A Suitcase and Stilettos

This Week is Going to be Crazy!

2012-03-05T08:37:00.001-05:00

My life has been a blur lately. A really big blur. This move is sending me into a frenzy…a frenzy that I am okay with because I know the end result will be positive.

I never get too personal on this blog with what is really going on in my life, but I thought it would be fun to share the craziness that surrounds me right now so that I can laugh at it later on when my life really does become crazy with working and starting up a new life in Oslo.

1. Last week I met up with Alyssa and a new friend, Laura, who is Canadian/American at a cafe at noon. I arrived in the city at like 10ish so I could walk around and enjoy my last day in Bergen. We intended on just grabbing lunch and a coffee and calling it a day. Well…fast forward TWELVE hours and many, many beers later, I end up missing my last bus home from the city. 1-I live 50 minutes by bus from the city. And 2-a taxi would be like 200-300 bucks. That is no exaggeration. Andre wakes up (and has to work the following day) and heads down to grab me as I’m walking on the streets alone through some sketchy places, and eventually throws out his back in the process and can hardly move. He ended up missing work the next day and wound up at the doctor’s office. While I felt a bit crappy the following day, it was the best night out I have had in Bergen nearly since I arrived. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. I hate that nights like that happen as I’m about to leave the girls that made them happen. This was the only photo taken that night (with my stupid Blackberry camera I might add). Apparently no Nazis were allowed at our bar.

2. We painted this weekend. The ENTIRE apartment. Basically, I got fired both days from painting by my boyfriend…which if you follow me on Facebook, already know. I watched episodes of Intervention instead. He did a pretty good job solo on this apartment I must say. (my painting skills can be seen on the left side).

3. I am going to be living bi-coastal for a while which is going to be stressful. I am a person who likes to have all of my ‘things’ in one place…not two (okay…four since I have them scattered among two places in the US). I will be traveling back to Bergen quite often and intend on bringing back loads with me each time. I have decided to travel by train every time to avoid the Oslo Flytoget (airport train) fees which are super high…so this should be interesting.

4. Andre and I have no idea when he’ll be able to make the move to Oslo. He must sell this apartment first and obviously neither of us know much about selling a place…so it will be a process to say the least. And he is losing half a week on getting it valued and up for sale because he is in Germany later this week until Monday. I am renting a room on the westside of Oslo (in Nesøya) until he makes the move. Then we’ll move closer to the city and my job. I needed to live outside of the city for a while or I’d spend loads of money. I’ll probably still spend loads of money. We’ll see.

5. After Christmas, we planned a long Easter break vacation and now reallllllly regret doing so. We didn’t know we’d be moving and it is more of a hassle than anything else. We haven’t quite finalized our itinerary, but the places we are going are: Verona, Italy; Venice, Italy; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Zagreb, Croatia; Salzburg, Austria; Braunau am Inn, Austria; & Munich, Germany. The only certain ones are Salzburg (that is where Norwegian Air graciously hooked us up with SUPER cheap tickets from Bergen), Verona/Venice (room=booked), Braunau am Inn (room=booked) and Ljubljana (room=booked). We are driving…or I should say Andre is driving because my license is no longer valid in Europe and obviously I don’t know how to drive a stick, being American and all. I wasn’t too keen on going to Italy because I figured it would be just easier to hit up Slovenia straight from Austria, but Andre has never been to Italy and quite frankly…I need some good food. Norwegian food is kind of lousy and my body is yearning for some risotto and pasta. Anywayssss…if anyone has tips on any of these places (like restaurants, sites), just let me know. I’d love to hear them!

(Ljubljana, Slovenia via)

So yea, that is what is going on with me. I move this Friday and basically I am going to not be posting frequently or responding to emails in a prompt manner. As if I do that now anyways. :)

What have yall been up to lately???

