Oslo Day Trip

[temperature today: 8.7C-12.2C]
written 2013.02.19

We woke up very early in the morning to go to the airport and lucky for us we did because my ticket and Maria's got cancelled (we don't know why) so we had to buy a new ticket at a relatively higher price (i hate you, bank!). We also experienced an Amazing Race moment when our companion went through the International gate (and we unknowingly followed). To get back to the Domestic gate, we had to exit through the Arrivals area and go through security again! So the people at the security were a bit confused why we were there and we explained that we went through the wrong gate. This second time, we made sure that it was the Domestic gate. Unfortunately, we were running already to reach the gate since we were already being called. We were just lucky because the person who took care of us at the check-in gate was the same person who managed the gate. Whew!

Since it was still early, I took a few photos of the sunrise, ate from our packed food, and slept. Woke up a bit to see the scenery then got back to sleep. After an hour (and a half?), we landed at Oslo airport. We took the train to the city and there, had a bit of breakfast at Burger King, our favorite fast food chain. LOL.

My officemate was able to meet a Pinay and she gave us a general direction. The security guard we asked directions from was kind enough to look for a free city map for us. We then left the station and had a day of adventure at Oslo. First stop, as suggested by Maria who remembered from her last trip that it was near the station, was the Opera House. Wow! That place was really cool and huge!

Next stops were the following: the fortress/castle, Rathaus, Nobel Peace Building, (tram ride to) Vigeland Park, (running around the city and riding the tram, bus, going through the subway to go to the) Munch Museum, (bus ride to the) Viking Museum (which was already closed), then back to the train station. From there, we went to see the Cathedral (which was closed for an event) so we just went to a souvenir shop were we bought a lot of stuff like magnets, keychains, shirts, etc.

Here are some pictures:

[temperature: 8.2-11.3C]
written 2013.07.25

Today is still heavy work day but my friends and I decided to go to Kilden or Jula to buy some stuff (read: food) that we will need for a picnic for tomorrow's trip to Oslo.

Also bought my nice, warm, green blanket :)

Happy birthday to one of the most special person in my life, too! Wishing you always a happy, fruitful life - one that will bring you lots of blessings and love that you can share to the world. I love you, Weng!

booking oslo

[temperature: 5.6-11.7C]
written on 2013.07.25

We have been looking at our calendars for the nth time since we received it, hoping that we can find a time when we can go to Oslo, the capital of Norway. Finding out that we only have two weekends free, my new friends and I decided to go to Oslo on the first free weekend, and before we get swamped with work.

So today, we bought our tickets online. We decided to go this Sunday - get on a plane early in the morning then fly back in the evening. Lucky enough, there are relatively "cheap" flights that we can book online.

We also looked through an Oslo travel guide that I got online and picked the places we wanted to go to.

Now looking forward for a day trip in Oslo! I'm glad that almost half our group is my groupmates so meeting schedules and workloads were arranged accordingly. :)

working hard and late

[temperature: 8.2-12.2C]

written on 22.07.2013

working very hard for our first case presentation. first at the hotel's function room with the teachers and the next at the group's common room after class. it's turning out to be a complicated exercise with all of us having ideas. hoping we can come up with two final choices before we call it a night.

plants for akvavit

In one of our lunches at the NPD, our Norwegian colleagues have mentioned the akvavit, the alcohol one must try while in the country. On our walk up the Preikestolen, I walked partway with the doctor, who was also the wife of one of the mentors in the eight-weeks course who also happens to be a geologist and she also mentioned the akvavit. Now, that made me really curious.

Apparently, it is a hard drink or alcohol (like whiskey or vodka) that is available in Scandinavia. It is made out of potatoes (in Norway). Imagine, an alcohol made from potatoes! And then they are distilled with herbs or plants. It was really interesting to know this and I guess the doctor was happy to share it with me that, while I went ahead to walk up the Preikestolen (she stayed behind for the others at the back), she made a point to pick up some plants that make up the ingredients for akvavit to show me later.

When I saw her husband Dag again today, he presented me with the plants. So happy to see the bag and learn about these plants. Stef even asked for some for her own!

Now, I'm hoping I get to drink akvavit before the course ends.

 Akvavit ingredients and I'm keeping them! Thanks, Dag!

In the land of Vikings

[temperature:  9.9-13.7C]
 updated 2013.07.25

... but I certainly haven't seen one. Although most of them are so tall! :)

Been here for more than a week now but with everything that's going on, I feel that I've been here for months!

The coursework is very demanding with a casework (with so many readings!) and challenges to work on. I am just glad that my newly found friends had made time to go out after classes last week because beginning this week, we are all looking into evening work schedules, too! However, despite the stress the coursework can give us, I look forward to spending time with my classmates.

