Knowledge is power

      Knowledge is power, and that is precisely why I knew, when I came back from Norway, that I couldn't jump back into my old habits. I couldn't just keep on doing the same things I always did.
     Let's talk about plastic. Plastic never goes away; it isn't biodegradable, it doesn't just disappear when it gets thrown away. It is taking over our planet. It is in our oceans, on our freeways and on our sidewalks. I have made a commitment to use as little plastic as possible and live as waste free as possible. I have stopped drinking out of straws at restaurants, I take a backpack where ever I go, I don't use plastic spoons, and use a limited amount of Ziploc bags. The plastic bags I do receive I use until they are unusable.  Maybe one person not using plastic doesn't make that big of a difference but I used to use one plastic spoon a day, that is 365 spoons a year that I am not using. I used to use 3 - 5 plastic Ziploc bags a day. I still use them but I combine items when I can and I don't use them every day. I use a paper bag or a lunchbox for my food. One person doing this may not make a huge difference but I am writing this to bring awareness to this problem, and I am challenging my readers to be aware of the amount of plastic they are using and maybe it won't be just me making this commitment.

  Whale found dead off the coast of Norway

     Let's also talk about the clothing industry. The clothing industry is one of the biggest culprits of sweatshop labor. Big name brands such as Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren, though expensive, are large culprits of this epidemic. People suffer because large companies would rather make a lot of money than pay people enough to feed their families. While I was in Norway I watched a documentary about sweatshops and one story really struck my heart . The girl in this story was about 15 years old and didn't have a mother. Her mother had died of starvation while she was just a baby, because she didn't make enough money from her job in a factory to feed both herself and her daughter. There is something wrong with this picture. People die so that we can have nice things and I think that is very wrong. I have made a commitment to only shop in places given a certain rating by this app I have called "Good on You" It ranks clothing companies from "We Avoid" to "Great" I have chosen to only shop from places that have been given at least an "It's a start" rating, or companies that are actively trying to make the quality of life of their employees better. There are very few mainstream stores that fit my qualifications. Target and H&M are the only stores in my area that I can buy new clothes from. ASOS has an ethical fashion line but it is quite pricey. If you are looking to join me in this commitment and are having trouble finding clothes, I would suggest finding a nonprofit thrift store near you, I would not recommend Goodwill, it is not a nonprofit organization. I would recommend thrift stores such as The Salvation Army. My hometown's local homeless shelter runs a thrift store that my family often donates to, so if there is a local thrift store that is nonprofit that might also work. Not only is the money you are spending going to a good cause, you are also saving money. That is what one might refer to as a "Win Win" situation. The documentary I watched was in Norwegian but I managed to find a subtitled version if you would like to know more.   

Sweatshop documentary

Here are few other sources including the "Good on You" website.

Facts about sweatshops

Good on You

Slave free companies

     If you are looking to make even more of a difference I would suggest researching the food industry and looking into a label called fairtrade. The coffee and cocoa industries are largely taken advantage of as well.  Fairtrade foods have a special logo on it

 

Fairtrade foods

     The reason I am writing this is not make you feel guilty for buying things from a not okay place. I am writing this to make people aware. I love people and I think it is so unfair that people suffer so much while we get nice things, food in our bellies and spend hundred of dollars on clothes that often see no return profit to the people who are suffering because of the clothes we like to wear or the convenience of the plastic we like to throw away. I think it is important to know what our money is going to. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is an important motto to live by.

This is Miriam signing off 

The Adventure of feeling uninspired

   This next blog post was supposed to be about my trip to South Africa with my class, but the words just weren't coming and I realized today that, that's because I didn't want to write about it just yet. I started this blog to talk about my adventures in Norway, but my life here has settled down and has reached "normal" status. I was thinking about it and I realized that maybe I should talk more about the lessons I have learned than the adventures I have had. I was watching this movie called "Pass the Light" because I was bored. Pass the Light is a pretty cheesy movie about a boy who gets fed up with the noise of politicians who say they are Christians and talk about exiling people who are sinners, so he decides to run for congress and do things FOR people instead of just talk about them.

