Australia, with only few discrepancies (i.e. Petrol in Europe is ridiculously expensive). But they make you pay for everything. You have to pay to use the toilet, and you even have to pay to use the beach?! Martina and I hired a Strandkorb. We already had to pay for the beach anyway so what was two more Euros? Strandkörbe are very German-esque little beach houses/beds/baskets. The direct translation for korb is basket, but make of that what you will. The beach was packed because of a very entertaining beach hockey championship. We made the most of our Deuetsche street-drinking permissions and enjoyed a beer in the sun in our strandkorb (notably all paid in cash).

Sehr interessant. Ingrid cooked us a delicious meal for dinner, and Martina and I played board games well into the night. We always have a good laugh, and my stomach feel likes it’s had a workout the next day! We also had a little misadventure with wasabi peas, marzipan, licorise mentos, amaretto and flying insects – but I won’t go into that here. Martina and I can keep that memory to ourselves (wink, wink).

Carbonated Killers in Europa

The killer in Germany is the mass amounts of carbonated drinks. When you go to a restaurant and ask for water, they give you mineralwasser (carbonated water). Even the juices are carbonated. I don’t really understand why, and I find it very unsettling for my stomach. I think most Europeans generally buy bottled drinks. I find this really bizarre because plastic bottled drinks are not only made from cancerous plastics (particularly when heated 1 or 2C, even by sunlight), are massively damaging to the environment from both waste and production (even the recycling process causes environmental degradation), and generally the drinks are carbonated which is unhealthy for you anyway, and then some of the drinks are sugarfree (did anyone say cancer-causing phenylalanine?) or they have extreme amounts of sugar (and no wonder obesity, ADD/ADHD and diabetes is on the rise). Plus, with beautiful, clean, clear, pure tap water like that in Norway, you can refill a glass or polycarbonate (i.e. SAFE) bottle for 5.5years at the same price as one 600mL bottle of dangerous, nasty stuff. Hrmm, all this talk of drinks makes me want some Apfelschorle :-P

Germany: My Return to the Motherland

Oh, Germany. Here I am, in the motherland. From the moment I got on the plane leaving Norway it became apparent to me that English had left the building. It was Deutsche only from here on in. For some reason I find it easier to speak German when I am outside. Don’t ask me why. At first I was a little confused, often going to pronounce words with a Norwegian pronunciation. Now I am thinking in German almost all the time, and it’s getting more and more difficult to speak, think and write in English. Actually, when I was thinking of things to write here, I was thinking of how I would write it in German. I guess this will be a useful transition to Brazil where there is even less English.

When I arrived at the airport my grandmother, grandfather, aunt and uncle and two gorgeous little cousins were waiting for me. It was such a surprise, but I felt so close and familiar with them straight away. The temperature increase was quite a surprise as well. It has been 40+C in Berlin the last few days. However I think I brought the cold south with me from Norway, as the temperature has been far more moderate since I arrived. Nevertheless I packed for a European ‘Summer’ and a Southern Brazilian ‘Winter’, so my wardrobe is not really compatible with the heat.

I am in Hamburg. Every city in Germany boasts a different culture, environment and reputation. The south is particularly Bavarian, the east is Russian-influenced, and the North is ‘high-German’, and every region has its own flare. I feel that Hamburg is similar to Berlin (at least in the Centrum on the weekend) but with more greenery and of course the Harbour shapes the Hamburg city dramatically too. The architecture here is distinctly post-war. Hamburg was one of the unfortunate cities which was bombed 80+% in the war, and hence there are few original buildings left. Some of the original buildings are St Michaels Church (Michaeliskirche), and the Rathaus. When you see these buildings, you become immersed with the opulence of the architecture and the history it represents. There are few buildings quite so magnificent.

Yesterday I went to the ‘Welcome Point’ along the Elbe River with my grandfather for lunch. Every time a ship goes past on its way to the harbour there is a welcoming announcement and the national anthem of the ship is played. My grandfather is an extravaggent character, to say the least, and made friends with not only all the waitstaff, but everyone we walked past on the way from the car to the restaurant. Nevertheless, his charm must have worked on the Algerian waiter who served us, and the next thing I know an Australian U-Boat, called Sydney, was welcomed into Hamburg. The Australian national anthem was hence played and the entire audience stood up to look for it and take pictures. Obviously there was no U-boat, but only my grandfather and I knew that. It was certainly a moment I’ll never forget.

