2020, året som forsvant.

Godt nytt år, hørte jeg noen av de andre pasientene ønsket sine kjære på telefonene sine. En kunne høre fyrverkeriet utenfor, med mye flash som skinte gjennom gardinene og voldsomme drønn. Det hørtes ganske bra ut. La oss virkelig håpe på et riktig godt nytt år her, siden jeg begynner det nye året med å ligge på sykehuset på grunn av hjerteinfarkt. Jaja, du kunne … Continue reading 2020, året som forsvant.

No end to the Norwegian Romani bickering?

Once again, the Norwegian Romani people are arguing over something petty. It seems to be no end to the arguing over any subject someone dares to bring up. It can be a book review, someone’s background (Romani enough?), news in general, or..God forbid..a new organization being founded. This time, all the above is on the agenda. And once again this happens on the biggest Romani … Continue reading No end to the Norwegian Romani bickering?

Spellmann på dromen.

Spellmann på dromen, av Mary Barthelemy Ja da hadde jeg endelig kommet til denne boken, etter å ha lest gjennom de som lå over i stabelen. Jeg hadde virkelig gledet meg til å lese denne boken, etter at jeg kom hjem igjen fra sjøen. Og hvilken bok det er! Nysgjerrighet omkring en av mine forfedre var jo hovedgrunnen. Men også fordi jeg ville lære mest … Continue reading Spellmann på dromen.

Corinth Canal.

This picture is, as most will recognize, taken from the Bridge over the Corinth Canal, in Greece. This transit was always a spectacular happening, for Passengers and crew alike. The picture was taken by our ship’s photographer. But I had the opportunity to be with him that time, which was the only time I was allowed to do that. The “towing lines” you see on … Continue reading Corinth Canal.

Elitism among today’s Romani Travelers.

Since the beginning of time, whenever a group of individuals, humans or animals, travelled or operated together, there would always be some sort of leadership and followers within the group. This is still a fact today, no matter what system we we live in. It be a democratic or dictatorial system, leaders and followers still exist. So it is no surprise when we learn the … Continue reading Elitism among today’s Romani Travelers.

A regular day on a cruise ship.

Working on a cruise ship, is more than just pretty uniforms with a lot of gold stripes on your shoulders. The days can be very busy with a lot of stuff happening. And contrary to what urban myths tell you, Cruise ship offices need to take part in dozens of various job activities, which is not always that fancy. The pictures in this little blog … Continue reading A regular day on a cruise ship.

When the alarm bells are sounding.

Relax, it was just a drill. The weekly drill all ships in the world must conduct, according to international maritime law. And the kind of drill should be fairly easy to guess. Yep, it was a Biohazard drill (or chemicals). It goes back to early 2000s when this was a real deal around the globe. Especially the scare and fear for these kinds of attacks. … Continue reading When the alarm bells are sounding.

When bad weather sets in.

I have over the years been asked many times about how it is to work on a cruise ship when bad weather sets in. Well, as I always would reply, it kind of depends of the ship’s size and how bad the weather is. But regardless of this we will notice the weather one way or another. It might only be some slight rolling (side … Continue reading When bad weather sets in.

Hva nå, Fat Boy?

Så nå, når jeg endelig har forstått at jeg faktisk har blitt kraftig overvektig, eller «småfeit», eller lubben hvis en vil. Er det nok på tide å se på hva en kan gjøre med dette. Med det mener jeg selvfølgelig, hva en kan gjøre for å miste noen kilo og kanskje få en litt bedre kondisjon igjen, og dermed et litt bedre liv kanskje. Som … Continue reading Hva nå, Fat Boy?

Today’s picture.

This picture is from the first time I visited the “Crocodile Farm” at Samut Prakan, Thailand. The location is near the international airport in Bangkok. The ones who have been there will most likely tell about a relatively worn out Crocodile farm, but still very much entertaining for people who never saw thousands of crocodiles (and other animals), close up. And of course, you can … Continue reading Today’s picture.

The journey begins.

The date is 19th of October, 1995 As I walked up the gangway on M/V Seabourn Pride, in Piraeus, I was greeted by the Second Officer whom I was supposed to replace (relieve) as he was soon going on vacation. But first we needed an overlap, or a “handover period” in order for me to understand what my new job on this particular type of … Continue reading The journey begins.

Trist, skuffet, forsoning?

Det legges i disse dager ganske mye stoff ut om reisende og Deres tidligere og fremdeles eksisterende problemer. Spesielt mye blir selvfølgelig lagt ut på de forskjellige facebook gruppene, samt noe i de forskjellige organisasjonene sin medlemslitteratur. Men egentlig ikke så alt for mye i media generelt. Og for en som meg selv, som er ganske ny i informasjons innsamling om min families fortid, og … Continue reading Trist, skuffet, forsoning?

Day of the Seafarer 2021.

The Day of the Seafarer, held on 25 June every year, draws global attention to the contribution that seafarers make to world trade. As the world slowly moves through the pandemic, it is more important than ever not only to acknowledge the efforts that seafarers have made to keeping the supply chain open despite extremely challenging conditions, but also to ensure that the future being … Continue reading Day of the Seafarer 2021.

Er du en hel eller halv Tater? Spiller det noe stor rolle i det hele tatt?

Jeg er medlem av flere Reisende relaterte grupper på Facebook. Noe som mange med Tater bakgrunn kanskje er. I disse gruppene deles opplevelser, informasjon fra og til myndighetene, samt mye hjelp til å finne sine slektninger. Fra tid til annen blir det selvfølgelig diskusjoner også, som stort sett er forfriskende, og noen ganger også meget belærende. Positive greier. Jeg var nylig involvert i en diskusjon … Continue reading Er du en hel eller halv Tater? Spiller det noe stor rolle i det hele tatt?

What you don’t know can’t hurt you?

‘What you don’t know can’t hurt you’ is an old saying, which we all know is not entirely true. One thing I do know: what you were never allowed to know can hurt quite a bit. And this is not just me. In fact, I am sure this is the exact feeling many people have, especially when they learn they have Romani (Travellers) in their … Continue reading What you don’t know can’t hurt you?

The Insane Logistics of Shutting Down the Cruise Industry.

In March 2020, the cruise industry shut down. There are no qualifiers to that sentence– it’s not that certain ships from certain companies in certain countries shut down, it’s that every ship from every company in every country stopped accepting passengers in March 2020. That’s unprecedented! Never before, in modern times, has there been such a complete, global shut down of an industry of this size. … Continue reading The Insane Logistics of Shutting Down the Cruise Industry.

Det en ikke vet har man ikke vondt av?

Det er et gammelt ordtak som sier…. Det en ikke vet har man ikke vondt av. Som vi alle vet er dette ordtaket en sannhet med modifikasjoner. For jeg føler faktisk at det jeg ikke visste, det har jeg nå fått vondt av. Og akkurat dette gjelder ikke bare meg, men det gjelder sikkert mange andre også tror jeg, og spesielt i forbindelse med bakgrunnen … Continue reading Det en ikke vet har man ikke vondt av?