I'll Be Home For Christmas :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I hope you all had a wonderful, filling Thanksgiving back home in the States. And I am wishing you many holiday wishes as we approach the first of December :) yeeekkkkk the Christmas season just puts me in a constantly giddy mood :) Well, I know it has been awhile since I have last updated so again, we will follow with a simple date to date post.

Tuesday, November 13 we handed in out culture exams; boy was it a relief to be done with those! It was nice knowing that there was only one sit down exam, and one take home exam left before I was done with my studies for the semester. The following week I studied for my Social Psychology exam that was scheduled for November 21. I think it went alright, now I am just working on my History written exam, yay polar exploration!

Thursday, November 15 the new and improved Jekta Storsenter had its grand opening so Madelen and I headed to the other side of the island to do some shopping. It was ridiculously huge with so many shops and a crazy amount of people. We didn't even have to walk from the busstop, the bus driver just dropped us off directly in front of the mall entrance. I, of course, goggled at the "half cut prices" that would have been considered full price back home, but it was really fun to hang out with Madelen :) And my favorite part was the giant, sparkling snowflakes and white, bright Christmas decorations that were everywhere :)

Friday, November 16, I had Tina, Ashley, and Rudi come over for some pancakes :) My wonderful mother cured my craving by sending some pancake mix and maple syrup in one of her recent care packages. It was a delicious treat with lovely company :)

Saturday, November 17: Madelen's birthday was on the 13 but we had her celebration for her this day :) She made homemade pizza (the best) and delicious, cute, huge cupcakes. Yeah, she did all that. I made some mexicorn chip dip however--again thanks to care package makings sent from home :) It was  Henrik, Kristian, Ashley, Madelen and then two of Madelen's other friends. Enjoyed a lot of food and some crazy, tasty drinks. After Madelen, Henrik, Madelen's friend and I headed to the city where we enjoyed some nightlife :)

During this time I have been lucky enough to use the athletic facility Kraft. Yes, I tried to make it an every day thing but some weeks were better than others. Not only did they have any other machine at a sports facility but there were also classes available to members. I forgot to mention that a few Mondays ago, I had met up with an outside running group and it was fantastic. I was very excited, and my assumptions were that it was just a group of people who love to run just going for a little winter jaunt, but nope:: it was an interval workout on the icy streets of Tromsø. Honestly, it sounds worse than what was, it was great being with people who were passionate about running---my fellow tracksters would understand. It was a great workout, I was sore the following day, and although I only went only once I was very glad I went. I have also gone to a step class twice this past week. It was refreshing to not workout on a boring treadmill or elliptical, but it also reminded me how uncoordinated I am. The second day was much better :) I also ran outside this past Saturday, because it was a beautiful 45 degrees and a lot of the ice was melting. It was very nice to run outside again, can't wait to be back on a routine once track season starts. I am also looking forward to some holiday runs---Brittney?? :)

coffee love.

November 22, Thanksgiving back home. I met up with Rudi in the city centre to have some coffee. When we both ran up to each other, we were so very excited because they had just began putting up Christmas lights and garland over the streets :) It was beautiful and made us both very giddy. She took me to the cutest little coffee shop. We got mochas and the yummiest apple dessert. It was evident that this store was the owner's passion. We talked with her a little after our treats and she spoke that her inspiration came from her grandma and Bob Marley, she was wonderful :) We had done some Christmas/souvenior shopping as well. Then we met Ashley and Leonard at Driv for a nice meal of Thai Chicken Soup--what a thanksgiving dinner, huh? It was a very nice meal. We thought about catching a movie on the town, but Ashley, Leonard and I decided it would be cozier to watch one back home, we watched The Inside Man :) I of course scheduled a skype date for back home as well. My parents hosted our family Thanksgiving at our farm so the iPad was passed around as I got to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandparents--it was a real treat, kind of bittersweet but made me even more anxious to be home.

November 24, Ashley, Leonard, Holly, and I traveled to the city center just in time to catch the end of the Christmas markets--enough time to grab a tasty spring roll! We made sure to make plans to come back earlier this Saturday :) We went to Kafebønna, and luckily Karolina was working! It was a wonderful Saturday afternoon with friends, coffee, and ----darkness.

November 25, I met Rudi in the afternoon for some coffee again :) It was lovely to see her, as always. She left bright and early that Monday to meet her mom in Greece so it was kind of a I-only-get-to-see-you-one-more-time-after-this-hangout. Bittersweet for sure, and it made me think of all the other goodbyes that I will have to start saying real soon.....Sunday night the northern lights were very active outside my room window. Normally, they are very faint because there is a lot of light pollution around Stakkevollan so you have to venture away to really see them. I have seen a few little green lights here and there on numerous nights, but I hadn't seen any like this. I know some friends have seen some purple and white light, but green is good enough for me :) It took awhile to fall asleep that night, but that is mighty fine.

November 26, We were given our history exam prompt this day and the past few days I have been writing hoping to get as much done so I can enjoy the weekend as much as I can. I am coming to the end of it, only a few more hours tomorrow with coffee and the morning light--it'll get done.

The past few weeks have been wonderful here in Tromsø, Norway. And I cannot believe that I will be leaving this place so soon. But my heart could not be happier knowing that I will be back in Fargo in TWO WEEKS! It has been ridiculous. There have been a few nights now, that I have walked back from Kraft (instead of bussing) because it has been so beautiful out, and I wish I could share that with all of you. The more I think about it, the more I would definitely love to come back here. I have not regretted anything since being here, and the next six days are going to be the best yet. I missed you all at Thanksgiving, but I will see you soon :) Now go listen to that Michael Buble Christmas CD!

