Tunklang - Love and Choir (Step dans - Tap dance)

Here is the video!!  Enjoy :):)

The show went really well!  http://www.op.no/kulturhuset/article5358835.ece here is a link to today's newspaper in Larvik - a little blurb about the show (including me) ;P

Er det det det er? Det er det det er! :)

(^^ Is that what it is?  That is what it is!)

Heiser heiser heiser?  Heiser heiser heiser. (Do elevators elevate elevators? Elevators elevate elevator.)

Springer and springer is two different things. Springer is a verb in present tense for running and springer is the word for bishop(chess).

I heard these phrases for the first time in my Norsk class last week.  Norwegian has a lot to do with the tone you put on the words (which I seem to completely fail at at this point, of course) so the repeated words don't have the same meaning. It's called tonem.

ANYWAY...

Things have been, again, quite normal...

IT SNOWED TODAY!!!  There was only about 3/4 inch on the ground, but Jon and I made snowmen, snømenn.  I made my first Norwegian/Wiking ;) snowman!!!!!!!  Woo hoo!  And then Jon smashed it, of course :D

I have a performance at Bølgen this weekend... I will tap dance with a choir called Tunklang.  It is to Count Basie, which is AWESOME!  I will see if I can get a video of the performance (it's a very short dance), but I can't guarantee anything.

Ogsåååååå... so much, yet so little has happened!

I spent last weekend at Helle's house, my second host mom.  It was nice to stay with my second host family.  It makes me more comfortable knowing them first, I think.  I have been sick, and I feel something coming on again... I feel like my head has been hit by a train, well, maybe not a train... kanskje en bil maybe a car... but a small one...  like a Prius or something...  BUT STILL.  ughh

This hasn't been a very well thought-through piece of writing, but I'm going to leave it as is.  If any of my past English teachers are reading this... I'M SORRY!  I haven't been thinking 1) in English and 2) logically for some time now...

Hi to Killington-Pico Rotary Club back home!!  TAKK FOR ALT!!
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I lied...  I need to add something I CAN'T BELIEVE I forgot lol!

I saw some Norsk dancing today at Bølgen!  It was so interesting.  It was based around old Norsk Writing! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLU41qKohOE This is a video from when they competed on the Norsk equivalent of... some american game show....  pretty awesome!!!

Oslo Helgen

After arriving home on Wednesday last week, I repacked my bags to spend four days in Oslo with Didrik!  I hopped on the train Thursday and after a two hour ride, I was greeted by Didrik and his camera at Oslo S. 

Immediately (as I expected) we spoke in Norwegian, which was SO STRANGE for me!  I really haven't spoken Norwegian with anyone other than people that I have known for two months or less.  It was also quite a relief to see someone who has known me, essentially, forever. 

After getting a bus/subway/tram card for the week, we took a bus to Didrik's apartment.  His and Cathrine's apartment is so beautiful and stylish!  And, of course, had many memorabilia from trips to the U.S. :D 

From there we went and took buses and the tram around the city to see different sites. Some of the most memorable for me were seeing the castle, Vigelandsparken, (Frogner Park), Stortinget (parliament etc), Sagene Church and the fort.  The coolest part was that I was finally visiting Didrik in Norway.  We spent the rest of the day walking around Oslo and seeing the sites.  Later, we went back to the apartment and saw Cathrine :):)  I haven't seen her in almost... ten years I would guess.  She was getting ready to host a party for some friends so Didrik and I left to go get dinner. 

Although it was a Thursday night, it seemed as though every restaurant was full!  We found a restaurant after a short walk and had Turish Meatballs for dinner.  (Pretty good!)  From there we went to the butikk to rent a movie to watch that night.  We chose "The Heist" with Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken, but I will say more about that...  When we got back, Cathrine had saved some creme brulee for us (yum!) and then we watched the movie.  I don't know how, but we made it through the movie.  It was not NEARLY as good as we expected to say the very least.  It was really terrible!  xD  I called home and got my dad to go on Skype.  That was when it finally hit that I was really in Oslo with Didrik!  It took ten years, but it happened.



BANANA PANCAKES?!

 The next day we made (American) chocolate and banana pancakes and then headed back out.  I got a call from Artur (from Brazil) that he and Fransisco (from Ecuador) were going to be in Oslo that day so we went to meet up with them.  We caught up with them at Oslo S and then went to the Viking Ship Museum.  THAT was so awesome!!! 

This was definitely one of the coolest museums that I have ever been too.  The fact that virtually all of the craftmanship was from wood that was still (somewhat) together was so neat. 