The Friday List: The Questions I Receive Most About Norway

2012-03-02T04:19:00.001-05:00

As usual, I am linking up with Ellen at the Company of Clever for The Friday List. Today I figured I would answer some questions I get about Norway on a regular basis. Some are from my friends and some are from emails from you guys. These are all my opinions, by the way. If you have conflicting opinions or agree, feel free to leave comments so things can be better explained to those who have asked! :)

1. How can you afford to live in such an expensive country with no job? It is really easy actually...I just don't eat. Kiddinggggg. I have gained 30 lbs (yea...it was 20, but now it's 30) since I have arrived here, so I am definitely eating. While living here is no easy feat for the unemployed, I have made it work by just being frugal and smart. Food is not that bad if you go about it right. Eating out and drinking a lot is completely out of the question, however. I eat a lot of hard breads with vegetables and cheese and lots and lots of Ramen noodles. I have a post coming up in the near future of what I eat to save money here...just to prove to people it is possible! It also is helpful that I came here with little debt. And when I say little debt...it is just student loans really. So I am not digging myself out of any holes that could impact my ability to survive without a job. Oh yea...and my boyfriend's cheap. It makes me feel bad about spending money, which is a good thing for me.

2. How do you like free healthcare? There is no free healthcare here. There is socialized medicine, which means people pay for their healthcare through high taxes. I haven't been to the doctor yet, so I don't know how the quality of healthcare is here, but I anticipate no one will be out to kill me and it won't be so bad. But there is no dental care here (at least for the average person), nor is vision covered...so it will be a huge adjustment for me in some ways. But nothing I can't get used to.

3. Do people eat reindeer and wear wool sweaters? Yes and yes. But reindeer is not a staple like you might think it is. And I know people here who have never consumed reindeer. I think it is a delicacy more enjoyed in the north rather than in western Norway. But I've had it. And it is delicious...sorry vegetarians. Norwegians are crazy about their wool. But you don't see everyone parading around in the typical Norwegian sweaters as people probably imagine.

4. Is Norway really as pretty as it looks in photos? Yes...and more.

5. What do Norwegians speak? My sister once asked this to Andre and I about died...but other people have asked me as well. They speak Norwegian. It is a northern-Germanic language that surprisingly has several similarities to English. Only there are like 5 million dialects here. Well, not that many, but A LOT. And two national written languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk. And these dang Norwegians speak impeccable English. So...it makes learning the language a little bit of a challenge for English speakers because when you're trying to speak to them in Norwegian...they switch right over to English because their English is so damn good! One cool thing about the Norwegian language is that I can read it really fluently now, which has also unknowingly forced me to be able to read Swedish and Danish as well. The languages are quite similar.

6. Are Norwegians really happy since they are always ranked #1 in the world for happiness? I don't think so by my definition of happiness. I think the 'happiness scale' is more a security scale. Norwegians feel secure living here and like they'll be taken care of by the government if something shall happen. But as for happiness, I don't really meet people here that say their dreams are fulfilled and they are just loving life. It is really no different than living in the US except I feel Americans live to work and Norwegians work to live. Suicide rates in Norway and other Scandinavian countries are actually higher than the US (not by much at all though).

7. Scandinavia is 'known' for being very environmentally friendly...is it true? I can only speak on behalf of Norway, but I don't think so at all unfortunately. I think the US is more keen on saving the environment (lots of talk, but not as much action more often than not) than Norwegians. Recycling here is a hassle...but I do love the pant machines (recycle bottles and cans in grocery stores). There is litter everywhere and after a weekend you find broken bottles, etc all over the city. It is rather sad because this country is truly gorgeous. Actually Bergen just won the title of most polluted European city recently. I do think Norway is trying on the other hand and doing their best (the government, not the people) to implement a lot of initiatives regarding the environment.

Have you linked up with Ellen for The Friday List? If not...head over and do so!

Seven Deadly Sins...in the Form of Beauty Products

2012-02-29T08:49:00.000-05:00

I just recently saw that Aimee at Chronicles of a Dime had linked up with Jayme and Mendi at Her Late Night Cravings for this cool and kind of different Vlog. Well, I'm not doing a vlog...not because I don't want to, but because when I currently upload videos on to my computer it crashes and shuts down (it's on its last leg I swear). So I thought I'd do a Blog rather than a Vlog.

Questions:
1. GREED: What is your least expensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?
2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?
3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?
4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?
5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?
6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

Greed

My least expensive beauty item has to be anything e.l.f. I can't specifically recall if the things were $1 or $3 from Target, but either way, they must be the cheapest things I own by a long shot. I was kind of Sephora's best customer in the US. At one point I had over 5,000 points there. Sick, I know.

My most expensive beauty item is probably a Tom Ford Lipstick ($48) or Sisley Lipstick ($55). Also, my Urban Decay Naked Palette was right on up there. I have many skin products that are more costly than this, but I decided to narrow it down to just makeup for this or I'd be overwhelming myself.

