Iceland was great, really fantastic, I lived hard and had six incredible days clambering over glaciers, hiking over lava fields that reminded me more of the moon than of the earth, watching seabirds swoop in and out of their cliffside homes, soaking in remote hot springs and standing awe-struck at the power of four enormous, thundering waterfalls. I ate whale sushi, sheep's head, and rotten shark, strolled down the city street's of Reykjavik and the line between Europe and America at Thingvellir. Liisa and I put some serious kilometers behind us as we drove our 'too pretty for Iceland' little red rental car from Reykjavik to Hofn, Hofn to Arnarstapi, and back again to Reykjavik.
But the trip didn't seem real until my flight landed in Keflavik, and it faded back out of reality somewhere over the Atlantic.
Suddenly, I was back home.
Loud, smiling, friendly, lovely Americans everywhere.
I could understand everything - it felt invasive.
I was suddenly eating every meal out - the extravagance was almost too much.
The heat is cutting me a break this weekend, it's only in the low 80's, but still it's weird to leave the house with a t-shirt without scarves and jackets tucked into my bag.
Arrival Friday.
Saturday was clean up day, cutting the extra hair off the mountain girl, scrubbing the dirt and callouses off her feet, painting her toenails pretty pretty red, and shopping for clothes that haven't been dragged through heaven and hell and everything in between. The shopping mall - my god. Talk about culture shock.
Sunday I went with Nash, Aunt Rhonda, and Uncle Chris to the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Boats and barbecue and scenery bursting with Americana. Skyscrapers, flags, airshow, military displays, corn on the cob.
More culture shock - moving from impoverished student accomodation to a cushy, luxurious set up at my relatives. The towels and carpets are white and soft. The room is big, dark, quiet. I have my own bathroom and the shower is lovely. The pantry and fridge are full to overflowing. We drive in nice cars from one garage to the other and hardly notice that it's raining.
June 18, 2012
June 03, 2012
The end in sight
You can't actually spend two solid weeks saying farewell. As the very last days arrive, it's actually getting a bit easier.
Reluctantly I accepted one last couchsurfer. He was in a tight spot, so I helped him out. We joined Ffinlo and Jens for an acapella concert at Kvarteret, then drinks at KAOS. Next morning, I toured Bryggen one last time and finally made it to the Bryggen museum.
Then I met Lukas and Monika for Vidden. Monika came as far as Ulriken with us, then ran down to cook with friends. As promised, the hike took 8 hours. It was pretty cold up there and sometimes sun, sometimes threatening clouds. But we didn't get wet, and there were a thousand shades of green looking down towards the lake, and new perspectives on all the old familiar places, and at the end we managed to get lost at a place we should have known well by now! And there was a lovely sunset shining through all the cotton-puffy plants whose names I never learned, and we found an old burned down cabin and the ruins of a huge ski slope under the full moon, and walked back along Svartediket.
Slept in late today after all of that! Then we had a Dugnad cleaning of the kitchen with all the suitemates, and got a picture of everyone together! And then I ran downtown to Friday's to see Monica and some of her friends one last time. How funny to eat at Friday's, everything was super American except the Bergen scenery out of the window, the people from this semester, and of course the Norwegian prices! Gave Monica back the movie she lent me, as well as a Florida magnet and postcard and an American flag. We walked back together along the harbour and said goodbye... :)
Now tomorrow morning I leave early for one last trip. Destination: Stavanger. The primary reason I'm going, at least why I'm going now, is to see an old friend from my first trip to Norway! :) But I'll also enjoy seeing the city, might meet up with the couchsurfer again actually, and am planning to do Preikestolen on Tuesday.
Then it's back in town for one last day, I'll meet the cleaning department, do the last bit of packing, some last shopping, give friends photos, and have a nice party on the balcony here at Alrek!
And then, the next day, I have an early afternoon flight, to....
Well, home eventually, but first... one last exciting European destination! ICELAND! A few days stolen from the responsibilities on both ends, and time with one of my best friends. :D
Reluctantly I accepted one last couchsurfer. He was in a tight spot, so I helped him out. We joined Ffinlo and Jens for an acapella concert at Kvarteret, then drinks at KAOS. Next morning, I toured Bryggen one last time and finally made it to the Bryggen museum.
Then I met Lukas and Monika for Vidden. Monika came as far as Ulriken with us, then ran down to cook with friends. As promised, the hike took 8 hours. It was pretty cold up there and sometimes sun, sometimes threatening clouds. But we didn't get wet, and there were a thousand shades of green looking down towards the lake, and new perspectives on all the old familiar places, and at the end we managed to get lost at a place we should have known well by now! And there was a lovely sunset shining through all the cotton-puffy plants whose names I never learned, and we found an old burned down cabin and the ruins of a huge ski slope under the full moon, and walked back along Svartediket.
Slept in late today after all of that! Then we had a Dugnad cleaning of the kitchen with all the suitemates, and got a picture of everyone together! And then I ran downtown to Friday's to see Monica and some of her friends one last time. How funny to eat at Friday's, everything was super American except the Bergen scenery out of the window, the people from this semester, and of course the Norwegian prices! Gave Monica back the movie she lent me, as well as a Florida magnet and postcard and an American flag. We walked back together along the harbour and said goodbye... :)
Now tomorrow morning I leave early for one last trip. Destination: Stavanger. The primary reason I'm going, at least why I'm going now, is to see an old friend from my first trip to Norway! :) But I'll also enjoy seeing the city, might meet up with the couchsurfer again actually, and am planning to do Preikestolen on Tuesday.
Then it's back in town for one last day, I'll meet the cleaning department, do the last bit of packing, some last shopping, give friends photos, and have a nice party on the balcony here at Alrek!
And then, the next day, I have an early afternoon flight, to....
Well, home eventually, but first... one last exciting European destination! ICELAND! A few days stolen from the responsibilities on both ends, and time with one of my best friends. :D
June 01, 2012
The Wild Woman of the Mountains
I'm tempted to pack an empty bottle, my waterproof everything and my sleeping bag into my backpack, go up into the mountains and not come down again.
Sleep when it's dark (those rare three hours).
Walk when it's not.
Enjoy the sun and blue skies and the views over the sea and the islands.
I'll get dark from dirt and sun, and grow a wild beard.
They'll never catch me alive, they'll never make me leave.
:)
It's tempting...
Sleep when it's dark (those rare three hours).
Walk when it's not.
Enjoy the sun and blue skies and the views over the sea and the islands.
I'll get dark from dirt and sun, and grow a wild beard.
They'll never catch me alive, they'll never make me leave.
:)
It's tempting...
Summer in Bergen
It's been incredible, incredible weather lately. Especially for Bergen. Pretty much two weeks straight with no rain.
No rain, hardly any clouds, and only three hours of darkness a night.
This is becoming a problem.
I'm trying to see everyone again, check those final things off my list, use every minute...
And there are too many minutes.
And I have to force myself to stay home and pack, sleep, rest, do anything except wander around outside until I collapse of exhaustion.
I feel like a moth, drawn to the sun like a flame. Weak as it is here I feel the slight redness on my face when I come home each evening. Always gone by morning, but still.
These last days are killing me.
