Thesis La-La Land with Snails!

Last night, after hanging out with my thesis for 8 hours, I came home to, "Great, you are just in time for snails and wine." Lucky me. Maybe I should have stayed a little longer on campus. Needless to say I bellied up to the coffee table and forced that little, slimy creature named FRED into my mouth. I don't care how much garlic pesto (green stuff) you put on those little buggers...they just aren't that satiating. If you are an escargot or oyster fan, maybe you can tell me what is so appetizing about throwing back these gooey-ooey sea creatures that sometimes even give you the pleasure of chewing sand particles. Ick! Luckily, I was able to use my camera as a distraction and didn't have to throw back too many.

Here is a shot of my rugby-playing roommates. Alli, the rock star from Scotland (not really a rock star) with the hoodie on his head was a little camera shy. These boys are real, testosterone-induced boys. I like living with boys, but sometimes they make strange noises in the bathroom and the shower. I'm sure they would much rather me call them MEN. Therefore, I live in a flat that smells like MEN!

What Does it Mean to Become Educated?

On Friday, I signed up for a day-long course with a professor of Philosophy & Education, David Hansen, from the Columbia University, Teacher's College in New York. This was a great day from many aspects; personally, intellectually and culturally. Currently I am grappling with the elusive question; WHAT IS NEXT (after this incredible 2-year journey)? This question about 'becoming educated' is something that crosses my mind everyday...shall I continue my formal education via a PhD or continue my practical experience in higher education administration? I suppose either path will be educationally rich, but from different perspectives...book-smart vs. life experiences. According to the two philosophical authors we read for this course, Dewey & Montaigne, 'to become educated' is the constant pursuit of, and honing of one's skills in, reflective inquiry that leads to 'good' moral judgements in life. My current moral decision...WHAT IS NEXT? There is no right or wrong answer per say, but it's a matter of figuring out my loyalty vs. conviction, my motives vs. intent. I feel very fortunate to have such a moral conflict, but some days I wish I didn't have to choose...because I find that the older I get, the more time I get stuck in the deliberation stages of these moral decisions. Isn't honing your reflective inquiry skills supposed to make the deliberation easier and faster on-the-fly? Throughout the day, I experienced many of these 'ah-ha' moments. I was so thirsty for this type of deep and philosophical discussion, that I drank up the 'ah-ha' moments as if I had been doing vodka shots in Russia. And, the cultural classroom, filled with many Norwegian PhD students, was like no other classroom dynamic I have experienced while abroad..perhaps it was the way the tables were arranged in a circle, perhaps it was the engaging professor, perhaps it was because the topic was pervasive in my mind, or perhaps it was the free tea and rolls provided. None the less, the Norwegian students were engaged and just as thirsty as I was, their questions and comments gave me hope that a cultural classroom really works, especially when all parties are invested, and stimulated by the material, topic, and professor. At the end of the day, the philosophical intoxication got the best of me and my head was dizzy with reflective inquiry, WHAT IS NEXT?

PHOTOS: Tulips are in season in OSLO! My roommate buys new flowers for our flat every week...

The Word of the Year....(drum roll, please)!

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the English word of 2007 is...

wOOt! (interjection)

Definition: expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word "yay".

So, the next time you step in dog poo and wipe it off in the grass, you can exclaim, "w00t!" Ok, I'm not too sure how joyful you will be, but you get the point. I normally prefer to use "Woohoo," but I think w00t will be my new exclamation because it's shorter, and sometimes it sounds like you are saying, "What" with an British accent, so posh! Today, was the perfect opportunity to use my new expression, as I finally landed on my thesis methodology. w00t! (By the way, you are supposed to type it with 2 zero's!)

The word 'w00t' is actually a derivative from the l33t internet-based language that is widely used by gamers, hackers, and otherwise computer-literate individuals who spend their waking hours devising new languages on the internet with the use of the keyboard and their brain juice.

This w00t is maybe not so appropriate for the professional, the over 50 crowd, or for those traveling outside english speaking countries (as it may have other meanings).

