Off and on, I think about updating. But this thought quickly vanishes once I realize how many things I have to do. In a way this is good. I'm not a big fan of sitting around and doing nothing. On the other hand, time has been flying by. The next thing I know I'll be posting about menopause symptoms, followed by my first appointment with a geriatrician.
In order not to leave blank pages on my "Autobiography blog", these would've been the subjects, if I had actually updated you guys on what's been going on in my life.

- I have a full-time job!! (April 2009)
- I passed the most advanced Norwegian test there is!! (April 2009)
- We moved out!! (June 2009)
- I'm an auntie!! (July 2009)
- I started working out!! (September 2009)

Just to balance this out, I'll share a few negative points also.
I still feel a bit like Chewbacca when interacting with the locals. I feel like I speak Shyriiwook instead of Norwegian, even with all the compliments I get regarding my "Norsk" skills.
I did not have the chance to travel last Summer. While everyone was away on vacation, I was stuck at the Embassy. Being envious of those who were out there enjoying their journeys would always cease, as soon as I'd remember how hard it is for a foreigner like me to get a full-time job in this country.
Enough with this. Let me just share that I've just seen "District 9" and I seriously believe I will have a nightmare that involves alien claws and cat food :/

As I sit here and type this post, I'm forced to listen to my husband repeatedly shout the word ass in Portuguese because he likes the sound of it. He learned it this morning, during breakfast. It's a bit like me (but in a more mature way). When I learn a new Norwegian word, I use it at least 10 times a day in a sentence, and he always figures out that it's a new word in my poor vocabulary.

Ever since we got back from Thailand all we do is work, work, work...and then party a bit on the weekends. And the party consists of me and Henrik sitting on the sofa, watching movies and eating greasy popcorn. We are literally getting OLD together.

Here's a sneak peek of our trip. I was paying off a bet. I had to walk and dance around holding that huge beach umbrella for 5 minutes. I was close to being sent to a mental institution because of that. All in all, the trip was amazing I'll come back with pictures when I have more time.

Tags: thailand, vacations, video

Where we celebrated our third year anniversary and had an extra honeymoon. Seriously. Thailand=Paradise. Pictures in a week or two. I have to write about everything I experienced here, so I dont forget one single thing about one of the best vacations I have ever had.

Tags: thailand, vacations

The last couple of months have been amazingly hectic, what explains why I haven't posted anything. Now I have one more embassy related job to add to my CV, and I love it. It's been all about visas, passports, birth certificates, power of attorney...the list is endless. Due to my extra working hours, time passed by so fast, that the festive season came before I expected.

Christmas in Sweden: It's obviously easy to get into the Christmas spirit while in Sweden.The whole atmosphere helps you get in a "holly jolly, jingle bell" mood. They decorate every little corner of the house, what makes me want to constantly wear a Miss Santa costume to go with it. I had the feeling Santa himself was going to pay us a visit any moment. He does live close, you know?

The darkness and cold weather that take over the Nordic countries, together with the smell of pepparkakor all over the house (gingerbread biscuits), make this season cozy and dreamy. And then comes the alcohol, what increases the dreamy factor and the next thing I know I'm speaking French to imaginary reindeers. Damn Swedes, who make me drink! It takes only a couple of sips and I'm officially drunk.The bad thing is that I absolutely love glögg, their traditional X-mas drink which consists of warm wine served with raisins and almonds. When the clock hits 3 PM, and I'm done with getting to know my reindeers better, it's time to run to the TV to watch Disney cartoons. I thought it was a weird tradition at first, but I cannot live without it now. It's always the same cartoons, every year. I guess it's just one more excuse to get the family together before the meal comes. And that's when we eat like crazy. The menu consists of traditional delicacies such as meatballs, pickled herring with various sauces, salmon, sausages, potatoes...a very yummy meal that goes perfect with my favorite soda: Julmus, which can only be found at the supermarkets on Christmas and Easter.

