Sunday 28 April 2013

Our last day in Voss

So our last day in Voss was spent packing in the morning. I went to the Voss Vind indoor skydiving......for a second time! Then we all met at Peppes pizza for our last tea in Norway, we finished the evening at our favorite cafe Tre Brør. We leave Voss early tomorrow morning, I will really miss Voss especially the beautiful mountains! I think the hills in Shetland will look very small when we get back.

I have loved every minute of my time in Norway and I have learnt so much from the work placements! 
I hope I can come back to Voss very soon!!

Mhairi : )

Friday 26 April 2013

MY WEEK AT VOSS KULTURHUS


Week 4 - I spent five days from 9:00 - 15:30 working in the Voss Kulturhus Bibliotek (library)

Monday 22 - I was introduced to the Bibliotek and given a tour around the different sections and a look at their computer system.  Soon I was taught about checking-in books through a scanner and how to put which book in which section.

Tuesday 23 - This was World Book Day, so I helped set up a quiz for children about the library for 10-15yolds and who's who for 0-9yolds.  The children also drew covers of their favourite books, which I helped display in the library.
















I also stamped newspapers and new books, then registering them into the computer system.  Then I shelved returned books, following the codes.

Wednesday 24 - I showed the staff of the Kulturhus Bibliotek a presentation about Shetland.  I told them about myself, Shetland, Lerwick, Brae and Shetland College.  I also talked about Up-Helly-Aa.  They were impressed with my effort.

I also calculated results from the quiz on the 23rd.  The winners of which will be awarded with books.  Then I stamped and registered new books and shelved more books.

Thursday 25 - Came to work earlier (8:30) to go with Olav on the mobile library.  We went to two primary schools outside of town.  I thought it went well.  When I came back to the library, I checked more books back in and shelved them.

Friday 26 - We were meant to be playing Wii Sports as it was my last day, but it was cancelled due to technical difficulties.  I recycled old newspapers, made log-in cards and put books back into shelves again.  But I was allowed to leave early (14:15) since it was my last day.

All in all, this was a great experience that I will remember.

John.

Thursday 25 April 2013

Don't want to leave..

I can't believe how fast the time has gone! Three whole weeks have past and I have finished at the Kindergarden. It has been such an amazing experience and I've loved every single second of it! All the children and staff were so welcoming and helped me settle in.
During my time there, I have learned more and more Norwegian which I know I will go home saying! The children have been so helpful in telling me what things are called and generally speaking to me in Norwegian (remembering that they are only 3yrs and below!)
The experience itself has been one i will never forget! It's shocking how close to home Norway is, yet how much different two places can be. When I first arrived I was shocked to discover just how much time they spend outside! But now, after spending 3 weeks working there, I don't think I would have it any other way. It is so refreshing to see how keen the children are to go out and play in the puddles and sand without any care in the world.
The staff at Bjokeli have been so nice to me and have tried so hard to speak English when around me. They have made me feel very included and apart of the Kindergarden since the first day I started. We all went for a meal at Peppes Pizza to say goodbye last night and it was such a lovely night.
Saying goodbye today was hard. The whole day today has felt quite emotional but saying goodbye to all the children and staff this afternoon was one of the hardest things I've had to do! I will miss the all very much and I will defiantly be returning to visit them all in the near future!

Vanessa

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Where has da time gone?!