My companion from the office and I actually had made friends, like a barkada, with mostly South American people: two from Ecuador, two from Bolivia, a Nicaraguan, a Lebanese, and an Indonesian. This is certainly one fun group who likes to learn and share with each other -- and definitely, one who loves to eat :)

Preikestolen Trip

[temperature today: 3.9C - 15.1C]
written 2013.2.19

Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local name Hyvlatonnå (“the carpenter-plane’s blade”), is a massive cliff 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, in Forsand, Ryfylke, Norway. The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet), almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway (Wikipedia).

This Sunday, we went up the Pulpit Rock, one of the tourist destinations in Stavanger. This hike was almost 4km long and the group took a bit more than three hours to get to the plane which they call Preikestolen. Our trip started early in the morning when it was still dark, passing through some scenic Norwegian countryside to get to the port where there are ferries to help us get across the fjord. It's pretty amazing to experience crossing a fjord on a ferry (I've only read it in books before and now, I'm actually doing it!). The bus had to go on the ferry and we were able to get the chance to hop off and walk around the ferry. It was a fairly short crossing, maybe about twenty, twenty-five minutes, but it felt so long because the wind outside was so cold. But that didn't stop us from taking pictures of the fjord scenery, even when our hands are already shaking because of the cold. As usual, I'm dressed for it, though: gloves, bonnet, three inner layers, an outer jacket, scarf, leg warmers, jeans, socks and my good, old sneakers.

After crossing the fjord, we again had to get on the bus until we reached the first camp of Preikestolen. This is all hikes start. On the way up, we've encountered fairly gentle slopes, going to rocky, steep slopes, rock planes that are vegetated and planes that were not, ponds, sheer cliffs and lots of people. I even met and spoke to some Pinoys making the climb with their families, too! I also walked a fair distance with our doctor, who is the wife of one of our mentors (and who is also geologist!) Our walk had fairly many stops for picture takings and for resting as many of us are not used to climbing up mountains, especially in cold climate.

We reached the Preikestolen around lunch time (started the hike around 9am) so we were fairly famished and just started sitting down and opening our lunch packs. Picture taking just had to wait until we were full again.

After eating, I just had to go to the edge of the cliff and my goodness! It's really a fairly distance going down. I just thought that if anyone fell here, the water below will just feel like concrete, able to break your bones to pieces. That was how far down it was. The ferry moving along the fjord below was just a tiny little thing and the waves at its wake is like a streak a jet makes when it passes through the cloudy sky.

The climb was really hard, with notably two places where the hike was steep. I can feel the pain in my thigh but I also welcome it, because it was what my doctor recommended - a steep climb to help with my heel and calf muscles. But the view of a fjord, a real fjord, is enough to vanish all the pain away. It was wonderful! To reach the Preikestolen is a really great experience. It was a good thing that the organizers moved the date a week earlier when the weather forecast was good: sunny and warm.

Here are some photos of our climb:

 

teambuilding by the beach

[weather: 5.6-14.4 C]
written 22.07.2013

We have been experiencing fine weather these past few days so I think that our organizers decided to let us experience Norway's beach before the weather turns colder as we enter the winter months.On our first Saturday here, we had a teambuilding in one of the hotels beside a beach. The weather was nice so we were able to experience a Norwegian beach.

We visited a resort, StrandViste. We had the teambuilding exercise, birthday singing, and grouping activity. For me, the highlights were the puzzle game and the grouping activity. Despite the latter being one of the most important activity for today, it turned out fun and very painless. I just hope that the group that I get to choose turns out to work very well together as we are from all over - Africa, Asia and Latin America - with totally different work backgrounds. The only thing we have in common is that we work in the petroleum industry. Some of my groupmates are Latin Americans so I think we would go along fine with each other -- us having been territories of Spain in our countries' early history and therefore, may share some cultural similarities. I sure hope so! :)

Here's wishing our group a very educational and fun working experience for the next seven weeks (to go!)  :)

fish and chips

[temperature today: 5.6 - 14.4C]

Here is where we found one of our favorite food stores in Stavanger, a fish and chips place. I love the freshness of the fish and the tanginess of the lemon when you sprinkle some over it. Yummy...
 

old town stavanger

[temperature: 4 - 13.2 C]
written 22.07.2013 

We arrived early from school today so my friends and I decided to see the famed row of white houses in the old part of the town of Stavanger. This was located at the higher area along the harbor in the city center. It was a sunny afternoon and not too cold to walk around the city.

 colorful buildings, mostly dining establishments, line the harbor

rows of beautiful white houses in the hills along the opposite side of the harbor

the three swords monument

[temperature: 5-11.6C]

As we still had time today, we decided to go to a place a little outside of Stavanger, which we saw on the hotel magazine. It was called the Three Swords Monument. We don't really know its significance until one of our young teachers told us that it was where the battle that unified Norway took place. So aside from getting pictures at this seemingly lovely place, we also get to visit one of Norway's historical place.

