Monday, January 28, 2013

Soup and Sledding

Time to wrap up the last bit of January!  Here’s what my week looked like:

Tuesday: Felt awful when I woke up, so I stayed in my flat for the day.  Due to my coughing, headache, and everything else my body decided to berate me with, I missed my classes on multiculturalism in Norway for sleep, tea drinking, and hanging out with my computer who can’t get sick from me.  The main bummer about my sick day was that it was the nicest day I’ve seen in Oslo with a clear blue sky.  I could only appreciate it from behind glass which was most unfortunate.  Luckily, as I may or may not have mentioned in a previous post, Netflix has wider selection in Norway than at home which helped pass the day.  That was about it for my Tuesday.

Wednesday: I finally started my internship!  Well, technically I had my first meeting/interview with the organization I’ll be working for.  My first shift is this coming Wednesday (in two days).  I’m going to be at the Oslo branch of Skeiv Ungdom (Queer Youth in English) each Wednesday for my semester here and I’m the first intern they’ve ever had.  To my understanding so far, I’ll be helping around the office and building up the social media presence of Queer Youth for English speakers through their already established Twitter and Facebook, as well as help launch a blog (and Tumblr, which I recommended), and possibly even an English version of their website (I Google translated it for my sake, but to have an English option at the get go will be way more convenient).  I spent two hours getting to know Ashild (SU aka QV’s president) and Eirik (the secretary).  It’s a great space, and both of them were really nice.  Plus the office is right in the middle of downtown.  I’m excited to make my place at Skeiv Ungdom!

Thursday: After feeling alright enough to go to class, my HECUA buddy Lauren helped me out by taking me to get a cheap (for Norway, yep, always going to clarify) replacement cell phone after my debacle last week.  Luckily, I was able to keep all my credit and previous Norwegian number, so at least that part of my week of having a phone set up didn’t go wasted!  I’ll make sure to watch this phone like a hawk; don’t want to go through another case of lost and not found phone. 

Friday: Skyped a friend early in the morning and then went straight back to sleep.  I spent the day indoors coughing, drinking even more tea than Tuesday, and working on my independent study project.  The ISP is my 3rd course here in Oslo, and is done on my own time, with a few due dates, and will result in a 15-20 page long thesis at the end of the semester.  Once again, like Tuesday, my compy (what I call my laptop) was my best friend but this time for work than play. Research was actually okay to do when sick since I was already stuck inside, meaning there was no excuse to put it off, which is a good thing.  I am here in Norway to study abroad… which includes the study part at some points, ha.  

Saturday: About the same as Friday minus the Skyping, plus one trip to the outside world.  Not much of an adventure, just that I ran to the grocery store for a cinnamon roll and tooth paste.  An ironic pair yes, but I didn’t need anything else and used the errand as a short escape from my sick zone to enjoy fresh air and the fresh new snow.  In short, another day of tea, ISP, and rest (meaning either sleeping or watching The Big Bang Theory).  I really have watched too much TV online here, but at least this past week I had to pass the time while sick somehow.  Another thing I did today was try to make soup, which I had been putting off.  Why?  Soup is easy, right?  Not so much in Norway… it’s powdered.  Very few things are canned here I’ve discovered and soup is one of them.  Broth sure, but not soup.  I boiled water with a little milk since it was tomato soup powder and it turned out decent, but I don’t think I’ll be eating soup too often which is a shame.  Oh well, I have a newfound appreciation of canned soup.  

*Side note, if anyone is planning on coming to Norway for an extended amount of time, you should bring your own over the counter drugs.  Three reasons: brands aren’t the same, you may need a prescription here for something you can buy off the shelf at a pharmacy in America, and the overarching trend of high prices on everything in Norway.  I was told this before I left and my mini first aid kit packed with Aleve, Nyquil, cough drops, etc. very much came in handy this week.