So, Hamburg, what is it like? Well, it’s certainly big. The city centre feels bigger than any Australian city at least, primarily because of the high density living. But for such a small area of land there is so much, everywhere, all the time. Hamburg screams efficiency. It is an incredibly green city. I always remember it being green, but there are just trees everywhere, lining every street and along every sidewalk. The system here is completely different from Norway, and more alike to Australia actually. Punk fashion is still very much alive. There are bicycles everywhere, and even more black cars. Mercedes, BMW, Audi and VW are the norm. Houses are few, and most people live in apartments. There is an abundance of German flags scattered all over the city, and this is a new phenomenon since 2006 after the World Cup. Germans for the first time in 60 years are feeling ‘allowed’ to be proud of their national identity, and it has definitely shaped the country in a positive way. However, compared to Norway where only the national flag is flown, there are many other flags from other nations across the city.

There are cultural hubs everywhere in the Centrum. Today we went on a tour of the Harbour with the whole family, and then we had dinner in the Portuguese area of Hamburg. Afterwards we drove past the Reeperbahn. The Reeperbahn is famous for many things, such as where the Beatles became famous. However it is more famous (or should I say infamous) for its Red Light District. In Australia and Norway street-drinking and prostitution is illegal, but here in Hamburg it is very much allowed. I have never seen so many prostitutes, all of whom are normal, nice looking girls. Of course there are the ones in fishnet stockings and little clothing, but many look like your average university student. There is also one part of the Reeperbahn no women are allowed to enter (except the ones who work there of course). How curious. This city has such a lively atmosphere, where old, young, ethnic, tourists, locals all come together and just exist as they are.

I am staying with my grandparents out of the city in a clean, cute, green part of Hamburg, Bergstedt. It is quite a contrast to the city. I have been immensely enjoying spending time with my family. I am enjoy listening to my grandparents stories about love, life, politics and the war. I have a big soft spot for my little cousins Theo and Malte too.

I am currently on my way to Lubeck in Schleswig-Holstein to spend some time with my Grandmothers brother, and his daughter (technically my aunt, but we are similar age and I consider her more to be my cousin). I always have lots of fun with Martina, and Lubeck has beaches and Marzipan so I know this will be a good weekend!

A Taste of Norge

My time in Norge (Norway) has come to an end and I am writing this from the Oslo airport waiting for my flight to Hamburg, Germany, where I will spend a week with my family. I haven’t had much time to write since the wedding as I’ve been busy tasting Norway... literally. Eating is something we have done a lot of this week. I cooked Lene and Sven Marius a traditional ‘Australian’ meal. Yes, an Australian meal. I’m sure all the Australian readers are thinking what I thought when I offered to cook one – what the hell is an Australian meal? Well, I cooked Steak with a mushroom sauce, creamy mashed potato with parsley, honey carrots, steamed greens (green beans, asparagus and snow peas) and a roquette and parmesan salad. It was hearty and tasted like home, so I guess I passed. Then they returned the favour and cooked me a traditional Norwegian meal. It wasn’t the season for Reindeer (the original choice of meat) so we ate Elk instead, served with gravy, a creamy sweet cabbage stew, Norwegian forest mushrooms and carrots. It was delicious. Sven Marius also keeps a keen cellar so we have been drinking delicious Spanish and Italian complimentary wines with each meal too.

There has been roughly 5kilograms (perhaps a conservative estimate) of candy left over from the wedding, in addition to the wedding cake and two other delicious creamy chocolate tortes. The night of the World Cup final our dinner and celebrations consisted only of excesses of cake, candy and beer. Being in the Northern European region the obvious team to barrack for was Holland; however everyone in this region hates Holland so we barracked for Spain instead.

