Uke 10: Lyden av Livet!!

Within my first week of my exchange in Norway, I had my first day of school - on this day I first learned about the week ten performance for the first time.  Everyone in Larvik knows what it is: it's the week where the music and dance lines combine and give a show at the culture house, Bølgen.  This week was Uke/Week 10. 

In most of our classes we have been preparing for this show for more than a couple months now.  For an example: in choir we have been learning a song in Swedish (Klinga mina klockor).  I sang this song, but I played the saxophone for the rest of my time on stage.  This show is a very big deal to the teachers, students, their families and the musical community in Larvik. 

The title of this particular show was "Lyden av Livet" which translates to "The Sound of Life".  Some of the songs were were: Don't Stop Believin', Car Wash, Somewhere, She Wants to Move, Klinga Mina Klockor, La Source, My Song, Creep, Speilbilder (a number that Sondre and Alice wrote the music to, the dancers choreographed a dance and the media class made a film of), Call Me Al, Walking in Memphis, Love Gun, .... and the final song was Music.  We spent all week at Bølgen Kulturhus getting ready for the concert instead of going to school.  It was a much larger performance than any school performance that I have ever been a part of.  We had professional lights and sound and access to a fantastic stage. 


yes, we got to wear kiss masks!!

 For those of you reading this who don't know how my past school concerts went, this is how it would happen: we had photocopied programs, access to two or three microphones (small soundsystem), a light booth (no digital/pc lights) and no costume changes.  I LOVED having those concerts, but having a very "professional" one like the one we just had at Bølgen shows a different side to it - very cool!

We had one show for the ninth graders and our premiere on Thursday night.  Didrik came to the premiere!  It was so nice of him to drive down all the way from Oslo to see the show!!  It was also very cool that he was able to meet a lot of my friends from Thor Heyerdahl VGS.  After the premiere we even had a premiere party!  We all went to Farris Grand Hotel a short walk away from Bølgen and ate tacos and watched the video from the show.  As many of the kids said: "We are our own best audience."  Everyone was cheering and clapping after each number, out-applauding the recorded audience.  I felt like I was part of the music/dance line family there and then.  :o) 


primere party

 Friday we had two more performances and my two first host families were in attendance!  Both sets of host moms and dads as well as both sisters and even my host grandmother was there!  I remember thinking at one point, "Weird - my parents won't be here..." but it was definitely made up for with my host families. Something that is really cool about switching host families is which stage each family has you in during your exchange.  The Stensruds had be at the beginning when I was just learning about the culture and langauge; Trond, Helle and Line have me during my normalcy period and much higher language skills; and I can imagine that the Bugges will have me in my emotion stricken last few months - excited to go home, sad to leave and final steps in my language learning.  When I saw the Stensruds after the final show, I spoke only Norwegian with them, which was a huge step for them to see.  Normally at their house, I would try my very best to speak Norwegian, but would have to fill in a lot of English words.  This time was pure Norwegian and they were impressed.  Yay for Norwegian!! :D



my norwegian "teacher" sondre

 Something I have noticed lately is that I have been using more correct grammar (when I speak Norwegian) and then double thinking it becaus I'm so used to being wrong.  It's strange to think I have more correct moments than "feil" moments. 

After the show, we cleaned up and went to a couple of after parties.  I went to Sondre's house with a bunch of kids from the music line.  The third graders were so sad to be finished with week ten for the last time.  I wasn't very sad because I had never experienced it before, but I was sad because only yesterday it felt like I had my first day of school when I heard about week ten for the first time.  But really, it's been seven months (totally just realized it is seven months on the dot TODAY) that I arrived in Norway.  It's one of those bigger signals that my time on my exchange is running out.  Some of the other kids' families are visiting (mine come in June) and as of tomorrow, I have four months left in Norway - 16 weeks.  I have been in Norway for about 30 weeks now.  Time flies...

I'm beginning to miss it already. . . . . .
http://www.op.no/kultur/article5523033.ece (pictures from the performance)