   While I was watching this movie I thought about the congressman in the movie and his similarities to Donald Trump. I don't consider myself to be a politically active person but I outright disagree with our President. I am a Christian and Romans 13:1 - 2A says Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.  So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted. So I have decided to respect President Trump as he is in a position of power because God put him there, but I think it's time to hear some good and do some good.  

    The thing I dislike most about President Trump is that he claims to be a Christian yet he clearly has no respect for the people of the world. I am not saying that he isn't one, I just believe that he is representing Christ in the wrong way. Galatians 3:28 says There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Jesus teaches us a message of acceptance not exile. The people that Jesus reached out to the most in The Bible were the outcasts of society, for example, Zaccheus who was a tax collector who made it a regular habit to steal money from people, the samaritan women at the well who was an outcast because she was considered an adulteress, and the thief on the cross next to Jesus who wanted to be forgiven.

  My point is that, just because someone wears a hijab, identifies as a homosexual, is a democrat, or a republican doesn't mean we should spew christian hate garbage at them, because no matter what The Bible says about right and wrong it also says in 1 Peter 4:8 Above all love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin. In my life experience (which is not considerable, but considerable enough to know a few things) never has anyone responded positively to hate and negativity, but everyone responds positively to love and positivity. If you want to spread the word of God, love, accept and positively embrace the world around you despite the negativity and sin around you. I sincerely believe it is the best way to go. Do something for somebody, tell somebody you love them, write somebody an encouraging note, make people feel good and they can feel free to be whoever they want to be, instead of making people feel bad and left out. I sincerely believe that actions speak louder than words and I believe that it also includes spreading the word of God. I guarantee you that doing something can only make the world a better place. Even if you aren't a Christian I would like to encourage you to do this, like I said it can only make the world a better place.

This is Miriam who just has things to say, signing off

The adventure of Norwegian Holidays

The Norwegians take Christmas and New Years very seriously. There are many traditions associated with Christmas. In Oslo there is a lot of Christmas spirit particularly downtown. On the first Sunday in December a large event is planned for the lighting of the Christmas tree. There are children's choirs, speeches, and singing. It is a very good start to the Christmas season. As well as the tree lighting there is a little carnival type street there for the month of December, there is lots of vendors selling candy apples and candied almonds as well as jewelry, and clothing. There is also a skating rink set up right in the middle of the street. It is an experience to go there in and of itself.

Downtown Oslo's pretty lights 

Carnival street

The actual event of Christmas lasts, what feels like weeks. ALL the shops are closed for two days. Good luck finding something you forgot! Christmas starts on Christmas Eve. It begin at lunch time with a rice porridge that has a peeled almond in one bowl, whoever finds the almond, usually gets a marsipan pig (don't ask why it's a pig I don't know and neither do any of the Norwegians I have asked). Then it's usually relax time until about 5 0'clock when a lot of people go to church, if you're not going to church you're probably watching the live broadcast of the well known boy choir. After church you eat Christmas dinner which is some traditional Norwegian meat most people have either stick meat (direct translation no idea what it's English name is) which is meat that has been boiled on top of sticks, or ribs. After dinner it's time to open presents. After presents have been opened and oohed and awed over, there is a wonderful dessert table with a lot of cookies and candy. The cookies have been homemade by the children of the house and the diligent hands that have made them usually have usually spent a couple days spent on making them. 

A "Ring cake" is usually found at one of these tables

Christmas porridge 

Christmas day is usually a chill day and is often used to go to the movies or play in the snow. The 26th of December is also considered a holiday so the stores don't open back up until the 27th.

New Years eve is an experience one has to experience for yourself all throughout the evening there are fireworks going off that people have bought to set off themselves. Then at midnight most of the houses around you set off fireworks. There are fireworks all around you 360 degrees, it is quite an experience and very different from the way I am used to celebrating New Years Eve.

Norwegians really do know how to party! 

This is Miriam signing off!