From there, we went to the Opea house. 

Yes, as you can see from the picture, the building actually goes INTO the water!  We spent quite a while exploring inside and outside.

From there, we met up with a guy from Brazil that Artur knew, and then we went to a cafe after staying goodbye to Fransisco, who had to take the train back home.  While at the cafe, Didrik got a call from FINN.no saying that he got the job he went to the three interviews for!!!! :D :D  GRATULERER DIDRIK!!

We went to Didrik's university, BI, and looked around after saying goodbye to Artur.  When we got back to the apartment, we had dinner and then played TONS of card games.  They ranged from "Go Fish" to "Golf" to "Spit."  Also, we celebrated with BEN&JERRY'S ICE CREAM (VERMONT'S FINEST)!!!!!!  There is a butikk here called Deli de Luca that has food from around the world.  We even found Inca Kola there!  But, it was the equivalent of five dollars per can (when I remember them being between 30-70 cents in Peru...

The next day we went out to lunch with Svein and Bente, Didrik's parents!  I haven't seen them in about ten years!  I spoke as much Norwegian as I could with them.  After walking around and seeing some more sights, we ate at a fancy restaurant next to the National Theater.  It was a beautiful restaurant and we had a great time.  After lunch, we met up with Cathrine and I went off on my girls' night with her.  Didirk had to go to his "last" night of work.

Instead of legitimate shopping or window shopping, we did the inbetween.  We walked through tons of stores and didn't buy one thing.  Who knew anyone (any girl) could have that much self control?!  It makes a difference when you're living in a country where everything is 3-4 times more expensive than back at home . . .

After we ate dinner, Devin came up on the train and met us at the apartment.  We were too tired to do anything, so we just sat and watched SNL and Anchorman.  Night well spent. ;)

Sunday, we went up to the ski jump after breakfast and then had sushi in BI.  Then, unfortunately, it was time for me to say ha det.  :(  But now I can look forward to when Didrik and Cathrine get to visit us in Larvik!!  This time, I'll be the tour guide...  We'll see how THAT goes...

:):)

Nord-Norge: Seløy



before the hike (read below)

 I can honestly say that although we arrived home in the cold rain today, this was one of the most memorable trips I have been on.  I have no idea if Kristian and Merete read this, but I want to thank them again for taking me with them to Northern Norway this past week.  I will keep this trip with me forever.

On Thursdays I normally end school at kl. 14.00, so it was normal for me to leave school early.  But this past Thursday, Merete was there to pick me up with Solfrid in the car.  Merete had just picked up TWO packages for me in the mail (thanks Nanny, Daddy, Mommy and Bauer!!) with lots of cool things inside! 



On the hike (read below)



We went out to lunch and I opened the packages there at Maja's (where Eirik works after school).  After we finished, Solfrid went to the hairdresser and Merete and I went to the airport where we met up with Kristian.  We flew on some tickets that Kristian had for being a pilot with Widerøe and after two short plane rides North (one stop in Trondheim), we arrived in Sandnessjoen.  It was quite dark and late when we arrived, but on the way there, I was able to sit in the cockpit with the pilots (THANKS KRISTIAN!) and take lots of pictures of the purely beautiful landscape that Norway as to offer. 

After arriving in Sandnessjoen, we walked around the town and got some pizza before getting on the ferry for about thirty minutes to another Island.  From there, we drove to Seløy.  This was where I have my first GREAT memory: I saw the Northern Lights for the first time in my life.  It was amazing!!  It was as if I had seen a ghost.  I don't know how to describe it.  Then as we were driving, we had to stop because there was a sheep in the road.  I couldn't stop laughign about it, but it was totally normal for this area.  There were no big or harmful animals around, so the sheep "roam freely".  After, we arrived at the house right on the ocean and unpacked and went to bed. 

The next morning, I woke up and looked out the window for the first time.  This was another great memory: again, pure beauty!  Right outside of the window was Syv Søstre (or, The Seven Sisters) mountain and Dønnmannen with the shape of a man's face on top of the mountain.  Also, the sky was totally clear and the water equally as much.  It was as if I had landed on the lesser-known cold Caribbean, the water was so blue!  This was all literally what I saw right out the window from where we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I'm sure that I spent all of our meals just staring out the window and trying to keep up with the conversation at the same time. 

