What a feeling

Eva went back home to Slovakia yesterday and took Andrea and my heart with her. I cried all the way to the bus after saying goodbye and luckily I had Connor there to wipe away my tears. Eva's last nigh in Edinburgh was spent at TGI Friday's with Alyssa, Connor, me and Andrea. We had a great time and met up with Martin once he got of work. Alyssa tried to leave twice but the first bus just left her and the second one was only a part route. We figured it was a sign that she had to join us to the pub. The plan was for Eva and Andrea to go home and pack, but once we sat down in a pub and Martin started buying shots to everybody, we just had too good of a time for them to be allowed to leave. I had a brilliant night and I hadn't seen Martin for ages either so it was brilliant getting to catch up with him as well.

Now I only have 4 days left on placement and then I'm going home to Norway with Connor on Monday! Boom =D

Sisters

My lovely roommate Eva is finally here =D since we were more or less sisters for a year it's safe to say that I have been missing here like crazy since we moved away from Scotland two years ago. She brought her friend Andrea over with her and she is really nice! It's so great having Eva back here where she belongs, even if it is just for a little while. I was on placement for the first two days she was here, but jumped on the train both days to go uptown and see her. Tonight we're going out to a pub with Connor and James, maybe also Jack. Such happy days =D

NINo

I'm slowly turning more and more Scottish. I'm being told more often that I'm starting to get the accent and also their negative way of thinking. I've definitely gotten their pale skin due to the lack of sun over here. Today I'm going for an interview to get a National Insurance Number. I'm establishing roots here with a boyfriend, bank accounts, work and friends. It's scary, but also in some ways comforting. I've still not used my Bank of Scotland card once. Maybe it's time I should. No matter how long I say here for or if my surname ever changes I will always have my Norwegian name that nobody can pronounce or spell. When I got the letter from the National Insurance folks they spelt my name Ternille, even though I had to spell it to them 3 times over the phone and eventually has to go Portugal, Ecuador, Romania, Nigeria and on and on for them to actually get it. Apparently they didn’t. My toe is still sore but now I can actually walk on it without feeling like screaming out in pain. At least that’s an improvement.

I’m off to the Job centre in Stirling now so wish me luck =D

It's a computer world

After I started going out with Connor my life had started to evolve a lot about technology. People have started to ask me for help with their computers etcetera and seem to forget that it's Connor that is the actuall genius and not me. No doubt have I started to enjoy computers more now that I know more about them, but I'm still quite clueless when it comes to most of it. That's why it's great to have Connor. Today we have started ordering computer parts for my brothers new computer. Well, to be honest I just kind of sat there and told Connor I wanted all the parts that "looked cool" and he picked the ones that were actually good. Tobias is going to get a brilliant computer. It's quite similar to mine when it comes to the hardware but the case and screen is even better. The tickets to go home to Norway are also booked so roll on the 16th of July! When it comes to the case we found about 6 really cool, but also good quality ones and gave Tobias the choice to pick one of them. The one he picked is Advance NeoXblade 8813B PC Tower Case. I'm quote jealous even though my computer Anubis is brilliant as well. Apart from computer world Placement is going great! I am still quite disappointed in the lack of actual clinical work, but I am enjoying myself and I have had a lot of time to develop my communication skills. I just got off from ten shifts in a row yesterday and I am now in a relaxing kind of mood. Eva will be here in a few days and I can not wait to see my old roomie again! While I lived at Fiona's house Eva was like a sister to me and it is very painful to be so far away from her. I'll keep you updated as soon as I manage to kick my self hard enough in the ass to start blogging again.  

