DAY 47

DAY 47
(June 9)
Episode 8

This morning I got up and said Sigdrifa's prayer, then I drew a rune.  I was hoping the rune would give me some insight into how we would fare in today's competition.  I drew Fehu.  Cattle, mobile wealth, money, but also a fire rune and a rune associated with Freya...so I'm not sure what it means.  I am feeling a little out-of-sorts, there is a strange feel to the air.  I think it might be because we are getting so close, there is so much at stake.  I don't know...

This morning they are supposed to film us having breakfast and maybe swimming.  Turned out Jonathan and Todd went swimming, I chose not to because I actually feel like I am coming down with a little cold or something.

The competition was announced, and at first I was not happy about it.  Henrietta told us it was shopping...and I hate shopping.  Then we got some more details and learned that we were going to go into Sweden, we would spend all the money they gave us and bring our purchases back to Norway.  Then they would figure out how much it would have cost to buy the same things in Norway, and the team that "saved" the most money would win.  Kind of a crazy competition.

Because blue team won the first miserable competition they would start out with 3,000 nok, and we would start with 2,900, not a huge advantage it doesn't seem.

We had four big stores to shop in.  We were strategizing about what to buy that would be the most different back in Norway; meat, tobacco, alcohol, something else?  We were talking to other shoppers and asking them what they thought.  Finally, in one store we found there was a sale on Capri sun juice packets...the little bags of juice with a straw you poke into it.  It was a ridiculous price, and a better value than anything else we could find.  Immediately I knew our only chance was to spend all 2,900 nok on nothing but that, Jessica agreed, Jonathan took some convincing but the math finally sunk in with him and he went along with that idea. 

We were driving an SUV, and it was completely full of juice.  I felt confident that if the other team didn't stumble onto the same sale that we would win this.  If we don't win it...then either me, Jessica, or Jonathan will be going home tomorrow.  I understand why I drew Fehu this morning; this competition is all about money, and that is one of Fehu's strongest representations.

Well...the other team did stumble onto the same sale, I have never seen so much juice in one place before.  With their advantage they wound up winning by  a measly 35 nok...about 5 bucks.  Remarkably, we bought all that juice for about 22,000 nok cheaper than it could be purchased in Norway!  We gave most of it away to the local kids.

Had a great time tonight hanging out with the locals, I will write more about that tomorrow.

Now it is late, I am sitting here by the sea thinking about the day, and my whole time here in Norway.  There is a definite sense of foreboding...one of us will go home tomorrow and I so don't want it to be me.  I will make an offering, meditate for a bit and then go to bed.  Tomorrow will be a very interesting day.

(One of the many pretty spots at Bevø where I liked to sit.)