The wedding cake is now finished and the candy bowls have large holes in them. Lene and I consequently decided we should do some exercise. The weather took a turn after the wedding, and so we braved the grey skies and enjoyed a 6-7km walk along the Norwegian coast. I thought food had momentarily escaped us, but alas there was an abundance of wild berries along the track which we stopped to taste. These ranged from tiny wild strawberries to blueberries to raspberries to red currents and to a few more types I don’t know the names of. Given the summer holidays here, ice-cream shops also line the streets and wharves in the little coastal towns. Norwegian ice-cream is made from pure, locally produced cream, rather than heavily pasteurised milk. As you can imagine (and anyone that knows my love of ice-cream can surely imagine), this was another delight I was unable to refuse. To make matters worse Lene and Sven have a strawberry farm. Hence we picked gorgeously sweet strawberries directly from the field. It’s very Nordic and German to cover the strawberries in masses of sugar and eat them with milk and/or cream, and fresh sugared strawberries were often eaten after dinner.

Food aside for a moment, one notable event this week was that I learnt to drive on the right side of the road. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined, but I didn’t enjoy narrow streets or oncoming trucks and motorbikes. I often drifted too far right, but we managed to get home unscathed. We spent my last day in Norway out on the boat and had many laughs, relaxing moments and moments of adrenaline battling the open-ocean waves. We stopped in Oslo’s New-York-Central-Park-equivalent on the way to the airport and ate more ice-cream whilst inappropriately giggling at the museum of naked statues. Yes you heard right, lots and lots of naked people. That’s Oslo for you. Despite my suitcase being a few kilos heavier (probably to match my waistline), my bank account being a little lighter, all-in-all this has been an amazing trip. I absolutely love this country and somehow it really feels like ‘home’ for me. The culture, the environment, the people, the activities, the jobs, the progressiveness, the lifestyle, the career opportunities... After another beautiful taste of Norway I just can’t wait to come back and devour this place. Excuse the pun. Next stop, Germany.

Norsk Bryllup

I just attended my first Norsk Bryllup (Norwegian Wedding). It’s 4.00am and I am still buzzing from all the coffee I drank to ensure my survival on the dance floor, right until the end. As you can imagine at this Nordic latitude it’s already light outside and the oldest city in Norway, Tønsberg, is surprisingly still quite lively too. My hotel room has a beautiful harbour view and I’m enjoying listening to the birds and the people on the boardwalk.

The wedding was incredible. I failed to read the invitation properly and mistook the word Norwegian word ‘gala’ for a less strict English definition. Turns out gala in Norwegian means ‘white tie’, i.e. ball gowns and tuxedos with tails. Nevertheless, I was still able to pull off gala attire with no problems other than a minor heart-attack. 

Pre-Wedding I had dinner with Sven’s family. There was much discussion about who was to give a speech, and who wasn’t, and how everything was to be conducted. Sven comes from an old Norwegian family, who have ties to the Royal Family. Hence the importance of tradition and adhering to precedent are very important to his family. Despite being an incredibly traditional wedding, there were a few modern twists. Mara, a friend of the family who is the Sustainable Development Coordinator for the World Bank in Turkey, expresses how wonderful she thought it was that Lene and Sven conducted the wedding their way. Lene being the politician she is, chose blue and white as the theme colours for the wedding in honour of her political party ‘Høyre’. They are also very elegant royal colours. The table names were based on historical conservative politicians such as Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and I sat at Alexis de Toucqueville. The wedding party and dinner was right next to the church in an old clubhouse, which belongs to Sven’s family and is a few hundred years old. Unfortunately I didn't get to take many pictures throughout the evening as it was impossible not to be caught up in the moment.

From start to finish the event was beautifully traditional and perfectly executed. It is impossible for me to describe because there were so many perfect details that made it unforgettable. Some of my favourite moments, however, included being blown away by the Sølvguttene (Norwegian Boys Choir) at regular intervals throughout the evening and enjoying being personally served specially-designed wedding cake by Morten Carlsen (Norway’s finest pastry chef).

