Christmas time is here..

Since Halloween isn't a popular holiday here, and Thanksgiving doesn't exist, Christmas is the first holiday I've seen preparations being made for. It has been made pretty obvious that Christmas is a BIG deal in Norway. Twoards the end of October, "Jule" (Christmas) editions of MANY different things have hit the shelfs in the supermarkets. Christmas soda, Christmas bread, Christmas coffee, Christmas beer, Christmas EVERYTHING... I haven't tried any of the Christmas things yet, but now since it is December, I now give myself the "okay" to start trying all of the Jule things. I'm hoping that eating and drinking these Christmas items will be like taking a huge mouth full of Christmas cheer.

The start of December also was the start of my Julekalender (Christmas calender... there's an easy Norwegian word for you!) Every day I get to open a new window in the calendar and I get a peice of chocolate. I thought that it would be something different everyday, so I started taking photos of me with what came out of it everyday, but after the third day I realized that it was the same chocolate everyday, just in a different shape. I am still taking photos of me with my surprise chocolate everyday. I mean, who doesn't want a collection of 24 photos of themself with 24 different shapes of chocolate?

(me and my Julekalander)

(CHOCOLATE)

Also, as Christmas approaches, risgrøt (rice porridge??) is being served more and more. I had it twice last weekend. Risgrøt is to Norwegian Christmas as milk and cookies is to American Christmas, meaning, this is what they set out for Santa. It's definitely better than milk and cookies. If I were Santa, the houses in Norway would be my favorite stops. When risgrøt is served to a group of people, a shaved almond is hidden in one of the bowls, and whoever finds the almond wins a prize. I haven't found one yet.

One thing that I've noticed so far is that no one really decorates the outside of their houses here. This is a HUGE chage from the "Christmas Explotion" on my street at home:

Winter has turned Norway into a totally different place..

(Lifaret street on August 13, 2010)

(Lifaret street on December 5, 2010)

The last snowfall we had here, stuck to all the trees, making them all white. After seeing this one day one a walk, I have come to one conclusion:

You do not need a magical wardrobe to get to Norway, all you need is a plane ticket to Norway during the winter. Norway is DEFINITELY Narnia.

In the time it took me to write this blog, I went out and bought a julebrus. Contrary to what I thought, julebrus does not taste like Christmas came and punched me in the tastebuds. I didn't taste any Christmas trees, gingerbread men, or sugar cookies. It tasted more like oranges, bubble gum, and cream soda... it was good though.

long time no blog..

Well.. it's been a month since I last posted, so I figured I should probably tend to my blog and give everyone an update on what has gone on. Looking back on my photos, I realize that a lot has happend in this past month, so get ready for a very long post.

We'll start with Halloween. For Halloween, I spent pretty much the entire day in the kitchen making an "American dinner" for my host family. I made chicken pot pie and apple pie. Dispite being the first time making both of them, they both turned out really good.

(here's the pie, it looks wierd, BUT it was good)


(middag! Andreas, my older host brother, and Christian, my host dad)

Also, Halloween Isn't as big of a deal here as it is in the states. I think there might have been a total off 10 kids who showed up at the door.

Winter has hit Norway, and it looks like it is going to stay for a while. It's SO cold here. Today it was 16°F. It's WAY too early for it to be that cold.. buuuut it's Norway, not Ohio. I never leave the house without gloves, a scarf, and a hat, and I often sit in class with my coat on. I'm starting to think that this "foreign exchange 15" that I'm suppost to gain will come in handy to keep me warm this winter. There is always ice on the sidewalks. I already fell once, and I'm almost positive it will not be the last time. I think my next purchase will be a pair of shoes that are a mix between wool insulated, really thick boots, and running spikes... I think that will do the trick...or these (see photo below)... I think these are the most beautiful boots I have ever layed my eyes on. Except for the fact that they are made from seals.

(first snow)

On the 14th of November, thanks to my second host dad, I got to go to the Cupfinale. Pretty much the Super Bowl of Norway fotball. The team from the area I live in was in it, but sadly they lost. It was fun though.

