I am not. On vacation, that is. Or holiday if you prefer. I'm not on either. I'm in Oslo, not travelling, not not working (but not really working that much either).
The reasons for this are severalfold.
First of all, formally I don't have the "right" for vacation this year. A paid one, that is. Per our system you ear money for a paid leave each year, but it is earned from the previous year's salary. Since I started my current job in January I don't qualify this year. I could still have taken an unpaid vacation, of course, but how in the would I then cover my rent? So, instead I applied for not having to take out any vacation this year. The problem with this is, of course, that as a teacher I don't really have that much to do between semesters. I can (and should) obviously prepare for the next semester. I do. I read. And think. And look out the window. And have another coffee. And then read some more. But in reality, my motivation is nowhere to be found. The semester feels so faaaaaar away (though it isn't!).
Aside from not technically having earned a vacation this year I am not sure I would have gone anywhere even if I'd had the time off. Time isn't the only thing I'd have to earn, after all - travelling is expensive (especially since I become even less inclined to watch my spending when on vacation). Even thought I have a decent salary now, I haven't gotten used to the idea of having money yet (it's a tough transition, I tell ya, from having lived for years as a poor student, and now money magically shows up in my account every month. Why wouldn't I spend it all at once??). Saving money? Wouldn't even know how. Okay, that's not entirely true. I do save money. But it's more for the endless black hole labelled "future" than the current fancy labelled "vacation".
Third, and this is somewhat connected to the previous point - I am a terrible planner. Terrible. To me, booking flight tickets feels like a life or death decision (and not because I'm scared of flying - no, it's the commitment that freaks me out). I don't like planning more than, say, a week ahead. Having tickets for something months ahead is the same as saying no to something else that might show up (it's a terrible habit, I know). At the same time, though, I'm not at all impulsive. The idea of going to the airport and just get a ticket to the first and best place you find is almost as scary to me as actually planning that trip ahead... And still I love to travel - you try to figure it out!
So, to sum up - I'm not on vacation because I don't have the time, I don't have the money and because I absolutely suck at planning these things. The first two might and will change with time - the third I'm not so sure about. I guess I just have to suck it up and accept that sometimes planning ahead is okay. In the meantime I've managed to enjoy some vacation-ish time right here in Oslo the previous week. With visiting several museums, going to the cinema, shopping (though not for souvenirs...) and eating more ice cream than what's good for me, I've pretty much covered the tourism part anyway.
Showing posts with label June. Show all posts
Showing posts with label June. Show all posts
Monday, July 2, 2012
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
On June
I don’t have a favourite month, mostly because all the months have their particular charm. Also, I’d probably feel compelled to pick my poor, unloved birth month, November; and frankly November isn’t my preferred month (but don’t tell it I said so!).
June, on the other hand, is one of those months everyone can agree is lovely. Living in Norway (or anywhere far north in the world) there is one thing that makes June extra special, and that is the light. We have light! Lots and lots of it! If the darker months (like November, but really, let’s try not to make November any sadder, okay? It already has a hard time dealing with the fact that nobody really likes it) – if the darker months seem, well, dark, there is always June to look forward to. We have what feels like endless daytime (some parts of Norway really do have endless days a few weeks, but I’m not far enough north to enjoy the midnight sun). It’s still light out when it’s supposed to be your bedtime (almost no matter when your bedtime is), and consequently many of us stay up much later than during the winter. That’s okay, though, because with all the light you don’t really need as much sleep (or so goes the common myth that I zealously obey to).
Another reason I like June is that it is strawberry season. Norwegian strawberries are (in my opinion) the best in the world, largely because of all that light; and they will soon be ripe. Strawberries with milk or cream, with or in ice cream, on cakes, as jam, or eaten directly from the box while you dip your feet in the fjord out on some island... Ah! It must be what heaven feels like!
June is also one of the few months when Norwegians enjoy something that in most parts of the world merely qualifies as “spring”. Norway will never be the warmest place on earth (unless the global climate change creates a completely new balance), but I am satisfied if our temperatures reach the 20s (celcius). That is enough for summer dresses and walking barefoot in the grass, and maybe for having an occasional bath in a nearby lake. (That must also be what heaven feels like – in fact, I think heaven probably feels a lot like June.)