But the highlight, hands down, for me was dancing my first Norwegian Polonaise Dance. The Polonaise is a dignified ceremonial dance that from the 17th to 19th century often opened court balls and other royal functions. I was paired with a very interesting Norwegian business PhD student who primarily lives abroad between Berlin, Florence and California. Actually everybody I met was very interesting. All 90 guests participated in the dance and it felt very 1500’s-esque. Not to mention, it was incredibly fun. The women were all elegantly dressed, and the men were true gentlemen and looked glorious in their tails and tall hats. After the dance the guests lined the walls of the ballroom and watched Lene and Sven conduct their first dance. Everyone joined in after and slowly the music transformed from Frank Sinatra and Classical Jazz to Abba to Gloria Gaynor to Rhianna. The cameras were turned off, and then the party really started! Hence how I ended up home with only a few hours of shut-eye until we all meet again for breakfast.

Finding My Feet In Norway

I can’t explain how lovely it is to wake up and see horses grazing on grass by a beautiful lake and mountain right outside your window. I am incredibly jet-lagged. After going to bed at roughly 1am, my body clock told me to wake up at 4am. So from about 4am until 11am I forced myself in and out of shallow sleep. I have a feeling I will be well adjusted by tomorrow. Interesting jet-lag is related to the liver, so perhaps that wine I had last night was not the best of ideas.

P.S. One of the horses is absolutely hilarious. It runs around and neighs and plays games with itself all day long. I love HIM!

* * *

Yesterday the clouds fiercely glided across the sky, getting darker and darker. I haven’t seen clouds move that fast since witnessing a freak Super Cell storm in Darwin, Australia. Today, Norway is raining. I feel like I could be in the British countryside, and I am starting to get a sense of what the colder months here would be like. Lene says they’re harsh, and January and February in particular drag on. It’s so hard to comprehend what a -20C winter with a mere 5-6 hours of light a day would feel like. The landscape here is so stunning, I can’t imagine it completely white and baron covered in metres of snow. Apparently May is the best time of year. All the Norwegians are very happy and patriotic because of their 17 Mai celebrations (similar to USA’s 4th July), and its spring time. I imagine the autumn would be impressive here as well. Autumn sunsets, colours and weather always make it my favourite time of year.

I’m still very tired. I’ve also noticed that I am so far the only person I’ve encountered who has brown eyes. I’ve had many interesting chats with Lene and the politics here in particular fascinates me. I was also informed that the beautiful little wooden carvings on the houses that I so admire are the equivalent of Australian 1960-70’s brown brick and Italian influenced awnings, and the like. I am always intrigued by how the same thing can be perceived so differently by people.

* * *

So far we have been taking it easy, and I am very much appreciating having an excuse to relax. We have primarily been keeping ourselves somewhat busy running errands for the wedding. Lene’s wedding is being filmed. I believe it is being covered by the media due to her role in politics, and she is also being covered by a Wedding TV series airing here in Norway next Spring. Because of the TV series she has been filmed during the preparation stages of the wedding as well. Today we were filmed getting our nails done Look at that! Less than 2 whole days in the country and I’m already a TV star.

Because of all the stress and hormones of moving and also the physical stress of travelling, I have been complaining to Lene about the state of my skin. So she gifted me a surprise facial at the same Spa we got our nails done. I have never experienced anything like it. There was steam, needles, lasers, electricity, beautiful natural essential oils. My skin is feeling incredibly better already. It might also help that the water and air here is so pure. The country is covered in lakes, and the water is so clean it is bottled without treatment and sold throughout the World. The tap water here comes directly from the lakes too, and tastes so clean and healthy.

Given that Lene’s nails took almost 8 hours (!!!) I enjoyed some of the time I was waiting to explore West Oslo. I was really hungry, but felt so intimidated to actually buy anything because of the language barrier. Everyone in Norway speaks English fluently so I don’t know why I felt like this. But it is interesting to be reminded how confidence is so necessary to get by in a country you don’t speak the language of. Further to that, I was a little shocked by some of the prices. I always knew Norway was expensive, but when a take-away pizza (which costs maximum $6-7 AUD) costs around $30-50 AUD you start asking yourself – am I really that hungry? Post-mix Coke down at the wharf can exceed $12 AUD a cup, and a casual luncheon which I often used to treat myself to can rack up a bill of over $100 AUD. It seems the only people who can stay longer than a week in Norway are those on a Norwegian salary.