Morning in Tromsø :)

November, that means it's Christmastime:)

Tromsø Cathedral

Hi all! I know it has been awhile since I have last posted so I hope I don't miss too many things trying to catch up. Well, the morning of the 27th I made delicious French Toast--mmyep. I spent, as earlier stated that weekend/week writing a research article for Social Psychology which I handed in on Monday. Later on that day, I met up with Ashley and her boyfriend, David who came to visit her for a week. The three of us travelled to Tromsdalen in hopes of traveling on the cable car but were disappointed to see it wasn't available until November 5th. We hope to try again soon. The three of us then enjoyed the nice weather, freezing but nice, and walked towards the Arctic Cathedral and then around the city centre for some time as well. We came across a glass blowing shop where you can actually see the artists make the beautiful, creative works of art. We then treated ourselves to a warm dinner at Driv, lasagna--it was amazing.

On Tuesday, the 30 after going to Culture class, I got a months membership to the student athletic facility known as Kraft---whenever I think of it, I always think of mac & cheese. It had gotten really icy with the snow, and although I don't prefer to workout on machines, it is a very nice facility to be able to use. I try to go as often as I can, it is a nice daybreaker as is any good workout. The night of October 31, my friend Jana and her sister who came to visit made a few friends and I Serbian Crepes! They were delicious and temporarily cured my sugartooth.

A seal at the Polar Museum,
aren't stuffed animals cute?

Halloween in Norway

And then November was here, just like that. On Thursday, the 1st, Ashley and I went downtown to travel to the Polar Museum which we were scheduled to meet our class there for History. Well, of course the two of us showed early so went through the museums ourselves. It was very interesting, nice to tie in a few things we had learned in class while having something to visualize. The next day, Friday, Bill was hosting  a Cake Evening. So we went of course, because how could anyone pass up an evening involving sweets, and we had brownies and cookies--there was even honey wine, not incredibly fond of. But many friends showed and it was a really good night. The next day I travelled to Mortesnes once more to meet up with Rudi and her flatmates for a lively Halloween Party. I went dressed as a "female version of Indiana Jones," pretty much I just wore a green fedora, not too much of a hit but I didn't care. It was a good, crazy night.

This past Tuesday, November 6th, we were given our Culture prompt for our ten page paper due next Tuesday. So there has been lots of reading and writing this past week. But there has also been a lot of skyping, working out, and recently I started watching Modern Family and I can't seem to stop watching, it is such a great TV show and I recommend it to everyone. The snow just seems to keep falling, which is good because then it doesn't give it the chance to get icy. And of course, there has been an occasional waffle :)

The days are getting much shorter and I miss the sun but I know that it won't be too much longer before I can enjoy those Northdakotan short days. As of tomorrow it will be 32 days until I am in Fargo once again and I simply cannot believe it. The Seasonal Spice Craft Show was today in Minot and it has always been tradition that the Christianson's show. My mom and my sisters, along with her sisters and their daughters have been going to this craft show for as long as I can remember. We always strive to be the first in line with coffee in hand, showing up two hours before the doors open so that when the time comes, we are all ready to grab the "good stuff." This is also the day we have dubbed as the first official day of Christmas, so to get in the spirit I listened to Christmas tunes all morning. This year, the song I feel most likened to is of course, I'll Be Home For Christmas--gets me every time. But I will be!! But first, I am going to finish this paper and my other school assignments, enjoy and embrace these people and these sights, and extremely enjoy the Christmas Markets in Dublin and Copenhagen before I make my journey back home. Until next time....baby, it's cold outside.

Walkin in a Winter Wonderland :)

IT SNOWED! And is still snowing. I feel like it has been snowing almost nonstop since last Friday. As you can tell, I am pretty excited about it. Snow just makes everything look so bright and pretty, it is so quiet and refreshing, and it makes me want to break out the Christmas music---I may have already listened to a few Sinatra tunes.

So last Wednesday as I described in an earlier post, we had Belgium Night! It was delicious, Leonard prepared a broth the night before, and put in chicken, leeks, and carrots in, it was perfect for a cozy night. Also I travelled to ICA that night to discover a package from Tiffany and Jared! It was a wonderful surprise.

Thursday, October 18, I was lucky enough to be able to Skype Grandma and Grandpa Christianson! And not only lucky enough to see them, but Aunt Judy, cousin Jennifer, Hallie and Ethan. It was a pleasant surprise and we had lively conversation. After our skypecall, Brittney left their place to go pick up Grandma Doerr, brought her to her house, and I got to Skype her! It was so very nice being able to see family, lifted my spirits.

we were pretty excited.

 Friday night, my friend Bill invited Ashley and I over for tacos! We went over and met a couple more Americans, Cam and Jessica, a nice Russian girl, Natalie and Felix from Germany and the Canadians, Jana and Holly joined us as well! Bill had even invited one of his professors over! It was a very relaxing, fun night. While enjoying ourselves we looked out the window and realized it started snowing! It was such a nice sight to see, I got very excited :)

first snowfall, on friday :)

Saturday night, I joined my girls Karolina, Ashley, and Holly and we made espresso cookies :) They were so delicious. I also got to watch the Cobber Mens soccer game against St.Olaf that night.

Monday, the 22 of course involved the usual waffles at noon, groceries, and watching Once Upon A Time during the evening. Tuesday, I took a personal day and had waffles at noon, again. Wednesday, guess what I did at noon?! Waffles :) Sorry, but they are so good and I am going to enjoy them while I can. When I went in on Thursday, I made sure to pack a lunch, four days in a row would have been too much. Always wonderful catching up with Ashley, Rudi, and other friends. On Tuesday, Ashley's boyfriend David came to Tromsø! That was very exciting for her, we hope to go out sometime this weekend.

miss you.

On Wednesday, the 24 we remembered Grandpa Doerr who had passed away a year ago from then. It was bittersweet thinking of the memories, but reassuring knowing that we have the best guardian angel guiding us now. I wish I could have given my family hugs that day. Rest in peace Grandpa, I miss you.