A couple of weekends ago, I traveled up north a little to Løten to see my friend Abby. We hung out around the city the first night, and ate dinner at Peppe's (an AMAZING pizza shop). Our entire goal during the dinner was to convince the waitress that we were Norwegian. Every time she came close to the table we would start talking Norwegian, which was basicly "I speak Norwegian" "I can't speak English" "I speak verry good Norwegian". We ended up sitting there for a REALLY long time waiting for our bill because we didn't know how to ask for the bill and we refused to blow our cover and ask in English. Finally after waiting for about an hour, and missing one of our busses home, we gave up and asked for the bill in English. I don't think she was too suprised that we didn't really speak Norwegian. The rest of the weekend we just chilled at her house, pigged out on cookies, candy, and smash (see below), and watched pretty much the entire 1st series of Criminal Minds, wich after that weekend it is now my favorite show!

(Abby and I with our gross fake teeth)

(view from the bus on the way home)

Also, I have been checking a lot off of my "Norway Checklist." I still haven't seen a seal though.. I might just have to settle for a photo with the seal boots.

I have gotten ontop of the Oslo tiger:

I bought a REEALLLY expensive Mountain Dew to satisfy my cravings (it was 6 dollars)

I got a Norwegian sweater (hand knitted by my first "host grandma" shes a gem)

annnd took my first jump shot of my exchange year (they are a must for every exchange student)

well those are the happenings of the past month.

on a more serious note:

I'm chilling at home today. I'm doing some laundry, and by "some" I mean A LOT. Pretty much all of my clothes are dirty. So right now I'm sitting at the dinning room table with a cozy little fire in the fire place... just kidding.. I DID have one, now its dead. I decided it was the perfect time for a blog.

One of my reasons for having this blog was in hopes that a future exchange student will find this and learn what being an exchage student entails, and also, when they're down in the dumps, they can look at this and have some hope that things will get better. All my posts before have been about how much fun I'm having. As much as that is true, it's not the entire truth. So, I've decided to make this post a little more honest.

So to start off, Blog readers, meet my journal...

Torn...
from everything I've ever known,
from comfort,
from home.
Placed in a foreign land where nothing is familiar,
where comfort isn't easily found,
and where home is 4000 miles away.
Yet this wasn't a forced torn.
In fact it was quite the opposite.
This was my choice.
I chose to leave comfort,
to pursue a dream.
A dream filled with adventure, discovery, and freedom,
but also with confusion, pain, and awkwardness.
I have hope that things will get better,
they already are.
Friendships are being formed.
The language is being learned.
Soon this foreign land will feel like home.

I wrote this the other day when I wasn't feeling the greatest.
Don't get me wrong, I AM having a great time here, and I DO love it here, but at the same time it's hands down, the hardest thing I have ever done. Everday brings a handfull of confusing, awkward and tough situations which most of the time I fumble around with and rarely come out of the situation victorious. I can't remember the last time I felt comfortable at school. It's not the people at school, they're all great! Everyone is really friendly! I guess it's just me worring that I'm doing something wrong. I HATE how being a foreign exchange student has made me so insecure. I'm also tired of being so uncomfortable. I've been forced to go WAY out of my comfort zone in order to be as outgoing as I possibly can. Sometimes I just want to be alone in order to relax and not have to worry about misunderstanding someone, or doing something wrong, but I'm afraid people will take it the wrong way.
BUT this is what I chose, and I don't regret one bit of it. I know things will be tough for a while, but it's all apart of this year long dream of mine.
Don't worry Mom and Dad.. I'm ALLLLLRIGHT!

On a happier note, I made a checklist of random things I want to do this year... some of the good ones are:

• see and take a photo with a seal.
• take a photo on top of the giant tiger outside of Oslo S.
• write a letter to the king.
• eat dinner with the king.
• go mountain climbing
• visit Bergen
• get a trendy Norwegian haircut
• exit the school though a window.
• read the first Harry Potter in Norwegain.
• buy over priced Mountain Dew from Deli de Luca
• feed bread to the bums in Oslo
• pan handle
• learn Norwegian
• get a Norwegian sweater.

and the list goes on.

As always I'll leave you with some photos.

