Ready to go

In four hours I'll be on my way to Uganda. My suitcase is packed, almost doesn't weigh more than it should, and there's even room for more.

I've got all my shots, packed my malaria pills and accidentally thrown my cholera vaccine in the dumpster. I'm all set!

This all means I won't be checking in as much the rest of the year. I would have kept posting about my stay, but it would be necessary for me not to have to moderate comments. Due to unfortunate incidents here I won't be able to do that.


Which means I'll have plenty of stories when I come back.
See you on the other side :)

Eee!!

I love my Eee. And I mean love it!

I've had it for six days now and I've figured most things out - with the help of my bf who just happens to be a linux wiz. I actually managed to get him to exclaim "wow, now I'm actually impressed" when I was able fo fix the wireless connection. Here at home it wouldn't let linux connect, when he visited he wasn't able to make it work, but I did!

As far as the eee goes, it's tiny, it's cute (although I wish I had it in white), and it's.... well, I just love it. The keyboard is small but typing works fine, the only problem is you have to hit the keys harder than usual to get them to register. Annoying at first, but you get used to it (just pretend you're real angry when you type).

The camera now works. I can't wait to start taking and posting pictures. The wireless works - it's better to experience problems here where I have four(!) other computers to help me solve the problem, rather than sit in a foreign country and not know what's wrong. I just want to have most of the difficulties now, and I'm trying my best to mess with the eee so I'll learn how to fix whatever I'm doing to it..

Did I mention I love my eee?

Tagging at Night

The bf and I were out walking Thursday night when we came across these guys decorating a wall somewhere between the cinema and the theatre. Now, most graffiti artists aren't as much artists as punks who spray words or just blobs on the wall. These guys, however, sure knew what they were doing.

Iris Robinson, MP

Iris Robinson, UK Member of Parliament and wife of First Minister Peter Robinson, during a debate on the assessment and management of sex offenders in the House of Commons;

«- We all agree that few issues arouse as much interest or concern in the community as that of sex offenders. The sentences served and their subsequent placement back in the community cause considerable disquiet among the public. There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children. There must be sufficient confidence that the community has the best possible protection against such perverts and it is important that there be a mature public debate on the issues, but the security of our citizens must be our overriding priority. »

Later, after protests and official complaints, she issued a statement via the party's press office stating:

“I clearly intended to say that child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy ... at no point have I set out to suggest homosexuality was worse than child sex abuse.”

When explaining her statement to the Belfast Telegraph;

“Can you think of anything more vile than man and man or woman and woman and sexually abusing children? What I say I base on biblical pronouncements, based on God’s word. I am amazed that people are surprised when I quote from scriptures ... I cannot think of anything more sickening than a child being abused. It is comparable to the act of homosexuality. I think they are all comparable. I feel totally repulsed by both.

... I am trying to reach out to people. That is what Christ teaches us ... Anything I say is out of love. I am not hate-mongering. I cannot leave my Christian values hanging at the door when I go into politics. I am speaking out more now because we are getting it more and more rammed down our throats that the minority views are more important than the majority views. I am not trying to alienate anyone ... I do not turn anyone away. I would never water down anything with the scriptures and I don’t think I should. I find it amazing, if not unexpected, as these days Christians are persecuted for their views but that will not stop me. There will be a judgement day and when I am judged I want to know that I did all I could to spread the word of God.”

I don't know about you but if someone I'd voted for started making statements like these, I'd feel I'd been duped. When a politician makes it their business to spread the word of God in order to be judged favorably when she's dead, that makes me concerned.

Especially when, to her, "the word of God" includes, making it clear that homosexuality is comparable to, if not worse than, child abuse.

She claims anything she says is out of love. If this is the kind of love her God wants to share with the world, then I'll pass.

Renting out my room - part II

As I wrote in this previous post I'm trying to rent out my room.

I've had some progress but I've also had a couple of set backs. Let's start from the top.