The snow has kept on falling, and fall is officially over but I am not complaining :) I am anxious to take more pictures but I'll show you what I have for now. I hope that things are wonderful back home, and I miss you all very much. 48 days, uffda :)

Saturday Morning 20                                     Friday Morning 26

The First Frost! :)

Hello! Okay, well the first frost was not today, but was two days ago :) But it is still quite chilly, winter is quickly approaching in Tromsø, Norway. I can not wait until everything is lightly blanketed in snow!  There is definitely a lot of white on those mountaintops, each day the snow getting closer and closer to the bottom. On Monday, I ran by a few little lakes and they were already freezing over, it's so bizarre! But with snow comes Christmas :) I don't think I have had Christmas fever this early before but I am not complaining.

Pretty much all day last Saturday, the 6th, and Sunday I finished up writing my exam for History and thankfully handed it in Monday afternoon after running around campus like crazy trying to print it off with five other ISU students. They got new printers in the library and with our international students cards, the printers wouldn't work so we had to find our own that did. And of course, treated ourselves to waffles after the chaos.

Also, Rudi and I went out on Saturday and treated ourselves to
some ciders at driv and lots of girltalk :)

Tuesday, the 9th we have dried cod in class. Each culture session, our professor brings in some sort of "arctic snack." I have already experienced reindeer heart and seal meat. It smelt awful at first, but it tasted like fish flavored jerky--not bad really! Yesterday, Tuesday the 16 we had whale meat on flatbread flavored with either rose jelly or red wine jelly. I only preferred the flatbread, plain. I felt like I was eating soap while tasting the rose jelly.

The 9th was also the Halfway Point and knowing this made me overwhelmed with different, conflicting emotions. I was excited, happy, and still in utter disbelief that I was across the ocean and in Norway. I felt anxious  knowing all the things I wanted to do in the remainder 65 days, and sad being aware of the fact that in less than that I would have to say goodbye to these amazing people I have met, and say goodbye to Norway. I was very enthusiastic about being home, also while feeling dread that I was only halfway. I dealt with the mix of feelings as best as I could.

The next day, Wednesday the 10 Ashley and I went City Centre to shop! We stopped into any store that looked interesting or that would have potential souvenir gifts. We also went to the secondhand store titled Fretex. I love thrift store shopping :) I bought a pot so that I can have a homey plant in my room and a cozy scarf from H&M:)

The festive package I received from the Winkels--what a treat! :)
Thank you! and also walking back from ICA, I saw an adorable four
month old GREAT DANE PUPPY :) Saturday was a wonderful day.

Thursday, attended History lecture and Friday Holly, Ashley, and I travelled to Jekta, the mall area near the airport. We were just curious about what the mall had to offer and it was fun going into all of the stores. I left with masking tape to hang my pictures and some salmon in hopes of actually cooking it :)

Saturday, the 13 a few of my friends, Ashley, and I were invited to my friend Karolina's birthday party, with a halloween twist--you could either show up in a costume of a character from a musical or dress in "goth." Whatever that means to you, so Ashley and I dressed head to toe in black, and put on some eyeliner and called it good. Shortly before we were supposed to leave, we got a message that it had been postponed so we trekked up the the Coop Prix near our hostel and came back to make brownies and watch Invictus. It ended up being a great night, all while fixing my chocolate craving:)

This past week had been Homecoming at Concordia and the whole week I had been really missing my Cobbers :) Thought of you a lot. On Saturday both the football team (63-14) and men's soccer team (3-0) crushed Hamline leaving us with sweet victories :) GO COBBS! It being homecoming week made me think a lot about last years homecoming, and it is amazing all that can happen in that time. It was bittersweet being away during this time. My family, all five of them :) attended Kate Trewartha's wedding, the Trewartha's have always been great family friends. Congratulations Katie and Brent! It looked beautiful :)

my beautiful sisters at the Trewartha Wedding :) miss you! 

This past weekend was actually really hard to get through, but because of it I have been allowed to gain a new drive to do what I can while I am here. I have not held any regret and through the support of a family and friends, near and far, I only see now that things can only get better from now on.

Sunday night, I has a wonderful conversation with my dear friend Abbie Naze :) She will be attending school in Telemark, Norway Spring 2013 so we had a lively conversation about the culture, the difficulties, and realized that the two of us have lots more in common that we thought :) It was an uplifting conversation and I am so excited for her to be able to go through an experience such with mine, and I am just super excited to meet up with her in December because she is just a wonderful, beautiful human being :)

It is now Wednesday the 17th and the only thing on my agenda, besides running and studying of course, is to have Belgium Night with Leonard! Leonard offered to cook Ashley, Holly, and I a meal so of course we are going to take up the offer. I am looking forward to it :) My heart is at home, but I will be home in 57 days :) Tonight I will also be planning with my friend Holly to figure out how we want to travel once December hits, which I feel will be here before we all know it. I hope that everyone is enjoying the weather, may it be 70 degrees or starting to snow---as any Norwegian would say, "There is never bad weather, only bad clothing." Have a good day! :)

Fall in Tromsø :)

Good Morning World!

fall in Tromsø :)

Okay, so working backwards again just a little bit: Last Wednesday September 26th, I Skyped with Brittney's third grade class! During their social studies unit, they were emphasizing on Culture so Brittney --er Miss C thought that they should do a Norway Unit! It was so fun and the kids were so excited, I started off by letting them know what I was doing here and a little touch on what I have learned about the  Norwegian culture. Then a handful of students would come up to the screen and ask me questions like, "What's your favorite thing to do in Norway?" "What do Norwegians eat?" "What's the tallest mountain you've climbed?" It was cute. I also finished off by teaching them a few, short Norwegian phrases that Brittney says they still use :) It was a great skype sesh.   

