It has been a busy month, and there are no signs it is slowing down. We have spent the last three weekends trying to finish the bathroom in our cabin. To be fair a good chunk of the time spent has been snow removal. I think if we could have had that time...and energy...invested in the bathroom, it might be finished by now. I joked about having a snow shovel that weighed the snow by the scoop, but the more I shoveled the more saying, "fuck this noise," and buying a snow blower became a foreseeable reality. NBF easily out-scooped me 2 to 1, and we couldn't help but laugh at the previous owner's comment of barely getting any snow at the cabin...maybe 10 cm. Try telling that to our poor trash container that is completely buried and may need to wait to be found until May. The trips up the stairs...with heavy shit...in the snow...largely fell on NBF as well. One time he turned around to tell me, "You are not carrying that box up alone," when he saw me eyeing the last box in the trailer. Like he knows me or something....psssht. One would think he had a vision of clumsy me tumbling back down the stairs onto the highway or something. Honestly, I can't thank him enough for all the work he has done to make this bathroom come to life so that my friends and family can have a place to stay when they come to visit. It will benefit us as well, but the urgency is motivated by visitors. I feel tinges of guilt while he is working because there are large portions where I am a glorified assistant relegated to offering moral support, coffee, and screwdrivers especially when he is climbing into the under cabin area. You have to stay hunched over the whole time, and it is really just an enclosed outdoor area. Don't even get me started on the spiders and the hundreds of egg sacks under there. I can assure you, though, all guilt disappears the moment I crouch down and peer into the space, preparing to follow after him. He assures me there are no venomous spiders in Norway, and that they are all friendly, but I can't remember the last time I let a friend crawl up my back and onto my hat. Hopefully, just a couple more days of these working conditions...for this project. Work is as busy as ever as well, but I would guess you really only want to hear about the trip to Switzerland. The trip was equal parts relationship building and work, and it was packed with fun and experiences. The owner of the company is part of our pedagogy team, so she really wanted to have us together to work in person, to build our team dynamics, and to have a chance to get to know me better as well. First thing I need to share is that I didn't really know about accommodations until Sunday night and didn't have a complete and utter meltdown. I am not saying NBF didn't notice the anxiety, I am just giving myself some credit for remaining relatively calm. When I arrived at the airport, I successfully made it through all airport security checkpoints without a minor, or major, mishap. I am so used to issues that when it seemed like every other person was getting the additional metal scans, I just assumed I would be pulled when I walked through. Imagine my happy surprise to sail through security. Every. Time. I do fear I may have used up all of my good traveling luck on this trip, though. We were intentional in our planning bringing some of our company's learning friends with us to remind us of our goals. These little beings were such fun to bring along and gave us plenty of opportunity to be silly and embrace the joy of playfulness. We really did our best to bring them to life on the travels, taking photos of them buckled into the plane, investigating the airport technology, and adventuring together. When we arrived at the train station in Lucerne, we met up with RS and got a walking tour of the city center which culminated in a stop at a local bakery where I tried a warm cheese pie and chai latte. The weather was a nice change from Norway, and it was light past 15:30! It struck me walking through the city looking at the old buildings that I really did not know very much about Swiss history. I can't say that I had in my mind a particular notion or expectation for Switzerland, but I must have since I was surprised by what I saw. I can remember commenting that a fountain reminded me of New Orleans and thinking to myself how much the paintings of soldiers reminded me of Spanish Conquistadors. One afternoon, we took a trip to the Läderach chocolate factory. It was well worth every single calorie consumed. When you arrive, they give you a lanyard with a small box and a spoon attached. We will come back to this. From the time you enter the informational hall, you can see that this is a company driven by their values. Both sides of the wide staircase leading upstairs is covered with photos of employees. At the top of the stairs is a seating area where you watch a short film about the history of the company, narrated by the grandson of the company founder. There is a room where you can learn about the humble beginnings and the still expanding company. Chocolate molds, chocolate sculptures, and so much history await. At one point, you sit and watch a presentation on how to use your five senses to tell if chocolate is of good quality. This is where you get to open the box on your lanyard. Inside is a square of chocolate with hazelnuts. Taking the time to use my other senses before eating the chocolate made it so much more pleasant to taste. At the end of the self guided tour, there were two chocolate fountains with four different types of chocolate to taste. You simply put your spoon under the nozzle and pulled a handle to fill it. Our tour was made especially poignant by an employee that we happened upon. He talked to us about company values and how they partner with locals around the world to ensure they handle the chocolate from the bean to the buyer. The experience was nothing short of magical and wallet draining. I brought home entirely too much or not enough depending on which wallet or family member you ask. The rest of the short trip was filled with experiences, big and small, that gave me the opportunity to see people and things through a lens of wonder, but as always, there was simply not enough time to explore everything I would want to. We were treated to a Raclette cheese grill meal, and a a working view that cannot be rivaled. The small town where we stayed was charming, except for the clock tower with a bell that began the day ringing for a solid four minutes at seven and rang every fifteen minutes until ten in the evening. We had a wonderful Italian meal with a sassy waiter that served coffee his way and dessert with book recommendations. We laughed to tears, beamed with pride at our accomplishments, and hugged like we meant it when we said our goodbyes. I am already itching to travel and explore again. I wish I could have taken NBF, and probably someday we will go. But for now bathrooms and blogs get the attention.
