25/02 - Day 3

Activities:
Today I went to the wood chopping place. They have an electric axe that does a good job. I found an axe and tried to chop wood the good old fashioned way, but the wood did not agree. After that Geyer took me with them to unload some cans, to a very beautiful place outside town. Of course I didn't even touch the cans, they were very heavy, it was so nice of him to take me with him just to see the surroundings. Yenyh(??) came to work today, he was very talkative, as always. He told me how he quit school in the 9th grade, some businesses that he had, how he started using drugs, how he was left without money from the goverment and so he started making amphetamine for 5 years. Also how he threatened a government worker because she wouldn't give him the money from the state. All of this in the same tone, at the same speed, very natural, as if there's nothing uncommon in it. Trond is another guy that I talked a lot with today, we discussed politics, geography and other wordly topics. He seemes to be a very normal person, as in without any social problems. Yenyh, during his countless talks, told us about the guy I was writing about yesterday as being not so sober (his name is Havard). He told us that he saw him on Tv when he got released from prison, not so long ago. Diana asked but what did he serve time for? And he replied don't worry, he's a good guy, he just sometimes does stupid things. However, not everytime someone gets relesed from prison they appear on the news, so he must've done something...

Lecture:
Evin told us a little bit about the system. There's a system for help, called NAV, that acts in 3 levels: state, regional and community. The people who benefit from NAV can be in one of these two categories: "Social care" or "Ufore Trygd" (the ones from the latter are given a pension for their entire life). These people, the beneficiaries, are in very bad relations with the people working at NAV, as they are checked, controlled and asked for many documents by them. The people working at NAV are also unhappy to have to deal with the beneficiaries, as they many times go to the office angry or under drug or alcohol influence. Dagsverket acts as an intermediary between NAV and the beneficiaries, because they can communicate efficiently with both parties: they can make the beneficiaries understand the system better, making them less angry against it. Every year, 10 to 15 people find permanent work through Dagsverket. For the government, it is cheaper to financially support this company, because people who benefit from the NAV are a very high cost, so if they are reintegrated in the work field, it saves the government a lot of money, and they also become tax payers. Also, Dagsverket helps reduce the alcohol and drug consumption for these people: first of all, it is forbidden to use these substances during the 4 hours of work; then they also have to refrain from using before work, even the night before, to be able to go to work and be proper; then, it gives them a sense of utility, a satisfaction, and they stop wanting drugs; they also provide health care for them, as they have a free dentist once a week, free doctor, gynecologist and others. Sometimes people who started off again by working there and now have a job, come to visit and share their stories, how they have a job, bought a car or are maybe now allowed to see their children, and it gives the others an ambition to have the same things.

Personal impressions:
Some of these people look perfectly normal on the outside, I would have never guessed there was something wrong with them if I didn't see them there. They are also very different from each other, just like any other person, you can find people who are smart, people who aren't, people with or without an education, with or without a family, quiet people, friendly people, strange people and so on. But the talks I had were very enjoyable, I didn't feel like there was something unnatural or that I was forcibly doing something (unlike Cyprus). And I guess there is no other way to go around it.