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Love the bag & lipstick... just need the top!

I have got this bag & the lipstick... (perks of the job  :-)

just need the blouse to make the outfit complete...

Coming off of one crazy week.... leading into another.

As y'all know.. Norwegians are CRAZY about their Christmas parties...

I attended ORIFLAME's Christmas party this past weekend.

They had arranged a surprise trip to Sweden at a spa hotel... LOVELY...

Next weekend we are going to Hubby's Christmas party... a 2 day cruise to Kiel, Germany...

Where hopefully, I will be able to do a little retail therapy & START my Christmas shopping...

(just a little behind this year.. :-( 

Hope y'all are all staying sane- and getting your stuff all done .

Getting a job in Norway as an expat..

Having been an expat in Norway..TWICE.. I can tell you a thing or two about TRYING to land a job over here...  it AIN'T EASY.

Now, this is MY experience..

(.. & the experience of all of my expat girlfriends here.)

   There are of course those.. with some wonderful education in a specialized field who will tell you that getting a job over here is EASY....   maybe for THEM is was...

 for the rest of us... not so much.

When I arrived the first time.. a bright & bushy tailed 25 year old...

with a double major & a minor.. 3 years work experience.. & 3 languages...

I thought it would be a BREEZE landing a job.  That is what my new husband told me.

Why wouldn't someone want me? 

In the U.S. most employers think that if you have a degree.. you can be TAUGHT to do anything... 
Oh you have a BA in English?  sure you can work in HR.. or sales etc.

Not so much here...

In Norway.. MOST people work with their degrees...

not so much flip flopping as in the U.S.

I have my education in Political Science & German with a minor in International Relations.

so as you can imagine.. there wasn't (still isn't)

a huge demand for those qualifications in my area.

For the first few months I lived here (15 years ago).. I scoffed at some of the jobs my husband suggested...  PUH-LEASE... I am not going to do THAT..or THAT..or THAT.

Well after a few months of NADA...

some of those jobs were looking PRETTY darn good.

too bad those jobs I THOUGHT I had been too good for.. didn't want me either...

My first go around here the 2 jobs I was offered... were cleaning lady.. &/or newspaper girl.

I ended up driving around with newspapers every morning at 4 am.. just to be able to contribute. - that lasted for a few months until Bjørn & I ended up going back on cruise ships... & then back to the US.

When we decided to move back 6 years ago.. I knew it would not be easy...

I knew that no one was going to want me just because

I had University degrees or because I was an American..

I knew I was going to have to work..

sometimes harder than the Norwegians just to get my foot in the door...

Just getting an interview proved almost IMPOSSIBLE...

In the past 7 years, I have had 4 jobs... Daycare..Hotel Concierge &

 Cosmetic /Perfume Manager - building up two Tax Free stores at our local Airport...  
and now, FINALLY-
Area Sales Manager for Oriflame Cosmetics..
so anyone looking for some extra income here in Norway... feel free to contact me..
I can send you in the right direction. .  :-)

Finding the RIGHT job for an expat..or anyone really, takes time...
but when you find the job which is the perfect fit ... it is so worth it!

 

I get a lot of emails on how to get a job here in Norway.

A lot of patience... hard work.. & an open mind...   Be creative..

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more from Thailand..

 I really hate skipping around on my blog , but until my life slows down just a bit... I am going to have to bounce around trips - or never get anything written.

better to be all over the place than nothing.. no?

so as I mentioned here...

 I LOVED,LOVED,LOVED

THAILAND

and to think, the week before I left I was thinking about asking my boss if I could miss the trip.

yes, I was THAT overwhelmed...

but.. I didn't.. and am soo happy I went back to THAILAND.

the country really is a paradise..

(view from my hotel)

a smiling, peaceful, people..

with so much poverty in the country.. you wonder how they can be so hospitable towards their guests..

who can be.. demanding fat cats..

(don't know this man... but it was a cool shot with my new lens.. :-)

BUT THEY ARE... fantastic people!

there were only two times I felt uncomfortable /threatened in the least bit..

1st time..was after the Simon Cabaret show in Phuket..

after asking if we wanted to take a picture with them.. the "man" in the fishnet/pasties demanded 300 baht.

am I naive?  - I thought "he" was just being nice..

- when I didn't have 300 baht, I seriously thought- he might beat me up...

be aware... you take a picture- be prepared to pay... or RUN.

the show in itself?

ummmmm... the costumes & sets were WONDERFUL really..

the actual DANCING and LIP-SYNCING was on a Jr. High school level.

Boys...might want to use some of the money you use on waxing for extra rehearsals.

the second time was with the THAI - JET SKI MAFIA..

my German friend - told me that EVERYONE---I mean EVERYONE..

knows about the JET SKI MAFIA..

- that would be everyone except me... until I had to deal with them. 

OK.. my friend did actually tap into me.. (we weren't driving..) & there was a mark..  but when we started talking about missed days of work for them, because the jet ski was going to go to the shop & now they were going to have to call the police... I started getting a tiny bit worried.

Yes.. there ARE pictures of my encounter... but I am not desperate enough to post pictures of me, in a bathing suit.. fake crying.. trying to get out of paying 5000 baht.   :-)

OK now on to the FANTASTIC bits of the trip..

I decided this time in Thailand I was going to do more than just lay on the beach & shop...

I decided to do a tour by myself (everyone else wanted to lay on the beach & shop)

I decided to do an ELEPHANT Trek... with whitewater rafting & driving ATV's trough the rainforest...

(not bad for an afternoon in Thailand)

We started the trip at the  Monkey Cave Temple

- called Wat Tham Suwankuha

which is  is one of the most exciting temples in the province of Phang Nga.

and as the name promises.. there are MONKEYs..everywhere..