The Scandinavian winter: I have been here for 1 year and 5 months. Two winters have passed, but the first one I experienced was nothing compared to the current one. Winter is not playing around this time. Constant below zero temperatures combined with beautiful snowy days. You know it's been snowing too much when the pedestrian by your side uses ski equipments to go to work. The surprising thing is that everything works, no matter how hard it snows. Buses, trains...chances are there will be a few minutes delay, but they always come. And to think that I believed the whole city would stop due to snowstorms. I was already fantasizing about all the days off I'd get, even before moving to Norway. I was so wrong! You know what they say around here:"There's no such thing as bad weather,just bad clothing."Apparently, I've been taking this saying too seriously. A couple of weekends ago there was a major snowstorm in Oslo. The kind of snowstorm you never forget, the flakes were all up in my nostrils and eyes, practically raping my face. I still don't know how I managed to get to the station with my eyes closed. When I was finally able to see properly I realized how crazy it was to go out in that weather. Probably for the first time in the Norwegian history, there was not even one single person out. The snowstorm scared the "nordmenn", but not the crazy latinas here who decided to go ice-skating after the happy-hour. I have to say the snow came in handy, not only did I fall down thousands of times per minute, but I also made a hole on the ice. Something tells me I should postpone the snowboarding trip I was planning to go on : /  I feel like I've turned into some sort of eskimo since I got used to this weather, but I'm still not ready for the winter sports :(
Anyways, even though I could barely open my eyes that day, I managed to take a few pretty pictures.




( Snowy Saturday. )

Henrik and I had a 12 hour sleep! We´ll definitely suffer from Sunday insomnia tonight, especially because we have to go to bed early in order to wake up early for work. I don´t hate Mondays, but I have the feeling that will change tomorrow.

Ever since I moved here, I dedicate a few hours of my hectic days to a book. I read even while I´m standing at the bus stop in the morning, just like the strangers around me do. And to think that once I noticed that common habit around here, I made fun of them. Look at me! I joined the club! As for the books above, I read them all last Summer. One of them, in one sitting :O

After 400 hours of Norwegian classes, I can officially say that I speak the language. Can I have a round of applause? *clap clap*

People say that I speak great Norwegian, ever since I moved. Guess what? SOMETIMES PEOPLE LIE JUST SO THEY CAN BE NICE TO YOU. So I never let that affect me. I was pretty aware of the fact that I wasn´t as good as they said I was, especially when they would shower me with compliments after hearing only a couple of words from me. Besides, I am a perfectionist. Not only do I want to be able to send the message, but I also want to do it gramatically correct. I lost count of the times I talked to my co-workers, and after being done talking I would notice a grammar mistake I had made, and I would go back to them to let them know about it even though the conversation was finished 30 minutes ago. Like:"Uh, listen, when I told you about my weekend, the word order was not correct. I was supposed to put the verb before the noun, and for that I apologize." Can we say over-perfectionist and a wee bit coo coo in the head?


Anyways, what got me confident enough to make me say that I do speak Norwegian now, was the first oral test I have ever taken in this language. The people who tested me were not supposed to say anything about the students´ oral performances, but during my exam the ladies interrupted me to say how impressed they were, and they suggested that I should take the most advanced test already cause I could handle it (equivalent to TOEFL). I am finished with the course, but now I´ll take an optional one which prepares the students to take this test I mentioned. But according to them, I´m ready to take it. I beg to differ though. She did not believe I was living here for only a year and a few months. Ego massage!! But a few minutes after the test I was back to reality. The reality that I am not good enough, especially when I bump into Norwegians who are not from Oslo. Not being negative here, just realistic.

