My Five Embarrassing Moments in Oslo Part 1

To be embarrassed is one of the awkward feelings one could have especially when you are new to a place. There are situations we do not expect or perhaps we have anticipated it, but we act as if everything will turn well, even though there is high probability it will not. Being new in Oslo, I experienced few moments that I would rather shrink due to shame or hide because I did not expect myself to be in that moment.

This is the first three.

1. Second day in the convenient store

The day after I arrived in Norway, ofcourse the first thing I wanted was to buy food in a grocery store. I was never acquainted that there was several stores about 100 meters away from my apartment, so I walked 15 minutes, just to buy some stuffs. I knew the location because the first bus route I took towards my place passed through it. Oh no! I do not understand almost everything in the grocery store. I was looking for something obvious I knew. Since I am Asian, I chose some ready-to-eat stuff like flakes, bread, egg, sandwich spread and some fruits. Perhaps, you know now that I do not cook.

My Norwegian language was too basic and my last lesson in Norwegian was 10 weeks before I arrived in Norway. I hardly know the Norwegian term for receipt, coins and the like. Although I learned so many words before I left, I tried to speak in Norwegian in the counter. Oh no! I really did not understand the cashier. Naturally for Filipinos, the tendency when you do not understand was just to nod. Ofcourse, the cashier asssumed I understand and kept talking. Then, I started talking in English. He has replied in English, but I became deaf that I can hardly make an answer. The cashier gave my receipt and said to get my change, which are coins. That was the first time I saw a coin dispenser! Hahaha. I just saw a red box and there were coins. I just grab the coins and walk out of the store and went home. It was a humiliating experience for me. But I understood everyone must go through it.

2. First time in the bank

I ran out of money so I decided to find an ATM machine nearby. I realized there was a bank nearby and so I went. The first problem I had was the door. I do not know whether I should touch it or not to open it. But instinctively, I was able to open it. Then I saw couple of ATM machines. The ATM machine was set in Norwegian, so I changed the language to English. I made a withdrawal, just enough for me to survive for 1 week and decided to go out.

Unfortunately, I was not able to open the door. I tried to remember how I opened it, but it took me time. I really can not remember. I was too focused on making a withdrawal and making use of my insufficient Norwegian that I do not remember the way how I opened the door of the bank. I was used to open and close doors in the Philippines outwardly. It became instinctive and now I am stuck in the exit of the bank. After few minutes of standing infront of the door, a Norwegian was about to go out. He offered me to go out first. Hahaha! Ofcourse, I shook my head because I do not know how to open the door. I just told him the truth right away. I said, "I am sorry. I can not open the door. I do not know how." The Norwegian man showed a confused face to me. He grabbed the door handle and moved it inward and was able to open the door in few seconds. I lost logic. Ofcourse, if the outward method does not work, perhaps the opposite will work. Embarrassing for a teacher!

3. My First Jacket

My sister bought my jackets before coming to Norway in a surplus store in Manila. I wore one of it during my travel from Manila to Oslo. I found the jacket comfortable to wear. So, during my few weeks in Oslo, I wore it almost everyday, when I am out. One day, my friend accompanied me to buy some food in an Asian store. Ofcourse, I was planning to buy food that can be eaten instantly at home. I had problems with my previous flatmate that going to a kitchen is like taking an examination in school. You should never leave a trace of dirt or else you will face the Supreme Court. ( Anyway, I prayed for a solution to the problem. It is now solved.) Anyway, I opted to buy some noodles, more sandwich spread and flakes. Hahaha.

While roaming around the street, I suddenly felt so warm that I need to open my jacket a little bit. Oh no! It was stuck and I can not put the zipper down. So, I tried to wiggle it up, hoping the zipper goes down after. However, the opposite happened when I pulled the zipper up, it moved up to my neck, but was not able to pull it down. I felt I was choked aside from feeling so warm inside. My anxiety went up that I told my friend to help me. She pulled the zipper but also can no longer move it. Ofcourse, it was hard because there was little room for her fingers to move in my neck area. I have to face up and breath in while she tries to pull the zipper, while we are in the middle of a busy street. So I decided to just destroy the zipper or else, I will have difficulty breathing. We went inside a store and borrowed a pair of scissors and made a little incision of the zipper. Imagine someone holding a pair of scissor directed to your neckline inside a store! Luckily, we were able to make the cut and destroyed the zipper, leaving the jacket always opened. Now, my problem is that it was still winter and felt so cold and started to shiver.

The last two is found in Part Two.