Ok, maybe not, but at least it was the weekend I was there!
On September 22nd, Christoffer, Katja, Kersten (German) and I took a 12-hour trip to Bergen; we boarded our train in Oslo at 8 am, along with a few other BI students, and didn't get to Bergen until after 20:30 (8:30 pm). However, we weren't stuck on a train ALL day, around 13:00, we got off the train in Myrdal, and boarded the Flåmsbana (the Flåm Railway). This is a 20 km ride that takes an hour and goes through 20 tunnels, taking visitors from Mydral (866 m.o.h) to Flåm (2 m.o.h). Flåm is a tiny, little town of 450 inhabitants nestled in the innermost corner of the Auslandsfjord. In Flåm, we had about 45 minutes to grab something to eat before we boarded the boat for our cruise down the fjords. On board, they had fresh, warm pancakes and they smelled SO good that all four of us had one. They had strawberry syrup and sour cream as toppings. Future note: I will NOT have pancakes with sour cream again!
After a few stops along the Aurlandsfjord, we turned down the Nærøyfjord, the fjord I went down last year with my friends from home. This year the weather was GORGEOUS and not cold at all! In fact, the weather was SO nice, the boat actually pulled over to the side of the fjord and filled buckets with waterfall water and gave everyone a sample! It was so crazy! Here I was on a fjord cruise drinking waterfall water in the middle of September! It was great! Then on to Gudvagen, and my friends were able to see how much I was NOT exaggerating when I said all that’s in Gudvagen is a restaurant and a Viking statue! Then we boarded buses up the Stalhiemsklevia road to Voss. Last year we stopped at the Stalhiemsklevia Hotel and we took fantastic pictures, but this year we didn't stop. In Voss, we caught our last train of the day to Bergen. An hour later, we were walking the streets of Bergen, looking for our hostel.
We found the hostel fairly quickly and we walked towards the waterfront to find some dinner. Since I had been to Bergen one year and one week earlier, I was able to find the waterfront pretty easily and we picked Peppe's Pizza (at my encouragement) for dinner. Last year Keri insisted on eating at this *particular* pizza place, only later did we realize it was a chain all over Norway... in fact, there were 3 in Bergen alone! After yummy pizza dinner (California Dreamin'!), we wandered around for a bit then back to the hotel for bed.
Next day we wandered around Bergen and shopped. When we woke up in the morning it was foggy and we weren't sure about the weather, but it cleared up and turned out to be a pretty decent day. Then we had a late lunch and then went to the grocery store to buy some beer and cider for that evening...
This doesn't sound like it should be a story- but well, we had an incident... Turns out, six-packs of bottles of beer stacked on top of one another, about 8 or 9 high, are NOT as sturdy as you might think...and as Kersten, Christoffer and I were trying to figure out what the hours of alcohol sales were (turns out they stopped at 6 and not 8)...we suddenly hear this...shifting...and then a BIG, LOUD, messy, broken-beer bottle, crash...at least 100 bottles of beer came crashing down and shattered on the floor right next to where we were standing... We all just stood there completely shocked and couldn't move. I wanted to take a picture, but by that time the store's clerks had shown up with dirty looks so we thought the faster we got out of there the better! What a waste!
After the beer bottle fiasco, we went back to our rooms for some rest, but as soon as Katja and I got to our room, one quick look out the window killed that idea- there were two perfectly-toned guys standing in their underwear in the window of the apartment across the street from us...so we were captivated for a few minutes... Then the four of us all got ready and headed out for the evening. After walking around for over 30 minutes, we found a nightclub. It was about midnight and the place was dead - too early. Really? I am TOO old for Norway apparently! Soon the club got full and it was a lot of fun. Talked to a few Norwegian guys (afterall, my Norwegian class teacher told us to talk to a Norwegian for homework!) Plus, drinks were only 35,- kr...cheap compared to Oslo! We headed home around 2 am -ish...clubs are open until 5 am!!
Sunday morning we got up, headed to the train station to dump our bags in a locker and then caught a bus up to Ulriksbanen - which is a cable car ride up Ulriks Mountain. You can see ALL of Bergen up there and luckily Sunday was a gorgeous day and we could see for miles. We decided to take the round-trip cable car ride, instead of walking down...and on the way down I realized something disturbing... At the bottom of the mountain, right next to the cable car place is the hospital, and next to the hospital is a cemetery... and of course there are SO many jokes here- if you fall out of the cable car, you'll roll down the mountain to the hospital, then right on over to the cemetery...kinda funny...
Our train left Bergen at 3 pm, and seven short hours later, we were back in Oslo. Of course I made Christoffer and Kersten jump out of the train with me in Finse so I could get my "Finse 1222" picture! Thankfully, it was NOT snowing this year! Once back in Oslo, made it home and I worked on my website a bit...I had to start catching up cause I only had 4 short days before I was to leave for Copenhagen!