There are so many different spoken dialects and accents in this country that is making me go paranoid. Before interacting with someone I say a little mantra for myself: "Pleeease, be from Oslo. Pleeease, be from Oslo." Nothing against the others, but the way they speak can be VERY hard to understand, especially for someone who is a newbie in the country. Sometimes I feel like I have to take an extra course in order to learn all the other Norwegian dialects. Did I tell you about the day a lady talked to me (in Norwegian) and for at least 10 minutes I could swear she was speaking French? She was from Bergen...in Norway. And you know what is funny? I attract the ones who speak the dialects I can´t understand, or who speak other Scandinavian languages. I work with two from Vestlandet (Western Norway), one from Sweden and one from Denmark. To make it short, not only do I have to learn Norwegian but I also have to learn all the other Scandinavian languages, and different Norwegian dialects. No wonder why I can tell my English is getting worse. HJELP!! I have the feeling I need a new hard drive in my brain so I can store all the languages I need :D

Tags: books, norwegian
Current Music: Karpe Diem- Stjerner

I’m resuscitating my livejournal, after months of inactivity. I had the sudden urge to post something, even though I know that livejournal is pretty slow right now, and it’s been all about facebook (which I hate).

In the last few months I got to visit a few places here and there, and went on with my Norwegian course in addition to working. I’ve been bombarded with so many tests and challenges that it’s not even funny. But that’s what the life of an immigrant is all about, isn’t it? I actually value this path of constant barriers and small tests before reaching the calm waters of stability. If I had no obstacles and got everything so easily, life would be very boring. I happen to enjoy the adrenaline that comes with every challenge, even though I freak out before facing them. I get anxious before every exam, job interviews...even a small get together with Norwegians, because I’ve reached the phase where speaking English with them is no longer acceptable. Poor Henrik who has to deal with my whining. Hey! At least I do that in Norwegian now, and that amuses him so. Besides, he thinks I’m extremely amusing when I’m nervous. Go figure! I guess he’s the only man who happens to like it when the wife is PMSing.

On a different note, I have become a real fan of autumn, even with all the rain and bad weather. I find it to be so charming. I’ve learned to appreciate the cool air and the vivid colors. It’s so cozy to stop by a kafé and check out all the well-dressed people who pass by, while sipping a latte. "Så koselig!", like they say here. Riktig så koselig er det! :)

This is the first time I'm in Brazil, after I moved away. It feels like I've never left. Those 10 months spent in one of the Nordic countries, were so surreal that I catch myself thinking that it was just a long dream and I'm back to reality now. But the real thing is that I've been away for a while, what made me miss lots of things from home while living the "Norwegian dream". This is the beauty of living abroad: being in contact with different countries allows us to value our own culture. The things that seemed insignificant back then when I used to live in Brazil, have a major value right now after lacking them for so long. God bless the big variety of fruit and vegetables we have here! God bless Bossa Nova! God bless Ipanema and Copacabana! Yet, I have to confess that I've been missing a couple of things about Norway. So that brings me to the bad part about having two places I call home: I'm constantly missing something or someone.

Top 5 questions that people have been asking me ever since I got here:

1)When are you and Henrik going to have babies?
This question is usually followed by hands on my belly, in order to check if the baby has already been produced.
2)Did you bring codfish with you?
Hell no! I don't blame them though. In Brazil, Norway is either known as "The codfish land" or "The A-HA land"...
3)Did you get to meet the guys from that A-HA band?
...so if they want to make a conversation about Norway they don't have much choice.
I did get to meet Maria Mena. Does that count?
4)Can you still speak Portuguese?
People tend to be joking when they ask me this one, except my 6 yr-old neighbor who actually thought she'd have to learn Norwegian in order to talk to me again.
5)How come you're wearing a jacket?
Apparently, I'm forbidden to wear winter clothes while in Brazil, even though it's winter. They assume that after experiencing below zero temperatures for such a long time, I'm constantly hot when it's not snowing.

This whole thing amuses me. I'm not bothered by the questions. I just find it sad that a few people have been treating me differently, cause they expect me to be different. I'm the same old Gigi. I just happen to have a different address now. That's all.
Off to bed. In my old bedroom. It feels good to be home again:)

Tags: brazil, vacations
Current Music: Maria Mena- Just hold me.