Finally, June is a great month for writing. (You almost thought I’d go an entire post without mentioning our little wrimo, BuNoWriMo, didn’t you? Ha! Seriously, though, I won’t keep bringing it up, but we really have a great group gathered [link still in the upper right corner, if you want to join], and with all the happy vibes and encouragement going on it wouldn’t surprise me if we max this challenge with 5 million words altogether – which is HUGE!)
June has always been a great month for writing for me, though. First of all there is the vacation aspect. June has traditionally been the month where my (seemingly) endless summer vacations from school started (though this year I have no vacation at all – my thesis takes no time off *sigh*). With no school, June was when I had the time to write (before the July laziness kicked in). Secondly, the long, light nights also helped. I have lots of memories of sitting up half the night watching the swallows glide across the sky (they must never sleep!) while writing. One of my first epiphanies (the realization that I wanted to be a writer) came one such night when I was about 13. During those many hours of light and the very few hours of darkness I wrote my way through three (!) pens and countless notebook pages, ending up with something of a “writer manifesto”. I have departed somewhat from that since... But the feeling of June as the month where anything is possible stayed with me. Thus, it is only fitting that June will be the month where I finish my first novel (yesIcanyesIcanyesIcan!!!).
June, on the other hand, is one of those months everyone can agree is lovely. Living in Norway (or anywhere far north in the world) there is one thing that makes June extra special, and that is the light. We have light! Lots and lots of it! If the darker months (like November, but really, let’s try not to make November any sadder, okay? It already has a hard time dealing with the fact that nobody really likes it) – if the darker months seem, well, dark, there is always June to look forward to. We have what feels like endless daytime (some parts of Norway really do have endless days a few weeks, but I’m not far enough north to enjoy the midnight sun). It’s still light out when it’s supposed to be your bedtime (almost no matter when your bedtime is), and consequently many of us stay up much later than during the winter. That’s okay, though, because with all the light you don’t really need as much sleep (or so goes the common myth that I zealously obey to).
Another reason I like June is that it is strawberry season. Norwegian strawberries are (in my opinion) the best in the world, largely because of all that light; and they will soon be ripe. Strawberries with milk or cream, with or in ice cream, on cakes, as jam, or eaten directly from the box while you dip your feet in the fjord out on some island... Ah! It must be what heaven feels like!
June is also one of the few months when Norwegians enjoy something that in most parts of the world merely qualifies as “spring”. Norway will never be the warmest place on earth (unless the global climate change creates a completely new balance), but I am satisfied if our temperatures reach the 20s (celcius). That is enough for summer dresses and walking barefoot in the grass, and maybe for having an occasional bath in a nearby lake. (That must also be what heaven feels like – in fact, I think heaven probably feels a lot like June.)
Finally, June is a great month for writing. (You almost thought I’d go an entire post without mentioning our little wrimo, BuNoWriMo, didn’t you? Ha! Seriously, though, I won’t keep bringing it up, but we really have a great group gathered [link still in the upper right corner, if you want to join], and with all the happy vibes and encouragement going on it wouldn’t surprise me if we max this challenge with 5 million words altogether – which is HUGE!)
June has always been a great month for writing for me, though. First of all there is the vacation aspect. June has traditionally been the month where my (seemingly) endless summer vacations from school started (though this year I have no vacation at all – my thesis takes no time off *sigh*). With no school, June was when I had the time to write (before the July laziness kicked in). Secondly, the long, light nights also helped. I have lots of memories of sitting up half the night watching the swallows glide across the sky (they must never sleep!) while writing. One of my first epiphanies (the realization that I wanted to be a writer) came one such night when I was about 13. During those many hours of light and the very few hours of darkness I wrote my way through three (!) pens and countless notebook pages, ending up with something of a “writer manifesto”. I have departed somewhat from that since... But the feeling of June as the month where anything is possible stayed with me. Thus, it is only fitting that June will be the month where I finish my first novel (yesIcanyesIcanyesIcan!!!).
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