Wrath

I have a love/hate relationship with foundation. I used to wear it daily when I could control my skin color a bit more. After moving to Norway and becoming Casper the Ghost, I can't fathom buying lighter foundation because that would officially mean I'm pale. I'm still in denial and rarely wear it. But when I could control my skin tone a bit more, I loved it. I'm a huge Make Up For Ever HD Foundation fan.

The hardest product for me to obtain here in Norway is almost everything. While many companies ship, they typically ship to only the EU, which Norway is not a member of. Plus I'm poor. I would splurge on some Pureology shampoo and conditioner, however. If I came across the same kind I used in the US. My hair is losing life without it! Also, L'oreal Extra Collagen Mascara (only my favorite product on the planet) is over $30 here! My mom shipped me some for Christmas...since it is only $7 in the US, but she shipped the wrong color.

Gluttony

I could eat my Too Faced Chocolate Soliel bronzer for sure. I mean seriously...whose genius idea was it to add cocoa powder that smells so delightful to bronzer??!?! I also love the smell of Blow's Beach Blow Texturizing Mist. It doesn't smell like apples and oranges, but just smells clean and refreshing. I could devour it.

Sloth

Fake eyelashes and eyeliner for sure. And sometimes when I want to wear my extensions out I am too lazy to put them in.

Pride

Before moving to Norway I would have said mascara. I swear mascara does wonders on my lashes. I feel like I can fly with them! But after moving to Norway, I would have to say, without a doubt, sunless tanning lotion. Haha. And I can't even apply it right...it's streaky and orangy, but I guess it is better than being downright pale.

Lust

I'm 100% a personality girl. I like people who take pride in their skills and education. I like guys who like to travel and most importantly...they have to enjoy sports. Looks were something I was into when I was like 15 or 16. But I think my boyfriend's a cutie. :)

Envy

Giftcards puhleaseeee! I can't stand it when people buy me unnecessary stuff!!!! The other day Andre and I were going through his storage unit and I was asking him questions about things and discovered he received a coffee maker for a Christmas gift from family and he doesn't even consume coffee. In fact, he HATES it! I would have been insulted that someone would waste money like that without knowing what I need or even like. I'm totally a girl who is happiest with giftcards, or just simply being taken out for dinner and drinks. Luckily for me, my friends and family know me well.

Everyone is tagged on this! If you do decide to do this as a vlog or even as a blog post, make sure to send comments to Jayme and Mendi on this post.

(Sorry, this post was lacking a pup pic)

So I know back in those days of when I had a job I wrote about beauty/fashion a lot more and I hate that I kind of had to stop after this move. I've had no money to shop and actually left behind so many of my things to move here that it almost depressed me to talk about fashion and beauty. But no fear...I will be back. The reason I am moving to Oslo is because of a job (which I know many of yall did not know), which means eventually I'll have income again. That is...after visa processing and tax card nonsense. And income = more frivolous spending on stuff I don't need! Woohoo! :)

If you have not already checked out my post/feature of my hometown on Travel Rinse Repeat...please head over and do so! Have a great Wednesday!

Know Where This Place Is???

2012-02-28T13:48:00.001-05:00

A Suitcase and Stilettos

This Week is Going to be Crazy!

The Friday List: The Questions I Receive Most About Norway

Seven Deadly Sins...in the Form of Beauty Products

Know Where This Place Is???

Reliving Memories through Mobile Photos (and a small update!)

The Friday List: Where I Want to Travel Based on FOOD

Vowels= Space + Time

Hip to be Square

Bergen Basking in the Sun + an Announcement

Nightmare in Klaipeda

Favorite Photo Friday: 2011 Superbowl (this photo could make you pee your pants)

The Friday List Randoms

The Scoop on Ice Hotels in Norway

Chicago is Awesome Because...

Favorite Photo Friday: Plungė Train Stop, Lithuania

Pretty Certain I’m Going to Be a Millionaire Someday

Fun Ways to Change-up Your Weekends

Pet-Friendly Restaurants

Some of the Best Words I Have Ever Added to my Norwegian Vocab

Tips for Solo Travelers

Norway vs. USA: A Few Things I Like Better in the US

Norway vs. USA: A Few Things I Like Better in Norway

House Swap Travel in London

The Right Time to Learn the Language as an Expat

I'm not a Twilight Nerd, but this May Make me One