21.9.06
Celebrating Norwegian Equality!
This week was a TOUGH week...I had 2 presentations on Thursday morning... Which doesn't sound that hard, but since I have no idea what FDI (foreign direct investments) are, their importance on China, or anything about the textile feud between China and the EU; I knew it was going to be a long week- and that was just for one class: International Business: Context and Development.
In my other class- Global Politics, I had to give a presentation on the "persistence of American post-war order". Overwhelming to say the least! I need to say one thing about this - I know LESS about American politics than anyone else in this class! Seriously! Of course most of them are political science majors, but it’s depressing to think that I know SO little about the government in my own country! And the thing that is even sadder, compared to my American friends, I actually thought I knew something! Oh well...
It was a week of meetings; Monday I met with both my teams, Tuesday I met with both my teams, and Wednesday (after 6 hours of class), I met with both my teams. Each presentation consisted of reading a 50-page article and developing a 20-minute power point presentation. Again, being the only native English speaker in the bunch, I had A LOT of writing, formatting, and grammar checking to do!
But soon enough I was done and it was time for the weekend! All week I had been looking forward to going to bed early on Thursday night (since we were off to Bergen early Friday morning). But when one of my Norwegian friends, Stine, told me about the Autumnal Equinox celebration- I had to go! I had NEVER heard of *celebrating* this type of event!
But first, my friend Nina really wanted to go to a Norwegian cafe and order something - Norwegian class homework. Since Karin, Christoffer, Nina and I all were done with school by 14:00, we headed down to the Nobel Peace Center (Nina had read that they have very good cakes and desserts). We ordered our cakes and sat outside, although windy, it was very enjoyable. Then Karin had to go home, so Nina, Christoffer and I wandered around the city center. I REALLY wanted to have a scarf for our Bergen trip since I remembered it was so COLD last year when I went... After a few H&M stores, I found one I liked and we came home to get ready for our evening walk.
We made plans to meet at Christoffer's beforehand to do some pre-partying :-) The Norwegians call pre-partying "vor-spiel", which to my German friends means, and directly translates to English as, "fore-play"! We're all quite amused by this! So after some *light* cider and wine drinking, we bundled up and were off! At 20:00 (or 8:00 pm) the path along Akerselva (the river just below BI- the school), all the streetlights were turned off and several thousand *torches* (candles) were lit to light the way. Additionally there was several *cultural happenings along the way*- including music, dance, flame blowers, acrobats and much more... all to celebrate the date when the day is just as long as the night.
Although tiring, It was a fun walk... it was pretty far and there were many displays - choirs, accordion players, arrangements of candles along the river banks, a "ghost-man" something-or-another, picture slideshows on the side of a building, free hot chocolate, and all sorts of stuff to see along the walk. We got to the end right around the time the festivities were coming to an end (23:00) so we found a street-tram and called it a night...after all, I still had to pack for Bergen!
In my other class- Global Politics, I had to give a presentation on the "persistence of American post-war order". Overwhelming to say the least! I need to say one thing about this - I know LESS about American politics than anyone else in this class! Seriously! Of course most of them are political science majors, but it’s depressing to think that I know SO little about the government in my own country! And the thing that is even sadder, compared to my American friends, I actually thought I knew something! Oh well...
It was a week of meetings; Monday I met with both my teams, Tuesday I met with both my teams, and Wednesday (after 6 hours of class), I met with both my teams. Each presentation consisted of reading a 50-page article and developing a 20-minute power point presentation. Again, being the only native English speaker in the bunch, I had A LOT of writing, formatting, and grammar checking to do!
But soon enough I was done and it was time for the weekend! All week I had been looking forward to going to bed early on Thursday night (since we were off to Bergen early Friday morning). But when one of my Norwegian friends, Stine, told me about the Autumnal Equinox celebration- I had to go! I had NEVER heard of *celebrating* this type of event!
But first, my friend Nina really wanted to go to a Norwegian cafe and order something - Norwegian class homework. Since Karin, Christoffer, Nina and I all were done with school by 14:00, we headed down to the Nobel Peace Center (Nina had read that they have very good cakes and desserts). We ordered our cakes and sat outside, although windy, it was very enjoyable. Then Karin had to go home, so Nina, Christoffer and I wandered around the city center. I REALLY wanted to have a scarf for our Bergen trip since I remembered it was so COLD last year when I went... After a few H&M stores, I found one I liked and we came home to get ready for our evening walk.