I will leave a lot of my heart here.
And yet I still find time for a few words, typed here and there, a short blog post.
Because there's a magic in words, in expression, and something beautiful for the future knowing I was here in this wonderful place when I chose these keys from the keyboard and wrote these last things when it was a living description of the present, not yet a memory.
Today was a sort of Rennaisance Festival thing, the Bjørgvin Medieval and Viking Market down south at the Hordamuseet alongside the Fjord. Very low-key but lovely. Cool but sunny. Harps and ocarinas, viking soup and butter with wild garlic, and delicious Israeli hummus (oddly enough). The costumes were simple but nice, and with so few tourists the percentage of people in costume was much higher than at most such events. Cute families, children playing with fake swords and drinking out of little horns. Becky and I learned how to shoot the bows and each got a bulls-eye (out of 6 tries - best not to ask about the other five. ;)) And we listened to the story of Odin's quest for knowledge in a 2,000 year old stone-circle.
Waited a long time for the bus, way out in the sticks and with the strike going on. But it was warm at the stop, and we had a view over lovely green farmland. A tractor driving about kicking up dust and followed by a cloud of seagulls. A father and a sun flying a red kite in the distance.
No rain, hardly any clouds, and only three hours of darkness a night.
This is becoming a problem.
I'm trying to see everyone again, check those final things off my list, use every minute...
And there are too many minutes.
And I have to force myself to stay home and pack, sleep, rest, do anything except wander around outside until I collapse of exhaustion.
I feel like a moth, drawn to the sun like a flame. Weak as it is here I feel the slight redness on my face when I come home each evening. Always gone by morning, but still.
These last days are killing me.
I will leave a lot of my heart here.
And yet I still find time for a few words, typed here and there, a short blog post.
Because there's a magic in words, in expression, and something beautiful for the future knowing I was here in this wonderful place when I chose these keys from the keyboard and wrote these last things when it was a living description of the present, not yet a memory.
Today was a sort of Rennaisance Festival thing, the Bjørgvin Medieval and Viking Market down south at the Hordamuseet alongside the Fjord. Very low-key but lovely. Cool but sunny. Harps and ocarinas, viking soup and butter with wild garlic, and delicious Israeli hummus (oddly enough). The costumes were simple but nice, and with so few tourists the percentage of people in costume was much higher than at most such events. Cute families, children playing with fake swords and drinking out of little horns. Becky and I learned how to shoot the bows and each got a bulls-eye (out of 6 tries - best not to ask about the other five. ;)) And we listened to the story of Odin's quest for knowledge in a 2,000 year old stone-circle.
Waited a long time for the bus, way out in the sticks and with the strike going on. But it was warm at the stop, and we had a view over lovely green farmland. A tractor driving about kicking up dust and followed by a cloud of seagulls. A father and a sun flying a red kite in the distance.
May 28, 2012
Living Hard
I'm living hard, want to make the most of my last days here. But I need to chill out too, or it won't mean anything.
Anyway Saturday I slept in, then Becky and I went around Svartediket to swim in our waterfall. Enjoyed the view, had a little picnic, then I came home and Skyped with my family before a barbecue with Lukas and Monika. It went until late, what with the sun still high in the sky at 10 pm. Finally though it started to disperse, and Lukas and Monika invited me and John (another random American who just arrived) to a party, somewhere far away. We had to all run home and grab our camping stuff, since we didn't know what turns the evening would take.
I had the furthest to go, so I hurried. Ran to the Fantoft bybanen stop. Got off at Kronstad and went the rest of the way to Alrek on foot. Quickly informed Becky and Nash about change in plans, then compressed my sleeping bag, threw everything I needed into my backpack, painted my face and put on party clothes, and ran out to the bus to get downtown. I was actually there ten minutes early, so I strolled through the Nattjazz festival with it's whimsical wooden constructions and the salsa dance and smell of sausages on the streets.
Then I went over and met Lukas and Monika coming off the bybanen, we found John and tried to figure out the busses, ended up making the last free one up to the northern part of town. On the same bus we met a few others headed to the same party, they helped us find the stop and then we started hiking up through the darkness on the Munkebotn path, looking for this mysterious party.
We were hiking straight up mostly, taking shortcuts instead of following the paved road, so we quickly left our new friends behind us. We kept passing groups of people on bikes, smoking pot. Suddenly, sirens and lights. As we hiked up the shortcut between switchbacks, the police car drove up and talked to some of the bikers. All very calm and relaxed. As we emerged from the woods and passed them, they didn't so much as spare us a look.
The path got darker. We started to doubt our directions. But suddenly we started to hear music - far away but unmistakable. Another few corners and a bunker came into view, lit candles on the staircase, strange music and lights, people sprawled out everywhere over a remarkable view of summer-twilight Bergen. We went back and forth from the chill viewpoint to the inside of the bunker, where banners were hung over the small windows to keep out the sun and green, red, white lights danced around us. Cloudberry liquor and tequila and Daim Chocolate.
The party was set to go on until 10 am, but we left around 4:30 and climbed the rest of the way up the mountain. It was almost fully light by then, we scrambled to find a campsite up on top of Svartediket before the sun came over the ridge. Felt like we should be packing up and making breakfast, not saying 'goodnight'. Fell asleep nearly on the path, slept about 4 hours totally dehydrated and in the bright sun. Was proud of my sleeping bags versatility. Woke up in the 'morning', and went for an impromptu swim in the perfect, cool lake water.
John was freaking out, what was this, we were so close to the city, we had walked here from a rave, and it seemed like we were so far from everything - on top of a mountain with the pines all around. Drinking from clear streams and swimming in the cool lakes. The air smelled so pure.
I know, I know. Can't decide if it's good for me to meet John now, hear his first impressions. This was his first trip up into the mountains. I remember mine. Partly I've gotten used to it by now. Partly I haven't. I certainly haven't gotten used to being used to it. I smiled for him, for myself. His time here is beginning as mine is ending. A beautiful sort of pain as we put our bags back on and walked the well known trails over to Fløyen. I kept asking myself if this wasn't the last time I'd see that pond, that stream, that tree. But it's useless to think that way.
Raspberry chocolate ice cream from the kiosk over the city. The place was swarming with tourists, and again there was this wave of strange feeling.
Went down to the city and met Becky, and we headed up north by bus to Gamle Bergen, a sort of open air museum with 18th and 19th century homes and a few reenactors. There were a handful of people walking around, but most of the people in the area were there for the seaside access, with it's diving board, sunning areas, sparkling blue water.
We headed back downtown afterwards and had a very rare lunch out at Zupperia. I had Rudolph's Soup with reindeer, berries, mushrooms, and cream.
I stumbled back to Alrek and put down my things at long last. Hiking around with my backpack and just a spaghetti-strap party shirt on had rubbed my shoulders pretty raw. I wasn't sure if I had the strength, but I'd promised Ffinlo and Sylwia a hike up Løvstakken, so I put a smaller day-pack together and set off with them, semi-deliriously.