Speaking of, I have been learning a lot about Norway’s political, tax, welfare and education systems. My experience and impressions of Norway have always been one of a fairytale. However, I have really started to learn more about and see more of the ‘real’ Norway. Norway is often seen as the ‘perfect model’ country, largely to do with its success as a Welfare State. But witnessing ‘downtown Oslo’ and learning that many students leave university with debts of over $100,000 US is opening my eyes a little. Despite education being free, most students take out student loans to cover the living expenses during their time as students. Nevertheless, I imagine it’ll take a university-leaver less time to pay off their $100,000 student loan in Norway than it would take me to pay off my mere $20,000 HECS debt in Australia given the disparity between incomes.

* * *

Today we spent the whole day decorating the venue for Lene’s wedding party, and the venue looks incredible. We have been having a lot of fun, and bonding a lot on our long and frequent trips between Larvik and the various towns we’ve been travelling to. My jet-lag is finally starting to dissipate and tomorrow when I wake up it’ll be the Wedding Day!

Touchdown in Europe

What a contrast flying into Germany and Norway is from my Middle Eastern experience. The settlements become more developed and structured. There are more infrastructures like railways, large connecting roads, wind farms, airports, power stations, and definitive farmland, cities and suburbs. Even the materials in which houses are built are significantly more complex. Even though I was only in Frankfurt for a few hours, landing in Europe gave me a breath of fresh air. I love this part of the World. Whilst the Middle East fascinates me, the beautiful countryside cities, high quality living standards, healthy landscapes and general societal order of Europe brings me much comfort. Germany is 38% forest and the European Union spends over 50% of its budget on farming subsidies for both cultural and economic reasons, and this is really evident from a birds-eye-view. The architecture in the little German and Norwegian settlements is unique and very timely indeed. Just by examining the way the towns and settlements are built and structured I can feel the immense and rich history of Europe, dating back hundreds if not thousands of years. It’s impossible to imagine there are 80million people that live in Germany, because most of the country is very low-density living. I’m really mesmerised by vast amount of really old, little towns surrounded by farmland. I almost feel like settling down and retreating to a little farming village where I can enjoy a daily pint at the pub with my neighbours and talk football. Speaking of which, all the Germans I’ve met have been very sympathetic given I’m Australian (who lost to Germany 4:0 in the World Cup) and my boyfriend is Brazilian (who despite being one of Germany’s biggest rivals, also ended their World Cup rendezvous quite tragically). Soccer, or I should say ‘football’ on this side of the World, is the universal language here at the moment.

There is also a lot of water around. The skies are sunny blue and there is a perfect air temperature which hugs you with warmth, but is still cool and refreshing to breathe. Everything is very green. One thing you get a sense of in Germany, Denmark and less-so Norway is that every corner each country has been walked on or touched by someone at some point throughout history. Even the forested areas. The use of land in these countries seems really saturated. I mean to say I can’t foresee any significant land-use changes or mass development. Not that I can necessarily see that in the Middle East either, but there is still a real rawness and untouched aspect about much of the Middle East’s sandy setting. Perhaps this immensely long plane trip has given me too much time to think and ponder.

Norway is unique from other European countries though. It still has many of the elements I described, but you feel different when you fly over Norway. Perhaps it is the incredibly Northern latitude, and the beautiful Nordic sun. But the land, the water, the sky, the air all have a purity about them. A surreal and magical existence. I felt like God was gifting me Norway when I arrived. I’m pretty sure the pilot detoured through the beautiful fjords and over the perfectly still and shining lakes and forests just to impress. The beauty of Norwegian summers is that when I touched down at roughly 7.30pm, the sun looked as if it was still 4pm in the afternoon. In fact, it’s after midnight now and still light outside. The airport was all wooden and sustainably engineered, and the Norwegian houses and villages were even more sparsely distributed across the countryside and beautiful natural landscape. They almost look like perfect little lego houses and villages. In summary, it took me roughly 3 seconds to completely fall in love with Norway again. The even-more-beautiful-than-I-remember Lene was waiting for me at the airport and we had a gorgeous summer BBQ on the lawns of her elegantly renovated 400 year old family farm-house. We drank wine and talked politics and caught up on old stories. I am now cuddling up into a gloriously comfortable bed after a refreshing shower, and am looking forward to waking up for the first time since the day I left Australia and enjoying what happens next.

