Skip to main content

Flexible introverting.

I seemed to be moving around a lot in October. Thankfully I am now back at Grimerud, and I think I’ll be here for a bit now…at least more than 3 days (I’ve been back 4 days now, so that is already true). Plus it’s now November, so I know for certain that there will be no more moving in October (unless I travel back to the future which I think is highly unlikely). I wonder if I’ll ever experience smooth transitions…seems that every time I go from one place to another there is always a period of adjusting. I suppose that is normal, but I am hoping it will get less tiring as life passes. At least heaven is for eternity, right.

Being home for the week was just what I needed. After being around lots of people in Kansas City (travelling in a group cuts down on introvert-recharging-on-your-own time), and then going straight into home-days which meant lots of people all day, it was lovely to get home to space and few people. During the days I had the house to myself. Great both to get some much needed space, and try to adjust back into Norwegian time. I was amazed at how long it took before I stopped finding myself wide awake at 2 am wondering how to get myself to sleep.

This has been quite a draining week for me…I started bright and early Monday morning translating for the DTS. I was geared up to start on Tuesday (which was the original plan), but then things changed, and so I started on Monday instead. Not a problem…as a good YWAMer I am always open to change and being flexible…and it also means I have tomorrow off which is nice. Thinking about it, I think it’s been draining not necessarily because of the day-change (which I honestly didn’t mind at all), but the fact that I have been translating from English to Norwegian. Always a lot more challenging seeing as I have spent most of my adult life in non-Norwegian speaking settings. However, there is nothing like a bit of challenge to help me grow as a person.

Life apart from this is pretty low key. We have a large Kings Kids conference here this weekend. As part of that we’re holding the café at the base open and I am going to give them a hand this evening. In a bit I am off for my training…it’s exciting! Makes me remember how (now) many years ago when Anna, Elisabeth, and I in Fortaleza were brainstorming ideas of how we really wanted to open a Scandinavian café in Fortaleza. Thinking about it now, I am not convinced it really would have become the most successful business venture ever, but we had a lot of fun talking and dreaming about it. Especially the waffles and cakes we were going to make (it might actually have worked with a profit because we would buy all our own food).

The weather is getting colder…the challenge each day is to know how many layers to put on so that I won’t freeze or suffocate…life is full of challenges (smiles).

Popular posts from this blog

Taking in the familiar and a heart connected.

Amsterdam. It still has that muggy feeling in Summer, and a constant flow of people which if you stop to think about it, it's quite amazing that there would even be space to accommodate them all. But then I guess they are not all staying. Just passing through on their way to or from somewhere. It's always good for the heart to visit somewhere that was once home. The familiarity of streets and customs makes it easier to embrace what might be new as well as the joy of being reacquainted with old friends. Friends. So many of them to be found in this city, ready with hugs and good words that are uttered when seeing someone who was away again. Friendship. A treasure that cannot be bought. Cobblestones trodden by many, including myself. Sitting on a bench. Praying. Remembering the first time I stumbled upon this area lined with windows with red lights and curtains. An area which has come to represent no longer windows, but people to me. Some still behind a window. Others who have ...
Read more

Getting to know the local culture.

Life is a strange thing. Last week went…not much happened, and then it was over. The weekend was quite calm without too many wild and exciting things happening. Except, of course, a wee outing to watch the National Championship for Veteran Ploughing. Now, like me, you might be sadly lacking an understanding of what this actually means. So I am delighted to be able to enlighten you in this respect. It’s basically (for the “farm-language-illiterate” like myself) a competition where you use old (hence the name “veteran”) tractors and ploughs, and plough up a stretch of field which is then evaluated and the one scoring the highest sum (accuracy, depth, how well the soil is turned is all given points) wins. I must admit that this information I got by eavesdropping on a conversation next to me where a man was explaining to some of my friends how it all works. So that was a fun adventure….although we only stayed for a bit. What is sort of occupying my mind at present is my upcoming travel abr...
Read more

What was your dream?- scraping the surface of the heart of Albania

“What was your dream when you were 20?” That was a question our guide asked us as we were standing outside a huge derelict cement monument in Tirana, the capital of Albania. We’d spent the day touring and hearing a lot about the history and journey of Albania, a young country with more Albanians living in other countries than in Albania itself. A country where tourism has only really been built up the past 30 years. It was eye opening to hear more of the history, and it made me realise that this country is so much more than meets the eye. A country where the beaches and tourist area of Durres Riviera was packed with tourists, mostly from the Balcan area. A country where hospitality is ingrained in the culture, and where the friendliness of the people was noticeable. After a pause to let us reflect over the question of dreams, for some thinking further back than others, our guide told us that for him it had been to own a pair of jeans. That simple fact said so much. Both of what he...
Read more