We were always sort-of and never completely lost. Paths became smaller, bigger again, joined others, split constantly. We just kept walking, uphill when possible, towards the peak when possible. The sunlight was bright and strange. We sang silly songs and made ridiculous jokes that barely made sense. Finally we reached the infamous section of the ropes and metal bars, the climby bit. Sylwia got nervous, I had to come down and help her over one section. Then she got really eager and half-sprinted the rest of the way up. My legs were a bit shaky towards the end.
Beautiful view from the top and water in all directions. I could tell why people liked it, but I guess I still prefer the views from Lyderhorn, Sandviken, Ulriken. More photogenic, this one was too spread out and there was no obvious peak in a way. But lovely. Lovely, lovely.
I've gotten so used to mountains and sea and boats all fading into a blue mist below. The painful beauty of the sinking sun. It's awful. One shouldn't be able to get accustomed to such things. It should be a rare and hard-earned pleasure. But here it's been commonplace and that's ruined me. Tea and quick lunch and brownie-flavoured milk. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.
The way down was easier, a well-worn and stony path. Our feet were killing us though and we couldn't figure out how people manage the 7-Mountain-Challenge. Still, I would probably go for it if I had company. Totally unsure as to whether or not I would be able to finish. It would be hard at least. I guess it's supposed to be.
Strange noises and a distant ruffle of black feathers. We took pictures of some strange birds doing some strange courting ceremony.
Then we walked across the city during the sunset, beautiful clouds over the city. I showered and a thousand different smells washed off my body and down the drain. Pine and dust and more.
Then I slept, unwillingly.
Anyway Saturday I slept in, then Becky and I went around Svartediket to swim in our waterfall. Enjoyed the view, had a little picnic, then I came home and Skyped with my family before a barbecue with Lukas and Monika. It went until late, what with the sun still high in the sky at 10 pm. Finally though it started to disperse, and Lukas and Monika invited me and John (another random American who just arrived) to a party, somewhere far away. We had to all run home and grab our camping stuff, since we didn't know what turns the evening would take.
I had the furthest to go, so I hurried. Ran to the Fantoft bybanen stop. Got off at Kronstad and went the rest of the way to Alrek on foot. Quickly informed Becky and Nash about change in plans, then compressed my sleeping bag, threw everything I needed into my backpack, painted my face and put on party clothes, and ran out to the bus to get downtown. I was actually there ten minutes early, so I strolled through the Nattjazz festival with it's whimsical wooden constructions and the salsa dance and smell of sausages on the streets.
Then I went over and met Lukas and Monika coming off the bybanen, we found John and tried to figure out the busses, ended up making the last free one up to the northern part of town. On the same bus we met a few others headed to the same party, they helped us find the stop and then we started hiking up through the darkness on the Munkebotn path, looking for this mysterious party.
We were hiking straight up mostly, taking shortcuts instead of following the paved road, so we quickly left our new friends behind us. We kept passing groups of people on bikes, smoking pot. Suddenly, sirens and lights. As we hiked up the shortcut between switchbacks, the police car drove up and talked to some of the bikers. All very calm and relaxed. As we emerged from the woods and passed them, they didn't so much as spare us a look.
The path got darker. We started to doubt our directions. But suddenly we started to hear music - far away but unmistakable. Another few corners and a bunker came into view, lit candles on the staircase, strange music and lights, people sprawled out everywhere over a remarkable view of summer-twilight Bergen. We went back and forth from the chill viewpoint to the inside of the bunker, where banners were hung over the small windows to keep out the sun and green, red, white lights danced around us. Cloudberry liquor and tequila and Daim Chocolate.
The party was set to go on until 10 am, but we left around 4:30 and climbed the rest of the way up the mountain. It was almost fully light by then, we scrambled to find a campsite up on top of Svartediket before the sun came over the ridge. Felt like we should be packing up and making breakfast, not saying 'goodnight'. Fell asleep nearly on the path, slept about 4 hours totally dehydrated and in the bright sun. Was proud of my sleeping bags versatility. Woke up in the 'morning', and went for an impromptu swim in the perfect, cool lake water.
John was freaking out, what was this, we were so close to the city, we had walked here from a rave, and it seemed like we were so far from everything - on top of a mountain with the pines all around. Drinking from clear streams and swimming in the cool lakes. The air smelled so pure.
I know, I know. Can't decide if it's good for me to meet John now, hear his first impressions. This was his first trip up into the mountains. I remember mine. Partly I've gotten used to it by now. Partly I haven't. I certainly haven't gotten used to being used to it. I smiled for him, for myself. His time here is beginning as mine is ending. A beautiful sort of pain as we put our bags back on and walked the well known trails over to Fløyen. I kept asking myself if this wasn't the last time I'd see that pond, that stream, that tree. But it's useless to think that way.
Raspberry chocolate ice cream from the kiosk over the city. The place was swarming with tourists, and again there was this wave of strange feeling.
Went down to the city and met Becky, and we headed up north by bus to Gamle Bergen, a sort of open air museum with 18th and 19th century homes and a few reenactors. There were a handful of people walking around, but most of the people in the area were there for the seaside access, with it's diving board, sunning areas, sparkling blue water.
We headed back downtown afterwards and had a very rare lunch out at Zupperia. I had Rudolph's Soup with reindeer, berries, mushrooms, and cream.
I stumbled back to Alrek and put down my things at long last. Hiking around with my backpack and just a spaghetti-strap party shirt on had rubbed my shoulders pretty raw. I wasn't sure if I had the strength, but I'd promised Ffinlo and Sylwia a hike up Løvstakken, so I put a smaller day-pack together and set off with them, semi-deliriously.
We were always sort-of and never completely lost. Paths became smaller, bigger again, joined others, split constantly. We just kept walking, uphill when possible, towards the peak when possible. The sunlight was bright and strange. We sang silly songs and made ridiculous jokes that barely made sense. Finally we reached the infamous section of the ropes and metal bars, the climby bit. Sylwia got nervous, I had to come down and help her over one section. Then she got really eager and half-sprinted the rest of the way up. My legs were a bit shaky towards the end.
Beautiful view from the top and water in all directions. I could tell why people liked it, but I guess I still prefer the views from Lyderhorn, Sandviken, Ulriken. More photogenic, this one was too spread out and there was no obvious peak in a way. But lovely. Lovely, lovely.
I've gotten so used to mountains and sea and boats all fading into a blue mist below. The painful beauty of the sinking sun. It's awful. One shouldn't be able to get accustomed to such things. It should be a rare and hard-earned pleasure. But here it's been commonplace and that's ruined me. Tea and quick lunch and brownie-flavoured milk. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.
The way down was easier, a well-worn and stony path. Our feet were killing us though and we couldn't figure out how people manage the 7-Mountain-Challenge. Still, I would probably go for it if I had company. Totally unsure as to whether or not I would be able to finish. It would be hard at least. I guess it's supposed to be.
Strange noises and a distant ruffle of black feathers. We took pictures of some strange birds doing some strange courting ceremony.
Then we walked across the city during the sunset, beautiful clouds over the city. I showered and a thousand different smells washed off my body and down the drain. Pine and dust and more.
Then I slept, unwillingly.