Last Friday afternoon, I had tea with my flatmate Madelen; it is always lively conversation with her:) Also that day, the counseling center held a session about the fall and winters here in Tromsø, more importantly about staying warm (which being from North Dakota, I won't have a problem) and about the darkness that is quickly approaching; especially, appropriate study/sleep habits, making sure we are getting enough vitamins, and how to embrace this unique Arctic life. I won't lie, it was daunting at first but as they finished up the presentation, I felt more comfortable about the season that is before us. It was also very nice seeing friendly faces that I hadn't seemed to see in a long while.

the view from the UiT lib.

 Saturday, the 29 I woke up early so I could talk with my roomies back home! Allison, Kate, and Emily seriously made my day that day. It was a long overdue Skype session, but a wonderful one to say the least. It was really nice to catch up and see all three of them, hopefully we will be able to talk again soon :) I love and miss them all and can't wait to live with them in our cute apartment next January! Saturday night, I met my friend Rudi at her student hostel and met her flatmates while enjoying a few drinks and listening to good music. After we went to the city and went to a pub where the bartender gave free wine to the lovely ladies I was with :) It was a really fun night. 

 Sunday, I skyped  Matthew James for approx. 7 hours :) Not all at the same time of course, but it was quite the Sunday:) I am lucky lucky gal. I was also lucky enough to during one of those seven hours to Skype with Mary, Dave, and Justin, too! It was so unbelievably nice catching up with them:) I miss you all and look forward to catching up again :) 

 Monday, the 1st I received my first essay exam for my History class. We have a week to write about the societal and economical development in Arctic Norway between 800-1800, and I am still working on it. It will be a relief to hand it in on Monday. On Wednesday night, I had tacos with the ladies! It was a yummy meal with great company and lots of laughter.

So this past week I have been running, Skyping, and writing this essay---quite the life, huh?! Oh yeah, and lots of eating waffles from Cafe Bodega, you can never have too many waffles :) 

Har en fantastisk dag!

Hello from Tromsø! Another pretty day in Norway, I should be leaving for a run here shortly. I realized I had forgotten to mention that Thursday, September 13 we had taken a History class trip to two museums. One was on the island, the Folkeparken Perspektivet museum which was a collection of some preserved buildings, some dating back to 1826. The one which the tour guide showed us was an old boathouse with an exhibit throughout titled, "In Cod We Trust" emphasizing that fish was a way of life for northern Norwegians. We then traveled about a half hour inland to find Perspektivet Straumen Gård, a coastal farm with 11 buildings. Straumen Gård is among the most complete 19th century farms in this region. There is also an exhibition of furniture and implements that were used on the farm. We also went to the Tromsø Museum again for class the next Thursday, too. 

I have been posting pictures onto my Facebook page and I realize that some don't have access to them so I will provide the links::

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151105536465805.419191.501235804&type=3&l=b00632d876

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151173214385805.430045.501235804&type=3&l=15e96ee144

I hope that worked, have a wonderful day!! Take care, ha det! :)

To The Most Northern Point in Europe!

our little audi, with a scenic background of course.

Thursday, September 20^th my friends Ashley, Emely (Germany) and Antonia (Germany) embarked the Hurtigruten once more, although I was the only second timer. Being that we left at 6:30pm and that their was crappy weather so our view was limited, it was easy to sleep through the night on the ship. The next afternoon, we got off in Honningsvåg. After discovering that our hostel was almost 3km out of town we decided to travel up through what seemed like the city centre of the town. We took a few pictures, shivered a lot, and made a quick stop in at the grocery store to discover that they had a 10kr deal on ice cream treats! So of course, even though it was freezing outside, we helped our self to some sweets:) We started our trek away from the port and walked and walked. After it seemed like too long, we came across this bus station, so we thought we would ask for more specific directions. Found out that we passed the hostel a ways back, and an incredibly nice bus driver took a bus—just for us four—to the hostel. Upon arrival, also an incredibly nice woman checked us into the rooms while telling us about free showers and breakfast. It was a cozy place, a very neat facility. We were able to pick from a movie selection of three; two children’s film or a movie with Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams, of course we picked the latter.

            The next morning, we came to a very elaborate breakfast: different kinds of bread, meat, fish foods, but most importantly yogurt, cereal, and being able to use a toaster. We definitely took advantage of what we were offered. We picked up our rental car, an Audi and a beaut was she, and began our journey North. Antonia’s friend had burnt her a “Norwegian” CD before coming to Norway, and we listened to the sweet, chill music. On the way up to Nordkapp (North Cape) there we in two smaller towns that were cute and cold. We saw reindeer! Lots of reindeer while we were on the northern peninsula and we frequently stopped to take pictures of the scenery. 

Upon Nordkapp, one paid an entrance fee to find a little building with a souvenir shop and café, the monument being outside through the building. It was fun because we ran into a large group of UiT ISU students traveling with four cars; it was nice to see some other friendly faces:) We took pictures with the monument, got some postcards, watched a film and made our stay worthwhile. On the way back we listened to the mix CD that was previously in the car and jammed out to a remix of the Titanic tune. Getting back that afternoon, we were very tired so we settled in and got cozy in the TV room. The lady from the hostel came in to bring us blankets and chocolate! She was already fantastic, but she became just so wonderful. It was quite a treat. After taking a long shower, sleep came easy knowing that we had to get up early so that we could catch the ship by 6:30am. The wonderful lady even put aside a breakfast just for us four so that we could have some good food in our tummies before we left. We made sure to leave some praise to her in the guest book; her eager helpfulness did not go unnoticed. Aboard the ship, we slept, we looked out to the sea, and we slept and looked out to the sea. There wasn’t much scenery in comparison to my Hurtigruten experience the previous weekend, and the weather wasn’t fit either.