Photos: From a winter wonderland of a day in Oslo a few weeks ago.

Confessions from a Shopping Trip in Sweden!

After a stop at the posh, yet government-owned, liquor store and about 2.5 hours in the large hyper-mart of a grocery store, we loaded bags upon bags into the trunk and the back seat of my roommates Euro car. Welcome to...crossing the Norwegian border to buy groceries! Life here in Oslo is just so expensive, the locals will drive 1.5 hours across the border, into Sweden, to purchase a shopping-cart full of food for the next couple months. I was so new to this practice, my roommate kept saying, "You know we DO have a freezer," inferring that I should buy enough ground beef to equal a hereford bull. After a 3 hour roundtrip shopping spree, I was spent...literally and figuratively. I think I saved about 300 kroners=37euro\54$.

A Sunday Treat...A Sermon by Desmond Tutu

In his white robe, with red trim, and black scarf he took his "magic wand" and turned the homogenous group of Norwegians into a group of spirited South Africans, "Now shed that shyness and clap like South Africans," he said. The Trinity church woke up as the Norwegians clapped.

Tutu was in Oslo for the opening of his new exhibit, Hands that Shape Humanity. (Which by the way, is an excellent exhibit!) My classmate from Ethiopia shared the secret that Tutu would be speaking at a local church on Sunday, so we snuck into the church and were transcended by his presence and his heart-warming message. Damn, he's a cute little man! Memories of South Africa came over me as he thanked the Norwegian people for praying for the poor and oppressed South Africans during the apartheid days. All of the Norwegians got in line to take communion from Tutu, as the other Norwegian priest stood there holding the bread bowl but getting no action.

Making History... I Got to Vote in the FIRST Global Primary!

Casting my vote in the mock election at the American breakfast in Oslo. Results below...

On Super Tuesday I pressed the "submit" button on the computer in the University of Oslo library yesterday and a rush of excitement came over me. I was part of a network of U.S. expats (U.S. citizens living abroad) who made history! This year, for the first time EVER, U.S. citizens living abroad had an opportunity to vote ON-LINE in the U.S. presidential primary race. Makes me wanna say, wOOt! I didn't think I would be able to vote in the primaries and my motto is...'if you don't vote, you don't have the right to bitch about your government', which would have made me a hypocrite, as I often find faults with the current U.S. government! However, I do have hope with some of the candidates that are still left standing.

'If you don't vote, you don't have the right to bitch about your government!'

This Presidential race is breaking down barriers, not only with the use of technology for those of us concerned U.S. citizens living abroad, but also because it is the first time a woman, an African-American, a mormom, and a pastor have ever
made it this far in the race. Who would have ever thought I would possibly
be
voting for a woman or an African-American? Damn, all I can say is...that is Awesome! Plus, this race is important because we need a good replacement for the futile president that is running our country into the ground.

Wednesday a.m. I attended an American b-fast, hosted by the U.S. Embassy, Democrats Abroad, and Republicans Abroad at the Hard Rock Cafe in Oslo. Over 200 people attended the event and a mock election was conducted. Obama took the race, and Hillary was slightly trailing behind. McCain led the Republican race but only with 10% of the total vote. Norwegian ex-pats LOVE Obama!

The BEST Superbowl Commercial...

Ok, for those of you that are not from the U.S., I would like to share a little American culture. AMERICAN FOOTBALL! As, you probably know American football is all the rage in the U.S. and it brings people of all backgrounds together on Saturday (college games) and Sundays (national league games). The National Football League (NFL) is the 32 major league that plays on Sunday. If I had to put my loyalty in one team it would have to be the Denver Broncos because that is the hometown team for Colorado, and they have sassy blue and orange uniforms. However, I must admit...I'm not a big football fan, but I like the parties. The Superbowl is the BIG game of the year, which was just played this past Sunday, where the 2 teams with the best record play each other. The Superbowl, for many, is almost as important as a national holiday. There are lavish parties and a trip to the grocery store is like being in the football stands, with everyone psyched up,wearing their football jerseys, and buying potato chips and hot dogs.