May 26, 2012
Smile because it Happened
I'm freaking out a little bit. Nash just left and that was pretty much my last scheduled thing to do here in Bergen. Now I just have two weeks left, in this beautiful city where it's suddenly summer, temperatures between 60-80 degrees all day, a sun that only sets for a few hours, flowers everywhere filling the air with sweetness, people sunbathing and swimming and eating ice cream and relaxing. There's things I haven't done. Things I want to say goodbye to. People I need more time with. I can do it all. I have more than a week.
More than a week. That's a decent length of time for a vacation. Except I haven't been here on vacation. I've had months and months to absorb and enjoy Bergen. But I'm not ready to leave yet and 'more than a week' isn't going to be enough.
I've been enough places to know, Bergen is perfect for me.
I love that I can walk straight out of my door and up into the mountains.
I love that this has been the only spring I've ever lived through without allergies.
I love that I can drink the lovely, clear water straight from the waterfalls and streams.
I love the city with its many cozy cafes, a few fun clubs, all the lovely houses, and even the tiny touristy area.
I love the public transportation and the fact that it's actually reasonable if you buy a student pass for the month.
I love how you can go and go in any direction and there are islands and mountains and lakes and rivers and streams and fjords and adorable red houses and it never, ever seems to stop.
I love the culture here, the emphasis on family, nature, education.
I love the climate - four distinct seasons, and no, it's not too cold or rainy for me, I like it, actually... it makes me value the sun and the summer.
I love the location in Norway and in Europe... easy flights to, say, Scotland, the Faroes, Finland... even further south to Spain and Italy, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia. And it's not even that far from the States, hardly further from Florida than say, Oregon.
Pamplona was lovely and charming, delicious food, historic, I loved it but a semester was just right. I felt the city and it was a beautiful time in my life, but then I went home.
Bonn was my springboard for freedom, from there I travelled all over Europe. I have happy memories there, indeed, and Bonn was a pleasant city, no doubt, but a semester was just right. I went home.
But Bergen is different.
They say, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I'll try.
But it's going to be hard to leave.
And it's going to be hard to go home.
I may find another place in the world that I like as much as Bergen, but I'm sure I'll never find a place I like more.
More than a week. That's a decent length of time for a vacation. Except I haven't been here on vacation. I've had months and months to absorb and enjoy Bergen. But I'm not ready to leave yet and 'more than a week' isn't going to be enough.
I've been enough places to know, Bergen is perfect for me.
I love that I can walk straight out of my door and up into the mountains.
I love that this has been the only spring I've ever lived through without allergies.
I love that I can drink the lovely, clear water straight from the waterfalls and streams.
I love the city with its many cozy cafes, a few fun clubs, all the lovely houses, and even the tiny touristy area.
I love the public transportation and the fact that it's actually reasonable if you buy a student pass for the month.
I love how you can go and go in any direction and there are islands and mountains and lakes and rivers and streams and fjords and adorable red houses and it never, ever seems to stop.
I love the culture here, the emphasis on family, nature, education.
I love the climate - four distinct seasons, and no, it's not too cold or rainy for me, I like it, actually... it makes me value the sun and the summer.
I love the location in Norway and in Europe... easy flights to, say, Scotland, the Faroes, Finland... even further south to Spain and Italy, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia. And it's not even that far from the States, hardly further from Florida than say, Oregon.
Pamplona was lovely and charming, delicious food, historic, I loved it but a semester was just right. I felt the city and it was a beautiful time in my life, but then I went home.
Bonn was my springboard for freedom, from there I travelled all over Europe. I have happy memories there, indeed, and Bonn was a pleasant city, no doubt, but a semester was just right. I went home.
But Bergen is different.
They say, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I'll try.
But it's going to be hard to leave.
And it's going to be hard to go home.
I may find another place in the world that I like as much as Bergen, but I'm sure I'll never find a place I like more.
May 08, 2012
Bergen
Yet another rainy day in Bergen.
As always, the sound of power tools and music outside my window.
Seriously, what are they building?
The Numa Numa song, Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line, and others I can't name, echo from downtown... or Odontologen... or a few floors down. I'm not entirely sure.
Starefossen, seagulls, and the skyline of the city stretch out before me.
I still can't believe I live here.
And I'm running out of time to accept it...
As always, the sound of power tools and music outside my window.
Seriously, what are they building?
The Numa Numa song, Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line, and others I can't name, echo from downtown... or Odontologen... or a few floors down. I'm not entirely sure.
Starefossen, seagulls, and the skyline of the city stretch out before me.
I still can't believe I live here.
And I'm running out of time to accept it...
May 01, 2012
Little piece of Norway in Alrek
Ffinlo and I watched the fifth episode of Game of Thrones. As I was leaving we ran into Eirik, from Voss, carrying the book version to lend to Ffinlo. We started chatting with him about the series and other nonsense, and before long we ran into another friend who hails from Eastern Norway. We spoke about the lovely warm days we've been having (I managed to get a sunburn today) and then about Syttende Mai, and I joked that I considered bringing my Renaissance fair costume but decided it would be offensive. Simultaneously, Eirik said, "To be honest with you, it wouldn't be," and the other said, "To be honest with you, it would be." The Easterner challenged Eirik on this, so Eirik said, "Have you seen the rediculous things they call bunad in Bergen?" And then the Easterner asked if he was looking for a fight, Ffinlo reminded him he wasn't from Bergen, and the Easterner started saying something about his Vestfold bunad, and then Eirik interjected that anything costing less than $3,000 shouldn't be considered a bunad. and Then I asked about Vestfold and before long we were talking about the fountains and the statues of Sandefjord. Yes, I love this country.
April 30, 2012
Hallingskeid Again
Went back to Hallingskeid over the weekend. It was a bit spontaneous - there are very few trips this semester that you can go on if you're not good on skis, and this was probably the second, and the last, one that worked for me. It was a funny feeling to leave Bergen now that it's getting warm and summery even for the interior of Norway, where reports said it was still well frozen over. And it was - still a winter wonderland of white like frosting over round mountains as far as the eye could see. But very different this time.
Last time we were 18 crammed into the tiny cabin, a tiny hive of frenzied life with the deadly wind and snow and ice just outside. This time the weather was much better - just below freezing, and largely sunny. We were only four which made the cabin luxurious and spacey. I even got to sleep one night in the reindeer skin sleeping bag! :D (Very traditional and cool, but hairy and not as warm as my down sleeping bag haha).
There was more work to be done by each in a sense, but that was good. I got much better at making the fire, I learned a lot of the basics of how to keep a cabin clean and warm and working. I helped cook. I walked down to the half-frozen river to fetch drinking water. Together with Alex I dug a hole fully eight feet deep to the latrine. We put up new curtains and painted half the cabin bright Vestlandsrød. It was a dugnad trip, after all!
And there was also time for skiing. I still can't turn hardly at all, but can't figure out if that's the fault of the mountain skiis, or that they're just far too big for me, even with the four pairs of socks. Probably both. Other than that, though, I'm improving. Climbing up to the station with skins on was a no-brainer this time. And I came down that whole hill in one movement as well. Getting better at bending my knees. I felt the extra and strange weight of the backpack, but I was better able to manage it this time.
