Working and Living in Norway

We worked in Telemark district with schools and other groups on youth related issues. It was a challenge to get into the schools because Norwegians have quite a lot of activities to occupy their time. They are nature loving and outdoor people so we had to negotiate and network to get some school sessions. Some other activities that we participated in or district were: World AIDS Day, International Red Cross Day, planning other Red Cross events and co-operating with the other delegates from Armenia, Kenya and Sudan.

After spending ten months in Norway I am satisfied with the decision I made to take on this mission.

Norway is a developed country with all modern facilities. The population is 4.5 million people but they live quite far apart from each other. Oil and fishing plays a big role in their economy. The country is extremely rich both in its economy and nature. Great efforts are made to preserve nature and cultural icons. Generally the people are “cold” but after getting to know some of them they can be quite warm-hearted. Some people are of the opinion that the temperature plays some role in the behaviour of Norwegians because it gets extremely cold during winter months. Between November and March the temperatures measure between a low of minus 30 degrees Celsius to 0. In reality this means we have to wear four layers of clothes sometimes. The cold itself was not my greatest challenge but rather when it becomes icy and slippery on the ground. This happens as a result of snow melting and freezing. Apart from this as they say in Norway “there is no bad weather, only bad clothes.” By saying this they mean that if you dress with the proper clothes, you should be warm and comfortable. Norwegian foods are prepared quite bland in colour and taste so I look forward to preparing Jamaican foods. We took most of the spices we need from Jamaica and were able to purchase familiar meats and staple items in Norway. The only meat that was not available was that of goat but we got lamb to replace it. Norwegians enjoys our “spicy” foods when we shared with them.

Working in Gambia, West Africa

In addition to working in Norway, both of us were sent to Gambia, West Africa to represent the Norwegian Red Cross. We conducted HIV training with thirty-seven community workers who would go back to educate their communities. This part of our mission was one of the greatest achievements I have gain to date. When asked how does it feel to be going to Africa? My answer is “quite special” It was a bit emotional to be in our “mother land” and to see how other people live. Gambia is ninety percent Muslims and as a result, we would pass people praying during the days on the roadsides and other places.  Muslins are required to pray five times per day. The people are warm but the country still struggles with social issues similar to Jamaica. One of the challenges we faced was the unreliable supply of electricity. Some days we would electricity for two hours and other days none at all. In all of it God was good to us because we did not get sick at all. I mentioned health because we had to get some additional vaccines and started a course of malaria tablets before we left Norway. I can honestly say that our mission to Gambia was a success because the two Norwegians who went with us were satisfied and this was not a common thing. It is perceived that people from developing countries don’t have anything to offer developed countries but we continue to dissolve this perception.

Working in Bangkok, Thailand

In January 2004, I visited a website that was recommended to me by one of my mentors who is the deputy director at Jamaica Red Cross. This website was developed for the XV International AIDS conference which is held every two years. This year’s conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand. The website provided information about different topics that would be addressed in the conference and invites participants working in HIV to submit abstracts (articles). I submitted two articles and also applied for a full scholarship to cover airfare, hotel accommodation, conference registration and spending money. In April (while in London on Easter holidays) I got an email informing me that one of the abstracts was accepted for a poster presentation. About a week after, I got another mail that informed me that I got a scholarship to pay airfare, hotel accommodation and registration for the conference. This was a major achievement because it could easily cost me over five thousand (5000.00) United States dollars for all of this.

I left Norway to Bangkok, Thailand on July 09, 2004.  After travelling for over fourteen hours, I arrived in Bangkok on the afternoon of July 10^th. The conference lasted for one week and I learnt a whole lot. There were over twenty thousand delegates in attendance. Some of my highlights were listening to speeches by Mr Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. I also got a chance to meet with some of our Jamaican Health Officials. The Thai people are the most gracious and kindest I have ever met. They are extremely humble. It is such a pity that the country is 90% Buddhist.