March 2010
2 posts
3 tags
Men med håret i hestehale ser jeg kanskje...
Etter fire hektiske uker er det på tide med litt ferie. To velfortjente friuker ligger foran meg, og dermed har jeg tid til å blogge litt også. Her om dagen var jeg på Cham City Center, hvor jeg blant annet lette etter sjampo. Det var da jeg kom over denne:
Det var jo merkelig at de hadde lagt en sjampo for hester i den vanlige sjampohylla, tenkte jeg, og i det hele tatt merkelig at de selger...
Troll kan temmes, og hyener også. →
I syrisk folketro heter det seg at hyenen kan snike seg innpå deg bakfra og dytte deg til du faller i bakken. Deretter hypnotiserer den deg ved å stirre deg inn i øynene. Når den så åpner kjeften og du lukter stanken derfra, vil du følge etter den hvor den enn tar deg - hvilket antageligvis er hjem til hulen hvor du blir hovedretten i familien Hyenes middag.
Hyene heter forøvrig ḍabʿ (ضبع) på...
February 2010
9 posts
2 tags
Du kan tenke det...
…men du kan ikke si det høyt. Her om dagen tenkte jeg for meg selv at det er mye hyggeligere for en gjennomsnittlig, blond norsk jente å bo i Shaalan/Abu Rumaneh enn i gamlebyen, hvor konsentrasjonen av vestlige studenter og turister er meget høy, og det er vanskelig å gå noe sted uten å få oppmerksomhet fra gutter og unge menn. I mitt nabolag, rett ved et av de ambassaderike områdene i...
3 tags
More horse photos
This time from the weekend, in Seidnaya.
4 tags
some photos
By popular request.
Incredibly cute horse, from the right angle, mind you. There was also another horse on the farm, the winner of last year’s local 120 km:
4 tags
Why I'm not a jockey
Today I was taken to a farm in the oasis to try a new horse I might ride and race. The test ride turned out to be multiple laps in canter around a field while the horse’s owner and two employees were standing in the middle watching, occasionally shouting at the horse to move faster, or even advancing with a whip in hand. Very fun. The horse, a chestnut stallion, was nice enough. He seemed...
A fact.
Unpopped popcorn, if marinated in very hot oil, can melt through the bottom of a hard plastic bowl.
2 tags
Horsing around
Went riding Saturday, in beautiful Seidnaya, away from the buzzing city. The landscape with its hills and greenery was a welcome change from Shaalan which cannot really be said to be particularly easy on the eye. The mild breeze, the fresh air and the warm evening sun together with the blissful silence of the distant countryside created an amazing atmosphere.
Here, in a small stable with a...
Internet at home
Only four and a half months after my arrival, I finally have internet at home. Until now, I have had to make do with the limited internet available for students at IFPO, and various internet cafés. The problem with internet cafés is that absolutely nobody in Syria is able to use the internet without smoking. A lot. And of course, I have to decide to go there, find time for it, pack my computer and...
Four seasons
Where I come from, we have four seasons. They are all seasons of cold and downpour, just different kinds of precipitation and with varying degrees of cold. And in between the seasons there are sometimes short periods of what we call nice weather. The lack of days of nice weather is what leads my mother to say that we can’t complain about the sun, no matter how warm it is. Complaining about...
Eid al-hubb
While Saudi Arabians have to do without red roses on Valentine’s Day, Syrians can choose from a wide range of red and pink and sickeningly sweet merchandise to surprise and please their significant others on this day.
Myself? I got a free dessert. Too bad Syrian cakes both feel and taste like sponge.