I have meet some pretty cool people in my "Buddy Group" so far. We had a little get together in our leader's apartment and got to know each other better than the short time we were together that morning. I met Henry (Minnesota), Fan (China), Katelin (Australia), and some Norwegian students. Then something big happened!!!! A girl came over to introduce herself speaking Norwegian and after giving her a confused helpless look, she said "Oh! I thought you were Norwegian!" :) I fit in!!!! this was another item on my bucket list to check off and I am glad that my blond hair, blue eyes, and love of converse finally got me somewhere. It is true that almost all Norwegians are tall, skinny, bright blond, and tan, so to be mistaken for one was a huge compliment! :)
I walked back with Katelin, and while we got hopelessly lost in downtown Oslo, she told me all about how she flew from Australia to Amsterdam and then BIKED TO NORWAY?!? I was in awe.... I give her huge props! To do that for so far, for so long, and all by yourself... I hope that I have the guts to do something that crazy and adventurous someday! Makes my little trip to Norway seem dull in comparison. :) But really, it was super cool to hear about everything she did and get to know her better.
August 12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!!!!!!!! :)
I got up early to get my student ID card today and then strolled around campus until our Buddy Group was supposed to meet up to play games outside, but then it got rained out. This is when i miss texting the most, because I can only FB message here and I have to be at a computer, so I usually don't see last minute changes until it is too late. I stayed around campus anyways and sat in on some different informational meetings and then I ate an egg baguette! Like a baguette stuffed with egg and lettuce that you eat like a hot dog, they are pretty popular here and delicious. After that a small portion of our Buddy Group decided to go to the Science Museum. It was REALLY cool and they had all sorts of interactive exhibits. They even had a temporary exhibit on death, where people were photographed just before and after they died and there were little captions telling their life stories and what their views on dying were as it was happening. It was very somber, but interesting at the same time. The rest of the museum was fun and interesting, but I could not read about what everything was because a lot of the signs were in Norwegian. After I got home, my friend, Lorenzo, asked if I wanted to run up to Kringsjå lake. After warning him about how slow I am and telling him to just run ahead if he gets bored, we met up and ran up to the lake. It was absolutely beautiful and there were a lot of hills!!! I wasn't completely out of shape, which surprised me, but I was turning an unnatural shade of red... When we got back I googled the route and it was about 3K!!! I hope to make it there, around the lake, and back without stopping before the weather starts to get bad! I noticed a biggggg difference in how people interact with each other here, just within a few miles of the city. When I was traveling here, the plane ride, train rides, and even walking downtown were sooooo silent. Like you could almost hear a pin drop! But up at the lake, everyone was talking to each other and everyone seemed more relaxed and open. I know I read a lot about the Norwegian culture and how they are usually like this, quiet and introverted until they get out into nature, but it was really exciting to see it happening in real life. After that I skyped Michelle (Happy Birthday!!!! :)) and my parents to catch up :) And here are some pictures of a small part of campus and the museum :
I walked back with Katelin, and while we got hopelessly lost in downtown Oslo, she told me all about how she flew from Australia to Amsterdam and then BIKED TO NORWAY?!? I was in awe.... I give her huge props! To do that for so far, for so long, and all by yourself... I hope that I have the guts to do something that crazy and adventurous someday! Makes my little trip to Norway seem dull in comparison. :) But really, it was super cool to hear about everything she did and get to know her better.
August 12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!!!!!!!! :)
I got up early to get my student ID card today and then strolled around campus until our Buddy Group was supposed to meet up to play games outside, but then it got rained out. This is when i miss texting the most, because I can only FB message here and I have to be at a computer, so I usually don't see last minute changes until it is too late. I stayed around campus anyways and sat in on some different informational meetings and then I ate an egg baguette! Like a baguette stuffed with egg and lettuce that you eat like a hot dog, they are pretty popular here and delicious. After that a small portion of our Buddy Group decided to go to the Science Museum. It was REALLY cool and they had all sorts of interactive exhibits. They even had a temporary exhibit on death, where people were photographed just before and after they died and there were little captions telling their life stories and what their views on dying were as it was happening. It was very somber, but interesting at the same time. The rest of the museum was fun and interesting, but I could not read about what everything was because a lot of the signs were in Norwegian. After I got home, my friend, Lorenzo, asked if I wanted to run up to Kringsjå lake. After warning him about how slow I am and telling him to just run ahead if he gets bored, we met up and ran up to the lake. It was absolutely beautiful and there were a lot of hills!!! I wasn't completely out of shape, which surprised me, but I was turning an unnatural shade of red... When we got back I googled the route and it was about 3K!!! I hope to make it there, around the lake, and back without stopping before the weather starts to get bad! I noticed a biggggg difference in how people interact with each other here, just within a few miles of the city. When I was traveling here, the plane ride, train rides, and even walking downtown were sooooo silent. Like you could almost hear a pin drop! But up at the lake, everyone was talking to each other and everyone seemed more relaxed and open. I know I read a lot about the Norwegian culture and how they are usually like this, quiet and introverted until they get out into nature, but it was really exciting to see it happening in real life. After that I skyped Michelle (Happy Birthday!!!! :)) and my parents to catch up :) And here are some pictures of a small part of campus and the museum :