Whenever I travel to a new country.. I always try to imagine myself living there...

The conversation with myself usually starts out something like this...

"yes... I could TOTALLY live here... it is soooo much better, then where I live now...."

and then there comes the moment when you realize ..

 " NOPE- although it is a nice place to visit...you could NEVER live there"

be warned... you need to do your business BEFORE you get to Monkey cave! - & wherever you go... carry some paper with you... it isn't available everywhere... oh ya, & hand sanitizer !

After our brief stop at monkey cave.. we were off to go "white water rafting"...

I have been rafting all over the world.. Austria.. Argentina.. USA.. etc...

this isn't what I would call rafting..

but it was a nice trip down the river.. & perfect for people who have never been & your kids...

The 4 wheeling/ ATV through the rain forest.. was tough..

I have never been 4 wheeling & I was terrified I was going to flip it..

 as the terrain was pretty uneven through the forest

& FINALLY the ELEPHANT trekking..

ABSOLUTE one of the coolest things I have done... I sooo want to bring my kids back to do this someday!

I started out on the bench.. and as soon as the elephant got going- the man asked me if I wanted to sit directly on the elephant... I did & it was awesome..

again.. a bit of strength test.. as you are holding on with your legs & a tiny rope up & down slopes in the rain forest.  - kept wondering how smart it really was, with my two children waiting for me at home..

what if I fell off?

but again AWESOME!.   I had some of my companions take a trip a few days later & did 1 hour instead of the 30 min  trip (what I did) .... GO FOR THE 1 hour. soo totally worth it!
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Oriflame trip to Thailand

Home after a FANTASTIC week in paradise...

(Yes... it is hard working for ORIFLAME ...but someone has to do it. lol)

I have traveled to Thailand before... but in my 20's working on a cruise ship,

I didn't have time to much more than lay out on the beach & party my butt off.

this trip was less seedy & more about the beauty.

There is something about having a camera in my hands..

it makes me notice the smallest things while traveling.

It makes me take the time to look around and really see things..

the beauty, the people...

KAMALA BEACH

(Kamala Beach lies just north of the lights and noise of Patong and is a quieter stretch of sand with a more relaxed feel. This well-enclosed bay and fishing village surrounded by forested hills is one of the most beautiful places in Phuket.)

TUK TUK back to the hotel

I have been to a lot of wonderful places...

 and there are a lot of places I hope my children will be able to see...

But THAILAND is on my bucket list...

I want my children to see Thailand with me..

while they are still young & willing to travel with their old mom..

Hope y'all are ready for 10,000 pictures from  Thailand. 

Greetings from WARSAW!

I am in town for a Global Online summit with some of ORIFLAME's world leaders.... 

little.old.me.

I was blessed enough- to be sent down here.. to gather information - to come back & share with the rest of Norway.. :-)

This summer while I was in Stockholm, I had the opportunity to see these leaders in the GLOBE.. a huge arena seating 10,000 people... I sat in the nosebleed section..

(part of the Scandinavian group)

I have been breaking bread & picking their brains all week.

Life is good.

I haven't had much of a chance to see the city during this trip...

 mostly working at the Polish headquaters

But from what I have had a chance to see/ do it was been wonderful...

the people.. the food.. the hospitality..

I have never had a bad time in Poland.. it is a fantastic country. and I am looking forward to coming back to explore Warsaw a bit more.

This should be my last international trip for the year...

time to head back to Norway tomorrow & start thinking about Christmas break.. woo hoo... 

Packing for my flight to Thailand!

Just finished packing for my 17 hour plane trip(s) to Thailand in the morning.. yikes...

I am used to traveling long distances to get home to my family in the USA...

so I know how taxing these long flights can be...

Thought I would share some of my favorite items...

which will help me get to Thailand ready to hit.the.beach. woo hoo..



1.  The temperature fluctuates throughout the flight.. I am always cold, then hot, than cold… yes, well you get the picture. I am bringing my Black PONCHO (yes, Oriflame)  .. perfect for layering I have been pretty much living in it since I received it a couple of weeks ago.  You can dress it up.. or dress it down.

 I am sure I won’t be needing in while I am in Thailand.. but compared to a sweatshirt, it will take practically NO room.. (more room for shopping, yea!)

2. Wool Socks. EVERYONE living in Norway has at least 10 pairs.  I always have a pair in my bag so I can kick my shoes off as soon as I get on the plane.. and get cozy..

3. Optimals Oxygen Boost™ Eye Stick  - I am addicted to this… I have a real problem with puffiness & bags under my eyes… especially when I am traveling and worn out… I swear this is a MIRACLE worker.  I have  stocked up & keep them in my purse.. in my car.. and in my briefcase.. when I need a little pick me up!

 4. Nourishing Hand Cream for Dry Hands –this is a must have for me anytime,but especially when I am flying-my skin gets so dry, perfect way to keep my hands moisturized the entire trip.

5. TENDER CARE. I carry it with me everywhere I go. And just like my hands, my lips feel super dehydrated after a few hours on a plane. This is another of my little miracle workers!

6. Noise cancelling headphones – Yes… traveling with around 80 people in our group for 17 hours on plane.. hmmm … I think these might come in handy to grab a little nap.

7. The number one thing I do on flights to keep myself feeling good – especially on super long flights, is drink loads & loads of water.  This is the best way for me to keep from being dehydrated and getting hit hard with jet lag.

8. My Tempur pedic EYE MASK…  my baby sister works for Tempur & was nice enough to give me this..(OK, I stole it from her) last time I was in the U.S.   It is so comfortable- and I am 100% sure the little pillows under the eyes not only keep light out.. but help keep the puffiness down. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Wish me luck with the EXTRA long flight tomorrow...

 I know once I land in Phuket- and get to the resort.. it will all be worth it! ..

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