After three times on downhill/alpine/slalom skis, I'm starting to feel confident saying that I'm no good, but I know the basics. This was my third time on crosscountry/mountain skis, and I guess it's about the same. On a normal path I think I'd have no real problems now. Even off-piste I'm managing, but the failure to turn means I can't tackle real mountains because I don't have enough control. Plus, I'd get exhausted pretty fast, if my hikes to and from the train station are any indication!
On Sunday people streamed out of cabins on skiis and snowshoes in solemn lines to the train station for the only train of the day at 4 pm. As we all stood there on the ice-covered platform, the announcement came on that the train had been delayed. For an hour and a half. Because of problems with the hot water supply. Do trains REALLY need hot water? The whole thing seemed ridiculous after a weekend of primitive cabin living. And having dragged ourselves all the way up the hill with all our stuff, we were sort of ready to be headed home. But it wasn't a bad time to be stuck.
Those with nearby cabins went home for a few more minutes. The rest of us headed to the sunny wooden roof. Sheltered from the wind, the warm sun was actually so intense that I stripped down to just jeans (with long underwear underneath), and a long sleeved shirt. The snow was melting quickly from the roof and falling in splatters and drops, which we dodged. The three boys started out reading and ended up napping. I mostly just leaned back and stared at the snowy, mountainous panorama stretched out in front of us. Yet another 'how did I get here' moment.
Last time we were 18 crammed into the tiny cabin, a tiny hive of frenzied life with the deadly wind and snow and ice just outside. This time the weather was much better - just below freezing, and largely sunny. We were only four which made the cabin luxurious and spacey. I even got to sleep one night in the reindeer skin sleeping bag! :D (Very traditional and cool, but hairy and not as warm as my down sleeping bag haha).
There was more work to be done by each in a sense, but that was good. I got much better at making the fire, I learned a lot of the basics of how to keep a cabin clean and warm and working. I helped cook. I walked down to the half-frozen river to fetch drinking water. Together with Alex I dug a hole fully eight feet deep to the latrine. We put up new curtains and painted half the cabin bright Vestlandsrød. It was a dugnad trip, after all!
And there was also time for skiing. I still can't turn hardly at all, but can't figure out if that's the fault of the mountain skiis, or that they're just far too big for me, even with the four pairs of socks. Probably both. Other than that, though, I'm improving. Climbing up to the station with skins on was a no-brainer this time. And I came down that whole hill in one movement as well. Getting better at bending my knees. I felt the extra and strange weight of the backpack, but I was better able to manage it this time.
After three times on downhill/alpine/slalom skis, I'm starting to feel confident saying that I'm no good, but I know the basics. This was my third time on crosscountry/mountain skis, and I guess it's about the same. On a normal path I think I'd have no real problems now. Even off-piste I'm managing, but the failure to turn means I can't tackle real mountains because I don't have enough control. Plus, I'd get exhausted pretty fast, if my hikes to and from the train station are any indication!
On Sunday people streamed out of cabins on skiis and snowshoes in solemn lines to the train station for the only train of the day at 4 pm. As we all stood there on the ice-covered platform, the announcement came on that the train had been delayed. For an hour and a half. Because of problems with the hot water supply. Do trains REALLY need hot water? The whole thing seemed ridiculous after a weekend of primitive cabin living. And having dragged ourselves all the way up the hill with all our stuff, we were sort of ready to be headed home. But it wasn't a bad time to be stuck.
Those with nearby cabins went home for a few more minutes. The rest of us headed to the sunny wooden roof. Sheltered from the wind, the warm sun was actually so intense that I stripped down to just jeans (with long underwear underneath), and a long sleeved shirt. The snow was melting quickly from the roof and falling in splatters and drops, which we dodged. The three boys started out reading and ended up napping. I mostly just leaned back and stared at the snowy, mountainous panorama stretched out in front of us. Yet another 'how did I get here' moment.
April 20, 2012
Photos and Other Stuff
Study days from the university. I need them both for studying and general organization and mental health. The Faroes took a lot out of me - in the best possible way.
And yet it's a sunny day and that's not fair - all these days have been sunny and it's Bergen for crying out loud - I'm sure it'll be nasty and awful now when my friends visit.
Today I need to do laundry, clean my room, make a blog post or two on the study abroad blog. And STUDY.
But it's hard. :) I've still only sorted 1/3 of the photos from the Faroes. If that makes me sound lazy, consider how many I took -
Eysturoy (Where Uni lives, plus the highest mountain, the natural harbour Gjogv, etc) - 2,527
Streymoy (The capital, the mountain road, Kirkjubøur, Saksun...) - 2,149
Suðuroy (Southern Island, cliffs and stuff) - 1,715
Vágar (Western Island, waterfall and islets) - 626
Norðuroyggjar (Northern Islands of Viðoy, Kunoy, Kalsoy, and Borðoy) - 3,512
And yet it's a sunny day and that's not fair - all these days have been sunny and it's Bergen for crying out loud - I'm sure it'll be nasty and awful now when my friends visit.
Today I need to do laundry, clean my room, make a blog post or two on the study abroad blog. And STUDY.
But it's hard. :) I've still only sorted 1/3 of the photos from the Faroes. If that makes me sound lazy, consider how many I took -
Eysturoy (Where Uni lives, plus the highest mountain, the natural harbour Gjogv, etc) - 2,527
Streymoy (The capital, the mountain road, Kirkjubøur, Saksun...) - 2,149
Suðuroy (Southern Island, cliffs and stuff) - 1,715
Vágar (Western Island, waterfall and islets) - 626
Norðuroyggjar (Northern Islands of Viðoy, Kunoy, Kalsoy, and Borðoy) - 3,512
April 18, 2012
The Faroe Islands in 25 Pictures
I wouldn't go so far as to call this my '25 best pictures from the Faroe Islands'. I haven't even looked at half of the pictures yet! But this was the summary I threw together to show my Norwegian class, and I think it gives some idea of the spirit and diversity of the landscapes and villages. :)
The Faroese Forests
Sometimes I have this funny idea that I want to make really misleading travel posters. Pictures that were taken in the country but haven't captured its average, its stereotype, its feel, whatever. And I'm torn between just humourously misleading, and trying to showcase another aspect of the place that's too often overlooked. Snowy Italian Alps. Modern Architecture in Norway. The sunny beaches of Scotland.
And right now I have this desire to make a troll post about the "Faroese Forests" with pictures I've taken from their specially planted groves inside of towns. (the Faroes do not have natural forests, or even trees.) You can read about the 'tree situation' in the Faroes here: http://faroesestamps.blogspot.com/2011/04/europa-2011-forests.html They did a quite good job finding motifs for those stamps, but in fact I recognized immediately what both of them depict (I mean the exact place!)- that's how little forested area there is in the Faroes! :)
And right now I have this desire to make a troll post about the "Faroese Forests" with pictures I've taken from their specially planted groves inside of towns. (the Faroes do not have natural forests, or even trees.) You can read about the 'tree situation' in the Faroes here: http://faroesestamps.blogspot.com/2011/04/europa-2011-forests.html They did a quite good job finding motifs for those stamps, but in fact I recognized immediately what both of them depict (I mean the exact place!)- that's how little forested area there is in the Faroes! :)
March 31, 2012
Halfway Point
It snowed a bit last night. I can't be sure, but it could easily be my last Bergen snowfall.