We made plans to meet at Christoffer's beforehand to do some pre-partying :-) The Norwegians call pre-partying "vor-spiel", which to my German friends means, and directly translates to English as, "fore-play"! We're all quite amused by this! So after some *light* cider and wine drinking, we bundled up and were off! At 20:00 (or 8:00 pm) the path along Akerselva (the river just below BI- the school), all the streetlights were turned off and several thousand *torches* (candles) were lit to light the way. Additionally there was several *cultural happenings along the way*- including music, dance, flame blowers, acrobats and much more... all to celebrate the date when the day is just as long as the night.
Although tiring, It was a fun walk... it was pretty far and there were many displays - choirs, accordion players, arrangements of candles along the river banks, a "ghost-man" something-or-another, picture slideshows on the side of a building, free hot chocolate, and all sorts of stuff to see along the walk. We got to the end right around the time the festivities were coming to an end (23:00) so we found a street-tram and called it a night...after all, I still had to pack for Bergen!
18.9.06
The Norwegian Gym
I know, I know, I've been SO bad at keeping up with my blogging! The week after Geiranger turned out to be a BUSY week. I had a group paper due on Tuesday morning and being the only native English speaker in the bunch (and a writer to boot), somehow it was decided that I should write the paper! For the most part this was OK, and I spent Monday and all day Tuesday writing the paper that was due on Wednesday. Then on Wednesday night, I had to spend my free time printing all the readings I had due on Thursday. I was SO exhausted by Friday, and so looking forward to spending the weekend in Oslo.
I didn't do much of anything during the weekend. Worked on homework, tried to catch up on my sleep, and went to the gym as much as possible. Which, by the way, is a whole experience in and of itself! The school has a brand new gym on the second floor, which is visible for anyone in the main hall of the campus...which is kinda annoying to be jogging on a treadmill and look up and there's someone in an elevator- staring at you. Oh well..
So the gym - I LOVE IT - it is so much fun, I can't seem to get enough.
Yeah, I said it- I love the gym and I actually have fun going to it. So much fun within the first week of joining, I went 5 times; including an aerobics class, a step class and a spinning class. Let me tell ya, attending an exercise class in Norwegian is VERY challenging. Not only had it been YEARS since my last aerobics class, I had to spend most of the class watching what everyone else was doing, and by the time I figured out what I should have been doing, I was 2 steps behind everyone else. But I'm so preoccupied by trying to figure out what the Norwegian instructor is saying, the hour flies by! If nothing else, these classes are helping me learn my numbers!
If the classes aren't tricky enough, I've also been utilizing the main sections of the gym as well...which, as an American, is a bit overwhelming. First off, I REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW FAR A KILOMETER IS! I don't know how fast I'm walking/jogging, nor do I know how far I've gone. Additionally, the first day I started working out, the machine asked me how much I weighed...not a problem - oh wait, in kilograms ? I had no idea and I thought 100 sounded like a nice, easy, round number... a completely nice, easy, INCORRECT, round number, but I didn't realize that until I came home and typed it into my conversion widget...(I am NO way NEAR 100 kg!) Then the machine kept telling me how many kcals I was burning...what the heck is a kcal?? And of course there are stickers and labels and signs on the machines and walls in the gym, but they are all in Norwegian! Oh and the weight machines! Somehow it didn't occur to me the weights were in kgs, so when I sat down to do some hip abductions, I was thinking lbs, and couldn't figure out why I couldn't do very much weight... turns out I was doing 2.2 times what I thought I was doing!
It was VERY tricky to get used to at first, but soon I caught the hang of the gym and now I'm a fan! I found a scale and I'm happy to report that I have lost 5,4 kgs! For all my American friends, that's 12 lbs! Woo hoo! Every time I'm in Europe, I lose weight, but this is a LOT for me! It could be all the walking, the uncertainty of eating, or my typical pattern of semi-newly single-ness. Whatever the cause, I'm happy and motivated to continue frequenting the gym. Another aspect that I love? As much as I LOVE Europe, Norway and Oslo, every once in a while I like to escape the language barrier, and with my iPod, I can turn up the tunes and escape in a world of American music...a little piece of home :)
I didn't do much of anything during the weekend. Worked on homework, tried to catch up on my sleep, and went to the gym as much as possible. Which, by the way, is a whole experience in and of itself! The school has a brand new gym on the second floor, which is visible for anyone in the main hall of the campus...which is kinda annoying to be jogging on a treadmill and look up and there's someone in an elevator- staring at you. Oh well..
So the gym - I LOVE IT - it is so much fun, I can't seem to get enough.
Yeah, I said it- I love the gym and I actually have fun going to it. So much fun within the first week of joining, I went 5 times; including an aerobics class, a step class and a spinning class. Let me tell ya, attending an exercise class in Norwegian is VERY challenging. Not only had it been YEARS since my last aerobics class, I had to spend most of the class watching what everyone else was doing, and by the time I figured out what I should have been doing, I was 2 steps behind everyone else. But I'm so preoccupied by trying to figure out what the Norwegian instructor is saying, the hour flies by! If nothing else, these classes are helping me learn my numbers!
