Summer :)

Summer in Norway has been busy but relaxed at the same time. There unfortunately hasn't been much time for blogging as we try to be outside as much as possible, enjoying the sun while we can.

Work has been really nice seeing as a lot of the kids and staff are on holiday so there are just a few of us there and the tempo is a bit slower. However I found that I had a lot more responsibility seeing as a few local girls who don't usually work there come in to help out and earn some extra money in the summer and they're not familiar with the kids or the routines, so if there were questions or anything, they turned to me. It was a bit stressful but everything went well! :)

Light lunch for work :)

Also!! We FINALLY got a new bed! We have been sleeping in a single bed for over a year now and while its been cozy, its also been hot, sweaty, cramped and quite uncomfortable, so we needed a new bed badly. We ended up buying a 180cm Svane bed which cost us 10000 kroner. Its a really great bed :D

Before we put it together...

The new bed assembled!!

I have been on holiday from work since last week :) I was asked a couple of months ago when I wanted my holiday and I asked for week 28 since Lars Erik starts his holidays that week, then I was asked 'Yes, and how many weeks?', to which I replied 'Huh?.. How many weeks can I take?' 'You can take up to 4 if you want!' Wow I thought, what a difference this is to Ireland! In the few jobs I worked over there we were lucky to get one week a year and even then we had to almost beg for it! So I said I'd take two weeks as I feel that's enough of a break and if I don't work I don't get money, so I didn't want to take a whole month. I will however get 'feriepenger' or 'holiday money'. Everybody gets feriepenger, like a little extra money for your time off. However I'm not sure if I'll get it this year or next year..

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins :)

Holidays are big in Norway, and its normal for families to go abroad every year. Common destinations for Norwegian holiday makers include Sweden and Denmark of course, but also Turkey and 'Syden'. Syden is a term I heard once and I knew it meant 'The South' but I couldn't figure out the south of where? The south of Norway? The south pole? Where?! It means the south of Europe, somewhere warm and usually Spain. Norwegians love holidaying in warm sunny places and I think it must be because Norwegian summer is often disappointing and they need to stock up on the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D before the long dark winter.

Lars Erik and I will actually have two holidays this summer! Denmark and Ireland :) We just got back from Denmark yesterday evening (saving details on that for my next post) and we're heading off to Ireland later this week (just enough time to rest and pack again!). However, this time we won't be going alone! Lars Erik's mum and sister are coming with us to meet my family and see my home country :) I'm excited but also a bit nervous and unsure at the same time.. Of course it will be great to see my family and be 'home', but it will be scary with the parents meeting and I'm afraid that I'll be sad when we come back to Norway like I was when we visited at Easter. It was difficult to leave my family and everything familiar and easy and come back to this strange land where I have to concentrate on everything everyone says to understand anything and where everything just feels ten times harder sometimes.. I'm settled again into my Norwegian life and I love being here right now, so I really don't want that sad, angry feeling again.. We'll see..