Cripple

Yesterday I managed to bang my toe into my bed. You all know that extreme pain you get when you hit your toe again something really hard? Yeah, multiply that with 3. It was so sore I actually sat down and decided to cry. I limped my way to the bus and then from the bus to the train and from the train to placement. Luckily my mentor took good care of me and gave me an ice pack once I got there. That's one of the benefits of working with nurses. They all take this stuff quite seriously. Placement went fine and we took all the clients to South Queensferry. I really love the view of the bridges there. It's a shame I forgot to bring a camera with me, because I could really have gotten some great photos from there. I've limped around a lot on my foot. Mostly because I've had no choice. However today the bruising has really started to appear. I've walked on the outside of my foot and it has now developed blisters so everything hurts. I love my life. and talking about loving life my boyfriends dad bought me a fridge for my room. Quality of life is now significantly improved. No more food will be stolen and no more no space to put any of my food. I'll write some more about my placement on Saturday (ok, maybe Sunday) but for now I need to get back to Grey's Anatomy.

Crazy family life

The other day my mum added a photo of me from when I was a kid on Facebook. My cousin then, for the first time saw that I look a lot like her daughter. When she added a photo of the two of us I really saw it for the first time. DNA is some strange stuff, but it is also extremely fascinating. My cousin has a family blog (in Norwegian) http://familienjondal.blogg.no/

That's me on the left and Ariana on the right =D

Murray Hall

On Saturday I moved over to Murray Hall. It is about 50 meters down the street from where I used to live in AKD. My room in Murray Hall is slightly different from my old room. My furniture here is different and I like it. I am also on the ground floor which means no stairs. Yaaaay. Connor came up to help me move and I am not sure how well things would have gone if I hadn’t gotten any help. When I moved back to Scotland in September I had two suitcases with me. They were two suitcases packed full, but still only two of them. This time I had five suitcases, one backpack, two black bags, one bag for my laptop, an ironing board and a clothes horse. I have no idea where all of this stuff came from or how I managed to fit it all into my tiny room to begin with. Well, I have still not unpacked it all because of placement and a massive essay that needs to be handed in tomorrow. Luckily I finished most of it yesterday and only have about 300 words or so left. The reason why I say luckily is because I had a chicken salad yesterday and I suspect that that was the cause for me vomiting a lot last night. I phoned my placement today and I cannot come in for 48 hours due to infection control. I understand that they do not want any of their clients to be sick but I am very much gutted that I'll miss their Jubilee buffet tomorrow. I had really been looking forward to that. Right now I wish I had lied on the phone and said I had migraine instead, but patient safety comes first. It’s just that I saw the muffins they made yesterday and I really want one. Let’s hope there will be some leftovers on Wednesday. Here is a photo of my hero/boyfriend that came to save me from chronic back pain after carrying all those bags by myself (even though he did need some convincing) 

A little sunshine in my life

Yesterday I went back to placement after a few lovely days with my cousin Kaja and my high school sweetheart Aurora (well, at least my best friend from there. Hahaha). There are a few days in your life that are just perfect. Sunday was one of those days. I kept on getting texts and pictures from Aurora saying that they were on their way, on the airport and had actually landed in Edinburgh. The day went by quite quick and it didn’t take long before I could throw myself in their arms. Connors parents insisted that we stayed at their house. So not only was I going to spend time with Kaja and Aurora I got some boyfriend time squeezed in on my timetable as well. Sunday was also Daniel’s birthday, so after some screaming and chatting we went to a restaurant in Musselburgh. After a lovely Indian meal we dropped by Tesco and bought some rubbish.

The next day we went shopping in Edinburgh. It took us ages to get ready and leave the house, but then again what do you expect from 3 girls. We started the day with a lovely Starbucks. I forgot about my diet while they were here so I had a muffin and a frappuccino. 3 pairs of shoes and a few hours later we sat down in princes street gardens and waited for Connor. We had such a good day and took loads of photos. When the shadows came creeping we went to Jimmy Chungs and waited in there. When Connor arrived we were already on round number two. The Chinese food was just too good to wait on. 