If the classes aren't tricky enough, I've also been utilizing the main sections of the gym as well...which, as an American, is a bit overwhelming. First off, I REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW FAR A KILOMETER IS! I don't know how fast I'm walking/jogging, nor do I know how far I've gone. Additionally, the first day I started working out, the machine asked me how much I weighed...not a problem - oh wait, in kilograms ? I had no idea and I thought 100 sounded like a nice, easy, round number... a completely nice, easy, INCORRECT, round number, but I didn't realize that until I came home and typed it into my conversion widget...(I am NO way NEAR 100 kg!) Then the machine kept telling me how many kcals I was burning...what the heck is a kcal?? And of course there are stickers and labels and signs on the machines and walls in the gym, but they are all in Norwegian! Oh and the weight machines! Somehow it didn't occur to me the weights were in kgs, so when I sat down to do some hip abductions, I was thinking lbs, and couldn't figure out why I couldn't do very much weight... turns out I was doing 2.2 times what I thought I was doing!
It was VERY tricky to get used to at first, but soon I caught the hang of the gym and now I'm a fan! I found a scale and I'm happy to report that I have lost 5,4 kgs! For all my American friends, that's 12 lbs! Woo hoo! Every time I'm in Europe, I lose weight, but this is a LOT for me! It could be all the walking, the uncertainty of eating, or my typical pattern of semi-newly single-ness. Whatever the cause, I'm happy and motivated to continue frequenting the gym. Another aspect that I love? As much as I LOVE Europe, Norway and Oslo, every once in a while I like to escape the language barrier, and with my iPod, I can turn up the tunes and escape in a world of American music...a little piece of home :)
11.9.06
Have you ever been on a road trip with 5 Europeans?
...trust me - its quite an interesting experience....
The weekend started early Friday morning when Katja and I met up with Christoffer, Ulrike at BI and were soon met by Karin and Nina who had gone and picked up our rental car. We loaded up the car and set off for Western Norway. The loading itself was an interesting operation - 6 people in a 7 passengar car - apparenlty 7 very short and skinny passengers, but luckily we had a ski compartment on the luggage rack and we were able to put all our bags and stuff up there. Nina was first to drive and Christoffer navigated...and 45 minutes later, we had successfully left Oslo, and had returned again...but we were able to figure out where we went wrong and then we set off again. Once we got out of the Oslo area, we really got to see "true" Norwegian countryside - mountains, wild animals, snow, and just wide-open space.
We pulled off the road for lunch, which we had packed and brought from Oslo. THIS was the first ADVENTURE of the trip! First off, there are 6 of us, 2 loaves of bread, a block of cheese, orange juice, and COLD hot dogs (I don't care if they Europeans call them sausages- they were HOT DOGs!)
After lunch we drove and drove and drove until we got to Geiranger, which is in a valley accessible only by very steep and windy roads, and found our cabin *pretty* easily (just right down the hill!). While we were getting settled, Christoffer and I roamed around the cabin (hytter) area and took some pictures but it started raining so we went back in and helped with dinner. After dinner (spaghetti- nothing too out of the ordinary for me!) we sat around talking, drinking boxed wine and eating ice cream.
Early Saturday morning we decided a *hike* would be a good idea. Let me just say something about this- Europeans and I have a DIFFERENT idea on what a *hike* is! First off, I REALLY need to figure out exactly how far a kilometer is! "Oh, it's just a few kilometers..." And it was cold, and it was rainy, it was steep, and we were using spray painted rocks as our guide posts! Many times during the hike the only thought that crossed my mind was that I'd better see a damn cool waterfall at the end of this! And, well, I didn't! And when we got to the end, I was SO convinced that I should be at the foot of a beautiful waterfall that I left the group and walked into the woods to find something! I did find a small little, peaceful waterfall, and thought this would be a good spot for Dad :) Then it was time to walk back to the cabin, this time the hike felt shorter and less dangerous- no one tripped and fell that I know of going back.
After checking out of the cabin we went down into the center of the town - to the 4 touristy shops. Katja and Christoffer found a coffee shop and we all migrated towards it. After everyone enjoyed their hot beverages (Nina and Karin found hot - actually semi-warm- chocolate), we piled into the car and drove up the twisty road to an overlook of the fjord for some pictures. But this apparently wasn't the focal point Karin had read about so we decided to go even further up the road, but being with Europeans, we walked! (Forcing me to rename the "Oslo Diet" to the "Norway Diet"!) The view was worth the uphill climb and I took MANY pictures!
