"B****, I can stand 5 degrees, NAKED, because of Norway."

Is it possible that I'm more in love with Norway than I was two weeks ago? Because I think I'm more in love with Norway than I was two weeks ago.

I think the best decision I ever made while studying abroad was deciding to work at Østsia, the campus bar here in Kristiansand. I just volunteer there, so I don't get paid (though I do get free coffee, tea, and discounted concerts), but the experience has been well worth it. I'm actually learning a bit of Norwegian--I can't hold a conversation or anything, don't get too excited--but I tell everyone that I speak "bar," in that I understand what people are ordering, even when they don't speak to me in English. I really enjoy talking to everyone that comes in and, overall, just hanging out there. It feels like a coffee shop more than a bar, especially during the day, so it's a great place to just chill and study (or, more likely, try and study but end up getting distracted because there is someone there that you know and you can't just NOT go talk to them).

Other than the fact that I don't get paid, working at Østsia is just like a regular job--I have to work a certain number of shifts a month, clean, take orders, count money, etc. Generally, shifts are around 3 or 4 hours long, so it never feels like I'm overworked. The best time to work, in my opinion, is during what is called "Quiz Night." On Thursdays at 9pm, a bunch of people come with friends and Østsia hosts a sort of quiz bowl. Each team gets a piece of paper with questions, and answers as many as they can in the amount of time allowed for each round (no phones allowed), and the team that answers the most questions correctly gets a free drink ticket that they can redeem at the bar. It's the best night to work because you always have something to do, plus it is easy to participate in the quiz as well. (: I've done it before, though I wasn't much help--they had to translate the questions for me because they were all in Norwegian.

Another great decision I made: taking the ferry to Denmark this past Tuesday. Things are so expensive in Norway that it is actually smarter and more cost effective to pay the 50ish kroner(less than $10) to spend 6-7 hours on a boat so you can buy alcohol (and chocolate, and maybe some food that actually provides sustenance) from the duty free shop. The ride seemed long at first, but talking to some friends and playing cards helped the time pass by more quickly. Plus, I was able to save a bunch of money AND see Denmark (in the dark... for like 20 minutes--but no worries, I'll be going again during the daytime so that pictures can be taken).

In other news, I've joined Unikum, the school newspaper. Like everything here, the meeting was really informal and relaxed. I met a few more people, and will be eventually writing some columns for the next few months. Another cultural difference note: In addition to being informal, organizations in Norway are generally pretty liberal as far as cursing and controversial topics go. For example, the cover of the last issue featured a drawing of Putin holding a burning rainbow flag. I don't think a student newspaper could get away with that in the US, though that's coming from a Nebraska kid. Hopefully there will be a link to some of my writing soon to come.

To make up for the fact that I haven't been blogging as regularly as I'd like, here are some bonus pictures of my walk to campus, some graffiti, my favorite Norwegian candy bar, and a "what does the fox say?" book :

My dorm

"Really though, what's up with Americans and those red party cups?"

This week I had my first outside-Kristiansand adventure!

On Wednesday morning, Shelby and I took a five hour bus ride into Oslo, the capital city of Norway. Oslo is also the largest city , which I find to be funny considering it is only a little bit larger than Omaha(around 600,000 people). The difference between where I live/study and the capital is largely that there is more people, more cars, and more streets to navigate, but I like Kristiansand much better. I found myself “homesick” for my dorm when we first got off of the bus in the Oslo station. There are a few more things to do in Oslo, though, and a lot of really cool street art. Plus the king and queen live there..and outside the palace they have those really cool guards that weat puffy hats and can’t laugh. So there’s that.

The most important thing about my trip to Oslo, however, was the Twenty One Pilots concert at John Dee concert hall and visiting my friend Maddie. I had been looking forward to both things ever since I knew I was going to be in Norway, and could barely contain my excitement all day.

Maddie was an exchange student at my high school, and learning about her country during our time in classes we shared together is one of the reasons I’m studying abroad here. I was able to get into Oslo early enough in the day to spend the afternoon walking around, shopping, and seeing the sites with her, followed by a nice (decently priced…. for Norway) dinner.

As far as the concert goes, Shelby and I arrived early enough to get a spot in the very front near the right side—I was close enough to reach out and touch the edge:

I had seen Twenty One Pilots in Omaha, and I couldn’t decide which show was better. I had a great time even despite the fact that a drunk woman spilled her beer on me and we didn’t get a chance to get a setlist because it was electronic.

After the concert was my first hostel experience! Shelby and I shared a room with an Australian girl around our age and another woman. There were about 5 other beds in the “dorm,” but I guess they didn’t have enough people to fill them that night. Fine by me (:

We arrived home on Thursday and spent the day resting.

Friday I worked a concert at Østsia with a  few friends form K4G. I love volunteering there—I spent some time playing guitar(mostly listening to people play guitar), eating free food, enjoying a free soda, listening to good music, and just, overall, relaxing.

When we left together, something astonishing happened: WE COULD SEE THE STARS.

You Americans don’t even understand. I have not seen the sky since the Friday of my first week here(it is ALWAYS cloudy—looking up and actually seeing stars and the moon has literally never felt so good in my life. We were so excited that we even took a picture:

So far, Norway has taught me what I actually care about. I’ve learned that I can sleep without sheets, survive without a microwave, and not die a terrible, dramatic death when out of a wifi zone. It doesn’t bother me anymore that I don’t have a dishwasher or that my apartment is smaller than the one back home.

When I go back to the US, I am going to immediately go outside and just sit in the sun. And when I get sun burnt I’m going to love it. Dry socks are going to feel like the most amazing thing in the world. And, hell, I am going to be a PRO at buying cheap groceries.

But, naturally, the prices and the weather are the only things I can find about Norway that I dislike.

Cultural observations:

People DO NOT talk on the bus. Even if they clearly know each other. There were a few times on the drive down and back that Shelby and I were chatting (and laughing), and everyone else just… sat.

There are a surprising number of Europeans that are super self-conscious about their English skills. This astonishes me—every time one of them looks frustrated and/or puts themselves down, I want to remind them that I ONLY know English, while most of the European international students are at least bilingual. I’m the pathetic one, dudes, cut yourself some slack. Want to hear me try and pronounce Norwegian words? That will certainly make you feel better.

Tornadoes are not a thing here, or any place in Europe, really. When I talked about how Nebraskans go outside and watch the sky during spring and summer storms, I got a look of pure terror. Why wouldn’t we go in the basement? Isn’t that dangerous? But people DIE in tornadoes! I did not help my case by trying to explain that, “but, the sky is all green and the clouds look cool.”

Nebraska peeps, you get me.

Hoping to update again soon; there may be a flashback to my very first (and very interesting) laundry adventure coming your way.

Until then, peace out, ya'll, until next time, TTFN, see ya later alligators, etc. etc.