Canna believe dat in a weeks time I will be hom again, wir time in Voss has just flown by! I am really going to miss my placement when I go hom, da bairns and all da teachers are so lovely and have been so welcoming. I feel dat I have learned so much aboot da school system in Norway and how it differs to dat of Shetland. Some of da bairns at SFO seem ta have become fond of me and I have come back to da hostel on many occasions with many pictures and a couple of friendship bracelets! It is going to be really sad ta have ta say goodbye to dem :( I have also learned more aboot da language and even though I cannot speak Norwegian very well I can understand more of what people are trying to say to me or ask me to do, which is a very nice feeling :) Da bairns have really gotten me involved in playing softball and 'cuppy' (as we called it when I was at primary school). 
As well as placement, I have surprisingly enjoyed learning how ta cook better and baking while I have been here. I have made bannocks danight fir da teachers at da school ta try damorn! I hoop they like dem :)
I have also really enjoyed exploring Norway! Travelling to Bergen, and even just wandering aroond Voss, has been fantastic! Such a beautiful place :) however, dis week da weather seems to have taken a turn fir da worst :( 
All in all, I have loved my time here but I am also looking forward ta getting hom again, and hoopfully da weather shall clear up again afore we leave :)

Monday 22 April 2013

First day of weaving- Abby, Andrea and Mhairi

Today was a completely new experience at Vevstova! We began our last work placement at a weaving company, participating in weaving traditional patterns. We were greeted by about 10 women who all create beautiful and complicated weaving patterns that represent something special, such as a baptism, wedding or part of the Bunad etc. They were all very friendly and were willing to help us learn these traditions as they are very important to them.

They gave us four different patterns to choose from that they thought would be easy enough to complete in a week. At first it was a bit daunting as the looms look very complicated but after their help and advice we were soon making our own weavings.

At lunch time we had tea and cake which was very sweet and welcoming. We are looking forward to seeing the finishing results to take home and show the college! :)

Abby, Andrea and Mhairi

Saturday 20 April 2013

DAY IN BERGEN

April 20 - a day in Bergen.  Andrea and Vanessa went from Voss to Bergen by train after 8:00.  Mhairi, Abby, Megan and John (me!) left at 10:00 (we wanted a lie in.)

When we got to Bergen, we walked to the Bryggen and did some shopping.  I carried 3 of my own bags back!  I searched for The Viking Shop in the Bryggen to find a specific necklace, but the shop closed down a year and a half ago.  Never mind!  I got some good ornaments and souvenirs.

Me, Megan and Abby went to the Bryggen Museum, which had old pottery and objects, even skulls, in the permanent exhibition and the history of shoes in the temporary exhibition.

We all had lunch in the Habour Cafe and went up Mt. Fløyen via FløiBanen trains.  The view from the top was indescribable!




Mhairi and me went back to Voss at 17:11 and everyone else went on the 19:00 train after more wandering around the streets of Bergen.

All in all - worth the trip!

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Andrea and Mhairi's second week of work placement!

Already, we are into the second week at Bunad og Kle Loftet! Time is going by very quickly and we have learnt a lot from the staff. Today we were helping to organize the suits for rental as there is a big celebration coming up in May. This included last minute preparations such as sewing on buttons, checking the measurements of the clothing, cleaning the silver, pressing the jackets and ironing shirts etc.

The staff have been really helpful and give clear instructions on what they want done. They have shown us how to properly tailor men's suits, giving great tips and techniques from their 35 years of experience.

 


In the afternoon, we were also shown how to do the embroidery that goes on the woman's waistcoats. It seemed quite complicated to begin with but we soon got the hang of it. Here is a sample of the bead work;

Monday 15 April 2013

Our 2nd Weekend :)

So that's our second weekend in and it's been a blast! On Saturday we spent the day walking around enjoying the beautiful view whilst looking out for a Reindeer or Moose. Sadly we had no luck, but we all had a great day out in the warm sun anyway. At night, we all decided as it was the weekend, we would go out. We went to Peppes Pizza which was such a cozy, friendly place to eat! We all got huge pizzas and a cheeky pudding after. It was such a lovely night, eating, chatting and relaxing after a busy week at placements.
On Sunday, the wether wasn't so good, raining most of the day, but being Shetlanders that didn't bother us! After a relaxing morning we all took a walk to the VossVind indoor skydiving where 3 of us were able to take part in it. We were given suits and shown the basics before taking off. All I can say is WOW! What an amazing experience! All three of us had an amazing time and didn't stop smiling thought the whole session! It was such an strange and wonderful feeling being able to fly. After doing it, we all hope to do it again very soon!!