Next we drove back into Geiranger and caught our ferry/fjord cruise. We saw many beautiful waterfalls (including the one we DIDN'T see that morning!), cliffs and old farms. Then it got too cold and too windy to sit out of top (when the chairs started flying we took it as a hint to move inside). We sat inside next to the heaters only to warm up a little then it was time to pile back into the car and drive again. Soon we found ourselves waiting for yet another ferry, this time only a 15 minute ride, and then we came to then driving again, and waiting for TWO more ferries!
In between the driving and the waiting for ferries, we did come across Trollstigen; one of the most visited attractions in Norway - also known as a "very steep and windy road". The mountains which encircle the Trollstigen road are enormous. The Stigfossen waterfall gushes down the mountainside towards the luscious Isterdalen valley. In the middle of all this, Trollstigen road winds it's way up the mountainside... We hopped out of the car to take pictures and to switch drivers...a 10% grade road with hairpin turns? Sounds like a job for our resident Swiss driver!
Several hours later, we finally made it to Krisitansund. Found our hotel *fairly* easily, had some dinner and then it was bed time for us all. After our complimentary breakfast, we wandered around the city for a bit, but on a Sunday, during the off season, it was boring and dead. So we piled back into the car and started yet another long day of driving...
We drove along the scenic roads on our way to Geiranger and decided to take the *highway* back to Oslo. Problem is- even the highway had a speed limit of 90 km (56 mph)- so it was VERY slow! Felt bad for Nina and Uli due to them being Germans and accustomed to autobahn driving!
We stopped for a few minutes in Lillehammer just to stretch our legs and see the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. Then it was back in the car for the remainder of the journey to Oslo. We arrived back at the Europcar place around 10ish and after orientating ourselves we found the subway and went home.
It was a LONG, fun, exciting, enjoyable, funny, adventurous, tiring, educational journey across Norway. Made all the better by the wonderful group of friends I had with me!
Be sure to check out my photo gallery for pictures from the trip!
The weekend started early Friday morning when Katja and I met up with Christoffer, Ulrike at BI and were soon met by Karin and Nina who had gone and picked up our rental car. We loaded up the car and set off for Western Norway. The loading itself was an interesting operation - 6 people in a 7 passengar car - apparenlty 7 very short and skinny passengers, but luckily we had a ski compartment on the luggage rack and we were able to put all our bags and stuff up there. Nina was first to drive and Christoffer navigated...and 45 minutes later, we had successfully left Oslo, and had returned again...but we were able to figure out where we went wrong and then we set off again. Once we got out of the Oslo area, we really got to see "true" Norwegian countryside - mountains, wild animals, snow, and just wide-open space.
We pulled off the road for lunch, which we had packed and brought from Oslo. THIS was the first ADVENTURE of the trip! First off, there are 6 of us, 2 loaves of bread, a block of cheese, orange juice, and COLD hot dogs (I don't care if they Europeans call them sausages- they were HOT DOGs!)
After lunch we drove and drove and drove until we got to Geiranger, which is in a valley accessible only by very steep and windy roads, and found our cabin *pretty* easily (just right down the hill!). While we were getting settled, Christoffer and I roamed around the cabin (hytter) area and took some pictures but it started raining so we went back in and helped with dinner. After dinner (spaghetti- nothing too out of the ordinary for me!) we sat around talking, drinking boxed wine and eating ice cream.
Early Saturday morning we decided a *hike* would be a good idea. Let me just say something about this- Europeans and I have a DIFFERENT idea on what a *hike* is! First off, I REALLY need to figure out exactly how far a kilometer is! "Oh, it's just a few kilometers..." And it was cold, and it was rainy, it was steep, and we were using spray painted rocks as our guide posts! Many times during the hike the only thought that crossed my mind was that I'd better see a damn cool waterfall at the end of this! And, well, I didn't! And when we got to the end, I was SO convinced that I should be at the foot of a beautiful waterfall that I left the group and walked into the woods to find something! I did find a small little, peaceful waterfall, and thought this would be a good spot for Dad :) Then it was time to walk back to the cabin, this time the hike felt shorter and less dangerous- no one tripped and fell that I know of going back.
After checking out of the cabin we went down into the center of the town - to the 4 touristy shops. Katja and Christoffer found a coffee shop and we all migrated towards it. After everyone enjoyed their hot beverages (Nina and Karin found hot - actually semi-warm- chocolate), we piled into the car and drove up the twisty road to an overlook of the fjord for some pictures. But this apparently wasn't the focal point Karin had read about so we decided to go even further up the road, but being with Europeans, we walked! (Forcing me to rename the "Oslo Diet" to the "Norway Diet"!) The view was worth the uphill climb and I took MANY pictures!