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I survived my first week...even if I feel like a toddler being led around by the hand. Okay, so maybe it isn't that bad, but there are a lot of adjustments to make. For instance, I haven't worked in an office with multiple adults for longer than an hour at a time since May of 2020. This is the first time since 2014 I haven't had Google mail for work. Outlook was never my favorite, but it is winning me over with the morning update that alerts me to all of my meetings and attaches relevant emails.
My work arrangement is to work at the office for three days and work from home for two days. These days can change from week to week, but most likely I will be in the office Tuesday through Thursday. I think my home office days have been the most productive so far because the socialization and relationship building is important and taken seriously. Further, we have an open office set up, and I am not wholly comfortable...yet. I love the concept and the choices, but as the "new guy", I am afraid of taking someone's place. You know, the creatures of habit that show up early to stake their claim. While we are talking about the office relationships, I have to tell you a funny story. On the day I was hired, at least three people said to me, "I see you have been working on the company branding." I knew it was about time that the new branding work was getting rolled out, but I didn't realize I had played an integral enough role to be mentioned to so many people. I replied with, "Yes, just small adjustments," or something equally as dismissive of my work. Later that day, when SR and I are talking she says, "You should know everyone knows your name," and proceeds to tell me that in a meeting of the whole global team a PowerPoint was presented that contained a slide with "Nellie Hill" in HUGE letters and an explanation that I was currently crafting the text for this piece and how exciting and magical the work was. THIS was how everyone saw that I was working on branding. And now of course, my anxiety brain needs to live up to the reputation that the enthusiastic Chief Growth Officer is creating for me. I am still adjusting to a less rigid schedule as well. I have already apologized for arriving at 8:08 and leaving in time to catch a specific train as well as taking a personal appointment in the afternoon. Narrator Freeman: there is no reason to apologize for being human in Norway. Remember how I said my boss doesn't micromanage...yeah, I kind of forgot that in my attempts to make a good impression. Which of course was made years ago and why I was hired in the first place, but thank you anxiety brain for the pep talk and guidance, am I right?? Although there is not an official report time, I do like to be prepared to start my day instead of arriving to jump into a meeting, which means the train traffic is killing my vibe. Who I am kidding, the ride itself is killing my stomach and head, the schedule is just a cherry on top of this sick sundae we call commuting. I've not had this severe of motion sickness since I was a small child vomiting all over my grandparents new car in the Ozarks. We are talking... lay my face against the cold window and concentrate on not vomiting...motion sickness. I tried Dramamine to no avail, and fingers crossed my Sea Band arrives before my next trip. It was so bad one day, hours later when someone at the office mentioned working on the train to make my commute worthwhile, my stomach lurched a stern warning about how that behavior would be received. I have not tested that particular boundary with any veracity. I tried scrolling FB and quickly decided Spotify was the better option. Being dependent on trains for travel means a lot less flexibility with your time. I can arrive in Oslo at 6:30 or 7:30. I really thought I was not pushing the limits by arriving at 7:30. My office is a five minute train ride followed by a five minute walk from Oslo Central Station. Now, in fairness, we did get snow this week, so I can understand the shock. Who would guess it would snow...in Norway....in January?? On Wednesday, I saw the train scheduled two departures before mine was delayed 30 minutes, so I left in order to catch an earlier train than usual. I waited at the station for an hour and twenty minutes for my train home. By the time I boarded the train, three trains should have left from that platform. It was a crowded ride home. The good news is, my new socks from NBF kept my feet warm for about 50 minutes of that time. I only waited outside because I was on the phone with BAH, but I was proud that I was bundled well enough to stay warm in the wind and blowing snow. Another pleasant surprise was that instead of checking tickets, the conductors were bringing everyone coffee. Hopefully, I will become more accustomed to the commute and can learn the patterns for which trains I should choose....since according to NBF, it is as simple as choosing the ones that arrive on time, for fuck's sake. The company has a solid purpose and a philosophy I support. The work I do requires thinking, learning, and creating which sits right in my wheelhouse. Plus, I have a chance to be part of building something life changing. I am beyond overwhelmed but also ready to face the challenges and new adventures. Speaking of adventure, did I mention I get to travel for my work sometimes? Because guess who has two thumbs and will travel to Switzerland to work with the company owner next week? I cannot even type that without having a huge goofy grin on my face. I still think of myself as a teacher from Kansas, USA. It is hard to reconcile some things that have become commonplace for me. Nine year old me would giggle from sheer delight to hear, "I commute to and work in Oslo." It fills my mind with wonder to have these new experiences and to challenge my old boundaries regarding where I thought life and exploring ended. While I was waiting for the train home in Oslo on Wednesday, I couldn't help but think how I wanted to hold this feeling of astonishment and accomplishment. I knew I had to write it somewhere to reread and relive. Life isn't always about the big adventures. You have to remember the magic of the small moments, too. Going to Switzerland to brainstorm with my team is the big adventure. The small magical moment was casually saying (attempting to casually say?), "Hey babe, I need to go to Switzerland next week for work." |
Nellie HillJust a woman leaping outside her comfort zone and telling the tale. Archives
April 2024
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