Friday 12 April 2013

Hi Abby again

From the perspective of an art student this place, with its dramatic landscape never fails to inspire the imagination. The peace and tranquility of the mountains and fjords gives me the opportunity to explore new ideas for my paintings. I said goodbye to the Magasinet today that makes going to my new placement bittersweet as i know i will be nostalgic about about this week. Meeting different artists showed me many different ways of approaching my own art, as well as the astrists explained the processes and inspirations fro their work such as Tua Broms (I favorite example of her work is just below - Rododendron), 


 who explained her complex theme of idea that patterns all contain a sense of individuality. during these discussions i showed some of the artists my work and Tua gave me her opinion on my work on where it did not achieve certain standards in some areas but she also explain what it was she believed would improve my work.


On Wednesday and Thursday i decided to go in early and take some photos of the birds around my placement and after half and hour each day i finally got two:


The reason for the need of the birds is that I am thinking about using them in a final personal project for my course in which I plan on creating a print or painting inspired by the landscape and birds as i do love the trees here.


A Woodpecker too now I am no bird watcher but I got really excited at that.


Another artist I spoke to was Geir Nymark who etches the mountains and Fjords of Norway, when I walked into his studio space today I felt like a child who just met their favorite star as I just loved his works such as the "Fjorden baby, fjorden" 


Telling him that this was my Favorite he gave me a postcard of it as the print it's self is a bit out of my price range but if I had the money so worth it. He and Svein are Mørkve, a printer working next door, explain their process of printing that made a lot of sense and i began to understand the practice of etching. I was also given a heart shaped sun catcher off a ceramics artist that I met on my first day. 
During my placement I have working alongside Matias Ringheim who is an artist and a founder of the Magasinet, with him i scaled down new parts for his sculpture and then transferred and altered an old pattern from at blanket and made a new colorful version. 

so to say thank-you to the artists for letting me bother them all week i thought i would make shortbread one failing from the start was that i am a terrible cook. so to counter act for that was i would have a practice first and a brilliant thing happened they all work, i was like YES. after that i let everyone eat them Megan definitely  loved them so i went to make the next lot on guess what... they all went WRONG so there went that idea. Instead i gave them a painting. 

Speak to you soon if you are still reading that is.

Thursday 11 April 2013

John's Placement

Hello, I'm John Irvine.  My time in Voss is a completely new experience for me, personally and professionally.

I am currently working in Plei, a corner computer maintenance shop, until 19th April.  Everyone was nice and spoke good English.  Sometimes there isn't much to do as the only experience of computer hardware is at a college class, so we keep trying to find simpler tasks for me to do.  i.e. remove hard drive components or updating my laptop settings (disk defragment, updating files, installing firewalls, etc).  Usually if there is nothing for me to do, I take my laptop in and use a language-learning software to study Norwegian.  Generally I'm doing fine so far in this placement.  Check out Plei on Facebook and you'll find a picture of me working on my laptop.
I hope my placement in the Voss Kulturhus library would be good as well.

I personally believe that this placement is a brilliant opportunity to develop my life skills as well, such as living independently, finding my own way around, cooking skills, etc.  Even being in Norway is thrilling since I had never been to anywhere in Scandinavia, let alone Norway, before I came to Voss (unless Shetland counts on a technicality!).  I hope this trip gets better and better as the days go by.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Just a few pictures for you to see what I see

It had just snowed and left this spectacular view in its wake





The dramatic landscape was just full of inspiration and meant my imagination could just go wild 

No matter who cold I got I couldn't drag myself away from the surprises around the corner.  

we were all just snapping away at such a beautiful secne

I guess it is my turn now


So I don't know if I can say anything that you havn’t read before but suppose I should talk about my placement. I am at the Magasinet at the moment and it is a really interesting place. Some of the artists from in and around VOSS have their studios there which mean the place is exceedingly inspiring. Every day I meet a new artist, where we discuss what we do, the inspiration and reasoning behind our works. I assist the manager of the Magasinet, who is also an artist, we are working on a sculpture that he created which broke in a storm during winter. So today we went up to a metal factory where I oversaw the process of making the Sculpture. One thing I really love about Voss is there water, it is really nice and is almost only thing I drink because of that. Vanessa also loves the water here as it makes her hair big and curly, I personally think it is a great look for her  

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Hey, Megan here!