Kristian took me on a walk to where he normally fishes while in Seløy.  He casted out and casted out but no fish were biting, so we walked back to the house.  We all got dressed in hiking gear, made our lunches and got in the car to go hike Dønnmannen.  First we had to set some crab traps for dinner.  We drove along the road to a white house and Kristian casted out again for bait there.  He got one fish and had me reel it in.  I wish I could remember what kind it was - I'll just post a picture xD  Then we used the head as bait for the crab nets and Kristian and Merete set them up and threw them in the water for us to get after our hike up Dønnmannen.

 We drove to a "Meeting Place" near the bottom of the mountain and began our climb (after feeding some horses a few carrots we brought for our lunch).  We walked along-side the Caribbean-blue water and then up a VERY STEEP AND ROCKY climb between beautiful yellow-leafed trees.  I was already out of breath and we hadn't even made it up very far.  This was what I would call Rock-Climbing-Without-Ropes... not hiking.  We also hiked up next to (and sometimes IN) a stream.  It was so intense and fun!  We were also eating wild blueberries the whole way up... tehe...  xD  We took a few breaks and went up a totally steep and rocky terrain after the wet and tree-y terrain.  This required a lot of consentration.  Anyway, after two and a half hours of hiking, we made it to the top of Dønnmannen!  It was totally breathtaking.  We had some food at the top and had to put on winter jackets because it was so cold and windy. 

We walked across the top to another peak and then began our climb back down.  This required a rope that was already attached to the mountain.  This was the first time I got nervous during the whole hike.  It took me longer than it should have to go down the 20 meters of rope straight down, but it was safer than climbing down without it!  Kristian and Merete were very patient with my slowness because of nervousness, but after that initial 20 meters, we were off again.  It started to get dark quickly, so we had to hurry down.  It was almost pitch black by the time we got down on the other side of the mountain, so we had to walk all the way back to the car, which took another hour.  All together, we were on our feet for seven hours on that mountain!  It was really intense and I will never forget the view.  The view made it all worthwhile.  I am so thankful that Kristian and Merete took me with them.  I'm not sure if I would do it again tomorrow, but I want to do it again sometime in my lifetime. 

Regardless, I was SORE the next day.  There's no way around it.

The next day we slept in, had a late breakfast, and then went on an ADVENTURE TOUR!  We got to wear ocean rescue clothes and went on a rescue boat out on the ocean.  We saw a handful of the 1,700 islands and ended on an island with a memorial to some people who died from tsunami that hit there years ago.  My camera died quickly through the trip, so I don't have many pictures...  But Kristian took many and I will upload those pictures as soon as I get them :):) 

That night we went out for a festival of food!  We had all of the typical island food (fish, special breads, etc etc) and then we went downstairs to the bar.  I was too tired to dance, so I just sat and watched everyone (I tend to do this now that I'm an exchange student - learn by watching).  The younger people at the bar were the ones who were getting wasted and hanging all over each other and as the age went up the level of drinking went down and the dancing went up.  I was sitting next to an older gentleman and we were talking about the cultural differences at the bar.  I think I was just too tired to move.

The next morning we slept in again.  Some people came over throughout the day and we watched some movies.  This was how the rest of the time was spent.  We entertained and watched movies.  Both of which helped with my Norwegian!  On the last day I took a bike ride around the island and a little past.  It was nice to just ride a bike, alone.  Like I have mentioned, alone-time is quite rare and valuable in the exchange program, or at least in my experience. 

Today we took two planes home and now after unpacking, I must repack to go SEE DIDRIK TOMORROW IN OSLO!! 

Caribbean blue water :)

The Cabin

This past weekend, we went to a cabin up lake Farris.  The Stensruds own this cabin.  Before we left in the afternoon, we went to a performance Solfrid had at the mall during a fashion show.  That was really cool to see and they did a great job.

We packed (I only brought a backpack) and we left on a (pretty slow) motorboat.  It took around 45 mintues or an hour to get there (I might be wrong... it seemed like a long time) and it was so neat!  The cabin was built around 1790 and had the same old feel as the cabins we visited on the "boat trip" we took with Rotary a few weeks ago.  The boat ride to the cabin was extremely cold and it was raining.  I literally had my large winter jacket, gloves, a blanket, and a winter hat on and was still cold.  Oh dear, what kind of a winter will I be in for??

 

When we arrived, we had to unpack everything and walk up to the cabin.  The view was beautiful!  The upstairs was all beds.  Solfrid and I were next to the staircase in two GIANT beds, while everyone else was in the other room.  We played cards and ate a big dinner.  Then, Solfrid took me outside to see the outhouse.  THIS was a culture experience!  Yes, before you correct me, I am well aware that there are outhouses in the U.S., but this is unlike anything I have experienced before.  It was made totally out of wood and was above the ground.  When you enter the outhouse, you are greeted by a picture of Jesus and one of the King and Queen of Norway.  I can honestly say that it was quite uncomfortable to "go to the bathroom" with them watching me.  hahaha!!  On our way back from the outhouse, Eirik and Jon jumped out of the woods and scared us!  I know I screamed very loudly...  >.<"  It would have been funny if it wasn't totally pitch black outside. . . I wasn't the happiest camper after that...

