My Vegetarian Project

This year has been the year of my big vegetarian project. I had been thinking about becoming a vegetarian for a few years, or at least trying it out and seeing if it was something that could suit my lifestyle. So, I decided to give it a try. In retrospect, it seems I approached it like a research thesis. For a few months before January 2014, I did my proposal and background research. I looked into different types of vegetarianism (pescetarian, ovo-lacto vegetarian, ovo/lact-vegetarian and vegan). I read a lot about the different types, what types of food you leave out and what you must then eat instead, and how to make sure you get all the necessary nutrients you need, especially as I was also training for a half-marathon. I didn’t want this to be a weight-loss thing, I wasn’t interested in vegetarianism because I wanted to lose weight, but because of overall health issues, environmental issues and, most importantly, animal welfare issues. 

On January 1, my data collection started. I became a pescetarian, eating all animal products except meat. It was not a problem at all. I fell in love with chick-peas and kidney beans, and of course ate lots of fish. This phase of my data collection lasted 3 months. On April 1^st, I became an ovo-lacto vegetarian. Which means that you can eat dairy products and eggs, but no meat and no fish or anything with fish-products in them. It was a little bit harder. I love salmon, and I missed it a lot. But I stuck with it ... for a while! 

Then I made a mistake. I decided to join a group of people doing a “Sugar-free May”. I eat too much sugar and wanted to do something about it, but I shouldn’t have done it there and then. It was too much. I fell of the sugar-free and vegetarianism wagon on a sunny Friday afternoon in late May, and got myself a Big Mac! Oh dear god, the joy! Of course, I cannot eat food like that without spiraling out of control and for days and even weeks, I got completely stuck in the sugar jar and in the sugar-induced coma, I started eating everything again. 

The summer that followed, was full of ups and downs. Sometimes I got back to my little project, but mostly I didn’t. On July 1st, I was supposed to remove eggs as well and become a lacto-vegetarian. I did, for a few days. Well, there were many days where I did indeed eat like a lacto-vegetarian. But there were also many days where I didn’t. I became an occasional vegetarian. Then, on October 1^st, my vegan phase of my project was supposed to start. I delayed it until November 1^st because I was in the midst of moving from Norway to New Zealand and the stress of everything was just too much. At least, that is my excuse. Of course I could have stuck with it, but my head just wasn’t in it anymore. Early in November, I tried my best to start the vegan phase, but it didn’t take many days before I realised that I didn’t want to be a vegan. I don’t want to be a vegan! So, I’m not. That is my result after trying it out. And now I know ;) 

In discussing my results, some might say that this project of mine was a failure. I disagree. I think it was a huge success. I educated myself a great deal about nutrition and about healthy eating and healthy living. About the environment and about animal welfare. So even though I may not want to join the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, I will do my best to buy oranic products from farmers that take good care of their animals. 

In my concluding remarks, I would recommend to all of you that are reading this to educate yourself as well about vegetarianism because you just might also learn a great deal!

A Year in Review

The year 2014 has been a year of transformation for me. 

It has both been one of the best years of my life as well as one of the most difficult. I had to make huge decisions. Life changing decisions. And it wasn’t easy. But I have also realised dreams. Worked hard to fulfil them and make them come true. 

So it is a year of mixed emotions: of extreme stress and extreme happiness; of happy memories and sad memories; of hellos and goodbyes. I suppose in a way it has been a perfect year!

I made three very big, life changing decisions this year. One is too private to discuss here, but the other two are not. 

I decided that I would not remain a preschool teacher. I am still within the field of early childhood education and will most certainly be for the rest of my career, but not as a practicing preschool teacher. It was a very big step and a very big decision. I have been working towards it for a few years, but this year it became real and I had to take the plunge. 

But taking the plunge meant leaving my beloved Oslo. And that brings me to my third big decision. Leaving the good live I had made for myself in Oslo. Leaving that great city. And leaving all those wonderful people there. I sometimes can’t believe my luck when I think of all the people I got to know there and all the friends I made. Making friends has never been easy for me, so it was extremely difficult to leave. I am very happy with my decision, and very happy with my new PhD life and all the opportunities it will open up for me, but I still have moments of doubt about whether I made the right decision leaving Oslo and my life there. So to my Oslo (and Drammen and Akershus and Bærum and Nittedal etc.) people, thank you so much for everything and I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, hope I will meet you again. You truly have made my life much richer and happier.

This year has also been the year of making dreams come true. It is not easy working on your dreams. And it is not luck when they do come true. It is hard work fulfilling your dreams and turning them into goals that you can reach. 

My first dream/goal was to run a half marathon. I did that. I even ran two of them. OMG, what a feeling crossing the finish line in the Reykjavik Marathon in August. It was runner’s high on steroids. The feeling of accomplishment almost overwhelmed me. And I was not running fast or beautifully. I was a turtle. Or a snail. I don’t know. But I made it. I ran a half marathon. With a painful knee. And then I did it again in the Oslo Marathon in September. Madness, I tell you, but it was also such a great feeling and a great sense of accomplishment. I proved to myself that I can do whatever I decide I can do. It is all in the mind. The problem is, now I want to run a full marathon. But it will be fine, because I have decided that I can run a marathon, and so I will run a marathon. Whether it will be in 2015, remains to be seen. Keep tuned in for news on that front!

Another dream/goal was to get published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. And I managed that. After a very long time of waiting and re-writing and waiting and re-writing and waiting some more. My first peer-reviewed article was published in the International Journal of Early Years Education in October. That was a fantastic feeling and great experience.

My primary goal (and a long-term dream) was to start my PhD. I agonized over this for months and months. I knew that I would eventually get into a PhD programme. I wanted to stay in Oslo and study there, but that wasn’t happening. So I started to look elsewhere. New Zealand had been a possibility for a few years, but I had always discarded that idea because it is just so far away from Iceland. But something happened this year and I realised that doing a PhD in New Zealand was actually right for me. It was meant to be! I had that feeling when I applied. I had doubts and many sleepless nights; evenings when I would over eat from stress; many a times I would shut myself away from friends because the stress of it all was just too much; but that feeling was always there. And when I finally was here in Hamilton and began my programme at The University of Waikato, I just knew that I had made the right decision. This university, my supervisors, my colleagues and friends and everybody I’ve met here, prove that to me every day. That is a great comfort when I’m feeling down because I’m missing my old life. 

So, this has been my year. A year I will always remember. I hope you all have had a good year, filled with ups and downs and happiness and even sadness. Having those experiences is what having a rich life is all about, enjoying the good ones and overcoming, and learning from, the bad ones. So I just hope that 2015 will also be a wonderful year and I wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year. May all your dreams and goals come true and good luck on working hard to fulfill them :)

I miss my cat!

Isn't she cute!!!!!