Photos from Estonia

To Tallin, Estonia with work...

After one week in Estonia, i just have to post some of my photos. We had wonderful weather and a lot of experiences. Interesting to visit one of the countries which was part of the Soviet Union not so many years ago - until they became independent in 1991.

Photos from easter

The free will and easter...

I am inspired of one of my friends at myspace who wrote a blog about slavery and apologizing.

I often wonder about the free will. What is it, and what does it mean? What kind of consequnces does it have for us as human being? And in my work - what does it mean for people who are vulnerable and who suffer in prostitution and maybe also as victim of trafficking?

In the christian church we hear that we have this free will to do the will of God, - or not! In a way we are told that we are in control over our own`s destiny. If we choose right, our life will be good. If we choose wrong, our life will not be as good as it could!

I wonder if this is just right? Did Jesus has a free will? What would the consequences be if He didn`t choose the road we all know? Had this man really a choice?

How can a girl from Bulgaria, now 35 year old, be responsible for the life she has, when being put into prostitution of her parents when she was 14 year old? She has been in prostitution the last 20 years, and someone talk about free will?

Is she responsible for the life she has? Is she a slave if she keep the money she earn in prostitution? And what changes if she doesn`t? In Norway it seems that the different parties are tired of the discussion about making it a crime to buy sexual services. They want action, to decide, and the argumentation for making it a crime is "buying sex is sexual violence", prostitution is a order - problem (people feel rude about it) and "we need to dam up against the traffickers"... I fear that the prostitutes will be the forgotten ones when (!) we get this new law. There will still be women of free will going into this kind of buisness. Or is it a free will?

I think the society needs to define the human rights, how to understand this. We can`t put the responsibility one the shoulder of a suffering woman and her free will.

And ss long as she doesn`t do anything illegal, i think we should help and give them more rights as women. Education, work... health care services - so they can be free and have benefit of having a free will!

Spring - it doesn`t have a free will. But it is beautiful!

Nine hours with sewer!

Yes, we have had a lot of work with the damage we have in our sewer. We are not sure about the reason for and the extent of it. But that something was wrong we surely know, because of the sewer we found flowing out in our cellar.

We needed a tanker to help us, together with the people from the local goverment. They worked in six hours, and my wife and i continued to wash and clean for three more hours into the night...

We bought our house in 1999. It is about 50 years old, and the people told me that the system needs a renewal. We were lucky to stop the flood of sewer before it damaged to much inside our house.

So in a short time we will have people here, searching for the fault, by sending a camera into the system. After that we will be able to understand what to do.

A costly and unfortunate accident. To own a house gives you some goods and bads.

After this, we needed a break from sewer... A walk and experience of spring helps:

My norwegian web-site:

is my second website.

If you read norwegian, this is maybe something for you!

Photos from Bulgaria, Varna

At fieldwork in Varna



At the Black Sea



Black sea















Farewell...






What is this, Per Arne?










Some reading when travelling...

Photos from my trip to Bulgaria, part 1

I`ll start with some photos from my days in Sofia. But the really great photo-experiences i got when travelling with train through Bulgaria from Sofia in west to Varna and the Black Sea in east. I will be able to post some of those photos in few days.





This is Sofia. And yes, her name is Sofia!




The photographer!




... not so expensive. Just 40 norwegian krone (5 euro)! I am not used to see the hairdresser drinking wine when using their instruments!




St. Petka Samardzjijska church from around 1300




The jewish people in Bulgaria were not the most pursuited under the second world war. But after 1947 people told me that most of the jewish left for Israel and USA. The jewish were rich and had some wonderful houses. When they left noone took the responsibility to take care of them. The jewish part of the town is being marked of this... The houses are falling to pieces.






Not interested in me as a customer (he-he)




St. Nedelya church from around 1100




The Banya Bashi mosque in Sofia. Around 12% of the people in Bulgaria are muslims.
85% are Bulgarian orthodox. And then you have the rest...?




This fountain serves hot spring water. And it is natural spring water! People come with bottles...




This man talked to me in english when i photographed the Russian church. I had to listen to him. It was interesting. He told me that the country didn`t take care of his generation. In his case the pension, after working at the university, was nothing to live for. I got this information confirmed. The old people are totally dependent of their children. If they have no support, they will end up in the streets.




The famous Alexander Nevsky, the Bulgarian orthodox cathedral in Sofia! The staff at the hotell said that this is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. Ok? Build between 1904 and 1912...




This man just asked me if i wanted to have a photo of him. And i did (of course!)




Outside the oldest orthodox church, St. Sofia church, the fire burn for the unknown soldier... A monumentum for the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian soliders that have died in the wars for their homeland.




... it burns every day and night.






Is prostitution and the sexual activities which find place in the bars and clubs just something that the society have to accept? One of the bars is called Taboo!




View from my room in Sofia. Outlook over the old jewish part of the town




At work. An intensive day with a lot of information to store in the harddisk. Not easy. Have to be up for it! Eh?!




Day 1 and 2 in Sofia and Bulgaria is finished! The trip to Varna will follow...