And the trees are still bare, so the mountains are still purple - and I'm used to them that way.
But there are tight little buds on branch and twig.
I think the city's going to explode into Spring while I'm gone.
It's my halfway point in Norway...
And the trees are still bare, so the mountains are still purple - and I'm used to them that way.
But there are tight little buds on branch and twig.
I think the city's going to explode into Spring while I'm gone.
It's my halfway point in Norway...
March 29, 2012
Racism and Hunger Games
The older I get, the more I realize how sheltered I was in West County from sexism, racism, etc. I had such a strict image in my mind of what a 'racist' or a 'sexist' was - and they were always over-the-top, exaggerated, idiots who were either out-in-the-sticks ignorant or old-as-dirt.
An example - a lot of people are tweeting about The Hunger Games, explaining their disillusionment with the decision to cast some of the characters as black. This isn't the simple, "Rue being black threw me off a bit since for some reason I expected her to look more like Prim," or something - which you can tell probably has some sort of borderline racism underneath, but maybe not - it would have thrown me off if Rue had had bright red hair, for example. But just that - it would have struck me as a bit strange in the first scene, but it wouldn't have affected the emotions.
But there are two things about this situation that make it far worse than that -
1.) They shouldn't be so surprised. The author described Rue as having 'dark skin'. And I believe Rue's district was described as being 'black' (not as sure about this, it's been awhile since I read the book.) The country of Panem is based on America, which has black people in it. So it's not like there's suddenly a gratuitous black character in The Last Samurai or Robin Hood. It both fits the world, and it fits what the author wrote about the character.
Actually, if you want to get technical, Rue is just as good of a fit, physically, for what the author wrote as Katniss. I had the idea that Katniss had all sorts of genetic mixing (as was implied in the books), and that she would be quite dark, sort of Mediterranean looking (black hair and olive skin, the book says). Instead they cast the girl from Winter's Bone, who was very pale and blonde in that movie. But guess what? They darkened her hair and skin a bit, and though I still thought she looked a few shades lighter than I expected, it wasn't a problem in the world or the role - also because, in the book, it's a bit strange that Katniss is so dark while her mother and sister are blonde and blue eyed.
2.) The comments are far, far worse than "that's not what I expected."
Examples:
"Kk call me racist but when I found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad. #ihatemyself."
"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little blonde innocent girl you picture."
"why does rue have to be black gonna lie kinda ruined the movie."
What is wrong with the world, seriously??
An example - a lot of people are tweeting about The Hunger Games, explaining their disillusionment with the decision to cast some of the characters as black. This isn't the simple, "Rue being black threw me off a bit since for some reason I expected her to look more like Prim," or something - which you can tell probably has some sort of borderline racism underneath, but maybe not - it would have thrown me off if Rue had had bright red hair, for example. But just that - it would have struck me as a bit strange in the first scene, but it wouldn't have affected the emotions.
But there are two things about this situation that make it far worse than that -
1.) They shouldn't be so surprised. The author described Rue as having 'dark skin'. And I believe Rue's district was described as being 'black' (not as sure about this, it's been awhile since I read the book.) The country of Panem is based on America, which has black people in it. So it's not like there's suddenly a gratuitous black character in The Last Samurai or Robin Hood. It both fits the world, and it fits what the author wrote about the character.
Actually, if you want to get technical, Rue is just as good of a fit, physically, for what the author wrote as Katniss. I had the idea that Katniss had all sorts of genetic mixing (as was implied in the books), and that she would be quite dark, sort of Mediterranean looking (black hair and olive skin, the book says). Instead they cast the girl from Winter's Bone, who was very pale and blonde in that movie. But guess what? They darkened her hair and skin a bit, and though I still thought she looked a few shades lighter than I expected, it wasn't a problem in the world or the role - also because, in the book, it's a bit strange that Katniss is so dark while her mother and sister are blonde and blue eyed.
2.) The comments are far, far worse than "that's not what I expected."
Examples:
"Kk call me racist but when I found out rue was black her death wasn't as sad. #ihatemyself."
"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little blonde innocent girl you picture."
"why does rue have to be black gonna lie kinda ruined the movie."
What is wrong with the world, seriously??
Ugly new Blogger
Yuck, Blogger looks totally different now, and it's definitely for the worse. What is it these days with all the websites going to big, ugly, white boxes? The changes are always so random and negative in my opinion. I Naur Celedril is half a diary for me - and the new layout really takes that feeling away - it's so sterile, empty, and ugly. :( Sometimes I feel like all the website developers make these changes just to show you how powerless you are. And now when I post something I get to see information on how many times each of my posts has been viewed. WHY? I could have accessed that information before, but now it's up in my face - and it's not that kind of blog.
March 23, 2012
Flash Cards and Hyperpolyglots
"At the end of his story, however, he finds a surprise in Mezzofanti’s archive: flashcards. Stacks of them, in Georgian, Hungarian, Arabic, Algonquin and nine other tongues. The world’s most celebrated hyperpolyglot relied on the same tools given to first-year language-learners today. The conclusion? Hyperpolyglots may begin with talent, but they aren’t geniuses. They simply enjoy tasks that are drudgery to normal people. The talent and enjoyment drive a virtuous cycle that pushes them to feats others simply shake their heads at, admiration mixed with no small amount of incomprehension."
- http://www.economist.com/node/21542170
- http://www.economist.com/node/21542170
March 22, 2012
Narrative
We construct a narrative for ourselves, and that's the thread that we follow from one day to the next. People who disintegrate as personalities are the ones who lose that thread.Auster, Paul
March 18, 2012
Wake Up and Study...
Talking to Nadine all the time and playing board games recently, along with realizing I'm almost at the halfway point of my semester here, have all served as wake-up calls that my Norwegian can use some work and that I'm going to have to actually, well, work to get it there! :D So I'm going to start actually writing down words I learn, words I don't know and need to know, etc, and making flash cards out of them. My Norwegian course is teaching me a few words, and reinforcing a lot of the grammar, but I need a serious vocab booster to compensate for the years of learning Norwegian by internet and having an easily-accessed, easily-forgotten dictionary on hand.
But just now, it's sunny and beautiful. First sun longer than five minutes in the last weeks. Weather forecast says it'll be nice for two whole hours, until 12 noon. Lol, and it's the day after St. Patrick's Day. Life is cruel.
But just now, it's sunny and beautiful. First sun longer than five minutes in the last weeks. Weather forecast says it'll be nice for two whole hours, until 12 noon. Lol, and it's the day after St. Patrick's Day. Life is cruel.