Solfrid and I stayed up late and painted our nails.  During the night we forgot to close the window and it was VERY cold!  But I had the deepest sleep I have had since arriving in Norway.  We slept until around 1pm.  Then we ate lunch and went back to bed for another hour!  Solfrid and I had to clean the dishes (by the way, there is no running water at the cabin... we had to brush our teeth with pre-prepared water lol) and then we went on a hike.  We went to this area where we could see Kjose (it was BEAUTIFUL!) and then to a "pirates' cave", which was also very cool.  And, of course, we brought our KVIKK LUNSJ with us for each stop!  It's an essential for hiking for me, now.  :)

After we got back, we packed the boat back up and headed back to Kjose.  The sunset was beautiful :)

This week has been normal...  Had a few tests this week.  Some were impossible for me to take in Norsk, so I wrote an essay (in Norsk) about my stay in Norway so far and did most of it without a dictionary!  Oh, and by the way, it was TWO PAGES long!  :):)  Another thing that I did instead of the test was practice in my Norsk bok and I actually tried the historie prøve.  I only answered 4 out of the 8 questions, but Monica said she wouldn't grade it.  She was just going to look at my improvement in Norsk. 

A Few Extra Notes: 

> I have gym once per week.  This is NOT like what I am used to.  I am used to two or three 1.5 hours of gym per week that is moderately paced; you will sweat and breathe hard, but not be drenched.  Now, I am taking ONE 1.5 hour gym class per week and I am almost always panting and soaking after class.  Ugh.  I think I would rather have three moderately paced classes per week than one intense one per week. 

> When most Norwegians having a conversation, they tend to - instead of saying "mmmm," - breathe in and say "ja!" at the same time.  This caught me off-guard many times.  It almost sounds like something someone would do if it looked like one car was going to crash into another.  It sounds, concerned lol! 

> The toaster EXPLODED the other day!  It was scary!  If you pushed down the button, it would give an electrical "fizzing" sound and shine really brightly and then all of the power in the kitchen would go out. 

> Ummm... I AM GOING TO NORTHERN NORWAY TOMORROW!  We (Merete, Kristian og meg) are taking a plane to Trondheim and then to Seløy tomorrow!  It is going to be beautiful!  We are going to take part in a festival of some sort and go on a boat trip out on the ocean.  THEN!  After we return on Wednesday, I will leave the next day to GO SEE DIDRIK IN OSLO!!!  :D :D

Boat Trip med Buggene :)

On Sunday, I went with my third host family to their house and we went on a boat trip on the ocean (in the fjord)!!!  First, I woke up late, had a nice late breakfast, and then Harald showed up at the house around 12.00.  He then asked me if I would like to sleep over at their house and, of couse, I said yes!  So, he quickly called my host parents and they said that it was ok, so I packed and we were out the door!

Before we got to the boat, we stopped at their grandparents' house and sat, drank tea and coffee, ate some pastries and talked.  I also met their dog!  He is a little chiwawa namd "Toffee"! 

From there, we went to their house and got ready for the boat trip.  We got everything together, got in the car and drove the few minutes to the boat dock where they keep the wooden boat that Harald restored.  We unloaded everything at the boat dock and waited for everyone else to arrive.  All together, it was my host mom, my host dad, Charlotte, Ågot and me.  We went out a distance to an island with a sandy beach and ate a late lunch/early dinner there. 

Having this time with them helped me to accept that I would change host families at some point.  It helped me to understand different living styles instead of feeling nervous to move in with them.  I am happy they took me out!

Anyway - Harald and Ågot went INTO THE WATER!  It was so cold outside - and there are many jellyfish in the water here!  After we ate chicken, chocolate, and hot dogs, we went back to Larvik.

 By the way, the boat's name is TROLL.  Does that just about sum-up my exchange?  Yes.  xD

We went back to the house after that.  We also drove around and looked at Charlotte's Russe-bil (which was totally awesome) and bought some bread in town. 

Monday was fine...  But I had one of those days where it felt like everything was going wrong, although it wasn't.

