Maria

What’s your name?
Maria
And where do you come from?

I come from Sandefjord
And how old are you?
Twenty Years old- I’m turning twenty really soon
How long have you lived in Mother Sweetheart’s?

I’ve lived here since we went in, and that’s almost two months now, I guess, since we just celebrated our two month anniversary here last weekend

Why did you move here?
For one thing I didn’t have any place to live. Actually, I had a place to stay, but the person I was staying with was pregnant, so the room I was in was going to be the nursery, so before long I wouldn’t have anywhere to stay, and couldn’t afford to pay 5-7000 kroner for rent, or many many thousand in rent,

How has your life changed since you moved in here? Or rather, has it changed since you moved in here?
I’ve made some new friends, and
You get more life experience (street smarts), in a way. You learn how to deal with lots of different types of people and you learn how to deal with lots of different situations, in a different way than you would if you lived in a “straight” (mainstream) place, if you know what I mean. And my life has become even more stressfull!

When you moved here there were already
27 elderly people

27 elderly people living here. How did they react when you came in and started to squat here?
In the beginning we decided a group of four people should go up and ask if it was alright that we squatted here, and we told them the political reasons why we wanted to squat heree, and told them what might happen to them when the building was privatized.

To begin with they were skeptical: “They’re just a bunch of junkies,” “They look really weird,” and “Bla, bla, bla”. But eventually they understood that we really were serious about what we were doing, and then they said either “Alright, fine with me,” or “This is really cool- It’s really great that someone has the energy to get involved and do something about what’s going on.”

So now we’ve even been told that we’re angels sent down from God and stuff- So, I think they’ve gotten to like us!

Can’t hear question
No, not really
You’re not influenced by (?)
No, I’m not
. I’m not keen on running around in bell bottoms
. I have the style that I have and
I’m happy just the way I am!

How often do you buy clothing?
Never, really.

Can’t hear question
Different ways- “inheriting”from others, and then there’s clothing that I’ve had for ages, and, that’s how it is really, and if there’s people that find clothing, find and inherit and
stuff like that.

Is clothing important to you?
Well, it’s important to keep warm! Uh, it would be a shame if everyone ran around naked- I think it’s cool to see people express themselves through their clothing- it would be a shame if everyone was exactly the same.

Selling waffles at the corner store. Equipment and signatures.

Take care! Bye!

(Waffles 10 Kroner in support of Mother Sweetheart Squat
No to privatization!
And petition

Support a good cause! No to the privatization of 23 Mother Sweethearts Street! Take a flyer if you want!

Cheers!

We’ve gotten a lot of compliments on the waffles!
Anybody sign the petition?
A lot- we’ve got seven sheets of signatures now! In two days? -Two days.
It helps to have the flyers- they can go around and read in the store and then they come out to us: “Yes! This is cool!” and then sign.

Oh yeah, I just remembered!
Cant hear
six pack
Originally I thought of having a flea market, or something, to get, because we have a rehearsal space- to be able to get a drum set, and other stuff , and then we thought “Waffles! Everybody loves waffles!” So we went to Maxi and were allowed to have a stand there, and then they wanted let others to be able to stand there next time, so we asked here, and here we’ve been able to stay ever since, so I almost feel like we work here!

So we’ve come in, 40 squatters, and we help the elderly and those with disabilities- so we have a petition and waffles for 10 kroner
-Today the waffles are even healthier then they usually are!
-I’m actually on welfare, so I’m waiting for the tenth to get paid, but I go by here every day
-Well, sign the petition, then, the more names the better!
-I can do that!
-What should I put down when I don’t have an address?
-Hmm- then you should

-I’ll write “Welfare center.”
-You can write “I wish I lived in Mother Sweetheart’s Street!”