Next we drove back into Geiranger and caught our ferry/fjord cruise. We saw many beautiful waterfalls (including the one we DIDN'T see that morning!), cliffs and old farms. Then it got too cold and too windy to sit out of top (when the chairs started flying we took it as a hint to move inside). We sat inside next to the heaters only to warm up a little then it was time to pile back into the car and drive again. Soon we found ourselves waiting for yet another ferry, this time only a 15 minute ride, and then we came to then driving again, and waiting for TWO more ferries!
In between the driving and the waiting for ferries, we did come across Trollstigen; one of the most visited attractions in Norway - also known as a "very steep and windy road". The mountains which encircle the Trollstigen road are enormous. The Stigfossen waterfall gushes down the mountainside towards the luscious Isterdalen valley. In the middle of all this, Trollstigen road winds it's way up the mountainside... We hopped out of the car to take pictures and to switch drivers...a 10% grade road with hairpin turns? Sounds like a job for our resident Swiss driver!
Several hours later, we finally made it to Krisitansund. Found our hotel *fairly* easily, had some dinner and then it was bed time for us all. After our complimentary breakfast, we wandered around the city for a bit, but on a Sunday, during the off season, it was boring and dead. So we piled back into the car and started yet another long day of driving...
We drove along the scenic roads on our way to Geiranger and decided to take the *highway* back to Oslo. Problem is- even the highway had a speed limit of 90 km (56 mph)- so it was VERY slow! Felt bad for Nina and Uli due to them being Germans and accustomed to autobahn driving!
We stopped for a few minutes in Lillehammer just to stretch our legs and see the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. Then it was back in the car for the remainder of the journey to Oslo. We arrived back at the Europcar place around 10ish and after orientating ourselves we found the subway and went home.
It was a LONG, fun, exciting, enjoyable, funny, adventurous, tiring, educational journey across Norway. Made all the better by the wonderful group of friends I had with me!
Be sure to check out my photo gallery for pictures from the trip!
10.9.06
Exactly HOW MANY classes did I sign up for?
I barely made it back from Gøteborg in time for my Norwegian class. Since I'll be living in Oslo for the next few months and I would like to avoid situations where I'm not sure what I'm eating or where I'm going, I thought it would be helpful to take a Norwegian Language course. After my first class on Monday, I did not think it was "helpful". First off, in a class of 40 people, 38 are from Germanic speaking countries, one guy from the UK, and me. Its going to be a challenge for me - luckily I have some experience with German, but nothing in comparison...
Bright and early Tuesday morning I had Corporate Responsibility. I like Tuesdays, I'm done with school by 11 am so I have the whole rest of the day free to do whatever I want. Since Tuesday was a beautiful day I decided on a walk and Christoffer needed to train for his running so we decided to exercise together. Since he runs and I just walk, I told him to go ahead and we'd meet at the "lake". His definition of a lake and mine are completely different...and we had some differences in how far away the lake was - he was thinking km, I was thinking miles. So needless to say when I got to the "lake" I didn't think I had gone far enough so I kept walking, and got lost, so I had to keep walking. About an hour later I finally found Christoffer - looking for me! Oh well- it was nice outside and the walk was good :) After the walk, I met with my friends to finalize our weekend plans for Geiranger.
Wednesday, I woke up SORE - too much walking on Tuesday! I didn't have to get up too early, class stated at 11 am; The International Firm. The teacher was pretty funny- she actually quoted Friends! This is my kind of class! Then I went shopping with Katja downtown so she could buy a jacket for our trip, then back to school for my second Norwegian class. This one was much better- I wouldn't say "good" but better.
On Thursday I had classes ALL day! Started off early at 8 am: International Business Context and Development. Our teacher was a little off, and again I'm the lone American, but I met a girl from Vancouver :). Immediately following, I had Global Politics at 11 am. This is NOT the class to have and be the lone American! It was actually a pretty decent class- the teacher is British and has so much passion and energy about global political history. I think it'll be a lot of work, but I definitely will learn something! I was supposed to go to Corporate Responsibility in the evening, but I skipped and headed downtown with Karin to see Joseph Nye - an American professor at Harvard, founder of Neoliberalism, who happened to be giving a free speech in Oslo that evening. I guess it was kinda interesting (although I DID fall asleep), but for being a Kerry supporter in 2004, I didn't get that he was a Democrat at all! Karin seemed to enjoy it and even asked a question. I felt he was just too complimentary to current government stances on several hot-button topics. Anyway :) I had to get home to pack for our weekend trip!
I'm looking forward to the weekend, but a little nervous about going on an 8-hour drive with 5 Europeans...Should be a fun and crazy weekend!