(Sarah came down and visited and sayed at my host families house for the night! We had a good time!:) )

(let me introduce you to The Rotary Blazer. This beauty is what sets Rotary exchange students from the rest. Every Rotary exchange student has a beautiful blazer like this which they adorn with pins given to them from other exchange students, and other radom items that hold some sort of memory. This is me wearing mine before my failed Rotary presentation. All of my hardwork that I did on my presentation was for nothing. None of my photos showed up on my powerpoint. BUT I did impress everyone with my Norwegian!

ANND this is me really excited to be eating cereal for the first time in over 2 months!

And that is all.

2 months

Today marks my 63rd day in Norway....aka 2 months and 2 days. I think I'm finally getting a grasp on the Norwegian life. I am eating more bread and cheese than I ever imagined possible, I have finally mastered the art of eating food with a fork and knife, and I finally have my bus schedule memorized! Okay so thats not really the norwegian life, but whatever.
Not too much has happened since the last post. A lot of school, which by the way is getting better. I don't dread going to school THAT much anymore. I still don't understand a single thing that goes on at school unless someone explanes in english.. BUT, I have figured out how to pass the time and it usually happens in the following order:

• Facebook stalk
• Read blogs
• Read sites such as lamebook and fail blog (usually results in me laughing and trying my hardest to keep quiet, which doesnt work well, and I usually feel really weird for laughing)
• Write letters
• doodle
• and when I get bored of the internet, or feel ambitious, I break out my Norwegian workbook, and lean some Norwegian

Last week was Høstferien (fall break). YAY no school! YAY sleeping in! YAY being lazy! That pretty much sums up my week.

On the Thursday of Høstferien, I was invited to a party. It was a good time, and I met a lot of new people.

Something came up about my blog at the party, and all of the girls wanted to get a picture with me and make it on my blog. Vær så god jenter!

Last Saturday, Kurt and Gro (yes new names, they're my 3rd host parents. I've been staying with them for the past week, because my 1st host parents are in the US) took me to the Edvard Munch Museum

Edvard Munch is a Norweian artist most known for "The Scream" as seen below...

Note the awesome tourist photo.

I had a really great time there. I LOVED his work, and got a lot of inspriation from seeing it. Needless to say, Munch is now one of my favorite artists.

After the museum, I had my first IKEA experiance.... it was nothing like "500 Days of Summer" I was slightly disappointed. (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go watch "5oo Days of Summer", you wont regret it.)

In more recent news, today my religion teacher finally found out that 1. I am in her class, and 2. I'm an exchange student. I knew she didn't know I was an exchange student, but I didn't realize she didn't even know who I was. Today was the first time in 2 months of school that my name was on her attendence list. She got to the end of the list and I could tell she was confused about a name. She made a couple wierd faces and finally with a confused tone says "Deeeeviiiinn???" I just laughed and raised my hand. She then comes up to me and starts asking me something in Norwegian. At first I asked her to repeat just to see if I could possibly pass as a norwiegian, but I didn't understand a thing. So I use my best known Norwegian phrase "uuuuhhhh...Jeg snakke ikke Norsk" ("I don't speak Norwegian") After a couple seconds of shock she replies, "well... that's difficult" She then asks me if I have a book, and then left me alone for the rest of the class. I enjoied that a lot! :)

Thats pretty much all thats been happening lately.

Name Change

Yes, there has infact been a name change.
It all happened during language camp when Abby discovered that "Goebel" rhymed with "global". That then led to the discussoion about how I was called "Devin Global" in middle school. Then some how we ended up with "Devin Goebel's Global Experience" and Abby told me that I HAD to make it my blog name.... So there ya go. Welcome to Devin Goebel's Global Experience!

Letter 6: language course/ district conference

It's only taken me two weeks to write this, but HERE WE GO!

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. In order to keep from boring you, I'll do my best to summarize everything, and use a bunch of photos.

1. Language camp:

On Sunday September 5, I traveled to Halden, for a language camp! There I met up with the 19 other exchange students who over the week became very close friends! It was so great to get away from school for a week and just hang out with some great people who were in the same situation as me. It also felt SO good to speak english nonstop!