            However, we were able in the late afternoon to stretch our legs in Hammerfest. We were there approximately an hour so we walked through the cute city centre and climbed atop a public hill and  took pictures with the polar bears sculptures that were visible from the bay. The rest of the boat ride  was not intriguing to be honest, and come 11:45pm we were grateful to pull into the port of Tromsø:) Home sweet home…for now. That night I caught up with Ali for about an hour, which was wonderful and then talked with Matthew until the good hour of three in the morning:)

            It was very nice being back yesterday; my day began Skyping Matt in the early morning and then with a long run. The colors are beginning to change and it is so very pretty, I love the fall. It was a really nice morning and it felt great getting out early. That afternoon I met Ashley for waffles in Café Bodega, always a treat; then continued to the grocery store for the staples: milk, eggs, bread, yogurt, and cheese. The rest of the night was quite chill--as most of  my day has been today. Again began Skyping the boy, followed by a run and workout, showered and continued to enjoy having this day to myself---and of course to catch up with my blog.   

           

Nordkapp
So finally I am all caught up and I again apologize for the delay in feedback, but all in all I am loving Norway. I discovered today that in about two weeks I will have reached the halfway point and that is crazy, scary, beyond exciting, overwhelming, and incredible. I can’t believe that I am here, still. Yes, it has been an experience, but I never would have imagined like this. On my run on Monday, I stopped in the middle of my run to walk by the bay. It was gorgeous, the mountains on the other side of the water, the reflections, the golden red leaves. It was nice to have a moment to take it all in, and the only thing I felt was gratitude—and the yearning to be able to share what I was viewing/feeling with everyone important at home. I constantly think of packing up, boarding the plane and arriving in the Fargo airport but I am sincerely enjoying my time here, too. Many mixed emotions, but mostly good. I am going to try my hardest to not take my time here for granted. I do love being here. Even though my heart is at home, I am happy. I am content. I think I found what I was looking for when I came here and that is comforting and exciting. Hopefully I will be able to update again in a few days, although I feel like a majority of my time will be spent catching up on the school that I have put aside recently to travel. But I don’t regret anything and I look forward to reading lots of articles! Until next time, have a wonderful day! And thank you for reading:)   

Traversing Norway!

Hei :) So moving on through September….

            I heard about a trip a couple friends were taking, and plainly asked if I could come along. So myself, Jana (Canada) and Felix (Germany) boarded a plane Thursday night, September 13. We took it to Oslo, where we immediately got on a train to take us to the city centre (the airport is about a half hour from the city) We explored a little of the center but the weather was not making it easy, it was quite rainy. However, it was neat because I saw some of the places that Ali saw. (my best friend who had studied abroad in Oslo this past spring) It made me real happy. It started pouring and we made our way back to the train station where we camped out until 1:30am. Security went around telling the few people in the station that we had to wait by the bus terminal. We left reluctantly through the pouring rain, but we tried our luck at the nearest hotel (the bus stop did not seem very safe, I was exposed to some of the craziest people that night and was extremely grateful that I had people with me) So we stopped in the Radisson, a hotel also very popular throughout Norway as well as the States and asked if we could bunk for a few hours in their lobby. They agreed but only if none of us fell asleep. It was warm, and cozy, and very difficult to stay awake but we were thankful. 4am we headed back to the train station, where we got on our train at 6:30a.

            Because of staying up the entire night, I fell asleep immediately—being in and out of sleep the first two hours. It was bummer, because this train ride from Oslo to Bergen was supposedly the most beautiful in Norway. Although I have not been on the train anywhere else in Norway, I could not agree more. It was so pretty, the entirety of the eight hours. I was getting very excited approaching Bergen, hearing only good things about the Norwegian city. Bergen was friendlier than Oslo and once again we found another Radisson so we could freshen up. After feeling ready to take on the city, we began exploring! Pictures do not do justice, but I can say that Bergen is the most beautiful city I have ever been in. I would love to go back someday. The three of us walked through the fish market, tried caviar and headed towards the infamous Bergen Bryggen. It was just darling. I loved it. It is an old merchant quarter, a preserved business district from the Hanseatic Period. Just so pretty, we stopped in a little café where Felix and Jana got coffee and a roll while I treated myself to a $9 caramel mocha, it was worth it:) Our friend Kai (Australia) joined us at the café after he took a flight from Tromsø to Bergen that day. It was nice to have the four of us together.

Bryggen:)

            Friday night we embarked on the Hurtigruten to begin our three-day trip on a Northern route along the western Norwegian Coast! The boat was so big, I felt like we were on a mini Titanic. The majority of the guests were of the older generation, apparently a lot of Germans. Saturday morning we approached Ålesund for a quick port, then went back south to begin our four-hour journey through Storfjorden and Geiranger. All I can say is, the entire four hours were breathtaking. Geiranger is one of the most famous, natural attractions in Norway; the four of us were on the deck, shivering, the whole time taking pictures because it was so pretty. The entire ship went through a rainbow at one point, it was so cool! We made our way back to Ålesund where we only had 40 minutes to find some food; it took awhile to locate the grocery store so we had to hustle back to the ship.

Geiranger, seriously so pretty.

            Overnight, we would sleep on the couches that were in the upper viewing deck. It sounds a lot worse than it was. I was up by six each morning because that was when the cleaner would come around with the vacuum cleaner, but I did not mind being up that early:) On Sunday, the Hurtigruten approached the city of Trondheim, also a cute Norwegian city with incessant charm. It was a Sunday, so close to nothing was open and not many people were out, but it was still nice. From blocks away, we saw the arch of the famous Niadorasdomen and the closer we got, the more I fell in love with the magnificent cathedral. It was seriously incredible, the intricate design. Everything about it was just so pretty, which led to lots of pictures:) I hope to be visiting a friend who lives in Trondheim later in the semester so I am hoping that then I will be able to view inside. We just walked around the quiet city and it was very relaxing. We came across a red track and I instantly thought of the team back home, and how much I missed running with them. Back on the boat, I had found a book Safe Haven by Nicolas Sparks the previous night, and finished it that Sunday night. It was so calming, reading and then looking up to see a gorgeous sunset on the beautiful Norwegian coastline in front of me. Sidenote:: The 16^th was also my 9^th month anniversary with Matthew:) and I have never been so happy although I am missing that boy every day.