Bright and early Tuesday morning I had Corporate Responsibility. I like Tuesdays, I'm done with school by 11 am so I have the whole rest of the day free to do whatever I want. Since Tuesday was a beautiful day I decided on a walk and Christoffer needed to train for his running so we decided to exercise together. Since he runs and I just walk, I told him to go ahead and we'd meet at the "lake". His definition of a lake and mine are completely different...and we had some differences in how far away the lake was - he was thinking km, I was thinking miles. So needless to say when I got to the "lake" I didn't think I had gone far enough so I kept walking, and got lost, so I had to keep walking. About an hour later I finally found Christoffer - looking for me! Oh well- it was nice outside and the walk was good :) After the walk, I met with my friends to finalize our weekend plans for Geiranger.
Wednesday, I woke up SORE - too much walking on Tuesday! I didn't have to get up too early, class stated at 11 am; The International Firm. The teacher was pretty funny- she actually quoted Friends! This is my kind of class! Then I went shopping with Katja downtown so she could buy a jacket for our trip, then back to school for my second Norwegian class. This one was much better- I wouldn't say "good" but better.
On Thursday I had classes ALL day! Started off early at 8 am: International Business Context and Development. Our teacher was a little off, and again I'm the lone American, but I met a girl from Vancouver :). Immediately following, I had Global Politics at 11 am. This is NOT the class to have and be the lone American! It was actually a pretty decent class- the teacher is British and has so much passion and energy about global political history. I think it'll be a lot of work, but I definitely will learn something! I was supposed to go to Corporate Responsibility in the evening, but I skipped and headed downtown with Karin to see Joseph Nye - an American professor at Harvard, founder of Neoliberalism, who happened to be giving a free speech in Oslo that evening. I guess it was kinda interesting (although I DID fall asleep), but for being a Kerry supporter in 2004, I didn't get that he was a Democrat at all! Karin seemed to enjoy it and even asked a question. I felt he was just too complimentary to current government stances on several hot-button topics. Anyway :) I had to get home to pack for our weekend trip!
I'm looking forward to the weekend, but a little nervous about going on an 8-hour drive with 5 Europeans...Should be a fun and crazy weekend!
4.9.06
FINALLY bought myself a Swedish magnet!
As many of you know, I collect magnets - from which every country, state, and even sometimes, city I visit. For some reason, which still escapes me today, I forgot to buy one last year when I was in Stockholm, Sweden. I've been on a mission to return to Sweden since, to buy myself a magnet if for nothing else, and this weekend, I FINALLY got back and promptly purchased several magnets (for myself as well as other magnet collecting friends)! Had a FABULOUS time for such an impromptu trip!
The weekend didn't start off so great, by Thursday night I still didn't know what to do with myself for the weekend. I was thinking about taking the train to Trondheim, but I wouldn't have had enough time to trek out to Fosnes, so I started brainstorming again. I went to bed Thursday night frustrated because I couldn't figure out where to go. On Friday, a friend (Katja- from Finland) called to see if I wanted to go for a picnic in Frogner Park; of course! So we took the t-bane to Majorstuen to meet two other friends (Christoffer - Finland, Karin- Switzerland). On our walk to the park, Katja asked me if I'd figured out what I wanted to do yet, and randomly I blurted out- Gøteburg (Gothenberg), Sweden. Asking if anyone wanted to join me- Christoffer said yes and after our quick picnic lunch, we headed to the train station to check out ticket prices. Because we're students (thank you student id card!) we got a great deal and Christoffer and I were set to go to Sweden when Katja and Karin showed up at the train station, and we were able to convince Katja to come along too.
The three of us left early Saturday morning, and the train took 4 hours. Not a bad ride- Scandinavia is VERY scenic and picturesque. Best part of the train ride? I learned that Finland has a 50+% Swedish speaking population- and both my travel companions are FLUENT - Katja's second language, Christoffer's native language. HORRAY! Unfortunately when we got there, it was raining, but with two Swedish speakers by my side, we found our hostel and the System Bolaget (liquor store) (which was strange cause it was in the MALL!). We purchased some wine and cider and then went for a walk down Kungsportsavenyn (the main avenue), and found the Hard Rock Cafe (for a t-shirt for Nicole) and while I was off buying the shirt, Katja and Christoffer decided this was someplace they wanted to eat. After lunch (which was a really early dinner) we wandered around town and did some shopping. Soon it was dark so we went back to the hostel to get ready to go out for the night. We made it back downtown and as soon as we stepped off the tram, the rain REALLY started to come down. We ran to an overhang (where about 10 other people were) and attempted to figure out where to go next - being the "bold-American" I asked the group of guys under the overhang with us where to go. The bar we ended up at was straight out the 80', but I don't think it was a theme, it just happened by accident. Oh well- we had a blast- hung out with some native Gotheburg-ers(?) and had a great time! Sunday morning Katja and I left a hung-over Christoffer at the hostel, and we went shopping. One of the points I used to convince Katja to come with us was how cheap Sweden is in comparison to Oslo- she'd save money by shopping in Sweden! After a long day in the malls, we returned back to the hostel and met up with Christoffer and went out for dinner and then to a coffee shop and spent the whole evening talking and I learned all sorts of interesting facts about Finland (Finland has a woman president, something about Easter witches, and the true home of Santa Claus; Lapland Finland).
