Well... that was an experience... The first flight to Washington went great, the second loooooong flight to Copenhagen was looooonggggg, and by the time I got to my last flight into Oslo, I just wanted to run laps around the plane because I was so tired and sore from sitting. The overnight flight to Copenhagen wasn't too bad, but after a night of only sleeping for two hours I was dead and couldn't seem to get comfortable on the plane... On the bright side, I feel like I can conquer any airport in the world on my own now! :)
After getting off of my last flight, I took the train to the Oslo Central Station and stood around like a moron trying to find the group of volunteers that were right in front of me. They were VERY helpful with setting us up with student train cards, taking us to pick up our keys and welcome packets, and showing us around the city of Oslo! I would have been so lost without them! I also had the privilege of meeting two Italian gentlemen who very kindly helped me carry my luggage all over Oslo and then up the hill (felt like a mountain) to my dorm. Thank you! ;)
And let me tell you! Their weathermen lie! 50 degrees Fahrenheit my butt. Here I am in jeans, hiking boots, two shirts on, and a jacket trekking all over the city in 150 degree weather! (It was probably more like 80 but who is counting?) An only the men wear shorts!? (Pretty short, shorts too...) Almost everyone is wearing pants or very dressed up shorts or dresses. Crazy! Made me feel like a total tourist when I immediately changed into shorts and a tank-top.
But everything is soooo beautiful here! The trees, the buildings, everything! There is so much nature preserved and the buildings look amazing, compared to America's where they just want the fastest product possible.
After calling my mom and checking up with her, I walked to the train station and took it to downtown, Oslo where I walked around for a little bit before taking a bus to IKEA to get a few things for my room. IKEA... wow. I have never been there and it has been on my bucket list, but that was so overwhelming! Maybe because I am running on a total of three hours of sleep and I am so beyond out of my comfort level and stress zone, but that was one of the most confusing things ever! All I wanted was bedding! No I do not want to build my own quilt?! Do you even have any non-fitted sheets? It took me twenty minutes to realize, no Sara, they are not completely out of pillows, they are rolled up into the tubes you have been staring at forever... And to top it off everything is in a different language! I'm not even sure what I came home with, but there is a group of students going tomorrow, so maybe I will have better luck with them!
I have to say... so far this is not how I pictured Norway. I forgot that although this is an incredible self journey, I also need to make friends and push myself even more out of my comfort zone. While it is still beautiful, I was also picturing Oslo to look like all of the amazing photos of people hanging over the edges of cliffs with the spectacular fjords in the background. The last thing was that the people that I talked to were not very nice or helpful. They seemed frustrated and annoyed when I asked for help or directions and the language barrier made both sides frustrated.
I am sure I am just drained and exhausted and things will get better, but there were definitely points of today where I was second guessing this decision. It is only the first day and I know things start looking up! After the jet lag wears off and I get on my feet, this is going to be the best semester ever!
After getting off of my last flight, I took the train to the Oslo Central Station and stood around like a moron trying to find the group of volunteers that were right in front of me. They were VERY helpful with setting us up with student train cards, taking us to pick up our keys and welcome packets, and showing us around the city of Oslo! I would have been so lost without them! I also had the privilege of meeting two Italian gentlemen who very kindly helped me carry my luggage all over Oslo and then up the hill (felt like a mountain) to my dorm. Thank you! ;)
And let me tell you! Their weathermen lie! 50 degrees Fahrenheit my butt. Here I am in jeans, hiking boots, two shirts on, and a jacket trekking all over the city in 150 degree weather! (It was probably more like 80 but who is counting?) An only the men wear shorts!? (Pretty short, shorts too...) Almost everyone is wearing pants or very dressed up shorts or dresses. Crazy! Made me feel like a total tourist when I immediately changed into shorts and a tank-top.
But everything is soooo beautiful here! The trees, the buildings, everything! There is so much nature preserved and the buildings look amazing, compared to America's where they just want the fastest product possible.
After calling my mom and checking up with her, I walked to the train station and took it to downtown, Oslo where I walked around for a little bit before taking a bus to IKEA to get a few things for my room. IKEA... wow. I have never been there and it has been on my bucket list, but that was so overwhelming! Maybe because I am running on a total of three hours of sleep and I am so beyond out of my comfort level and stress zone, but that was one of the most confusing things ever! All I wanted was bedding! No I do not want to build my own quilt?! Do you even have any non-fitted sheets? It took me twenty minutes to realize, no Sara, they are not completely out of pillows, they are rolled up into the tubes you have been staring at forever... And to top it off everything is in a different language! I'm not even sure what I came home with, but there is a group of students going tomorrow, so maybe I will have better luck with them!
I have to say... so far this is not how I pictured Norway. I forgot that although this is an incredible self journey, I also need to make friends and push myself even more out of my comfort zone. While it is still beautiful, I was also picturing Oslo to look like all of the amazing photos of people hanging over the edges of cliffs with the spectacular fjords in the background. The last thing was that the people that I talked to were not very nice or helpful. They seemed frustrated and annoyed when I asked for help or directions and the language barrier made both sides frustrated.
I am sure I am just drained and exhausted and things will get better, but there were definitely points of today where I was second guessing this decision. It is only the first day and I know things start looking up! After the jet lag wears off and I get on my feet, this is going to be the best semester ever!