The past few days I've eaten more pasta than any human
should ever have to consume. I’m going to blame Shelby for that one ;)
So Sunday was Shelby’s birthday, and so as my present to her
I threw her a party (which ended up functioning as a pre-pre-party, as I had a
pre-party at my dorm afterwards as well), made cake and pasta. Well, Shelby
mostly made the pasta. She helped a lot.
I’m not sure how many people ended up coming, but to give
you an idea, here is a picture of everyone packed into my bedroom:
Aaand to all you Harry Potter fans out there, you can tell I have some amazing culinary skills:
The party later that night was another great one, just like
all the parties here.
Anyway, so, aside from always talking to someone, always
going somewhere, and always doing something, the last two weeks have also been
spent getting used to my living arrangements and some other things about
Norway.
My bedroom looked like a prison cell when I got here. When I
first arrived, that was the only time I ever “freaked out” (kind of) about not
being home. BUT. It’s all decorated now, so I feel much more at home and I
don’t feel like an inmate anymore. (: There are not too many differences here
compared to the states, just a normal bedroom. It's what my mom would consider to be messy, so I feel the need to put a disclaimer: my room is a bit messy in these pictures, don't judge me.
The bathroom does have some differences. The toilet, rather
than a handle, has a button to push, and the shower is kind of just a corner of
the room designated to be a shower. It took a while to get used to, but the
floor is heated, so the water evaporates more quickly and you don’t feel like
you’ve flooded the room.
I also started going to classes last week! That’s been fun.
I’m enrolled in British Studies, Contemporary British Fiction, and Religion
from a Social Science Perspective. All are proving to be very interesting thus
far. Here in Norway, you generally have a two hour lecture and a 1-2 hour
seminar for each class. A lecture is just how it sounds—you sit and listen to
the professor talk about stuff for a bit. The seminar, though, is a lot more
interactive. There is more discussion and group-work in this part of the class.
On Monday I had my first day of training at Østsia, the
campus bar. (Yes, they have a campus bar here.) During my three hours there I
served a ton of coffee, tea, and soda, because I worked a morning shift. I
learned a little bit of Norwegian… someone taught me how to say “I don’t
understand,” but, ironically, I can’t remember how to say “understand,” just “I”
and “don’t”("not", technically—the literal translation would be “I understand
not.”) Jeg ikke, guys. Jeg ikke. But, hey, I know how to say beer, wine,
coffee, cola, thank you, Norway, no, and goodbye in Norwegian. So I’m pretty
much fluent at this point.
Today is Australian day! So, after coming home around 3 or
4am, I woke up around 8:30 and went to eat breakfast and listen to the top 100
songs of the year with some Aussie friends. Some people went from one party
(starting around 9pm) to the party for Australian day from 2am, and are still
going at it. Aussies have some stamina, apparently.
Norwegian culture observations: No one litters. No one spits
on sidewalks, and it really grosses them out if someone does (happy about this one.)
Baby strollers have snow tires (and people are less concerned about leaving
strollers places—ie at the front of the store while they grab something. Granted,
I only saw this once, but no one seemed concerned so I’m assuming it’s a
thing.) I keep seeing loose children around the town, and they often have sleds
with them, and there appears to always be a field trip happening somewhere.
Humorous side-note: I think I’m going to get hit by a
bicycle before I leave this country. Occasionally there will be someone ringing
their bike bell behind me, and I just keep walking, in my own little world, and
nearly get run over by a Norwegian on wheels. It’s a hazard.
Cheers!
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