Happy Birthday to me... 08.11 ;)

Let's see... It's getting DARK and it's getting dark EARLY!  Today, it got dark around 4:30. 

Hmmm... what did I do this week?  Well, on Friday Solfrid and I took the train to Sandefjord to go shopping!!!  I finally got my bank card to work in the minibank (ATM), so I got to finally buy some "norsk" clothes!!!  I have a list of things I need to get before returning to USA:

>Leather shoes (check)
>Leather jacket
>Viking helmet
>One Piece
>Sweet norsk sweater (half check)
>Mittens (check)
>Norwegian flag
>Bunad (noooo... i dont think so... but I can always wish for that!)
>Books in Norsk
>Pondus (comic book)
>Norsk musikk
etc

I got leather shoes, some sweaters and leg warmers all on Friday with Solfrid.  But, we had to walk home from the train station, which isn't too far, but it was very dark and we had minimal reflectors.  We were almost hit a few times... haha

I am arranging Moonlight in Vermont in musikk fordypning now!  It is going slowly, but it is going! 

 This weekend Merete and Kristian went to a birthday party in Oslo, so Merete's mom came over to watch us and drive us around. Jon and Eirik had a 4-H show/banquet, so we went to watch that! It was really cool to see. They each were in skits and had their presentation about cooking (used the Vermont Country Recipes cookbook I brought for the Stensruds!) and got SECOND PLACE for their presentation! Yay! Solfrid and Jon's dad was there too! It was really great to see him again. When Jon and Solfrid go up to Oslo to see him one weekend, I might join them :)

Sunday night (last night) Helle and Trond (my second host parents) hosted a small gathering at their house for all of my host families!  It was so great to have all of my host fathers, mothers and siblings together in one place!  We ate a nice dinner and sat and talked until around 9:45pm. 

At first, I was quite nervous to move in with my second and third host families, because, truly, I didn't know much about them!  But now I feel so much more comfortable after spending a night or two with each family. 

FUTURE EXCHANGE STUDENTS: try to spend at least one weekend with your upcoming host families so you know what to expect!  It will make the move less awkward (like the first one) and you'll be more excited to go. 


Photo time!





Jon



Eirik



Solfrid, Line, Charlotte



:)