March 16, 2012
Win Win Win
Fjordtrip Wednesday was awesome. Nadine and I picked up this French girl, Laure, from Couchsurfing, and then the three of us went down to the docks and caught the boat out to Rosendal. The boat was sparsely filled and we were the only tourists. The fog was so thick at first that we couldnt see anything, passing under the Sotra bridge we could barely see the outline. It started to rise later so we could see a thin line of shore and houses, but still dense grey above and below that. Then later the mist thinned out a bit and we even had a few minutes of sunlight. I took so many pictures that the workers came over and told us that we could actually go out on top (just none of the commuters normally cared to). So up we went and enjoyed the minute of filtered sunlight through the fog. :)
I was surprised when we arrived in Rosendal because I only recognized the church a bit, in the fog I couldn't see any mountains or anything else and it was a bit anticlimactic to arrive. But the trip wasn't that expensive and I hadn't spent hours working up expectations over photos, so I was pretty relaxed and luckily so were the other two girls. We walked up and took some pictures at the church, then followed a path I had read about up the very low mountain next to the town. The fog was thick but very scenic and atmospheric wrapping around the fences and trees and sheep. It all felt very medieval even when it barely felt like Norway, it was still cool! Got some artsy shots of my feet running down the paths, and, at the top, the three of us balancing on the thin wooden boardwalks. Then, realizing we couldn't quite make it up all the way (and that there was no view to make it worth it), we stopped and ate lunch on a rock in the fog before heading back down.
On the way back down the fog started lifting just a bit. No longer did we feel encased by white and grey. Before long we could see a bit of water down below. And, as we came out into the village, we could see a mountain emerge clearly from the mist. And then, we realized that among the clouds, we were looking at patches of snow. There were big, snow covered mountains, right in front of us! The weather continued to clear and for the last half hour in Rosendal, we had glorious sun, blue skies, and mountains!!! Unbelievable! I was so, so, so happy that Nadine got to see some of Norway in decent weather. We looked behind us after a long time and were shocked to see more mountains there! We were surrounded! A real fjord!!!
Wednesday morning I said goodbye to Nadine! It was such a lovely visit, speaking Norwegian and reminiscing about Spain and Germany and chatting about languages and all the rest. :) Just the same a week is a decent amount of time to have someone over, even a great guest like Nadine who happily does the washing up and makes tea! So it's nice to have my tiny room to myself again in some ways!
Then it was time for the ski trip! Subsidized by the university for students, it was quite a good deal although having to rent all the ski stuff made it a deal more expensive. I played with the idea of renting mountain skis from the outdoor club. It would have been 1/4 of the price, but they're not nearly as good for downhill and they don't have my exact size. I'm glad I didn't do it that way in the end.
This was my third time skiing downhill and it was great! I felt like I had the basics down this time and could really enjoy myself from the get-go. Lorna and I spent the day on blue-rated slopes without falling. I played with trying to move faster as the day went on, sometimes I felt like I would fall but I never did, not doing that at least. It was really fun to have the confidence in doing the basic things and be able to test my limits a tiny bit. I know now that I can just go skiing and, at least on the easy-intermediate slopes, give it a go on my own, without falling unless I'm playing around, trying something out. :D And that feels good!
But we did decide to take the chair lift way up to the top, where we should have been able to take blue all the way down. But the fog was really intense and we were quite nervous when we realized how high up into the fog the chairlift went. Then it was hard to follow the markers and even the other people, and with the avalanche risk we were really afraid of accidentally going off-piste. We ended up on a red-rated slope for awhile which was a bit tricky but we actually managed. When we got back to a blue area, the piste was really narrow and that was actually harder for me! No room to turn, and I'm not as good at snow-plowing as Lorna is! So I fell about three times in a row there, my only falls of the day but the first one especially was not nice, the skis didn't come off and I wished they had, my legs were twisted around but once I got the skis off and stood up, they were pretty much okay and I was able to keep skiing the rest of the day.
Awesome! :D
Today I met Magda to work on our presentation for class. She took me to this really cool student 'cafe' hidden away in the University. Couches, board games, books, microwave, tables, really relaxed. You can get some cheap food, coffee, hot chocolate, etc... and for the drinks its not even mandatory to pay, there's just a donation box. I got hot chocolate and paid the suggested donation of 5 crowns. This is so so cheap for Norway. And no problem eating your own food, etc. I almost wished I had to study more often here, the place was so great!! When I have to write my papers after Denmark, I'm going to go there. :D
We had computer problems but in the end we finished the presentation in exactly the perfect time and were able to present without issues. Then we went into groups for the quiz showdown. I was absent Thursday so I couldn't help that much with the first part of the quiz, and anyway both teams did very well and were about evenly matched. Then the last question, for a lot of bonus points, was about the Norwegian national anthem! Which no one knew but me, apparently. :D So we got so many bonus points for that that my team won handily. Yay!
On the way home, I checked my mail. Still no micro curries from Nash (;_;), but I did have a postcard! From my suitemate Elin! It was a picture she took secretly of me during my birthday and sent using a phone application. Super cool. :D
I went home, ate super Norwegian fish-sticks and potatoes for dinner, had a Faroese lesson with Uni, and then joined Emma and Lars for awhile. The two of them have had a very long, hard, but hilarious to hear about week. But we drank a bit and Lars told me all about the three Norwegian national anthems. :D This was his idea actually, so funny after what I'd done earlier in the day. I knew also about one of the older ones but not the 'official stortinget' song. So something new as well. :D Lars kept doing cheers with me when I knew random things about Norway. ^^ They really like to feel appreciated here. We all joined in for rousing renditions of various national songs, I did an awful Star Spangled Banner and we debated what the best national anthem for the States would be. And Emma told me I could have her plants and other things from her room when she moves out. (But I'm so sad that she's leaving.... when I said that Lars said, "oh yeah, that's what I should have said." Apparently, when Emma gave him the offer of something from her room, he just said, "Yeah, I'll take your kitchen tongs." XD)
Downstairs for Club Alrek. I ended up playing a Norwegian game that they told me I couldn't play if I didn't speak Norwegian. I said I did but I realized the game would be quite hard at my level. Still it's a relaxed environment and I decided to give it a go and have fun with it anyway. Basically you get a difficult word/acronym/foreign term, etc, that no one is really expected to know, and you write a definition for it. They put those definitions together with the real one, and read them. You vote for the one you think is right. Then, you get a point for everyone who voted for your answer, and you get a point if you voted for the right answer. At first I did awful, I mean everyone could tell which answers were mine because of the unimaginative vocabulary and the bad grammar at times. :D But still it was fun, and I learned some words. Ffinlo came and joined my Team Foreigner effort. We got a few points from guessing a right answer or two, one decent made up definition, and Lars right before he had to leave randomly, accidentally voting for our answer.
But still we were way, way behind. Until we won. This was how -
You get a ton of bonus points if you actually write the correct definition.
- One question was - What does the Latin expression "Quantum scio, non est." mean?
- Another - What do Faroese people mean when they say Mikudager?
"As far as I know, it's not that way." and "Wednesday."
Win Win Win. :D 6 years of Latin education, so much Faroese studying, all so worth it haha.
But yeah, just a few great days, fun times! I love all my roommates and all the other people who live here in Alrek! Great community. <3
I was surprised when we arrived in Rosendal because I only recognized the church a bit, in the fog I couldn't see any mountains or anything else and it was a bit anticlimactic to arrive. But the trip wasn't that expensive and I hadn't spent hours working up expectations over photos, so I was pretty relaxed and luckily so were the other two girls. We walked up and took some pictures at the church, then followed a path I had read about up the very low mountain next to the town. The fog was thick but very scenic and atmospheric wrapping around the fences and trees and sheep. It all felt very medieval even when it barely felt like Norway, it was still cool! Got some artsy shots of my feet running down the paths, and, at the top, the three of us balancing on the thin wooden boardwalks. Then, realizing we couldn't quite make it up all the way (and that there was no view to make it worth it), we stopped and ate lunch on a rock in the fog before heading back down.
