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)

letter 4: the day in the life of Devin the Norwegian

So after 2 weeks in Norway, I think I'm finally getting into a daily routine. It definitely WAY different from my average day in the States. So here's a typical day in the life of Devin the Norwegian:

• WAKE UP: I ususally wake up around 6:50, which gives me enough time to shower, get dressed, inhale breakfast, then walk quickly to catch the buss (I LOVE public transportation. It's so convenient!)
• SCHOOL: School starts at 8:15 most mornings, it all depends on my schedule each day. My classes are an hour and 40 minutes long. Each class is two classes (of the same subject) put together with a small break in between, to form monster of a class. (I hope that makes sence) The order of my classes changes each week. They claim that there's a system to this madness, but I'm convinced they press the "shuffel button" on their scheduling program each monday morning. It's really screwy and confusing, I still don't understand it. I'm taking the core subjects (Norsk, History, religion, and gym), a marketing class, and a couple of art classes. The art classes are MUCH different than home. Thats one thing I really miss about home. Around noon, we have a larger break, where everyone eats lunch. Most people have "matpakken" which are packed lunches. Mine is usually 2 open-faced sandwiches with butter, some kind of meat, and yellow cheese all wrapped in parchment paper. My host mom always writes "ha en fin dag" (have a nice day) with a smiley face on the paper every day! It makes me smile everytime!:)
• At around 3:40 (again, it depends on the day) school is done and I go home. I chill out for a while (lately I've been watching disney movies in Norwegian, in hopes that it will help me learn Norweigan)
• DINNER: Around 4:30ish we eat dinner! It was definitely something to get used to! The average norwegian meal consists of some kind of meat (sheep, beef, fish), vegtables, and always always ALWAYS potatoes! I think today was the only day I didn't have potatoes for dinner (unless the tortilla shells were made from potatoes, which they do have here).
• The next couple of hours I fill with random activities. I have found a love for biking. The view on the bike paths is spectacular (I will try to bring my camera on the next one). Around 8:30, after Teodore goes to bed, my host parents and I sit down in the family room and watch the telle. This is also the time for our evening snack, which is normally knekkebrød and brunost. Knekkebrød is dried bread, and brunost is brown cheese. I think its some kind of goat cheese. To me it taste like a combination of cheese, peanut butter, and caramel.
• Finally, around 11:40ish it's time for bed.

There you have it... a day in the life of Devin the Norwegian!

here's my only new photo... knekkebrød og brunost!

letter 3: One Week Down

Hei Hei,
A week and a half have passed, and I still love Norway!
School started on the 18th, and what a day that was. My host dad took me to school and went to a meeting with the assistant principal. It was pretty much a pointless meeting. He told me what grade and class I was in, and that was basicly it. I even have a schedule, and he didn't seem in a big rush to get me one (6 school days later, and I still don't have an official schedule yet). Since I didn't have a schedule, and everyone who could make me one was busy, I was sent home after spending only 2 hours at school. The next couple of days, I had to go into the assistant pricipal's office, so he could tell me which classes to go to that day (the school system is really screwy, i have different classes every day, and the class schedule changes each week). I don't understand anything thats going on in my classes. I sit there and try to pick out words I know, and doodle in a notebook. The first day, I got a headache from trying to understand all of the Norwegian. But things are getting better, I finally don't feel like an idiot everytime I walk into the school, and I'm starting to get more friends! Contrary to what I was told in every single orientation, everyone really doesn't want to try out their English on me. Most are actually afraid to speak English.
Last weekend I met up with another Rotary Exchnage student that lives in my district. Her name is Sarah and she's from Austrailia. We spent the day walking around Oslo. Sarah was the tour guide. It was the first time in a week that i could speak English, and not worry that the person I was talking to didn't understand what I said. I also tried "soft is" (pronounced: soft eeece) for the first time! Best soft served ice cream I've ever tasted in my life. It was fantastic! I reccomend flying to Norway and going to Oslo and eating soft is... it's worth it.
I'll leave you with some photos. They are from different places I've went to in Oslo. The first two are from when my Host Grandma took me and Teodore to Hovedøya and island in the Oslo Fjords! The next two are from Vigeland Sculpture park in Oslo. Wenche, my host mom, took me and Teodor to it one evening before school started. The last photo is of Sarah and I when we had our adventures in Oslo!

letter 2: Hello Norway!

Dear readers,

I am finally in Norway! All I have to say is WOW! It is SO beautiful here!

My first day in Norway was packed full of fists. There was so much to try and experiance. I think overall it was a successful first day. I was picked up at the airport by a Rotarian whose name may or may not be Ole, I'm really not sure. He took me to his house and we ate sanwiches with a fork and a knive. It was very difficult. I was feeling adventurous so I put smoked salmon on my sandwich. That was a mistake. It took everything I had to choke it down. After talking for a while, he took me to my first Norwegian home! After a tour of the home i unpacked my things into this wonderful room:

Then Wenchie (my host Mom) decided to take Teodore (my host brother), his friend, and myself to the Oslo Fjords to swim. We get there, and much to my suprise, Norwegians do not use changing rooms. So we all changed out in the open with nothing but a towl wrapped around my wast to cover myself! :)

(I jumped from the second highest platform)

On the second day we took a 2 hour car ride to the family's cottage in the mountains. It was BEAUTIFUL there! We were only at the cabin long enough to drop off a key. We came down the mountain and ate dinner at a cafe. Christian (my host dad) ordered me an elk burger! Little did I know that I was going to be eating it with a fork and knife! Try it.. go eat a hamburger with a fork and knive..It's SO difficult! my plate was SO messy after eating it!

(me and Teodore at the Colbolt mines)

(the family's cabin)

(Teodore)

(The mountains)

In other news, my Norwegian is AWEFUL. I didn't expect it to be great, but its still frustrating. It frustrates me the most that I can't talk to Teodore. He smiles and is suprized when I can actually say something to him in Norwegian! It makes my day!

thats all for now,

Devin

Letter 1: Norway here I come.

Dear Readers,

Thursday, August 12, I will be boarding a plane and flying across the Atlantic Ocean and arrive at my new home for the next 10 months, Oppegård, Norway. I'll be going through the Rotary Youth Exchange program and an exchange student. It has been my dream for a long time and I'm excited that it's finally coming true!

Every time I think about leaving I'm met with a variety of emotions. I'm incredibly excited for this adventure to start. It's been such a long process to get to this point, and I'm just ready to hop on the plane and leave! At the same time, I'm terribly nervous. The thought of leaving everything I have ever known behind excites me, but it also scares me a bit. I'm nervous about having to make all new friends when I don't even know the language. I'm nervous about having to fit into a new family. Don't get me wrong, I've talked to all 3 of my families, and I think they will be wonderful, but it will still be a lot of work to fit into a family that I've never met before. I'm not going to worry to much. It wont do me any good. I'm just going to deal with the problems once they happen, a "roll with the punches" approach.

This blog will kind of be my update to the masses. I'm going to try my hardest to update this every-other week, or when something exciting happens.

Sincerely,

Devin