Sunday: Woke up, finished my ISP proposal (one of the three things other than the final paper I have to turn in), and went SLEDDING.  This is the activity that produces all my photos below for the week since, well, I already put up pictures of my room, ha.  Anyways, one of the first things I heard about once I stepped off my plane in Oslo was that the sledding course here is amazing.  All you have to do is take the T-Bane (metro train) route 1 westbound to its last stop, rent a sled (the one I got was 125 NOK plus a helmet, which is about $23) and you’re good to go!  After you get to the end of the track, the bottom of the hill puts you back at the T-Bane to take you back to the top: the length of the sledding course is seven T-Bane stops!  And boy, it was so much fun!  I went with three girls from my international buddy group and we all had a blast.  And there were plenty of bumps and speed: when you sled in Norway, it’s extreme. 

Sledding was great; we went down three times and were worn out.  But there was more in store for the night because in the student village I live in it was Sunday Movie Night at Amatøren, the pub.  It was having a Kill Bill double feature so I went with one of the girls from my sledding group and another friend from our mutual buddy group who also lives in Sogn.  Watching Quentin Tarantino fight scene madness and sipping a pint of beer to warm me up was the perfect way to finish off a long week.


 The view of falling snow from my window while sick
















Snow suited up
















Winter Wonderland













Nikky, Heidi, Stefanie and I ready to hit the slope again!











Sled mode, right before the last run

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Happiest Place on Earth (Aside from Disneyland)

My friend Kenny sent me this link recently: http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/world-s-happiest-countries-233204795.html.  The news of Norway topping the list came as no surprise to me.  I’ve now entered my third week in this beautiful country and I’ve been happy quite a lot.  Though, since my last post, there have been a few bumps in the Norwegian road for me.

After activating my cell number here for only about a week, I lost my phone.  Yep, slipped out of my pocket somewhere in Oslo.  The phone I brought with me from the states, which was the perfect plan.  I have (excuse me, “had”, sob) an Android phone that used a SIM card, so I brought said phone with me across the Atlantic to use with a Norwegian SIM card.  Easy, swapping out a little piece of plastic with data instead of having to buy a (very expensive) phone to use while here.  Well, it was the perfect plan to say again.  I checked two police stations and the transit office for their lost and found sections, and sent a letter to the caretaker of my student village, but no luck.  I’ll be picking up a phone tomorrow afternoon and a new one once I get back home too.  Fortunately I held on to the American SIM card so I can maintain my number, and I’m due for an upgrade as well.

My second trial of the week was laundry.  I won’t elaborate as much on this one, I’ll leave it to a few choice words: never assume with technology, 40 NOK to wash and dry (about $8 total), and walking farther than I need to for clean clothes.

Anyways, on to the positive!  I am in the happiest country right?  My fun by day as follows:

Tuesday: Went to the National Gallery which has some great art.  You’ll recognize some famous ones below.

Wednesday: Lots of socializing after my phone debacle!  I had coffee at one of the many cafes on campus with a group of friends and then went to Gronland (a diverse neighborhood in eastern Oslo) with them for some shopping.  I picked up the exciting purchases of laundry detergent (an omen) and a spatula.  There’s a great grocery store and thrift store in Gronland, which I didn’t buy anything from this day but returned to both today (Monday). 

Next, when I returned home, my roomie Luca said he was having some friends over for dinner and I joined in on some lovely conversations with future lawyers, and Molly, the lone chemist at the table.   Right around when dinner ended, my final flat mate arrived to move back in after vacationing.  Her name is Nini and she’s from Georgia, the country not state.  She shared wisdom of the magical attic upstairs where residents drop off things they don’t need or want anymore.  We went up as a united roomie group, all six of us, and raided through this haven of stuff.  Free swag was gathered by each of us, and I walked away with a drape, rug, and duvet cover.  Quality night.

Thursday:  The highlight of this day was bowling with the HECUA group (my professor, student assistant, and classmates).  Bowling proved to be the most expensive thing in Norway I’ve heard of… $300 for two lanes for 90 minutes.  That’s the equivalent of really good therapy!  Fun didn’t come cheap this time especially, at least I got a strike!

