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Anita Bye

    Fresh fruits and sunny weather

    27/03/2017
    by

    I feel like I become wiser every time I go visit my grandparents in Surin, my Thai brushes up, my stomach grows stronger, and my perspective on life changes. Having stayed with my grandparents in Ban Thawan Phrai throughout the years, I am constantly reminded to be grateful for what we take for granted in our daily life, like electricity, internet, AN AIRCON, warm water, a job that enables us to take care of ourself and our families and not least proper health care… The contrast of the way of living is enormous. You won’t see a single person sitting with their eyes glued to the smart phone, never anyone picky when it comes to what to wear, what to eat or where to go. The stress level is non-existent.

    house surin ban thawan phrai

    My grandparents house in the village! It sure looks different than when we used to visit as kids!

    rose apples surin, ban tawan phrai

    Fresh Rose apples “Chompoo” straight from the garden. Yum! My fave fruit. Low in calories and super crunchy and healthy!

    Never been here during mango season before, let alone have I ever picked my own mangoes.

    So good!

    street dogs ban thawan phrai

    My aunties puppies! She is amazing… making sure EVERYONE is taken care of.

    But I think the biggest lesson is the kindness and helpfulness of the people. They welcome everyone that walks in with a smile, they share to the ones in need, even if they don’t have enough themselves. They take care of one another, just like human beings should. They all act as one big family, sharing their crops, fruits and whatever they have to offer with eachother. I swear, it feels like Utopia! We might have years and years of education, but it is obvious that some things, you won’t ever learn in school. And living as priviliged as we do, some of us might never learn. I always wondered why my mom wouldn’t spend much money on us while growing up, but she would always give loads to the kids back in her hometown. As a child you never understand these things, but growing up, getting to witness all the good things she has done back home, makes it all worth it.

    Bye bye Norway

    22/03/2017
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    After 11 days of chilling with friends and family in Norway (and eating candies almost every day), and of course missing my baby Tom, it was time to come back to Thailand. Don’t get me wrong Norway will always be home to me…The familiar corners of little Levanger. The people there… the people I grew up with and my family. I do miss the fresh breath of air and having all four seasons- but if could choose only one of my homes to live in for 365 days of the year…Thailand has my heart right now.

    The 7 am bus into Oslo… ahh

    The famous “Monolitten” in Vigelandsparken

    Having lived in Asia for a while, I am finally starting to see the things that I always deny when people tell me us Norwegian people are so different from the norm. Firstly our strong sides- being independent is one of them.  Sometimes maybe a bit too independent. But also the awkward sides like not looking people in the eyes. Having to go to Oslo for school has made me have to take the public transportation a lot, and really… Norwegian people are… different from here. That’s not always a bad thing, but one thing that really annoys me is that people never give up the seat next to them. Going into Oslo on a weekday in the morning means a full bus. Some people are lucky to get on the bus earlier than others, and use the other seat to out their tiny handbags or their jacket. It shocks me how they try to look away when people come into the bus, and don’t even offer their seat to others. And the loud teenagers on putting up their legs on the seats…and swearing loudly. I  don’t know if I grew up in a small town, or just at the right time, because that is not how I remember it.

    Enough reflections, I’m up early for my 6 am flight to Surin!… Or who am I kidding. I never went to bed. Can’t wait to see my grandparents and Thai family again!!

    Sponsored video: Tokyo Metropolitan Government

    18/03/2017
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    Japan has always been on the top of my bucket list, but is still one of the places I have yet to visit. I’ve been putting it on hold for so long so when I first go there, I want it to be perfect. I want to see it all! I’ve been dreaming about his place since the day I discovered mangas and the beautiful cherry blossom trees.
    First on my list is of course Tokyo. Every time I see a movie set in Tokyo, I can hear the place calling for me. The crowd of people walking in the streets, modern buildings, the endless shopping opportunities, the city lights, fresh sushi and green tea. I imagine it being fairytale-like, having sake from a bamboo stall hidden in a small alley in the city centre.

