Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 11:42
Last Friday,
Fredskorpset arranged for us to visit the Norwegian parliament,
the Storting.
Some great insight into the Norwegian political system. Learnt that Norway has one of the oldest constitutions in the world, established in 1814. The only older constitution apparently is the American one.
What was cooler was our meeting and q&a session with two young Norwegian MPs,
Inga Marte Thorkildsen and
Andr� Oktay Dahl. Now, in India, a 'young' politican is defined as someone who is perhaps under the age of 45, still has some visibly non-grey hair, and might wear jeans twice a year. In Norway, when they say young, they really do mean young. These two under-30 politicians were hipper than most pop stars I've seen.
See what I mean.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 at 03:21
Had my first skiing experience.
Ok. So, clearly, that is not me. That was from the Norwegian Freestyle Championships at which we had the privelege of spectatorship on Saturday here at the
Kongsberg Skisenter. Breathtaking skiing from some of Norway's best. Beautiful day on the slopes, electric atmosphere, live DJ, side shows, yada yada.
Now, this is me skiing on Sunday. Pretty much sums up the day.
It all started out great. First couple of hours on the beginner's slope - cruising and crashing in turn - but what a rush. Incredibly fun.
And then I foolishly decide to walk that tightrope, bravery on one side, and sheer stupidity on the other. Went up the ski lift. I had no idea this thing goes so darned far. I could see Denmark from the top of the slopes (ok, slight exagerration perhaps). And once you're off the ski lift and down a couple of slopes, there's no turning back, the only way to go down is on your skis. And so we went, three crazy beginners, and poor May Lise. 2200m. For the love of God, I could not get the hang of 'braking'. So I cruised down 2200m without having figured out how to stop. The only way I could stop effectively was throw myself down into the icy cold snow (mental note, must not wear jeans again while skiing). So go on. Do the math. 2200m. About 50 slopes. Lots of falling.
Craziest few hours of my life.
Monday, March 07, 2005 at 08:26
One of the more important trends of our times, is this phenomenon of global mobility, especially in the context of young people increasingly seeking opportunities to live and work abroad for a while. Last week, we had J�rn Hetland and Simon �verland, two fantastic trainers at the
course, who ran a session on 'coping with living in a different country'. Especially relevant for the nomadic AIESEC sort. Pointers from that rather interesting day:
1.
Balance > Secure Space > Exploring A combination of factors related to the building of a life that is 'wholesome'. For instance: Adding personal touches to your living space to make home as comfortable and inviting as possible. Making an active effort at 'network building', social life, etc.
2.
Identity Maintenence Rather than see your life abroad as a seperate entity or phase of your life, strive to continually draw the linkages between your past, present and future. Don't lose sight of who you are, where you come from.
3.
Stress Reduction Living in a different country can be more difficult than you imagine. Find fun ways to take the stress out of your daily routine. Exercise. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Nurture your hobbies. Cultivate new ones. Pretty basic, but infinitely important.
4.
Realistic Ambitions Be easy on yourself. Don't hanker after unrealistic goals, whether related to 'cultural integration', career or whatever.
6.
Enough is Enough: Acknowledge that you do have the option to 'abort mission', so to speak :) There is a point after which the benefits of that experience are far outweighed by the hardships, and it all begins to take a toll on you. Know when it's time to head home, or simply move on.
Here's another interesting read on the topic of
culture shock and cultural integration. From one of my favourite places to kill time online, that great institution inspired by Douglas Adams
H2G2�
I am hopeful and positive about the one year that lies ahead in Colombia. I know that I have my experience in Hong Kong under my belt, and I know that will be a great help. But I also know, that this, as with all things new, will be a unique experience unto itself.
Saturday, March 05, 2005 at 11:35
Went to the local cinema last night. Besides our 'Benetton Ad' group, about 23 of the 23,000 odd residents of Kongsberg were there. I think the doorman at the cinema had probably never seen such a colourful array of people trooping in all at one time. Saw
Constantine, the new Keanu Reeves movie. Probably the crappiest movie I've seen in a while. I didn't get it at all. And I don't think I want to 'get it' either. There are some movies, like the Matrix or Mullholand Drive, that you watch the first time and don't quite get. But there's a factor of intrigue that drives you to find out more, to uncover, to demystify. With
Constantine, I have no interest in any theories regarding the radical innovativeness of the storyline, so please don't tell me. And nothing in the world could convince me to sit through it one more time.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005 at 13:00
A town not far from Oslo. Famous for its silver mines and more recently, manufacture of defence, airspace and maritime equipments. Here for the three week course, run by
Fredskorpset, an agency of the Norwegian Government that works to build better relations between countries in the North and South. Fredskorpset funds exchanges around this theme. For instance they fund the Global Entrepreneurs exchanges, so basically, that's where my bread and butter comes from in the next 12 months : )
It's an interesting conference. About 40 people from 15 countries. Most participants are either from Norway or countries that are part of the Norwegian Development Aid Policy. Countries as diverse as Malawi, South Africa, Cambodia, Guatemala, etc. Spent the last couple of days debating about the World Bank, Free Trade, Development Aid, blah blah. Interesting. But quite challenging given the diversity of opinions. I thought AIESEC was diverse, but this just takes it to a whole new level. And I have to say, I miss the craziness and pace of AIESEC conferences... :)
Arriving at Kongsberg station.
Walking through Kongsberg on a snow covered Tuesday morning.
View from my window at the Youth Hostel.It's lovely when the sun is out.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005 at 18:04
It is difficult to be unaffected by Vigelandsparken in Oslo. The open spaces. The endless winter greyness. And of course, the fantastic scupltures by
Gustav Vigeland, a man who was clearly taken with human anatomy : ) .The 192 scluptures at the
park are pretty mindblowing... good way to kill a Sunday afternoon... :)
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