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
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