It really feels like Summer. And it's been like this for a while now. This is when light takes over, and foreigners like me wonder what happened to the night time since it never gets fully dark anymore. I seriously get lost within the looong days I've been experiencing. Let's say it's monday morning. I wake up at 7 am, go to work, go to the park to get a tan just like norwegians do, go jogging, meet the hubby, go out with friends, do my homework, do the laundry...and in the middle of this whole process I find myself confused and I start thinking it's friday already. It's like I lived a whole week in only one super long day. Crazy!

Now that I'm done watching the 4th season of LOST, I need something else to watch while they're working on the 5th season. Suggestions accepted. I force myself to watch Norwegian TV as much as I can, but one does get tired of watching something that is not fully understandable. The language is very easy gramatically speaking, but it's quite hard for me to make the right sounds, even though I've been getting lots of compliments when I speak.
For those of you who don't know what this language sounds like, here's a video of a very messed up weather forecast that I just bumped into:

Tags: norway, summer

I've been working in an Asian Embassy. I'd rather not mention which one, in order not to expose anyone's identity here, but I have to confess that working there has been a huge challenge. I translate government and political newspaper articles from Norwegian to English for the Ambassador and diplomats, I arrange meetings, book trips, talk to all sorts of authorities, deal with visa applications and give info about everything related to the country I'm working for. Even though it's just what they call "prøveperiode", I have to say I'm proud of myself for dealing with such a new field and doing things that I never thought I'd be capable of. The best thing about it is that I've learned about a country I rarely hear about, I'm teaching myself a bit of the (Asian) language, in order to make it easier to communicate with the ones who can only speak their mother language, and I'm improving my vocabulary by translating Norwegian articles related to things I never read about. I'm aware I won't be working there for long, due to this trip I'm going on in the middle of june. Even though I've been quite stressed out due to all the new responsibilities I have, this temporary job has allowed me to learn a lot in a short period of time. And that's a major bonus!

On a different note, does anyone here play "The World of Warcraft"? Just curious.
"

Tags: norway, work

Nine months. I cannot believe 9 months have passed. When I got here I used to be so afraid of everything. Gladly, that fear was replaced by an amazing courage in a matter of days, what allowed me to get integrated after a few weeks in the Norwegian capital. I did things that I didn't even know I was capable of. Since Henrik couldn't take me to places all the time and I didn't want to play the dependent wife, I used to walk around the city holding a map and getting busses and trikks and trains without even knowing how to ride them. A couple of times, I took the subway without stampling my ticket because in Brazil we just buy it and go. If the control people had caught me, I would've had to pay a major fine. Gladly, I innocently broke the rules and got away with it. I'm a badass!! :D

On a different note, it's 11 PM now and the sun was still out a while ago. Let me tell you that it's been quite weird to experience long sunny nights. But I didn't have a hard time getting used to the dark days, so I guess I won't have a problem adjusting to the whole midnight sun process. Guess what? We no longer need heavy coats and winter accessories. YAY! After I complained so much about having to wear winter caps and such, I confess that I kinda miss wearing them and I miss my favorite jacket that kept me warm for so long. Yet I'm very happy to see all the flowers and colorful trees everywhere. I've always appreciated a sunny day. That wasn't very clear before, because I was spoiled with summer the whole year. But after dealing with the darkness and cold for so long I've learned how to value a sunny day even more. So much, that whenever I bump into a flower or a green field my heart can hardly take it. It's like I'm going to explode from happiness for seeing so much color and beauty everywhere. Now take a deep breath, close your eyes and visualize myself running in the field with my arms wide open while singing "THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUSIC". That was me going to school today. Totally insane.

Here are a few photos I took last month. It was one of the warmest weekends we had last april, so Henrik and I went for a nice walk, had a picnic and I played with his camera. I took thousands of pictures and I'm posting 4 of them.



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