October Gathering Of Red Cross Youth & Rescue Team

          Saturday the 30th of October was the first day of the gathering of the Red Cross Youth and Rescue Team Members. They gathered from different parts in Ålesund to attend this annual course.

       Irene Kvangarsnes, the Office District Staff Member,who in charge of the Rescue Teams, came and picked us to Ålesund.

The place of the course was Radisson SAS Hotel, one of the nicest Hotels I saw for its featured services. 410 was the number of my room.

 I like the Hotel although I was sure that I will suffer food where I went in Norway, because I am Muslim and eat only “HALAL FOOD”. But I was so lucky because I found very delicious fish in the first day so I enjoyed my meal with the others.

Astrid intrudused us for the presentation

        The first day me and my co delegate Lemi Chris had a presentation about Sudan and abut our challenges in Norway and our plans for the coming period in the district.

Part Of The Participating Volunteers From Different Areas

       Mr. Nils Christie was honored for his great efforts during his early voluntary life and for his mother, who was from the first women who started knitting art in Ålesund to distribute it for poor people.

 Other activities were done, and then we showed the volunteers the rules of the RAW WAR a role play.

I have never enjoyed my dinner in Norway before as that first day of the course. As we went to Teater Fabrikken Restaurant. Before and during dinner the staff of the restaurant had funny sketches. Everyone was happy that day.

Although it was in Norwegian language but the body language was enough to know what happening.

It was nice Simple style Restaurant and the staff having funn with every one ther..Even me.. i was grapped with this crazy funny man.

The last day we gave the volunteers some ideas about how to celebrate the 8th day (AIDS Day) this year.

As usual we had fun for some time especially with our dearest friend Britt Eli.

At the end of the course we received some invitations from other group in Ålesund and now we are preparing for it.

Program Solidarity Concert For South Sudan

                Last week the 25th of October at evening we attended the program solidarity concert for south Sudan in Spjelkavik Church in  Romsdal. It was organized by the Norwegian People's Aid and Ålesund and surroundings around.

          We went to the place of the program with Guri, our MAM in More Og Romsdal Red Cross Office as we used to call her. She always kind for us and ask us to go with her during weekend for recreational programs. Because she know well that we may got bored if we stayed at home all the time after we go finish work.

         The program was for collecting money to help women in southern part of Sudan, whish suffer more and has no voice in its community.

It was nice and enjoying program with different participations, opera songs, ballet, .

Opera

Ballet

Songs

playing on piano

       When the program finished we met a Sudanese dentist doctor living and working in Norway for many years with his wife and his small child.

We may visit him one day at his home to have Full Sudanese day.

Tromso And Haraldvollen (Nice Journey With Nice Friends)..

        Last Friday was the day of our first trip for me and my co-delegate Lemi Chris to see the North of Norway after we got an invitation to participate in the Program for the Nordland, Troms and Finnmark Red Cross Youth Camp 2009 for 3days. It was about different topics, Human trafficking, On The Run, Migration, Red Cross School and other activities. There was also another participation from of Musiime Kenneth, that nice guy, the youth delegate from Rwanda. Some new youth from different areas were participating also.

        Before we go to Tromso they told us that it is very colder than Ålesund, which was (-1) at that time. And we have to prepare our self well and to bring the sleeping bags as well. So I was so worried because we were going to take part on the Role Play for the second time in that severe weather.

        After we reached Tromso airport, it was slightly raining but not cold and it was nice weather. After visited Red Cross office we visited one of the nicest museums I saw. It was for the water animals and the polar bear, where we watched amazing video about thesse animal in Norway.

       Then we went by the bus to Harald Vollen the place of the program. In spite of that snow was covering everything there; it was not colder than Ålesund.

It was the day of the Role Play, everything was ready.

        We start our running and suffering as refugees and walked for long distance through the small forest and snow till we supported by the Red Cross rescue teams.

         It is bad feeling when you are a refugee, but it is nice when you experienced and react with those who are suffering there with no food, drink, shelter and pity. If you go on thinking you may even cry.

       The second day we presented tow presentations about Sudan and youth activities there then other topics presented by participants.

        After the presentation we got a present, a nice T-shert. It will be in my memory for ever to remember this day after i go back to Sudan.

       Actually Tromso and Haraldvollen journey was very nice, and left very nice feeling in my life and hope to visit them again soon.

       Even on the way back in the bus we enjoyed ourselves with nice people we will never forget them, Hanae, Lene, Samir, Karam and more others.

       Although all the lectures and discussion were in Norwegian language, which sometimes made us not satisfied but we have to accept it because this is one of our biggest challenges in Norway.

School For Elderly

       After I finished the primary school successfully I was so happy, because I would start English language studying and actualy our mother language is Arabic because i am from Sudan. So it was challenge for me and nice new thing to add  for knowledge. But I knew well it needed more efforts and full concentration.

          Again I am facing the same challenge here in Norway as I started to study the language of this nice country in one of the schools in Ålesund. When I entered the class room and sat on my chair, I remembered that days of the primary school, in which i learnt how do write the letters and how topronounce the words as well.

          Although there is similarity between this one and that, but actually there is a big difference. The Norwegian language is very difficult to learn, hear, pronounce and even write. Because however you pronounce the words for the teacher she says not like that. That made me to be doubtful about my hearing efficiency. And you have to know how people in Oslo pronounce some of the words different from those in Oslo and other placses, and this complicate our understanding, although there is no fixed rules inorder to depend on to know how you talk or write.

Anyhow we are enjoying our time at the school and we have very nice friends from different countries.

Even I can say there maybe more than (8) different languages in the class.

¤¤ Apple Cake "Eplekake" ¤¤

          This time i am not going to talk about our suffering from snow and freezing when we go to the office or visiting one of the group in Ålesund, nor about our activities with the volunteers. This time my blog topic will be with the cake taste and apple flavor.

          Britt and Lane, volunteers from Ålesund visited me and my co delegate in office and said they are going to teach us how to make the “Apple Cake”. They brought with all the necessities with them and went to our apartment. We start to prepare the “apple cake” by the Norwegian style as they call it “Eplekake”.

         When it was finished I hoped that I had more than ten fingers to eat more amount of it. Even I finished I count out my fingers again if it was still ten or not because I may ate one of it during eating it.

Now we are looking forward for the coming Monday to know another kind of the Norwegian food.

Help .. Help Water In Danger ..

           We know very well that water is the nerve and backbone of life of human being and other living organisms ,as it mediates al the biological processes. Recent studies saying that 97% of water on the earth is salt water, leaving only 3% as fresh water of which slightly over two thirds is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps.The remaining unfrozen freshwater is mainly found as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air.

         Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world and as the world population continues to rise, so too does the water demand.

        Awareness of the global importance of preserving water for ecosystem services has only recently emerged as, during the 20th century, more than half the world’s wetlands have been lost along with their valuable environmental services.

Blue October:

         Accordingly, we went to Volda on Tuesday to participate with the Norwegian Red Cross volunteers in Blue October Program or what they call it (water fighting). Nytt More news paper covered the day.

        It was very nice day, we talked to the media about water resources in Sudan and how people get it in both large cities and small villages, as well as in camps. Although In the Sudan we have the River Nile, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, but still there are many areas that suffer from clean water short. We are also talked to the media about the difference in water resources between the Sudan and Norway.

¤ When we can enjoy clean sufficient water?

¤ Can we preserve the water resources from getting polluted?

¤ Is it possible that there will be a global war on freshwater resources in the future?

¤ Try to answer these questions yourself.