Niadorasdomen

            Monday, we approached Bodø, and I can say that this was the one and only distasteful city I had been in while being in Norway. It wasn’t that big, but it just seemed more industrialized than the others without the charm. The boys got Burger King, while Jana and I treated ourselves to Subway. After Felix and Jana made their way back to the ship, they were hoping to continue on to Tromsø the following day, Kai and I went on our own way to find the airport so that we could catch our flight back to Tromsø that evening. It was a long wait, but a quick flight. And it was crazy how excited I was being back in Tromsø. I felt a surge of immediate relief and was so excited to be back. I thought I would be glad, but I was very thrilled. I was quite anxious having my computer so I could catch up with my family and Matt via Skype.

            It was a beautiful wonderful weekend. Highlights: the Bergen Bryggen, Geiranger, and Niadorasdomen. The next day I met up with Rudi, Ashley, and Holly and showed them pictures while having a tasty waffle from Café Bodega:) I also came home to package #2 form home! I am so blessed. I believe my favorite items inside, were my grey jacket, one that my father used to wear but now I have claimed it as mine, and a stack full of pictures from home. The pictures are now scattered throughout my room, constantly reminding me of the amazing people in my life. I also received a package that Brittney had sent me too! Full of goodies and especially, The Lion King DVD.

            Wednesday, the 19^th I attended class, ran, and then met up with Karolina (Canada) Holly, and Ashley to enjoy an Asian dish, it was delicious and good company too, of course:) That night I started packing again! 

The Beginning of September in Tromsø

 Heihei, again I apologize for the late posts, but better late than never! Enjoy :) Thanks for reading! 

Saturday, September 1:  This Saturday, we had a gameplan: to conquer the cable car mountain. We knew, that after taking over Tromsdalstinden, the cable car should be a piece of cake. Well, Ashley, Leonard and I set out and it was a nice hike, nothing compared to the previous weekend but a workout nonetheless. It was a hike of good company and lots of layering off, and on. It gets so warm on the way up, but if one stands still it gets chilly fast. We kind of overshot our destinations, overachievers by mistake but we were still able to see a wonderful view of the island and also, the mountain of which we had been on the previous weekend. After the hike, I was anxious for 8:00p to come around because my wonderful mother found out that I could watch Matt’s game Live via internet, so of course I invited a few friends (Ashley, Leonard, and Rudi of course) to cheer on the Cobber Soccer team (especially #5) that was 4000miles away:) It was a wonderful night, after the game we went into town and discovered the nightlife of Tromsø.

Go Cobbers! i like my new friends:)

Tuesday, September 4: In Culture class, we were given lefse and sealmeat as a midlecture treat. It was a treat all right;)

Friday, September 7: Ashley, Leonard, and I went to Verdensteatret, an old cinema where we watched the silent film, Frosty Celluloid: With Maud over the Arctic Ocean / Roald Amundsen monument unveiled in Troms. It showed old footage together with live piano music.

Saturday, September 8: Ashley and I went to the market to see what we could find for cheap vegetables and fruit. I left with a sack of potatoes:) That night I met with Ashley, Holly (Canada) Karolina (Canada) Felix (Germany) Antonia (Germany) and Emely (also Germany) to enjoy some wine Holly brought back from Svalbard (an island far north, where polar bears live and where there is no taxes=cheaper wine!) and some rhubarb cake Karolin and Holly made that day, all the while enjoying company and playing cards. How could I forget, Holly also had maplenut ice cream!

Sunday, September 9: We, Ashley and I went to the Tromsø Museum. It was interesting! Emphasizes areas of geology, archeology, biology interests, and cultural pulls specifically of Sami interests. We attended a lecture, unknowingly that it would be entirely in Finnish. We also viewed a pretty film featuring pictures caught of the northern lights.

Monday, September 10: After class, Rudi, Tina, Ashley and I got together at my place to make tacos! They were very tasty and it was wonderful being with those girls.

Wednesday, September 12: Ashley and I took a walk down by the water to collect more seashells and enjoy the scenery.

And of course, during all this time I have been attending lectures. I have Social Psych MWF, Culture Tuesdays, and History on Thursdays. Tough life, right? Any in between time is spent either reading for classes, running through Tromsø, or Skyping back home. Through this time also I have received a loving amount of cards from home, too. I appreciate every single thought.

Life in Norway the Remainder of August!

Hi! Okay so once again, I am so very sorry that I haven’t been faithful in updating my Blog, but this time it was actually do to technical difficulties of the user—me. I somehow misplaced my password, but today worked hard to receive it again! So I am setting a new goal in which I don’t let things slip right by like I have this past month. I also promise that other entries won’t be like this one, I will state the date and interesting activities on such a day, but the entries after this will be more in depth, cross my heart:) I hope you enjoy!

love in a box.

Wednesday, August 22: Wow, September is almost over, that’s embarrassing—On August 22, I received my first care package from home! It was a joyous day. I had actually gone in two days earlier to ICA Supermarket (the Postal point for my specific zipcode) because I knew, by tracking the package that it was almost to Tromsø. But Ashley and I excitedly walked down to ICA to pick it up. We came back to open it, and it felt like Christmas. I received some affectionate cards, Tupperware, Tide pods, batteries, tights—so I could be trendier, and lots of yummy goodies; including Grandma C’s delicious molasses cookies. I went to bed that night a very happy girl, with a happy tummy mind you. 