Well we have now been in Voss fir a whole week and da place is incredible: beautiful scenery, welcoming people and amazing chocolate! I started my placement at Vangen Skule on Friday and even fae meeting da teachers and pupils briefly on Thursday I could already tell dat I am going ta love every minute o it. I am really enjoying being taught Norwegian by da pupils and trying ta interact can sometimes be very amusing due ta da language barrier. Thankfully, dir is a pupil who speaks both fluent Norwegian and fluent English who has become my best friend and translator at da school. Over da last couple o nights I have been making up a couple of power points ta teach da children aboot Shetland damorn and I also plan ta teach dem a few Shetland words too. I have also noticed many differences between da Norwegian school system here and what school is like back in Shetland. It is very interesting ta see da differences and I hoop dat what I learn here will be very effective in my future :)
After school is finished at 1:30pm I go to SFO, da after school club until 2.30pm. It has been great fun as a few of the bairns have decided ta take me in and translate fir da younger bairns. They have me drawing pictures, making pom poms and all sorts of different crafts. Today, I went with a few of da children to meet da children with profound special needs in da school. Da SFO children visit these children every day ta draw dem pictures and keep dem company. I have noticed dat dir is a lot of equality in da school, dirs no judging of other children and dir is very little to no bullying. Everybody is accepted da way they are and it is amazing to see.

As well as placement I went on da Norway in a Nutshell tour with da others on Saturday and it wis a fantastic trip with absolutely breathtaking scenery, although being stuck in da train station at Myrdal ended up in a numb bum from sitting on da ground fir an hour and a half! As well as dat, we went up da mountain and saw da beautiful view of Voss. I have managed ta cook and do my washing without getting food poisoning or shrinking my clothes so I believe dis is a massive success :)

Monday 8 April 2013

Monday 8th April, Mhairi and Andrea's first day at placement.

Today we stated our placement at Bunadsloftet, a traditional costume-makers. We were greeted by four women who all work with different parts of the costumes. They were very welcoming and encouraged us to ask questions about the traditional designs. We were fascinated by all the different fabric they use and the quality of the workmanship.

Within the first hour, we were set up at a work space sewing the end of shirt sleeves for the men's costume. It was a bit daunting to begin with as we were afraid to make a mistake. However, we soon built up a bit of confidence and were working away by ourselves. We felt comfortable to ask if we needed help. These costumes are very popular in May so this is a very busy time for them which means we have plenty of work to do. We look forward to learning more techniques and seeing the finished garments! :)

Mhairi and Andrea

Saturday 6 April 2013

Our first 4 days

Well that's us been here for 4 days and all I can say is wow! The place is beautiful! Every morning, I take a new photo of the same view as it still stuns me every time I look out. The weather has been great, so warm during the day and gets a little colder at night but that doesn't bother us! Over the last few days, me, megan and john have started our placements and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we love it! My placement is at the kindergarden literally 3 minutes from where we are staying. It's so different to back at home, mainly because they are outside for 90% of the day! The children even sleep outside!

Today, we all took a trip together on Norway in a Nutshell. It was amazing. We started from Voss on a bus which took us to Gudv. After spending a little time there we went on a 2 hour boat trip to Flam. It was amazing. We all took so many photos our camera could hardly cope! Once we arrived in Flam we had a while to look around and buy suvineers before getting the old fashioned train to Myrdal. We all had a great day, and looking forward to bed after a long day of smiling for photos! 


Vanessa