THE CAVES OF NORGE

First of all, I would like to say thanks to everyone who wrote me lovely e-mails!  I enjoy mail, so don't stop writing!  ;)  I'm sorry I cannot write back to all of you, but I will try to as soon as I get my own computer and, therefore, have more time to reply.

My host family invited about twenty people to their house to celebrate my arrival: the 2290 district chairman for RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange), my two other host families, my counselors, various rotarians, and even the HEAD OF RYE FOR NORWAY showed up!

Before the party started, I fell asleep for a while - about three hours - because of the terrible jet lag.  When I woke up, I met Solfrid, my host sister!  She is so kind and helpful når jeg lærer norsk.  After that, the party began!

All the women wore dresses and the men wore collared shirts.  I was introduced to everyone, Helle Stabel, my second host mother and the president of Larvik Øst Rotaryklubb, talked quite a bit about how thankful she and everyone was that this was finally coming together and they presented me with a few gifts from my three host clubs.  They included: a troll, a planner, and some stylish red knitted mittens!  We ate and talked and I eventually met my third host sister, Charlotte.  She seems very eccentric and ready to help me learn norsk and to take me out to enjoy and learn more about Larvik.  I sat between Jon and Solfrid and accross from Charlotte and her father while we ate our barbequed shrimp and scallops with various vegetables and salads.  (It was a cook-your-own style meal.)

Something interesting about Kjose and Larvik - there are a ridiculous amount of bees (vesps).  We ended up catching quite a few in our glasses of soda and Jon caught 24 in a little trap he made.  This was all in a short period of two hours!  Jon was also stung by a bee on the bottom of his foot because he stepped on one in the grass.  I'll talk more about that experience later...

I showed most guests where Vermont and Killington are on the atlas that Kristian lent me.  I can't quite remember who it was, but one man said that they knew a couple who started a hotel B&B in Vermont!  The world is so small.

We ate dessert and cleaned up the house outside from the beautiful party.  Solfrid, Jon, Henrik (Jon's friend) and I sat in my bedroom and talked for a long time after.

YESTERDAY!!!

Yesterday, Kristian and Merete took all of us "kids" on a trip.  We drove for about an hour to get to a beautiful GREEN lake!  It was freezing, but we had to have a dip; it was a tradition that I was glad to uphold.  On the walk to the lake - as we carried our hiking backpacks that consisted of swim suits, towels, sandals, extra clothes, cameras, jackets and headlamps - we found wild blueberries which we ate in pleasure.

We got back into the car after our body-paralyzingly-cold swim ^.^ and drove up to THE CAVES.  We hiked up the short distance to a flowing river surrounded by rocks.  We put on our jackets, sandals and headlamps and prepared to go into the cave.  I found the cave, which went right INTO THE EARTH WHERE THE RIVER WENT.  I couldn't believe that my host family was trying to kill me within the first week!  ;)

I followed Kristian into the tiny opening with Jon behind me, Solfrid behind him, Eirik and then Merete. I was literally on my stomach, crawling into the opening with water all around me.  Over a short waterfall, we could stand.  I think one of the most amazing things about the river cave was that it was not slippery at all!  We went about 7-800m into the earth, walking or crawling the whole way.  It was one of the most amazing natural things about the earth I have ever experienced, honestly.  I followed Merete out of the cave tunnel the whole way back and we took some pictures at the opening.

As we changed out of our wet clothes, Merete honored me with a giant FIRKLØVER chocolate bar for trying new things and for finding the cave.  My mom is going to be SO JEALOUS when she reads this!!!  ;D

We hiked back down to the car and drove to the waterfalls!  It was a very delicate and steep walk down to the falls, but totally worth it.  The falls were beautiful.  We all went under the powerful waterfalls with our bathing suits on for a shower.  Then we sat on sheep skin blankets and ate a barbeque of hotdogs and burgers with vegetables - and, of course, shrimp.

We got ice cream on the way home.  "Soft-ice"with "tutti-fruiti" - Soft-serve with sprinkles.  I was a mess, but what's new?

TODAY!!!!!!

Today I went to Thor Heyerdahl Videregående Skole, or MY NEW HIGH SCHOOL!  I will officially be a third grader, or in the tre klasse.  This is the equivalent of being a senior...again!  I went with Helle and Kristian to meet with Ellen at the school.  She is going to try to help me include some history and science classes into my busy musikk schedule.

From there, Kristian and I went to the police station to get my resident permit, which I will have to go again and get tomorrow.  After that, we went out to lunch at an Italian Ristorante where we saw another rotarian, whom I met.

We quickly got home and I was, again, in the car, but this time with Solfrid and Merete as we drove to Studio Nille, where I will be taking dance classes this year!  I tried out a hip-hop class, which I enjoyed very much and talked to a teacher there about helping out with a stepp (tap) class.  They were very impressed.  Solfrid is so much fun to hang out with and I am so happy she is welcoming me into her dance studio :D

I finally got to take a HOT SHOWER tonight!