Friday:  MY FIRST SHIFT BARTENDING!!!  It was so great.  I alternated working up front to check IDs and served behind the bar from 10:30pm to 2:30am at the student pub in the Humanities building on campus called Uglebo, which means “owl stay” in English.  The pub is very cool, and owls of course are featured all over.  It’s got a laid back, rock vibe to it with board games, and has lots of beers, wine, and other drinks on the menu (no hard alcohol, that’s for the non-school bars and is highly managed by the government).  Since it was opening night, the place was packed full when I got there and people stayed til closing.  My shift was positively hectic and awesome.  All my fellow volunteers were welcoming and friendly, and we had a bar staff after party in Uglebo to ourselves for hours.  I didn’t get home til around six in the morning.  Night well worth everything.

Saturday:  I’ve been typing a lot, so I’m going to start condensing.  Woke up at noon after the great shift and fun that followed at Uglebo.  Had another big dinner with Luca’s friends.  Hosted a pre-party to go to a party at the student pub in my village.  Got to party too late to get in.  Group still wanted to have fun, acted quickly since the metro (train system) stops running at 12:30am.  Heidi recommended “Fridays” which meant TGI Fridays… and it was such a good time.  Over here in Norway TGI Fridays turns into a poppin’ (yes, poppin’) club after dinner service ends and is open til 3am.  We got there and had a blast.  Good mix of music, fun atmosphere, and a great group of people.  Stayed til closing, got on the last night buses we needed and I fell asleep at 4:30am.  Norway is turning me into a night owl (pun intended shout out to Uglebo).

Sunday:  Was in need of a lazy day, so I watched Sherlock most of the afternoon.  Had my friend Maggie over for dinner and after she left, the super six (my flat mates and I) had a cleaning party.  Scrubbed down our flat together with some wine and tunes and now the place looks great.  It wasn’t too dirty to begin with, but its current state is marvelous.

This concludes my very packed week in Oslo.  Special acknowledgement goes to all the people I Skyped as well, most notably Cora who is in Hong Kong!  I have dear friends at home, studying abroad themselves, and those I’ve made here.  Three more months to make more and keep in touch with those listed, on to more adventures!



Emulating van Gogh



Woe is him, and me 

Edvard Munch room, can you spot The Scream?
  
Art of ages ago



The Royal Palace in the distance

Latte made with love

My kind of therapy

Monday, January 14, 2013

Oslo Living

Monday means post day!

I've been in Norway for another week and quite a lot has happened.  Classes began on Wednesday, I became part of an international buddy group, and have done more adapting to Norwegian life.

My classes have only just started rolling with readings and discussions when my program meets.  The official titles of my two classes are "The Scandinavian Welfare State in an Era of Globalization" and "Scandinavian Art, Literature, and Film".  I'll be starting an internship soon enough and embarking on an independent study project as well.  My thesis topic will have something to do with violent crime in Norway (or lack thereof).  I was inspired by the country's peaceful reputation, the mere three police vehicles I've seen here, and interning at the SF DA's office most of last year.  As for interning here, it looks like I'll be working with a queer youth organization in downtown Oslo once a week.

The main change that has happened since my first post was meeting my buddy group!  There are 330 international students currently enrolled at UiO (Universitetet i Oslo) and we were all divided by our majors so I've with a great bunch of fellow Political Science undergrad and master students.  I have four buddy leaders (three Norwegians and one Dane) and buddy students from all over Europe with me including Austria, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland. We've done plenty of activities like Quiz Night at the student center (which we almost won with an overtime question), hanging out, and getting a tour of the city yesterday that kicked off with getting our non-guest way into the Radisson Blu's beautiful view from its pool and gym and ending with delicious hot chocolate and buns at my "part time hipster" buddy leader's place.  Everyone in the group is great, I have a wonderful time each time I see them!