Middle Eastern Stopover

After 11 hours of flying and 9311kms away from home I find myself sitting at Gate 224 in Dubai International Airport. It’s not my gate, but after my desperate attempt to reduce my baggage weight by wearing all my heaviest items of clothing I am far too hot and exhausted to actually find my real gate (I think it’s about Gate 500). It’s about 5am, it’s already 32C and the humidity is so thick you can barely make out the outlines of the infamous Dubai Skyscrapers in the distance. We took a seriously long 15-20minute bus ride from where our plane landed at one end of the airport to the passenger terminal at the other. This airport is bigger than Sydney CBD, men in Turbans span the streets, palm trees sway in the warm air and the architecture is uniquely ‘Dubai’ (i.e. extravagant). The Arabic spoken here is quite soft, and almost sings. Dubai is certainly living up to its reputation, and instead of cafes throughout the airport there are ‘Gold Shops’ and intense consumerism. I do find it interesting, though, that women in black hijabs run the security screening. I brought a scarf myself to try and show some modesty, but I’m not sure if it’s more or less culturally insensitive to actually wear it. I feel I would look foolish merely draping a scarf across my head in no particular way, shape or form. I’m sweltering in my ski jacket, but I am only wearing a singlet underneath and I know my bare arms won’t be looked upon too kindly. I’m too buggered to figure out how the wireless works here, so I can’t even research whether it’s okay to take photos or not.

I made a friend on the plane, Mark, an Irishman who works in Offshore Drilling. Interestingly, he lived in Rio de Janiero for 10 years and he and his Brazilian wife just moved to Australia. He was certainly giving me a reality check about Brazil. Don’t get me wrong, he loves the place, but his little advices about which ATMs to use and not use, personal security and the importance of your parents (particularly your father) on any legal documentation were quite eye-opening. I can’t really comprehend how different it’s going to be yet. Learning about the role of women in Brazil is going to be an interesting aspect of this journey too. I’m waiting for Mark to come back after he’s explored the airport (although I have a feeling he’s lost and/or not coming back), so he can tell me where and how I can buy some water and aspirin. I still have 3 hours until I leave for Frankfurt.

* * *

Mark came back and very graciously helped me sort myself out and walked me to my gate. Inside the Dubai terminal feels like the centre of the World. There are people flying to and from South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific, and there are airlines like Iran Air and Ghana Airways. I have never seen such diversity in one place. But outside the terminal is a reality check. Battling the sweltering heat and harsh wind, the thick, brown, dusty air and the consequent low visibility of old Arabic Sultan-eqsue architecture and modern monstrosities situated in clumps throughout vast open spaces, makes you realise you are literally in the middle of an Arabic dessert. It scares and excites me at the same time. My excitement peaked when we flew over Baghdad. The clear air exposed the dusty, grey-brown, baron Iraqi landscape. The city is densely populated around a river. There are few sealed roads anywhere in the country, and very sparse groupings of settlements throughout the countryside. After chatting with my German neighbour on the Frankfurt flight about politics in the Middle East, and having my first taster of this part of the World, my passion to travel and explore this region from the ground has certainly been ignited. As the Turkish mountains with old, dried snow start to appear, the landscape changes, becoming greener, and I can feel Europe approaching.

Leaving Australia

My last week in Australia was incredible. I don’t need to go into too much detail as I’m sure most of the people reading this were there to experience it with me, and I hope I’ve expressed my gratitude to them. I’ve put some photos up on facebook and I will probably upload them on Flickr soon too. Leaving Australia was one of the most difficult, yet complete tasks I’ve ever done. I was primarily sad because of the strength of emotion and love I felt for my friends and family. Being home for these last 6 months really allowed me to connect with my roots and become whole as person. I feel like the little birdy who has just jumped out of the nest and is spreading my wings for the first time. I am so, so, so grateful to everyone, and I know more than ever now how important my family is to me. It really hit me on my last day in Australia, and I spent most of the day with my mum and dogs, bawling my eyes out. I have been travelling many, many times in this life, but walking through those airport gates this time made me tremble. It all feels a little bigger and scarier this time.