Monday morning we started out early since I had a train to catch at noon - Christoffer and Katja were taking a train at 17, but I had to be back in Oslo by 18 for my first Norwegian Language course. One last stop at a "cheaper" H&M and then back to System Bolaget to grab some supplies for next weekend's fjord trip. :-) It was a fabulous trip with wonderful travel companions - we didn't really see much in Gothenburg- for being Sweden's second largest city, there wasn't much there touristy to see.
Tomorrow its back to school for me. This week I have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. LONG week for me, but we're planning on leaving early Friday. Hopefully the week passes quickly and I can get back to traveling! I'll post pictures (link from my website: wheresjill.com) from our trip this last weekend- I'll see if I can get Katja and Christoffer's pictures too!
The weekend didn't start off so great, by Thursday night I still didn't know what to do with myself for the weekend. I was thinking about taking the train to Trondheim, but I wouldn't have had enough time to trek out to Fosnes, so I started brainstorming again. I went to bed Thursday night frustrated because I couldn't figure out where to go. On Friday, a friend (Katja- from Finland) called to see if I wanted to go for a picnic in Frogner Park; of course! So we took the t-bane to Majorstuen to meet two other friends (Christoffer - Finland, Karin- Switzerland). On our walk to the park, Katja asked me if I'd figured out what I wanted to do yet, and randomly I blurted out- Gøteburg (Gothenberg), Sweden. Asking if anyone wanted to join me- Christoffer said yes and after our quick picnic lunch, we headed to the train station to check out ticket prices. Because we're students (thank you student id card!) we got a great deal and Christoffer and I were set to go to Sweden when Katja and Karin showed up at the train station, and we were able to convince Katja to come along too.
The three of us left early Saturday morning, and the train took 4 hours. Not a bad ride- Scandinavia is VERY scenic and picturesque. Best part of the train ride? I learned that Finland has a 50+% Swedish speaking population- and both my travel companions are FLUENT - Katja's second language, Christoffer's native language. HORRAY! Unfortunately when we got there, it was raining, but with two Swedish speakers by my side, we found our hostel and the System Bolaget (liquor store) (which was strange cause it was in the MALL!). We purchased some wine and cider and then went for a walk down Kungsportsavenyn (the main avenue), and found the Hard Rock Cafe (for a t-shirt for Nicole) and while I was off buying the shirt, Katja and Christoffer decided this was someplace they wanted to eat. After lunch (which was a really early dinner) we wandered around town and did some shopping. Soon it was dark so we went back to the hostel to get ready to go out for the night. We made it back downtown and as soon as we stepped off the tram, the rain REALLY started to come down. We ran to an overhang (where about 10 other people were) and attempted to figure out where to go next - being the "bold-American" I asked the group of guys under the overhang with us where to go. The bar we ended up at was straight out the 80', but I don't think it was a theme, it just happened by accident. Oh well- we had a blast- hung out with some native Gotheburg-ers(?) and had a great time! Sunday morning Katja and I left a hung-over Christoffer at the hostel, and we went shopping. One of the points I used to convince Katja to come with us was how cheap Sweden is in comparison to Oslo- she'd save money by shopping in Sweden! After a long day in the malls, we returned back to the hostel and met up with Christoffer and went out for dinner and then to a coffee shop and spent the whole evening talking and I learned all sorts of interesting facts about Finland (Finland has a woman president, something about Easter witches, and the true home of Santa Claus; Lapland Finland).
Monday morning we started out early since I had a train to catch at noon - Christoffer and Katja were taking a train at 17, but I had to be back in Oslo by 18 for my first Norwegian Language course. One last stop at a "cheaper" H&M and then back to System Bolaget to grab some supplies for next weekend's fjord trip. :-) It was a fabulous trip with wonderful travel companions - we didn't really see much in Gothenburg- for being Sweden's second largest city, there wasn't much there touristy to see.
Tomorrow its back to school for me. This week I have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. LONG week for me, but we're planning on leaving early Friday. Hopefully the week passes quickly and I can get back to traveling! I'll post pictures (link from my website: wheresjill.com) from our trip this last weekend- I'll see if I can get Katja and Christoffer's pictures too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