Other eventful happenings for me were getting a phone, an excellent dinner with two of my flat mates and two lovely girls from my program, and braving the malls in Oslo to buy a new coat!  January is sale month in the city and shopping was quite an adventure. 

One more special highlight to end strong on: I also went to a student involvement fair and signed up for an opportunity that could be the cherry on top of my time in Oslo: bar tending!  You read that right, there are student pubs all over campus, one for each faculty!  I signed up to volunteer in the one in the Humanities building and just have to pick my first shift.  I'm really excited; ready to meet more people and get discounted drinks, woot woot!

Anyways, I've got a packed week ahead of me with the start of our field seminars, a trip to a bowling alley on HECUA's tab, and more socializing to do in this fun expensive place!  I'll report back next Monday!


Oslo City, a huge shopping center downtown

Sales, sales everywhere! (Salg in Norwegian)

The view from the hotel pool, all the train tracks

Lara and me at the top floor gym 

Gamle Akle Kirke, the oldest building in Oslo:  this church has been standing since the 1100!

HECUA

Just chilling on campus, literally

Monday, January 7, 2013

My First Impression

Hello friends, family, and Internet wanderers!

This is my blog for my spring semester in Norway.  I settled in Oslo (the country’s largest city and capital) on Friday and have loved every second of it since.  Norway is such a beautiful place and is currently snow covered.  As most know/assume, Norway is chilly and I’ve been wearing warm layers each day.  I have also slipped on ice three times already (I’m so graceful).

Studying abroad here in Oslo marks my first time being in Norway, Europe as a whole even, and I came with guide books, winter clothes, and electrical outlet adapters in hand!  So far I’ve noticed quite a few differences between this fine bit of Scandinavia and America, and some were definitely unpredicted.  Of course the weather, cost of living, and language are all commonly known traits (cold, super expensive, and Norwegian obviously), but these characteristics of Oslo have caught me by surprise the most: 
  •  Norwegians apparently love convenient stores; I’ve never seen more 7 Elevens in my life!  Sometimes there are two on one block and I spotted three in the downtown central station alone.  But that’s just 7 Eleven, which is only one of the three chains, with Deli De Luca and Narvesen as the others.  Convenience in Oslo is ubiquitous.  And all of these stores are so nice, not like the kind of shabby ones in America; they are sleek.  And expensive.  But everything in Norway is expensive.   
  • My dorm building has half floors, so while I’m in room 706, I only have to walk four flights of stairs.  I’m pretty sure I haven’t been in a residence building built up like that in America, or one that tall without an elevator (hauling my luggage up proved difficult)
  • Next up: light switches.  Walking into my room, I reached to turn on the light and didn’t feel it immediately to my side like at home.  Nope, light switches here are up at least a foot higher, and they are big squares instead of little up and down knobs.
  • Automatic doors are pretty slow, and I just thought it was a store by store basis, but a trend is emerging.
  • Lastly, as for the darkness factor (meaning amount of daylight), I knew the sun wouldn’t be out as much but Oslo only gets about six hours of light.  From about nine to three.  This wasn’t as much of a surprise as other differences, but it has proved to be quite a change.  People of course stay out later than three, including myself, but even waking up at eight doesn’t guarantee a lit sky like the norm is in the US.  So I knew about this element of Norwegian life but not to this degree.
For the four days I’ve been in Norway, I’ve moved into my suite with two roommates (one from Sweden and the other from Switzerland) who are both nice, bought groceries based on packaging and price, walked around the beautiful city, started to master a few of the transit lines (The 3 of the T Bane is my train of choice so far), and yes, have gone to IKEA.

All in all, my first weekend consisted of a lot of exchange rate math in my head, new people, and fun.  Orientation with all the other international students is tomorrow and then Wednesday my classes start!  My hope is to post weekly entries, so stay tuned!


IKEA in Norway, the real deal












My Norwegian home












Note the light switch












View from my room
















The T Bane












Passing through a park












Downtown Oslo












Off a popular plaza