    Until watching this video, I had never even heard about the stunning lights of Japan, illuminating the whole city during the winter months. It’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. If you click around the circle with the arrows on the top right you can see and experience every single detail!
    Jump on a train and go somewhere else, experience a totally different scenery. Onsen baths, hot springs and stunning nature. I’ve heard that the metro system in Japan is one of a kind, and that travelling around the country is easy.
    If you click the top right, on the red square marked 360 virtual tour you can watch more movies from all over Japan!

    This post has been presented by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

    Rewinding to better weather!

    15/03/2017
    by
    girl wearing blue crop top

    My new fave top, that I’m definitely bringing for Maldives. From L’academie. Here.

    girl sitting with patterned background

    girl sitting on red sofa

    I won’t be updating much while I’m here. I’m in 100 catching up with friends and family and haven’t been focusing on much else. The deadline for the first draft of my thesis is also sneaking up so unfortunately social media will be on the bottom of the list in the coming week. Also, the weather haven’t been quite on my side since I reached Levanger, so it’s not like I can go around and snap photos whenever. It’s been drizzling every day and lately it’s been super windy. I don’t even know how many times I woke up last night from the loud noise from the storm. Three more days until I fly to Oslo again for my last day of class before I head back to Bangkok. I’m gonna enjoy these last days in Levanger with the fam. Right now, it’s my favourite pizza in the world on the schedule. If you’re ever in my hometown, Levanger, you gotta have the pizza from Orion!! <3

    Festival season is right around the corner, and Revolve has many new items to discover. Stay tuned for the big sale on the 28th of March!

    Getting my nature fix

    10/03/2017
    by

    Sorry for not updating you guys lately. It’s been a mixture of preparing stuff to go home and some last-minute hectic stuff that happened before I left for Norway. Long story short I just realized the day before I left that I had overstayed… I’m so glad that I found out already then, instead of being caught off guard. I’ll let you all in on the process later if you guys are interested to hear about it.

    I arrived Norway yesterday and have been enjoying the snow-covered grounds and fresh air.  I also think I’m already in a food coma. I’m staying in Oslo for a couple of days as I have a couple of classes I have to attend before I head back home to Levanger. Today we had a class about Work physiology and it was so interesting, we even touched based on exercise physiology. Tomorrow we are heading to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences to do some physical tests in the lab. Fun stuff! Now I’m off to do some more work on my paper! Talk later Xx

    Amazing Thailand

    07/03/2017
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    I can’t understand why I never went to Pai until now… The place is amazing! I guess you can say that about everywhere in Thailand though. We are so lucky to be living in this country. Being surrounded with a variety of amazing sceneries and not to mention the ease and affordable prices to get around here. You don’t even have to leave the country. Jump on a 1 hour flight and you can go chill on the beautiful beaches in the south. If you want to go climbing, you can visit Railay beach in Krabi and try to conquer the limestone cliffs along the beaches.
    girl in pai thailand sitting on a bench
    The activities to do here in Thailand is endless, and there is no stress being spontaneous. If you’re hungry for something tasty and delicious you can pretty much walk around any corner and find something exciting. Fresh fruits and coconuts will be at the end of every street. Sunsets and sunrise will always feel special. And if you’re looking for some fresh air and to connect with mother nature you can always go north. The stunning trekking paths in the North is some of my favourites. During the winter months, you must take the time to visit the hills of Phu Kradung.
    girl at the market at walking street in pai thailand

    But the best part about Thailand, the one thing that I find in common with every place I go is the people… with their big smiles and kind and helping hearts. I come from a small village here in Thailand where every neighbour is within walking distance. I can turn left and right and I’ll still spot a smiling face, waving hands, people inviting you in for some of their delicious coconuts that they’ve freshly picked. They have so little, but still so much to give.

    I’m all in positive thoughts now as I’ve finally booked my tickets to go see my family in Surin once I come back from Norway. I’ll be accompanied with my two aunts from Norway, one born and raised in Surin, should be nice! I have a feeling this month will be a good one. <3