There is a Norwegian saying "Det fins ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær”. There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
Heck nay. In Norway, there is such a thing as bad weather.
I love Norway. I really do. It is one of the world's most spectacular countries and one of the last great natural frontiers on earth. The bliss of the midnight sun, the beauty of aurora borealis, the greatness of the splendid fjords…and it is my home now. BUT (there's always a but) the weather sucks. Truly and badly.
Weather in Norway is anything but predictable. Rain, snow, sun, and wind in one day can happen many times in a year.
Half a year is winter. Two months up North is in complete darkness. In spite of - or rather due to - having such a long winter, Norwegians never get tired of playing in the snow. Even in late March or early April, Norwegians turn out in droves at the mountains for their final skiing experience of the year. Small wonder they keep on grabbing those gold medals in the Winter Olympics.
The rest of the year is still cold, mostly windy days especially in the West coast and with some un-warm sunny days. While they’re already out in the sun, getting a tan at 15-18 degree Celsius, literally “warm-blooded” people like me are still garbed in winter apparel.
And did I say that they have warm summer years and rainy summer years?
Norwegians have this passionate if not obsessed relationship with the weather. Their reliable and almost magical Bergans rucksack contains any imaginable attire required for any climatic occasion. I bet that www.yr.no is the most visited site in Norway if every single inhabitant in this country consults the weather forecast every hour of the day.
They have definitely mastered the art of clothing to weather any type of weather. Whereas my old poor self is always either underdressed or overdressed.
Where else in the world does one put huge importance on "sun condition" when buying a house? Or where small talk or party conversation revolves around the weather? This goes without saying that pleasantries about the weather always work particularly for the not-so-silver-tongued Norwegians.
I don’t mind the snow. It’s beautiful outside and cozy inside. It’s the slippery & icy roads associated with winter which drive me crazy. I don’t mind the cold either – it’s the length of the cold season that makes me want to catch the very first flight that takes me to anywhere warm!
Well, duh, I can only hope that summer this year will be gloriously sunny. Otherwise, I can just join the hordes of Norwegians vacationing to “syden”. Syden being down south where there’s plenty of sun, sea, cheap booze, hot women (and men?), and great food and wine. Yaay!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Maya
How can one even begin to describe the joys and pains of being a first-time mother? I can’t. And I won't even try.
Named after the previous Philippine national bird (and Hindu goddess), Maya was a beautiful newborn baby. Her skin was soft & almost translucent, not wrinkled and no red blotches which are common amongst newborn. With her clear, wide, and alert black eyes (not puffy or bruised), she looked at us as if saying “I’ve been waiting for this moment to come.”
She’s got curly eyelashes and long nose. Her head looked normal, not elongated, even if she was suctioned out by ventouse vacuum.
And a lovely smile. I swear I saw her smile on her first day of this big wide world, but was flatly informed that it was just her passing gas. Oh dear, false alarm.
She has Mongolian spots in her lower back and massive amounts of hair (head, shoulders, and arms!). She passed the APGAR test in flying colors, hated the Hepatitis B shot, and lost 10% of her weight in 3 days (which freaked out all the nurses and midwives).
For the first couple of weeks after birth, all Maya did was feed, burp, sleep, cry, poo, and pass water. And like any exhausted and amateur parents, all we do and think about was sleep, breastfeeding basics, the color of her poo, a million different ways of carrying and soothing her or putting her to sleep, changing nappies endlessly, etc.
But she was brave. We knew she had tummy pains at night but she fought against it like a fierce warrior. Oh, and she burps and poos like a man.
In spite of the out-of-body-experience of birth and sleepless nights, we managed to take her out for a car ride (which she loves) almost every day. She had her first walk in the park on her 8th day. And started accompanying her mama to postnatal yoga sessions from her 3nd week.
The 6th week after her birth saw her improved dramatically. She started sleeping in her own bed in a separate bedroom. Preferred sleeping on her own as opposed to sleeping on her papa or mama’s chest. Doesn’t want to be cuddled, swaddled, or carried anymore before sleeping. Before we know it, she’ll pack her bags and live on her own:-).
She started crying less, smiling more, chatting, and sleeping longer.
In her 3rd-4th month, she traveled to Thailand and Philippines. Rolled from her tummy to back and did the other way around a month later. If she cooed and made small noises before, now she started giggling and doing her dinosaur-like noise -- high enough it could break a glass.
We started weaning Maya when she turned 5 months. Within 3 weeks, she could eat anything and everything we fed her. Mostly ecological baby food. And she started sleeping 10-11 hours at nights.
And just before her 6th month, she started creeping and then crawling a bit.
I may feel unproductive and frustrated sometimes. I may miss the freedom and joy of traveling on a whim. I may be bored out of my mind. And I may long to do the things I used do. But each day is an amazing journey with Maya. She continues to surprise and make me happy in her own ways. At the end of the day, all I need to do is watch her smile or sleeping soundly in bed and I know, it’s all damn worth it.
Named after the previous Philippine national bird (and Hindu goddess), Maya was a beautiful newborn baby. Her skin was soft & almost translucent, not wrinkled and no red blotches which are common amongst newborn. With her clear, wide, and alert black eyes (not puffy or bruised), she looked at us as if saying “I’ve been waiting for this moment to come.”