Thursday, August 23: This day was beautiful. I remember waking up and smiling seeing how nice it was. This day was also the first day of Artic Norway—Aspects of History, again a small, cozy class with a lively professor.

a pretty morning on the way to school :)

Friday, August 24: On this day, Ashley, Holly (Canada) and I made brownie cookies! It was quite the treat. After cookies, Ashley and I ventured down to the city center to volunteer for DebutUke, which I described in a previous post. And I can tell you that my favorite part was definitely the free meal! We showed up early and the workers at Driv were very nice, chicken nuggets and fries! It was wonderful to have a warm meal. Volunteering was –interesting. There were about a handful of Norwegians and only like four ISU students helping out. Our task was to cut out circles out of pieces of paper, tape a string to the back, and place in a pile. You can bet it was just as thrilling as it sounds. And the other people were kind of ignoring anything we asked in English, awfully boring and awkward. So Ashley, our friend Tina (Germany) and I left after we put our two hours in. That night a group of friends got together to celebrate our friends, Rudi (from California) for her birthday. It was really fun getting together with people and fun to meet others and we can’t forget, the delicious cake that Bill made!

Saturday, August 25: Ashley and I went into volunteer again in the early afternoon. We were served beef stew with potatoes. Yum! We again did the tedious work of taping a string to paper circles, put in two hours and left.

Sunday, August 26:  It was an incredible Sunday. I spent most of my morning and early afternoon watching four episodes of New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel it quickly became a favorite TV show, which the second season premiers in tomorrow!! But then I clocked in SIX amazing hours Skyping my sisters, parents, Matt, and Ali. It was cool, because if Mom and I started a conversation, then Michaela would add on in Fargo, and then Britt in Minot, and so on:) It was soooo great:)

Monday, August 27:  I went to the grocery store :)

Tuesday, August 28: There was a UN meeting at the university where we were served free pizza:) and watched a film, The Iron Wall, discussing the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians focusing on the existence and expansion of Israeli settlements.

Wednesday, August 29: I had my first Social Psychology lecture, hehe.

Thursday, August 30: Attended history class, and had a wonderful lively dinner with some friends—some Italians in specific decided to make Carbonara the “right” way, it was delicious. It was also exceptionally pretty this day, while I was thinking of my fellow Cobbers starting their first day of classes back in Moorhead.

Friday, August 31: Attended psych class, and then that evening Ashley, Leonard, and I went into the city centre to go to an art exhibit. It was lovely! There was free wine and bubblywater, I took the wine of course and we walked around the handful of perspective exhibits. It was called Am I Making Up What Really Happened? It was very neat and left me feeling extremely sophisticated, all I needed was a pair of pumps and a nice, suited gentleman on my arm to become tiptop!

Welp, that was the remainder of August! I will continue on with the entirety of September in another post :) 

First Day of Classes at UiT!! & Tromsdalstinden!

Okay, so I know I said I would tryt to write shorter posts, but give me one more chance:) I guess I got busy! So it is Tuesday, and I had my first class today! It was titled Arctic Norway-Aspects of Culture, following both my sociology and Scandinavian interests. The class was cozy, about 24 of us, while there were some Norwegians, a majority of the class were ISU students, whether I knew them personally or not, it was a room of friendly faces. The professor was a hoot, and I am looking forward to class. With the smaller class size and hefty reading material it felt like I was back home at Concordia:)

$10 raspberries, the sweetest and most expensive treat I have had
 in Norway thusfar.

I am currently in Café Bodega, just enjoying some downtime and company of new friends. This past week was spent doing numerous activities. Last Wednesday, Ashley and I along with other ISU students travelled to the student house, driv to gather for more information about volunteering for the two-week event, Debutuke. It is a kick-off for the school year including events such as Waffle Thursdays, various sporting events, and numerous concerts and parties throughout the city. Ashley and I signed up for decorating for the events this coming Friday and Saturday. Because of decorating, we also get free admission, a free tee, a free meal, and discounts on beverages! Anything free in Norway should not be taken for granted!! After the meeting, Ashley and I familiarized ourselves better with the city center and bought some garden goods from a local market. I mistakenly purchased a tin of raspberries for 60 kr ($10) I thought he said 16 kr, honest mistake but they were a good treat after a long week! Wednesday night, I met my roommate for the first time. Her name is Madelen and originally from Norway, taking her second year at UiT for political science. That night two of her other friends came over and we all enjoyed some drinks and chips—it was quite a treat!

Thursday morning I went for my first run around the island, I headed north and being on that end of the island there wasn’t much to see. It was a nice morning even with the constant clouds coming off the sea. I hope to run often and the persistent hills and curves should benefit me in some way or another. I know that it will never get boring! Thursday night, Ashley, Johanna, (from Germany) Madelen and I watched Shrek 2 at Ashley’s apartment. It was nice to kick back and relax.

Friday, Ashley and I came in for the Student Expo, and many UiT students were friendly and approachable. The only problem was that every time they excitedly talked with us, we had to shyly exclaim, “English, I speak English.” After the expo we enjoyed a nice waffle and coffee in Café Bodega—it was quite cold. Friday night, my kind roommate offered to make Ashley and I tacos! So we went to the nearest grocery store and bought some goods. It was a wonderful meal in comparison to the bland peanut butter sandwiches I had been eating the week before, and going to the grocery store allowed me to buy jelly and some more bread. After tacos, we scooted on over to Ashley’s again to watch Madagascar—we like the animated films.

Saturday morning, I went for another run but ran west instead of North and found a set of trails that went in and around a group of lakes that are higher on the island. While I was running, I realized that I was approaching a fenced in area. Running beside the fence, I came across a reindeer! It was quite the sight to see:) Saturday night Ashley and I headed over to meet our friends Jana (Canada) and Holly (also Canada) who were meeting their friends in Ordalen. There we met a handful of wonderful Norwegian guys and enjoyed a good night of laughter, inquisition, and beer.