On Tuesday we once again went shopping. We spent ages in Primark. I got myself some new underwear and a few new tops. I took the girls to Mary Kings Close. Even though I’ve been once before with Tobias I still found it interesting. We had our tea in TGI Fridays before going home for a cup of tea and chatting. We sat up for ages talking about everything between heaven and earth while Aurora did my nails. Some of the topics were a bit painful to go near but also good in a way, and some were lovely childhood memories. I still find it weird that Aurora and Kaja are such good friends. I realized just how weird it was once I was speaking about family things and Aurora had no idea what I was talking about and then high school stuff and Kaja only really understood what she had already been told by Aurora. Most of all it was weird to hang out with people from two different “parts” of my life in another “part” of my life. The family part; the Norwegian high school part; and the Scotland part. I spent some time talking to Connor once I went to bed as well. It was a lot of stuff on my mind. 

Then on Wednesday we walked along Musselburgh beach and I also took them up to the old graveyard to show them the view. A lunch at Costa was of course also required. I had had such a great time having them over, so dropping them off at the train station was quite hard. Luckily it’s only 7 or 8 weeks until I go home and I’ll see them both again. I spent the night at Connors house before going to placement. 

Yesterday was such a warm day and I am really sunburned on my shoulders today. I also managed to get all the way into the train station before I realized that my bank card was not in my wallet. So I had to go all the way back to halls and get it, and then go all the way back to the train station. I was about an hour late this morning. Luckily I have quite an understanding placement who told me it was fine as long as I made up my hours some other day =)

Congratulations on not dying !

Tomorrow, Connor turns 20 and it will also be two years since we started going out. So tomorrow we're celebrating with drinks and cake. Or mentally I will. Connor has his exams spread out over this week and the next and I have a week filled with lectures and next week I start my placement. So our awesome “cake and drinks” party has to wait for a while. It's been two awesome years with my man and there are many more to come! Sometime soon we'll go on our first holiday together (if you don't count the times he's been in Norway or I've gone to Edinburgh). We're going to London and I am very much excited. There is not much more to say apart from Happy Birthday Connor, I love you and good luck on your exams! 

"Birthdays are kind of funny in a way that we get presents for basically not dying for a year.."

Home is where the heart is

It has been so great being home for this weekend. I really feel like things are a bit easier now. I really needed to come home for a bit to get a cuddle from my mom and my dad. I don't want to go back to Scotland tomorrow. I would have loved to have stayed for another few days. However, education calls and so does my life over there. I'm landing in Edinburgh at 9pm. While I've been home I've: Defended my family’s honour at a pub quiz (that we failed badly. Last place FTW!); Crashed my mom’s payday celebration at Zara Pub with her work crew; Helped my aunt get her campervan ready for this season; Followed my dad to the hospital (just a wee infection in his leg), Been at my grandma’s new flat; and after that went by my grandpa's house. It was great seeing my grandparents again. My grandma’s new flat was beautiful and I really want one just like it! Peace out. 

There was something in the air that night

Here i am. On board the airplane that's going to take me home to my family. I would just like to thank Norwegian for their great service and for their free wifi onboard the plane. Pernille <3 you

3 - 2 - 1 - Norway

Yesterday, quite spontaneously I was on the phone with my dad and bang I had flight tickets for tomorrow in my hands. I have not been home since Christmas and I miss my family so badly. I cannot wait to feel my dad’s strong arms around me and my mom’s soft cheeks or hear my sister’s hilarious laugh and my brother’s terrible jokes. I'm coming back to Scotland on Monday to start semester 3. Time goes by so fast. In May Connor is turning 20 and it will also be two years since we started going out together. It's been two years of extreme longing being 931 kilometres apart and extreme happiness when we finally we were together again. Right now I'm trying to organize this mess of a room I have. It's not as easy as it sounds. I did all my laundry today. It's is actually fascinating how quick it builds up to become this clothes monster that eats all your money, keys or anything else important that you might need when you are in a rush in the morning. The only problem about washing all my clothes is I can now also see how dirty the floor is, so I have to get the hover out. Then of course when I start packing I turn the whole place upside down again. So yay me. 