But, I think the best part of the Superbowl are the commercials. Yes, the commercials! Listen, A LOT of money (2.7 million U.S. dollars per 30 second spot) goes into these commercials, as they are one of the hottest 30 second advertising spots a company can buy. Yes, ridiculous, I know...consequences of capitalism. Here is my favorite, because it just made me laugh out loud, and it says a great deal about masculinity in the U.S. The other commercial that was in the running, was from Doritos.

"Quick, do something manly!" -from the Snickers commercial

My First Video Blog...

Otherwise known as Vblog, vlogging, videoblogging, video diary, here is my first meager attempt of telling my deep, dark (and not-so-dark) secrets to the video camera. That is all I will say...press play and don't forget to leave a comment...


Warning: video blogging can reveal hidden and otherwise silly behavior.

Norway is UTOPIA!!!

Here is a clip, from Michael Moore's SICKO movie, that didn't make it in the movie, as it was deemed too unbelievable. But, believe it...OSLO is UTOPIA or at least it seems...




Woohoo, I'm livin' in UTOPIA! (I love the calming, yet upbeat music playing in the background when they are visiting the prison island, it explicitly added to the unbelievable state of "prison life" in Norway.)

NO armed policeman???

Ranked #1 on the UN human development list (literacy, health care, education, etc.)
Ranked #2 in the world for having women in the government (Hillary, you should move to Oslo!)

"Norwegians only drink because they want to save the planet."

Sunday Waffles with Chunky Strawberry Jam!

In Norway, Sundays are a sacred day for family, nature, sports, and waffles. The walking/hiking trails become super highways for fast-walkin' grandma's with ski poles, baby strollers with spikes on the wheels, and the winter fashion-savvy of Oslo. It is a great way to spend a Sunday and the best part of the day is when you find the waffle kiosk.

Even kayakers come out to play on Sunday!

Here are a few photos of my walk today in Bygdøy, a small peninsula (about a 5 minute walk from my flat). I absolutely love the active nature of the Norwegians!

People queuing for a hot waffle with chunky strawberry jelly. Yummy!

A Ferry to Rough Waters!

While in the viking land one of the things you must do, since Norway is surrounded by seawater, is take a ferry to another country...Denmark, Sweden, or Germany will do. Ali scored some free tickets to Denmark, so the four of us packed our bags and excitedly walked on the slippery sidewalks (it's winter in Oslo) to the Color Line harbour with room in our bags for some tax-free shopping (cheap-er wine/spirits). Last year, we took an epic boat trip to Copenhagen and this was our chance to rehash those memories. Yet, it didn't really turn out as planned, it just so happened that we were on the only boat of the year that never made it to Denmark. The swirling hurricane in the North Sea made quite a splash and the Danish harbour master said, "no-way," and so the captain turned around the boat and headed back to Oslo. There was another boat docked at the Oslo harbour, so we couldn't "park" until 3 p.m, meaning we were captives on the boat for 20 hours. However, the rough waters didn't spoil our fun, we partook in the usual (or unusual) shenanigans that our international group finds quite amusing. Here are some of the artsy photo shots of our trip:

Leasa shows off the bottom of her shoe... while stretching on the floor. Yoga, anyone?

Jason gets fresh with a Euro-billboard babe!

Ali, becoming "one" with the storm.

Kristi's future...

Jason and Ali: cheap midnight entertainment!

My Humble Abode in Oslo

In the mornings, with my cup of earl grey tea with a touch of milk and a little BBC world news, I love looking out the big picture windows in the living room and watching the active Norwegians walk, run, and bike along the small boat harbour, Frognerkilen, as the boats quietly dance in the cold (and sometimes frozen) water.

There is also a terrace off the living room to suck in some Oslo fresh air (which is really good for the soul because the air here is F-R-E-S-H). This table is the location where I stay up until the wee hours of the morning writing my thesis.