Possible Tenant #1
First days of April
She left a message on the Facebook-group of the student apartment building. She wanted to rent a room, and she seemed very nice. She wanted to see the place, I gave her a few days and times I'd be home, but she never showed up.

In the middle of May I sent her a message, asking if she did want to come. She then replied that she should probably have told me, but she'd decided 5 months was too long and she couldn't promise to stay that long. Seven weeks in she'd changed her mind, and not thought of telling me.

Possible Tenant #2
Middle of June
I put an ad on Facebook and got a response. This girl couldn't come to Bergen to see the apartment, but that wasn't absolutely necessary. She says she's very interested, but after a few days I get an email saying "It's only for five months??", admitting she hadn't read the ad properly.


Two and a half months in I'd had one changing her mind because five months was too long, and one because five months was too short.


Random Possible Tenants
Early July
I'd put an ad on hybel.no and got about 15 responses the first day and had to close it down. Some I had to rule out but I was left with about 10 possible. Two girls called and wanted to see the apartment, I arranged to meet them last Saturday, and also listed it as an open viewing in the ad. The girls didn't come, the only ones who did were the parents of a guy who'd told them to go, but not where it was.

Possible Tenant #3
Middle of July
After much deliberation I decided to go with the guy whose parents I'd met, even though my gut told me to go with another guy who was in Germany at the moment (but was from Norway, not too far from home). I decided to be on the safe side - it felt safer to choose someone I'd get to meet first, and whose parents had already been here.

Last Thursday I sent emails to all the others telling them that "I'm sorry to tell you I've decided to go with someone I'll get to meet first." I sent the guy an email on Friday but didn't hear back. Today, Tuesday, I called him. He was in a cabin and *snort of laughter from him* hadn't got my email. "Oh yeah, and I've decided to rent another apartment. Bye."


If I hadn't had such a hard time deciding between the two guys, I should of course have got a 'Yes' from someone before I said no to the others. Lesson learnt.


I immediately sent off an email to the guy who is (or was) in Germany, and hopefully he'll want to rent it. In a way, I did get my wish. I'd just told my boyfriend last week that "I've chosen this guy, but I hope he says no so I can choose the other one". I guess you really do need to be careful what you wish for...

Diseases I will not catch in Africa:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Yellow Fever
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Poliomyelitis
• Typhoid fever
• Meningococcal infection
• Cholera
• Malaria

My camera is broken

A few weeks ago I ordered two new batteries for my camera from online store altitec.no. When I first put the new one in, there were strange lines across the screen. I changed back to the old battery and all was good again.

Today I tried the camera again and it had gotten worse. This time it didn't help changing to the old battery (or the very old battery), and the whites in the photo are now pink.

One month before I go to Africa and will take a million photos, my camera dies..


I really wish I hadn't just spent a few hundred dollars on good quality memory cards and batteries...

Plane tickets: Check!

I've finally booked my plane tickets and August 12th I'll be off for Uganda!

I'll have to spend a bit of time at airports (Oslo and Heathrow), including the night of December 22nd, but at least I'll be home in time to help put up Christmas decorations. I can't wait!

Sasha Gabor

Sasha Gabor, Norwegian-Hungarian porn star died in Thailand a couple of weeks ago.
He was a Burt Reynolds look-alike, but for me he'll always be the Sean Connery of porn.

Not that I've ever seen him in any. Not that I've ever seen a lot of porn. Maybe I should...

R.I.P big guy

Renting out my room

I have to find someone to rent my room from August till December seeing as I'll be going to Uganda (yay!).

15 minutes after I put the ad on hybel.no, It'd had 15 hits, and I'd already set up an appointment for a viewing this Saturday.

Now, two hours later, I've already rejected one (he had to move in before I'm able to move out), and I'm in touch with one more. My biggest concern in trying to find out who I can trust.

Three hours ago my problem was finding someone to rent this place. Now the problem is figuring out to whom I want to rent it. I think I prefer it this way... :P