From what I have read, this monument is called Sverd i fjell, or in English, Swords in Mountain. It is a commemorative monument located in Hafrsfjord made of three, 10 meter, bronze swords planted into the rock of a small hill next to the fjord. It commemorates the historic Battle of Hafrsfjord that took place around the year 872 (although other scholars peg the dates at about the 880s), when King Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre, Fairheaded Harald) united Norway into one kingdom. The biggest sword represents King Harald while the other swords represent the other kings he defeated. The monument also represents peace, having the swords planted into solid rock so that it may never be removed.

stavanger at night

[temperature: 6.4-11.3C]

Just taking advantage of the free time we still have until the work loads pile up in the coming weeks :)

We discovered that Stavanger's city center is made up of cobbled, narrow streets which houses lots of cute shops, from shopping boutiques to food outlets. While looking for a place to eat, we ended up somewhere that was familiar to all of us -- Burger King. Maybe later we will discover a nice place where we can eat a typical Norwegian fare but for now, this burger joint was enough.

first visit to the city center

[temperature: 7.7-13.6C]

On our way to the city center, looking for a place where to eat...

opening day

[temperature today: 8.9C - 11.5C]
written 2013.2.18

The best part of the day? I gained a new friend at breakfast today :)

I woke up so early in the morning so as not to be late for the Opening Day. My officemate and I went straight to the hotel restaurant where there's a breakfast buffet. I headed to the food (where there is rice, thank God!), chose a table, put down my plate, sat and woah! A guy was about to seat on my chair and I realized there's a glass of milk just beside my plate. Someone was already seating in that exact spot! I was so embarrassed I stood up and asked the guy to not leave and seat down on his place. Luckily, he was nice and asked that I sit at the same table. We then got to introducing ourselves and to both our relief, we are both Asians. LOL.

The Opening Day went well and I gained new friends, mostly from the Latin American countries. I also met some of our teachers and listened to very nice, traditional Norwegian songs.

"Wow, so could I practice my little Spanish with you?," I asked one guy.
He said, "No, because I want to improve my English!" 

LOL. They explained that no one spoke much English in their countries so it would be a great way to practice in Norway. I also made friends with one Lebanese who seems to be so nice.

At the auditorium, I was seated beside a Chinese guy. In one of the presentations, there was a talk on territorial dispute and I was like, "Okay, I'm seated beside a Chinese guy so I can't comment much." LOL. Yet it was cool. No arguments occured.


At the end of the day, we had a short tour of the city and then a welcoming at the house of the City Mayor.

Top left, clockwise: Our classroom and my area, view of the city of Stavanger from its highest point, traditional music from two beautiful voices, City Mayor's house grounds, City Mayor's Welcome Dinner (I so love the food, especially the halibut), our organizers and teachers.

first day in stavanger

[normal temperature: 11.6C]
written 2013.2.18

Finally arrived at Stavanger around noon today! Yes, after almost nineteen (I know) hours of traveling.

The queue at the Immigration at Amsterdam was so long and luckily, we have three hours in between flights. That being said, we didn't have much time to go around Schipol but had to head straight to the departure area. The flight to Stavanger was only less than two hours so it was a quick ride compared to the last one.

And yet, we encountered a minor problem when we arrived -- it's Sunday and the banks are closed! We didn't have Kroners with us so we were hoping we'd be able to change our dollars. The ATM machines had a problem recognizing our cards. So what to do? Luckily, the taxis accept credit cards!

When we left the Arrivals area, we were greeted by very strong cold, wind. Wow, welcome to Norway! :)

The taxi ride took about 20 minutes and it cost us around NOK450 or equivalent to almost Php3000. Talk about being expensive, right? LOL. The driver was from Turkey, by the way, and he had confirmed that everything is expensive in Stavanger... except maybe for electronics. We will see about that :)

At the hotel, we noticed some people hanging around at the lobby and I think, they would be participants of the training, too. I'm quite terrified about what's going to happen in the next few months but I hope I can catch up, learn and make friends. Please guide me, Lord. Amen.

Oh! Finally, I'm happy to have arrived and lie down on a bed of my own.

This will be my new home in the coming two months (and thank you, there's WiFi!) --

*****

Before leaving the airport though, I had to ask the airline to make me a damage report. My biggest luggage had its back ripped halfway and the zipper's ruined.

traveling again

The time has finally come to leave for Norway. Our travel will bring us from NAIA 1 Manila to a stop at Taipei, where we had to offload from the plane for security check, a stop-over at Schipol Amsterdam until we board a plane to Stavanger.

Here's hoping the next two months is going to be kind to me :)