Sunday, we conquered Tromsdalstinden!! –one of the highest summits near Tromsø. The summit measures 1238 meters above sea level. Funny thing is, my friends Ashley, Holly (Canada) and Leonard (Belgium) wanted to leave by 9a so that we could hopefully reach the peak by noon but we had a little trouble with the bus system that morning so we didn’t get to the base of the mountain until 11:30a. But because of it, we climbed alongside a group of 80 some med students from the university. Leonard, the trooper, had done the exact same climb just the day before but we were definitely glad we had him by our sides the entire trek. As we got off the bus we walked a good hour until we started the incline. It wasn’t bad at first but once we got out the valley we could see that it got really steep, fast. All in all, it was an amazing, rough afternoon—very joyful finally reaching the summit. It was seriously breathtaking. We were grateful to start the trek down, taking a longer more gradual route than our trek up. It simply was an experience. After six hours, we got onto the bus with sore limbs ready for bed.

Monday, I woke sore and headed to the library on campus to follow up on some readings that were due for class today. It was interesting being on a different campus, but my heart still belongs at Concordia. Monday afternoon, Ashley and I made an adventure to the grocery store! It was a success and my tummy has been very content since then:) Tomorrow, Ashley and I are planning to meet for waffles at Café Bodega and then enjoy an afternoon in the city—should be fun!

It has already been quite the experience being here—and already for 15 days! I am anxious to get into a routine with classes and continue meeting new people. It seriously is beautiful and I feel like I am still walking around with a postcard in front of my face. My heart is at home, but I am very grateful I am here. I can’t help but think of all the Cobbers starting classes next week and my XC team in Park Rapids this week—speaking of which, I will now go on my third run since being here in Tromsø. It’s only 50 degrees so I think I’ll just run in shorts this time!! Have a wonderful day:) Until next time! 

Hiking, lots of hiking :)

Hei, hei!! Another delayed response, but this is me catching up :) so …Sunday. Sunday I slept in, or at least tried to sleep in later. It is quite difficult dealing with the early sun because I wake up in the morning and freak out because I feel like it is 11a with it being so bright, but in actuality it is only 6a. I feel like once I get used the constant light is when darkness will appear. Ashley and I made no plans for Sunday but thought that it would be great together to walk around the northern part of the island, so we did just that. It was nice to have the day to ourselves. We started by walking across the northern shoreline and grabbed a few shells then headed towards the student hostel, Ordalen to see if any of our new friends were out. We didn’t see any other ISU (international students) but we did run into a group of Norwegian kids. There were two eleven-year-old girls, two nine-year-old girls, and an eight-year-old boy—all adorable. They immediately approached us once we were in view and as soon as they realized we were from the USA, they got excited about practicing their English. It was a lively conversation and we spoke for almost twenty minutes. Ashley and I said goodnight and continued our journey back to our hostel while learning a bit more about the other.

On Monday, our last day of orientation, we were scheduled to meet early on the campus so that we could board busses to venture further northwest mainland to Grøtfjord, a small beach place lined by steep mountains that looks beautifully north to the Arctic Sea. When signing up for the trip, you could choose one of three choices: be on the beach all day to play sand sports, go hiking up the mountain, or go fishing. I, along with a majority of the other ISU students chose hiking. We first dropped the students off on the beach who either chose to stay there or fish and then were dropped off ourselves a little bit a ways from the beach at the bottom of a mountain, there was a beautiful lake near as shown here:

It didn’t seem difficult at first; walking through forestry incline but quickly got steeper and one could feel it in their legs. It was incredible how the horizon kept getting prettier and prettier the farther we got up the mountain. Once at the top, almost three hours later, everyone was taking pictures of the beautiful landscape. And there were reindeer!! The guide did mention halfway up that there were many last year and didn’t know if we’d be able to see any but thankfully we did:) it was breathtaking, all of it. The climb down took less than half to get up but seemed much more dangerous because of rushed unsure footing.

Once at the bottom, it was amazing to look back up and see where we had been and I wanted nothing to do but then to get in the water. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, put swimsuit on and with friends by my side started walking towards the water—which got more intimidating the closer it got. We took off running, screaming, and almost tripping, we were in the numbing cold waters of the Arctic. So cold that we ran faster to get out than to get in. Freezing water but who can actually say they have swam in the Arctic?! The rest of the day was filled with sauna, beach volleyball, and conversing with new friends. We finished out the beach day with presentations about each country represented by every student from that country. A lot of students whether it was one representative (like Australia) or 38 (like Spain) confirmed or argued points of culture that were stereotyped by other countries. There were a lot of songs sung, dances danced, and lots of laughter. There were seven Americans and because we are so diverse culturally as a country anyways, we decided to do the Hokey Pokey. It was a hit ;)

From the small island of Tromsø to Grøtfjord, way North ;)

See? I really did swim in the Arctic!

 It was beautiful in Grøtfjord, just like it seems is everywhere else in Norway. And I look forward to much more hiking in the future. This morning Ashley, Johanna (from Germany) and I went into campus this morning to finalize registration and take care of other things on campus. Once finished stopped by Café Bodega to have a delicious waffle---cheap! and with nutella of course:)  It has been nice to relax tonight and being able to Skype home:) I don’t start classes until next Tuesday; the 21^st so this next week could get a little interesting! Our plan is to go into the city center tomorrow so that we can get and start using local phones so that we can keep in touch with the other students here:) We will explore the city center more than we have been able to and will definitely be taking a lot more pictures!

Welcome to Grøfjord

I miss home a lot and think non-stop about friends and family. There is a lot of good change happening in my family!! I have been thinking a lot about the Cobbers who will soon be invading Moorhead, and the XCers who are at Park Rapids this week. After coming here and dealing with this system, my heart aches for Concordia like never before. Thank you all for reading and have an incredible day, night, afternoon where ever you are in this world right now!!:)