That's just how I roll

Last time I blogged I was panicking over the upcoming exam. Turns out that all that worrying really helped me. I passed the exam so yesterday it was party time. Connor came up from Edinburgh to join and since I am far too lazy to cook for two I just bought a subway for the two of us. Once we got back to halls I put my party dress on and was ready to hit the town. I got ready really quick but I still got a few moans on how long I was taking from Connor. It was easy enough for him. He arrived in the clothes he was going out in. It would be way easier if I was a man. Then I wouldn’t have to go through the “getting ready process” that I currently am every morning. Phef. We spent most of the night in the kitchen with all the girls and Michelle and Natasha’s boyfriends also joined us. After a good few hours and a good few drinks we went out to my all favourite night club in Stirling: Dusk. There were far too many people in Dusk and after one drink and some mingling we went home. Two grownups, who are not exactly small, in one single bed was not brilliant. After some pushing and complaining I managed to get a few hours sleep, but I can't say the same for Connor. He was completely dead when I got up for lectures this morning. After the lecture Connor and I spent some time faffing about before we went to Frankie and Benny's to celebrate me passing my exam. I had a lovely wee date and tomorrow I'm going down to Edinburgh for the weekend. So that’s two semesters down seven to go.

Burning hot chips in mouth face

Here it goes

I have an exam on Tuesday and I should really be studying at this moment. I've been trying and trying and trying, but the words I read just won’t stick to my brain and after finishing a chapter in my anatomy book I realize that I have no idea what I just read. Studying is hard and I wish I could just download all the notes straight to my brain and that was it. However, sitting with my head buried in a book has become my new reality. At least until Tuesday. After the exam I won't have a look at that book for a while, because I truly hate it. I guess I should move on to a more cheerful subject. I'll tell you about what Tobias and I did while he was here. Last time I blogged I told you about our adventures in Stirling. The rest of the time we spent in Edinburgh. We took a trip around Musselburgh to show him the area before Lee took me and Tobias to the cinema to see The Hunger Games ( Just a little note to say that Lee rocks and thanks for being so awesome =D ). Then Tobias, Jack and I climbed Arthur’s seat. Jack and I almost died several times on the way up. Tobias was showing off and karma beat him up for it on the way down when he twisted his ankles. God times. I dragged Tobias shopping at Primark where we found him a lovely suit that he looked quite handsome in. I showed him the castle, even though we didn’t go in. We had to save something for next time. We did go into Mary Kings Close which was brilliant. Our tour guide was funny and I really advice everybody that goes to Edinburgh to make their way there. And last but not least we went to the National Museum of Scotland. I was quite sad to see him leave, but it was kind of good as well. He is my little brother and it's kind of his job to get on my nerves. After he left me and Connor have been very busy not doing anything and after a few days of trying to study I went back to Stirling hoping to find some inspiration here. But I failed miserably at that as well. So fingers crossed for Tuesday and hopefully I won’t have to resit =D

It's not lupus

He's finally here. My lovely little bro. I picked him up with Connor on Thursday. It was a lot of fun seeing him again. Not so fun when I found out how tall he's gotten. Tobias was walked through by security at the airport. Luckily it was only because he's so young and not because he was smuggling drugs. It was still quite exciting. The security guard was only there to make sure that he was safe and that there actually was someone there to pick him up. Thumbs up for great service at Edinburgh airport. I had my last day of placement on Thursday as well. I was pretty sure it was going to be heartbreaking, but after spending two hours of cleaning up diarrhoea I was more than happy to get out of there. After dropping by Tesco and buying ice cream the next day we went to Stirling. We were lucky enough to have my all time favourite bus driver on the City Link. She's an awesome woman who always talks have a chat with the passengers. 

In Stirling I showed him around on campus at the university. We walked around the Loch and then walked to The Wallace monument. Walking up all those stairs almost killed me, but the view blew me away. On the top I forgot all about my sore legs and got caught up in telling Tobias about William Wallace. I pointed at Bannocburn and told him what I knew of Scottish history. It was surprisingly little, but I did manage to point out Stirling bridge and some other quite famous places. All in all it was very exciting

University of Stirling from above. After spending some time at the Wallace Monument we went into the city and had a look around before heading back to halls where I packed and we got back to Edinburgh. At night we sat down and played some computer games. 

I'll tell you about the rest of our adventures later, now it's gaming time!