My bedroom has a fabulous FULL-size bed. For me, this is total luxury as I have been sleeping in student twin size beds for the past year and a half. I am still busy decorating the space in true "Leasa style" (world map, photos of my travels, photos of the Colorado mountains that I truly miss, candles, etc.)

This is the view from my room...more apartments! And, the funny thing is that no one seems inclined to close their curtains at night which gives a whole new meaning to "knowing your

neighbors" and voyeurism...especially the naked guy across the courtyard.

The kitchen is fully equipped and quite tidy! I live with 2 rugby-playing boys, or shall I say men (by the way neither of them have the rugby cauliflower ears). Ebbe is Norwegian (who owns the flat) and the Alle is from Scotland. They have been house trained and it shows in the kitchen and the bathroom, as they leave the lid down on the toilet seat!

This is a sunset from the terrace.

Life is good...I love where I live and now I just need to find a routine to thesis-writing.

Welcome to Oslo...but let's not forget where I've come from!

I’m back in Oslo, but feeling a bit like I’m in a twilight zone, just adjusting to a different culture and lack of daylight. I have realized there are distinct differences about living in Portugal, Finland, South Africa, and Norway, here are a few of my observations...

1.) The winter months in Norway and Finland make for short (and dark) days because they are Northern countries lying in the similar arctic latitudes as Alaska. As much as this darkness can zap your mood, being here in the spring is great because you experience the upswing of this light/dark equation as we are gaining roughly 4 minutes a day of daylight. Sweet!

2.) Yeah, peace and quiet! You can actually study in the Norwegian and Finnish libraries, whereas in Portugal the library is the social gathering spot to catch up with friends, and chat on your cell phones.

3.) What’s up with all of the reflectors that are pinned to people’s coats here? They don’t wear reflectors in Portugal but in the Scandinavian countries reflectors attached to your coat are important, especially during the dark winter months when you try hard not to get run over by one of the crazy, drunk people riding their bikes in the snow.

4.) What? I have to pay 50 kroner (6 euro/8.70 US) for a decent pastry and tea in Oslo? In Portugal, the delectable pastries are much more delicious and with a tea on the side you are guaranteed to pay no more than 2 euros. Whereas, in Finland the prices are pretty average, somewhere between Oslo and Portugal, and the pastries just plain SUCK! Sad, but true.

5.) In Portugal, I rarely spent time on public transportation, apart from traveling to Lisbon and Porto. However, here in Oslo, my life is spent navigating, walking to, waiting for, or riding the excellent public transportation system. In Finland, I didn't spend as much time navigating the system as Tampere (pop. 200,000) is smaller than Oslo (pop. 550,000). And, in South Africa, you simply don't take public transportation if you want to live a day longer.

6.) No more Portuguese phrases; “Bom Dia” (good day), “Boa Tarde” (good afternoon), or “Boa Noite” (good night), now it’s just “Hei Hei” (hello) or “Tusen Takk” (thank you very much). I have to admit my Portuguese skills were much better than my Norwegian or Finnish skills. Good thing most people speak English here. My favorite Finnish phrase, simply because it was fun to say, was "Moi Moi," meaning hello or goodbye. In South Africa there are 9 official languages and the phrase that was my favorite happened to be Afrikaner, "Lekker," (cool!)

7.) This is NO change from Portugal…rain, rain, and more rain. Did I mention there is a lot of rain in Oslo? Where is the snow???

8.) In Portugal, dark-featured (dark eyes/hair) individuals were omnipresent, here in Oslo there is a lot of "eye-candy" (kind of like bubblegum for the eyeballs); imagine beautiful, tall, fit, light complexions, and copious amounts of natural (and not-so-natural) blond hair. In Finland, it was a mix...and you never knew what someones true hair color was as they really hit the hair coloring hard. Finally, in South Africa, there was actually diversity in race, skin color, and socio-economical status!

9.) In Oslo there are tanning bed vending machines. Serious! I will dedicate a complete entry to the phenomenon soon. But, it's not to get a base tan to go lay on the beaches in Mexico (contrary to why we use tanning beds in Colorado), it's actually for health reasons. More details on this later...