It was the same on Tuesday.  We also had a spinning class during gym, which I didn't like, although I felt quite good after.  I started getting a really really really bad headache because of the class.  And then - I actually finally broke down on Tuesday, although I hate to admit it.  I think it was the combination of my mother being on skype and not sounding totally happy with stress.  I mean, it's been about 6 weeks now, so it had to happen sometime!  I'm quite happy it's over with, and I slept so well last night because I was so tired from being upset and from gym class!  Either way I wasn't happy.  But now I am totally fine!  So, no worries.

CHECK OUT ME ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE: http://thvs.vfk.no/Nyheter/2010_2011/0910/2209_Huskonsert.aspx 
This is regarding the Huskonsert :)

There's such thing as "Normality" during an exchange?? whatt???

When I returned to school on Tuesday, my teachers and friends wanted to know how language camp was.  I speak much more Norwegian at home now, but school seems to be about the same, unfortunately.  I'm here to learn Norwegian, but I can't seem to.  English is helpful to understand what is going on, but I need to put an end to it.  I have been here for six weeks. . . this is long overdue. 

This week felt...normal...  What a strange word to use to describe part of an exchange year!  Normal.  Wow.  I guess I'm past that "honeymoon" period of the exchange.  Don't get me wrong - my exchange thus far has been more than I could have asked for - but I seem to be settling down, finally.  When people think about a year abroad, it seems like new things constantly, which it can be.  But, when there are miniscule differences everyday, it feels almost normal.  It is hard to describe, obviously.

I seem to have missed a bit last week, but my teachers told me that, because I was making an effort to learn the language so I can function (at least a little more) in class, they didn't really expect me to make up the work.  More of a, "Don't worry about it!" attitude.  A few even used the exact phrase.  I guess I am just not used to missing school and not making up missed assignments.  It feels pretty wrong to me.  But I can barely follow what's going on when I'm not worried about the work load, so I understand their logic.

Dance went really well this week and I seem to understand what the little girls say to me now; mostly things like: "I have to go pee" or "Do you really only speak English?"  Not very useful for an adult, but who knows!  I have also finally understood the routine of their classes so I know what to set up for each activity and what to tell them if they do something the wrong way.  The "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" song really helps when telling a young dancer what to do with their legs and arms during class.  Hmmm... maybe I have learned more than I think I have. 

It feels like I haven't learned anything some days.  And then other days, it feels like I am on the right track. 

In my class we are getting ready for a huskonsert which will happen on første oktober, the first of October.  It will be a soul'n'funk concert!  I am playing the also for this concert... too bad I didn't bring one with me! o.O  Luckily, Henrik knows some people, has called them, and has one on its way to the school for me to use! 

Alice asked me to go over her house on Friday, which I did!  And (well, I think) we had a lot of fun!  We were supposed to watch a few movies, but we ended up sharing music, eating, played piano, etc etc.  Her house is in the opposite direction of Larvik than Kjose.  It was interesting, because I felt very homesick when I arrived at her house and we were talking for a little while.  But quickly, the feeling passed and we made snacks and had a lot of fun after. 

If there are any future exchange students reading this, listen closely: what people say about rollercoaster emotions while on exchange is TOTALLY TRUE.  Sometimes you cry for no reason.  Sometimes being asked to go over someone's house can drastically change your day for the better, whereas at home it would be a normal occurance.  Sometimes watching a little girl with her father at the dance studio makes you want to call home and hear your father's voice again.  Sometimes you don't feel homesick at all for a few weeks!  Sometimes you mess up your new morning routine and feel like the day will follow in the mess.  Sometimes you laugh one second and the next you cry.  Sometimes, it feels like a rollercoaster ride. 

Well, either way, I had a an extremely wonderful time at Alice's house.  I feel like I am becoming closer with the kids in the music program, which I am so excited about!  Merete and Kristian said I can have some people over for a movie night...  I hope I can do this soon! 

Today was quiet.  I cleaned a bit and then watched "Over Hekken" og "Toy Story" på norsk ("Over the Hedge" and "Toy Story" in Norwegian) and followed that up with a call home and restarting on my college application process (UGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!).  >.<""

This evening, Kristian and Merete had two people over for a late supper and to watch a movie in the barn.  I haven't watched a movie there yet, but, I kid you not, it is as good as a movie theater!  We watched "Twister" (which I saw once before) and had candy and potato chips.  I can't wait to have a party in there!  They have a screen projector that comes down over a giant mirror and two giant comfy couches to sit in from of the screen and watch from. 

Tomorrow I am going with Harald Bugge, my third host father, and his two daughters on a boat trip!!!