(Fist day)

(Abby, Lauren and I....Flight buddies)

(This is majority of us. )

We stayed in a weird sort of hostel type thing I guess. It was right at the bottom of a giant old fortress. We took multiple night time trips up to the top. One night we had an impromtu dance party. I must say, it was preeettty legit!

(the view from the fortress)

(Giant Abby and little Devin gaurding the fortress)

(Posing on the cannon)

During the days, we had Norwegian lessons for 6 hours. It was pretty laid back, and the teacher got off subject alot. (Most of his subjects he went off on were about alcohol) Since most of us exchange students had already been in Norway for a month, most of what we covered, we had already learned by just being in Norway. We covered a good amout of grammar, and learned a lot of random words (example: ål-eel, and petroleumingeniør- petroleun engineer)

(Sitting in class)

(Watching Norwegian films...we did this a lot!)

(What Abby and I do during class)

(Me with Olav, Ingeborg, Daniel, and Sara, the Norweian family in our book that taught us everything)

After 4 we were free to do what ever we wanted to do. One day we took advantage of out free time, and took a trip to Sweeden! It was only a 15 minute trip by buss. We had the "okay" from our teacher of course! We went to a HUGE shopping center in a town right near the border. Our first stop was the giant candy store! I went around filling my bag with one piece of every kind of chocolate. Most of it ended up being disgusting, but it was really cheap candy so it's all good! We spent the rest of the time shopping,Ya know, the normal thing you do in a shopping center. When it was time to go back, we looked at the bus schedule and planned to go on the last bus back to Halden. We had a good chunk of time until the bus, so we chilled in McDonalds. When it was about time for the bus to come, we went out to the bus stop and waited, but the bus never came. Turns out we misread the schedule. We ended up having to get a taxi that could seat all 10 of us. It ended up being twice as much as the bus, but all in all, it was a good time!

(Abby and I with our chocolate dolphins!...they were GROSS!)

That's pretty much all of language camp. On friday we hopped on a train and traveled to Ski (pronounced She), for...

2. District Conference

We finally got to stay in a nice hotel, where there was actially a shower (not just a drain in the bathroom floor with a cirtain and a faucet, like the hostle) and rooms we could actually move around in! In Ski, us "newbies" met up with the Aussies, and Agosh the Argentinian, who have been in Norway since January. We had a grand ol' time. On saturday we had to present ourselves and the country we come from to all the rotarians. Canada and the U.S were grouped together for the presentation. We started out with singing our national anthems. Next we preformed a rap that we made up. It was preeetty awesome I must say. Then we ended our presentation with introducing the rotartians to "the Cha-Cha slide" you can't get any more american than that! Saturday night there was a fancy smancy dinner with all the rotarians. There we got to participate in every foriegn exchange students favorite activity...AWKWARD SMALL TALK!

Sunday we went on an outing to a 800 year old church and a 200 or something old farm town (I really dont know what it was) at the "farm town" we got to go on a steam boat ride.

...and that concludes District conference.

(Abby and I with our unplanned matching!)

(Abby, Artur, and I all dressed up for the fancy shmancy dinner)

(Steam boat rides)

(Monica, Alyssia, and I on the steam boat)

letter 5: My biking adventure.

Just like I said I would do, last night I brought along my camera with me on my bike ride!

Everytime I go on a bikeride, it's an adventure. I'm never really 100% sure where I'm going, but I somehow always manage to get back home. Anyways, last night I decided to take a longer bike ride and go to the beach. (I tried to do this another time, but I ended up turning around and having to bike all the way up the MONSTEROUS hill that I had just sped down.) I found the beach and decided to sit on a rock and write in my journal, and then take a few photos. It was getting a little dark, and not knowing how long it was going to take me to get back home, I decided to leave. The scenery on the way back was BEAUTIFUL! I thought about hanging my camera around my neck and taking photos while I was biking, but I decided that I were to fall, my camera would most likely be shattered into many pieces. That bike ride was a perfect ending to my not-so-fantastic day. It reminded me of why I love Norway, and how awesome of an opportunity this is.

On top of that, when I got home, and after I showered, my host mom made me waffles!! They were SO good!

here are the photos:

(the view from the bike trail)

(the beach)

(this is how I ROLL)

(waffles! with blueberry and raspberry jam)