On the way back down the fog started lifting just a bit. No longer did we feel encased by white and grey. Before long we could see a bit of water down below. And, as we came out into the village, we could see a mountain emerge clearly from the mist. And then, we realized that among the clouds, we were looking at patches of snow. There were big, snow covered mountains, right in front of us! The weather continued to clear and for the last half hour in Rosendal, we had glorious sun, blue skies, and mountains!!! Unbelievable! I was so, so, so happy that Nadine got to see some of Norway in decent weather. We looked behind us after a long time and were shocked to see more mountains there! We were surrounded! A real fjord!!!
Wednesday morning I said goodbye to Nadine! It was such a lovely visit, speaking Norwegian and reminiscing about Spain and Germany and chatting about languages and all the rest. :) Just the same a week is a decent amount of time to have someone over, even a great guest like Nadine who happily does the washing up and makes tea! So it's nice to have my tiny room to myself again in some ways!
Then it was time for the ski trip! Subsidized by the university for students, it was quite a good deal although having to rent all the ski stuff made it a deal more expensive. I played with the idea of renting mountain skis from the outdoor club. It would have been 1/4 of the price, but they're not nearly as good for downhill and they don't have my exact size. I'm glad I didn't do it that way in the end.
This was my third time skiing downhill and it was great! I felt like I had the basics down this time and could really enjoy myself from the get-go. Lorna and I spent the day on blue-rated slopes without falling. I played with trying to move faster as the day went on, sometimes I felt like I would fall but I never did, not doing that at least. It was really fun to have the confidence in doing the basic things and be able to test my limits a tiny bit. I know now that I can just go skiing and, at least on the easy-intermediate slopes, give it a go on my own, without falling unless I'm playing around, trying something out. :D And that feels good!
But we did decide to take the chair lift way up to the top, where we should have been able to take blue all the way down. But the fog was really intense and we were quite nervous when we realized how high up into the fog the chairlift went. Then it was hard to follow the markers and even the other people, and with the avalanche risk we were really afraid of accidentally going off-piste. We ended up on a red-rated slope for awhile which was a bit tricky but we actually managed. When we got back to a blue area, the piste was really narrow and that was actually harder for me! No room to turn, and I'm not as good at snow-plowing as Lorna is! So I fell about three times in a row there, my only falls of the day but the first one especially was not nice, the skis didn't come off and I wished they had, my legs were twisted around but once I got the skis off and stood up, they were pretty much okay and I was able to keep skiing the rest of the day.
Awesome! :D
Today I met Magda to work on our presentation for class. She took me to this really cool student 'cafe' hidden away in the University. Couches, board games, books, microwave, tables, really relaxed. You can get some cheap food, coffee, hot chocolate, etc... and for the drinks its not even mandatory to pay, there's just a donation box. I got hot chocolate and paid the suggested donation of 5 crowns. This is so so cheap for Norway. And no problem eating your own food, etc. I almost wished I had to study more often here, the place was so great!! When I have to write my papers after Denmark, I'm going to go there. :D
We had computer problems but in the end we finished the presentation in exactly the perfect time and were able to present without issues. Then we went into groups for the quiz showdown. I was absent Thursday so I couldn't help that much with the first part of the quiz, and anyway both teams did very well and were about evenly matched. Then the last question, for a lot of bonus points, was about the Norwegian national anthem! Which no one knew but me, apparently. :D So we got so many bonus points for that that my team won handily. Yay!
On the way home, I checked my mail. Still no micro curries from Nash (;_;), but I did have a postcard! From my suitemate Elin! It was a picture she took secretly of me during my birthday and sent using a phone application. Super cool. :D
I went home, ate super Norwegian fish-sticks and potatoes for dinner, had a Faroese lesson with Uni, and then joined Emma and Lars for awhile. The two of them have had a very long, hard, but hilarious to hear about week. But we drank a bit and Lars told me all about the three Norwegian national anthems. :D This was his idea actually, so funny after what I'd done earlier in the day. I knew also about one of the older ones but not the 'official stortinget' song. So something new as well. :D Lars kept doing cheers with me when I knew random things about Norway. ^^ They really like to feel appreciated here. We all joined in for rousing renditions of various national songs, I did an awful Star Spangled Banner and we debated what the best national anthem for the States would be. And Emma told me I could have her plants and other things from her room when she moves out. (But I'm so sad that she's leaving.... when I said that Lars said, "oh yeah, that's what I should have said." Apparently, when Emma gave him the offer of something from her room, he just said, "Yeah, I'll take your kitchen tongs." XD)
Downstairs for Club Alrek. I ended up playing a Norwegian game that they told me I couldn't play if I didn't speak Norwegian. I said I did but I realized the game would be quite hard at my level. Still it's a relaxed environment and I decided to give it a go and have fun with it anyway. Basically you get a difficult word/acronym/foreign term, etc, that no one is really expected to know, and you write a definition for it. They put those definitions together with the real one, and read them. You vote for the one you think is right. Then, you get a point for everyone who voted for your answer, and you get a point if you voted for the right answer. At first I did awful, I mean everyone could tell which answers were mine because of the unimaginative vocabulary and the bad grammar at times. :D But still it was fun, and I learned some words. Ffinlo came and joined my Team Foreigner effort. We got a few points from guessing a right answer or two, one decent made up definition, and Lars right before he had to leave randomly, accidentally voting for our answer.
But still we were way, way behind. Until we won. This was how -
You get a ton of bonus points if you actually write the correct definition.
- One question was - What does the Latin expression "Quantum scio, non est." mean?
- Another - What do Faroese people mean when they say Mikudager?
"As far as I know, it's not that way." and "Wednesday."
Win Win Win. :D 6 years of Latin education, so much Faroese studying, all so worth it haha.
But yeah, just a few great days, fun times! I love all my roommates and all the other people who live here in Alrek! Great community. <3
March 12, 2012
Nadine's Visit
Spring and Bergen are both finally living up to their reputations.
There's nothing but rain and fog everywhere!
I wouldn't mind so much - after all, I've had a lovely Norwegian winter and I'm looking forward to the summer - but Nadine's only here for this week and it would be great if she could see a bit of the Bergen I love.
Oh well. We've had fun anyway, making quesadillas, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, bacon-mushroom pasta and all that jazz...
Climbing up Sandviksfjellet for a brilliant night-time view and wandering around the Stavkirke in a mysterious, sinister fog.
And Wednesday, we're planning a tiny little fjord trip. :)
There's nothing but rain and fog everywhere!
I wouldn't mind so much - after all, I've had a lovely Norwegian winter and I'm looking forward to the summer - but Nadine's only here for this week and it would be great if she could see a bit of the Bergen I love.
Oh well. We've had fun anyway, making quesadillas, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, bacon-mushroom pasta and all that jazz...
Climbing up Sandviksfjellet for a brilliant night-time view and wandering around the Stavkirke in a mysterious, sinister fog.
And Wednesday, we're planning a tiny little fjord trip. :)
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