lol @ cloaked Patrick

ich weiß dass du das bist - du kannst dich nicht verstecken ;) Spielst du Romulaner?

@everybody else: ignore

Do I look like a local?

Funny, I can't say that I am here quite long and I have been addressed at least three times by strangers. The first ones were tourists downtown (ok that was on my first visit in Oslo) they wanted to go to the National Gallery so it wasn't too hard to tell them how to get there. The second one was a woman she talked in Norwegian and I still have some problems to understand that ;) so she tried in English but she was looking for a certain street ...well I was lost. Third one was an older guy with his wife and I was just passing by and he suddenly talked to me in Norwegian - well he must have realized that I didn't really understand so he said (in really good English) oh you are English speaking sorry I thought you were Norwegian.
But I am starting to make a list of thing you would never see in Germany (it's not very long right now but still the details are funny):
1) Two fathers with baby carriages - ok sometimes they are also alone ;)
2) People running around with skis downtown (and often with their complete ski outfit)
3)A Porsche with roof racks.
4)A whole T-bane full of kindergarden kids and some still in pushchairs.

In addition I always thought that Germans are cellular phone freaks but Norwegians are worse - you cannot be anywhere without at least one Norwegian around you hanging on a phone for hours ;)

finally...

...I had the chance to hike again. Beautiful weather and nice temperatures (not as hot as it is in Germany right now ;))made it hard to resist. 15 minutes walking and one has the chance to be away from all the people - it almost feels like being the only person on earth and this just so close to Oslo - amazing. The snow is almost gone and spring flowers are coming out:

I did something like a many-lakes tour - there are so many that I probably need the whole three years to explore them all.

No hike without animals - this time I met a very funny blackbird - didn't want to move and posed nicely for a picture:

The last picture is an evening impression of Sognsvann(the lake close to my home):

new week, new luck

very well - where should I start? Yesterday I moved to another room - actually it is right next door to my former room but now I have a bathroom for myself which was really really necessary. The guy living next to me was from Hongkong - at the beginning it worked quite fine but last Saturday he arrived with a friend at 7 am and they made a lot of noise. Well I guess it is really hard to IMAGINE that other people would like to sleep on a Saturday at 7 in the morning and espcially when working the whole week. In addition they always left the door of their room open and talked loudly (seems to be the Asian culture they cannot keep the volume down), they slammed the doors (also in the middle of the night when I really wanted to sleep since I was woken up in the morning)and took showers twice a day (which is nice but they didn't clean up the bathroom). I am not really the person to believe in stereotypes and who has prejudice against special cultures but to be honest - 97% of the Chinese are just the same dirty, reckless pack.
To cut a long story short: I couldn't stand that state anymore so I tried to get a room with my own bathroom and I succeeded so now it is less noisy and clean. Besides I got curtains.
In addition I got my contract and temporarily a bike from Nina until I have enough money to buy one myself which I will do as soon as possible because here it is definitely worth it.

true, so true and great song btw

Dead Roses
Music / lyrics: L. Tuohimaa

All the things you said to him
They came deep from your heart
The land was frozen and the cold wind was so hard
You still remember the last touch

It was the most beautiful time
The most beautiful time in your life
If you won´t ever see him again
Remember he still has got the place for you
In his heart

All the Beautiful dies when time passes by
If you won´t close your heart
Time will heal your every scar

I had dreams when I was child but they never came true
Where is the child I used to be, where is the hope and my dreams

It is time when all flowers are dead
Eternal longing fills my heart
She reminds me of the autumn nights
When stars are the bridge in the sky

She walks alone on this empty street
Along this street of dead leaves
Dead roses in her hand
They remind me that nothing lasts forever

All the beautiful dies when time passes by
If you won´t close your heart
Time will heal your every scar

I had dreams when I was child but they never came true
Where is the child I used to be, where is the hope and my dreams

Eternal flame in my heart
Longing for somewhere
Missing one beside me

I had dreams when I was child but they never came true
Where is the child I used to be, where is the hope and my dreams

stormy Oslo

yesterday evening I almost thought that the whole dorm would be blown away ;)
It is quite chilly but still: blue sky with a few clouds.
Finally my application process seems to make some progress ...
In addition I can borrow a bike from Nina quite soon :-)
It just needs some time to get used to all the new things at work but everybody has the same problem at the beginning so most people do understand the situation I am in and slowly I am catching up.

maybe I am too stupid....

... for this PhD. Anyway I don't even have a contract yet - theoretically I don't even have to work but here I am working 7 hours a day without lunch break. I am here for just a week and my desk is full of things to read (1000 page book about basin analysis, pile of 25 papers about the geology of the Barents Sea) and I have to get used to at least 3 complex computer programs .... well it is ok if you have time for everything but then I am already expected to have a model ready for basin formation and eager participation in a class I attend in the middle of the semester without the basic knowledge I think I need to actually follow properly.
I know that every start is hard and I knew it was a new topic and people who know me can say that I am trying to catch up with things as soon as I am able to but why can't I do it at my pace?
Sorry just pissed a little bit right now... but it will go away