Touching the snow...for the first time
When I arrived to the school, on Saturday, it was already covered in white...However, I decided not to touch the snow at that time because it was very, very cold at 5 o´clock in the morning.
Today, after lunch, it was snowing, so I and Peter decided to went outside for me to enjoy the first contact with the unknown...And it was very nice, despite the fact I was expecting it to be softer. But Peter explained to me that normally it is...We couldn´t do any snow balls, but that was not an excuse not to throw some snow to each other. I felt like a child and it was so good!
After that, we went for a walk to the lake and it was wonderful to look at such a different landscape than the one I had in my mind, before leaving to Trondheim. In fact, for example, the lake was already frozen, so I could walk for a bit there. It was amazing!
I know that for many people that are in the school it is nothing special to be in contact with the snow because they are already used to it. But for me it was my first time enjoying this gift from the sky. Maybe in a couple of months I won´t say the same. However, the moment of joy that I had today will not be forgotten!
My first time taking a shower in a kitchen!...
Every time we go fundraising, we look for a place that can give us accommodation for free. This time, an Adventist church, which is also a school, said that we could sleep there. However, there was a detail: it has no shower!
So, my team started to try to find out a place where we could "get clean", but it was useless. By the time we arrived to Trondheim we still didn`t know what to do...But then, the pastor appeared in the school and gave us an idea:"what about if you take a shower in the kitchen?". When we heard that we started laughing, but after he left we decided that it was the only choice we had...
Basically what we do is that we close the kitchen`s door and we use the hose, to wash the dishes, as a shower . However, we have to be careful not to flood the place which, sometimes, can be a little bit complicated. To try to avoid that, we use a mop while we are showering. So, for example, I wash my hair and then I mop and so on...A movie as you might guess and I am already doing that for almost two weeks!
In other words, here in Trondheim, taking a shower is not similar to have a moment of pure relax. It is an adventure that we decided to take, only not to feel bad with our smell.
I miss my room and my shower so much that it is not possible to imagine!
My first time driving in a foreign country: Norway - 380 Km
Last Monday I went to Trondheim to spend there two weeks: the first one looking for sites to put clothing banks and the second one fundraising.
This time I didn`t hitchhike (!) because I and Raquel were going to need a car to do sitefinding. So, I have driven 380 km, from Oyer to Trondheim, in a green old Toyota. Hippie style!
I, Raquel and Lenka left Hornsjo at 2 p.m., more or less, and my first adventure was to go down the mountain. Everything was ok, except for the fact that it started to be foggy.
When we arrived to Oyer we went to the bank to get some money and to a petrol station to put some fuel and check the oil. After that, it was time to get the E6 towards Trondheim. 380 km to go and with no radio...
I couldn´t drive very fast because the speed limit is of 80 km per hour, but I and Raquel had plenty of subjects to talk about. After a couple of hours we stopped because Lenka had to go to the toilet and I enjoyed the opportunity to drink a coffee. Of course!
Time was passing by in slow motion when we saw something wonderful: Trondheim`s National Park. It has amazing mountains and we already could see snow on the top!
Later on, it started getting dark and there were no lamps along the road. So, I couldn´t see much and I had to slow down. The problem was that the drivers started complaining, by doing light signs. Who said that Portuguese people are stressed behind the wheel? Norwegians are worse, I must say!
At 9.30 p.m. we arrived to the place where we were going to stay for two weeks: a church that is also a school. I was tired, but also glad. In fact, this was my first time driving in a foreign country and doing so many km. Something to remember later on...
A Suecia...e o fundraising
Cheguei da Suécia no último Domingo, depois de ter passado uma semana a fazer fundraising naquele país, mais propriamente em Orebro.
Como nao podia deixar de ser, fomos à boleia para lá. Não tenho motivos de queixa, pois o dia estava lindo, o pessoal que conhecemos era muito porreiro e conseguimos chegar antes das 10 da noite ao nosso destino.
Desta vez ficámos numa quinta, mas nao numa quinta qualquer! Tivemos direito a uma casa só para nós, com três quatros, cozinha, casa de banho e lareira!! Ahh, pois é! :) Eu e a Raquel (também uma Portuguesa) dormimos no mesmo quarto, enquanto que o Peter (Húngaro) e o Petr tiveram direito a um para cada. De facto, o nosso alojamento era formidável e o dono da quinta um querido. Por exemplo, nós estávamos em Nasta, que fica a 10 km de Orebro, e só havia um autocarro que nos ligava à cidade. O problema é que o horário não era nada flexível e o preço era exorbitante: 27 kronas!! O senhor teve peninha de nós e, durante uma semana, levou-nos até à cidade e depois de volta à quinta.
Quanto ao fundraising, posso dizer que foi uma vergonha! Nós os quatro fizemos 2700 kronas em 7 dias. Fiquei com a ideia que os Suecos são mais simpáticos do que os Noruegueses, mas não dão tanto como os últimos. Claro que esta não é a única razão para o mau resultado. De facto, também não tivemos muito tempo para fazer fundraising na rua (devido ao clunsing e também ao horario do dono da quinta) e de porta-em-porta. E, por último. Orebro é uma cidade que acolhe pessoas desabilitadas e penso que a população acha que já tem a sua quota parte de responsabilidade social.
De resto, durante a semana fiz a tarte de macã que o meu papá me ensinou! Não tinha os ingredientes todos, mas a malta gostou! Para além disso, aproveitámos o último dia em Orebro para conhecer a cidade. Posso dizer que é bonita, mas nada do outro mundo. O que é muito engraçado é ver tantas pessoas a andarem de bicicleta, o que me fez lembrar imenso Amesterdão. Contudo, agora sei que é algo normal na Suécia.
Depois da rápida visita à cidade, fomos conhecer a quinta que se dedica à agricultura biológica, nas duas vertentes: animal e vegetal (algo pouco comum na Suécia). A seguir à apresentação, preparámos as nossas coisas para nos irmos embora. Tínhamos uma longa viagem pela frente, mas desta vez de autocarro. No entanto, tive a oportunidade de conhecer Oslo porque tivémos de esperar sete horas pelo autocarro que liga a capital a Lillehammer. O que é que eu posso dizer de Oslo? É betão e betão. O porto e as estátuas espalhadas pela cidade são o que esta tem de melhor, mas venham cá e tirem as vossas próprias conclusões!