PHOTOS: Among my favorite photos of Porto, Portugal! I'm just not ready to post Norway photos yet, the architecture is just not as intriguing. These photos are snapped with the lovely Nikon D40.

I’m leavin’ on a Jet Plane…don’t know when I’ll be back again!

As I stooped down, with my knees carefully bent, and grabbed the 28.5 kg. BIG MAMA with both hands and with all my strength hurled it on the Brussels Airlines check-in conveyer belt, I felt the pressure of moving to Oslo slowly dissipate. BIG MAMA was leaving Portugal and on her way to Oslo and so was I! With relief in my footsteps, I hurried along to security with my plastic bag of liquids (mostly lip glosses) in tow. Ah!

This has been the longest move of my life. I promised myself not to rush this one and to give myself plenty of time…but my new motto for moving, "Don't drag it out!" Damn, will I ever get this moving equation exact? One can think (and even dream) only too much about how I packed that box, and where I will stash this towel, and how I will carry this from the Oslo post office to my new home, and how much this box will cost me, and how I will walk and drag BIG MAMA up the steepest cobblestone street in Porto. Ahhhhhh! For me, moving is just something that never gets easy, no matter how much planning and deliberation I put into the process. But, I’m here…on Brussels Airline flight to Oslo. Woohoo!

Yes, leaving Portugal is bittersweet as I will always hold a sweet spot for this country, but it’s time to leave, I can feel it in my heart and mind. It’s always nice when your heart and mind (finally) decides to agree with one another.

This is a photo of the Portuguese cobblestone street I had to hike up and drag BIG MAMA behind, along with little mama (my small roller of about 15 kg). All the Portuguese people were just staring at the foreigner with smirks on their face.

The Sweet Swiss Alps..

Welcome to Zermatt, Switzerland...nestled quietly in a valley with wild and rugged mountains surrounding the village. No cars are allowed in the village as there is no road that will take you there, only railroad tracks and ski trails. It is quaint, expensive, yet full of champagne powder (snow), Swiss fondue and glögg wine (mulled wine).

Waking up in the morning was quite a treat, to the left is the view of the Matterhorn from my window in the Zermatt Hostel. The hostel was great; it included a typical Euro breakfast buffet and a 5-course dinner!

Time to go skiing! I rented some HOT Rossi bandits, telemark skis, and was armed and loaded with the Nikon. The conditions were killer and I couldn't ask for better snow.

It takes about 1 hour via gondolas to reach the top of the mountain and it's not without a fair share of queues. Which means pushing and cutting is part of the experience, we're in Europe now! As an American, this was more challenging than my legs screaming at me as I lunged down the mountain, I'm not one to push or cut or elbow or accidentally jab someone with my ski poles...but I did my best to take on the European attitude with queuing; each woman for herself.



After standing and feeling squished like a sardine with 100 other international skiers in the gondola, I was ready to check out the top of the mountain! (It was actually quite a fun ride with breathtaking views.) The way they built these gondolas from one peak to the next is unbelievable!

Here I am at the top of Europe's highest mountain lift; 12,736 ft. (3,883 meters). The refreshing mountain air made me feel at home, even though the wind was enough to knock me over. I was very lucky to have such a clear day for the Nikon to click away.
Time to Ski (and eat)! Zermatt is known for the succulent cuisine on the mountain. Forget pizza and hamburgers, you can order up fondue, raclette, minestrone soup, numerous sausages, and my favorite warm apple fritter with vanilla sauce.

As I disembarked the matterhorn glacier gondola, there were 2 Bernese Mountain dogs waiting for their pictures to be taken.

After 2 days of skiing, many great photo opportunities, a few nights out in the village, I had sucked up the mountain life that I miss everyday. Oh sad, time to go home...a train from Zermatt to Geneva, then an airplane to Porto, a metro and another train and finally I was back in Aveiro. One day here and then I'm off to Oslo!