She’s got curly eyelashes and long nose. Her head looked normal, not elongated, even if she was suctioned out by ventouse vacuum.
And a lovely smile. I swear I saw her smile on her first day of this big wide world, but was flatly informed that it was just her passing gas. Oh dear, false alarm.
She has Mongolian spots in her lower back and massive amounts of hair (head, shoulders, and arms!). She passed the APGAR test in flying colors, hated the Hepatitis B shot, and lost 10% of her weight in 3 days (which freaked out all the nurses and midwives).
For the first couple of weeks after birth, all Maya did was feed, burp, sleep, cry, poo, and pass water. And like any exhausted and amateur parents, all we do and think about was sleep, breastfeeding basics, the color of her poo, a million different ways of carrying and soothing her or putting her to sleep, changing nappies endlessly, etc.
But she was brave. We knew she had tummy pains at night but she fought against it like a fierce warrior. Oh, and she burps and poos like a man.
In spite of the out-of-body-experience of birth and sleepless nights, we managed to take her out for a car ride (which she loves) almost every day. She had her first walk in the park on her 8th day. And started accompanying her mama to postnatal yoga sessions from her 3nd week.
The 6th week after her birth saw her improved dramatically. She started sleeping in her own bed in a separate bedroom. Preferred sleeping on her own as opposed to sleeping on her papa or mama’s chest. Doesn’t want to be cuddled, swaddled, or carried anymore before sleeping. Before we know it, she’ll pack her bags and live on her own:-).
She started crying less, smiling more, chatting, and sleeping longer.
In her 3rd-4th month, she traveled to Thailand and Philippines. Rolled from her tummy to back and did the other way around a month later. If she cooed and made small noises before, now she started giggling and doing her dinosaur-like noise -- high enough it could break a glass.
We started weaning Maya when she turned 5 months. Within 3 weeks, she could eat anything and everything we fed her. Mostly ecological baby food. And she started sleeping 10-11 hours at nights.
And just before her 6th month, she started creeping and then crawling a bit.
I may feel unproductive and frustrated sometimes. I may miss the freedom and joy of traveling on a whim. I may be bored out of my mind. And I may long to do the things I used do. But each day is an amazing journey with Maya. She continues to surprise and make me happy in her own ways. At the end of the day, all I need to do is watch her smile or sleeping soundly in bed and I know, it’s all damn worth it.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Pregnancy and Birth in Norway
I now understand why Norway is "almost" a paradise for preggies, young families, and single moms. "Almost" because of the language barrier. Apart from that, every kind of support, be it financially, medically or emotionally, is available for free. There is indeed such a thing as free lunch.
Prenatal check-ups with a personal midwife and doctor, ultrasounds, birth courses, are set at regular periods for free. Any additional medical examinations or treatments can be arranged. For free. In our case, we had an ultrasound examination on a monthly basis because I was discovered to have a myoma.
Delivery and full board stay at the hotel-cum-postnatal ward are also gratis. I cannot emphasise more how important is this because as a first-time mom, going through labour and birth can be such a painful, traumatic and overwhelming experience. One barely have the energy to eat, let alone think about how to foot the bill!
The first few days after birth are spent with the midwives and pediatricians recovering and learning how to breastfeed, bathe the baby, change nappy, and most importantly get to know your tiny little miracle. The baby undergoes a pediatrician's examination, ear test, guthrie test, and in our case, receives Hepatitis B and BCG vaccinations (for high risk group babies).
And of course, paternal benefits are simply awesome. Maternity leave for 56 weeks (inclusive 10 weeks paternity leave) at 80% of your salary or 46 weeks at 100%.
Postnatal check-up 3 months after birth, a home visit by a public health nurse within 2 weeks, and an opportunity to join a local postnatal group are just few of the postnatal support one gets.
Where it lacks the extensive family and social network and support system common among developing countries, Norway compensates it with its unparalleled social welfare system.
Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) website
Prenatal check-ups with a personal midwife and doctor, ultrasounds, birth courses, are set at regular periods for free. Any additional medical examinations or treatments can be arranged. For free. In our case, we had an ultrasound examination on a monthly basis because I was discovered to have a myoma.
Delivery and full board stay at the hotel-cum-postnatal ward are also gratis. I cannot emphasise more how important is this because as a first-time mom, going through labour and birth can be such a painful, traumatic and overwhelming experience. One barely have the energy to eat, let alone think about how to foot the bill!
The first few days after birth are spent with the midwives and pediatricians recovering and learning how to breastfeed, bathe the baby, change nappy, and most importantly get to know your tiny little miracle. The baby undergoes a pediatrician's examination, ear test, guthrie test, and in our case, receives Hepatitis B and BCG vaccinations (for high risk group babies).
And of course, paternal benefits are simply awesome. Maternity leave for 56 weeks (inclusive 10 weeks paternity leave) at 80% of your salary or 46 weeks at 100%.
Postnatal check-up 3 months after birth, a home visit by a public health nurse within 2 weeks, and an opportunity to join a local postnatal group are just few of the postnatal support one gets.
Where it lacks the extensive family and social network and support system common among developing countries, Norway compensates it with its unparalleled social welfare system.
Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) website
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