Always Something to See

Quite a bit has happened since my last blog post and my last months here are filling up and going fast. My most recent "large experience" has been recently traveling to Røros, an old mining town that is just beautiful and full of history. I was a little disappointed because I forgot my camera and my cell phone had a break down.. so sadly I don't have too many photos, but I had a great time! Met with great people, saw a beautiful town and ate great food. Even got to taste the very traditional "Rakfisk", a fish left to ferment in a airtight place for a few months and then eaten in a variety of ways. I think its a bit of an acquired taste, but hey I'm not completely viking yet, right?


My other experience was traveling to Sweden over winter break! One of the really awesome things with being with AFS and coming to Norway is that I am allowed free travel as long as I comply with certain rules and guidelines, so a couple weeks ago I took advantage of that when I traveled to Stockholm! I stayed with my Swedish relatives and had a wonderful time. Stockholm is so beautiful and my relatives were more than hospitable, as well as just a joy to be around. In Norwegian I would definitely say my visits were "Koselig." Instead of taking this entire post trying to explain this wonderful word, I found another blog that explains it completely. Yes, I know its a bit long, but you have to promise to read at least the first paragraph, its kinda great.

http://afroginthefjord.com/2014/02/02/how-to-make-things-koselig/

I used every day of my trip to the fullest which was wonderful. In the seven days I was there I got to visit five different museums, met so many amazing relatives, saw a few of the many subway art displays, ate wonderful food and got to view almost the whole of Stockholm! Its a place I can definitely see myself returning to, even with my full week, I don't think I even put a dent in what in what Stockholm has to offer. Yesterdays old city meets with the industrial modern architecture of today and supports all faces of the matured city flawlessly, with small boutiques tucked into buildings from the 1700's and tall aged trees tucked between some of the most industrial squares. If you ever have a chance to visit this historic, wonderful city, I would without a shadow of a doubt suggest it.

I've put some pictures from my travels so far down below, but I think that this is where I will be leaving this post! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed watching Norway kick butt in the Olympics, haha, HEIA NORGE! ;)

By the seaside in central Stockholm

Gamla Stan

View at lunch at Modern Museum, looking through a glass.

Drottningholm Palace

Out to lunch in rural Stockholm 

Summer home in Brama, at a not so summer time.

Shops tucked into tight squares in Gamla Stan 

Roros Church

Shopping square 

Old homes leading down to the old mining location

Norwegian Manners

So before I start this, I need to lay out that none of this is to reflect badly on Norway, my experience, or people here.  I think that writing about things that are in a sense "under the surface" in a culture is just as important as how amazing Norwegian chocolate is (maybe not quite as important as that, but close), or holidays. To clarify as well, I don't think that really anything here is necessarily bad, and if anything its just culturally different than what I have in my country, so with this in mind here is my experience with Norwegian manners. :)

Growing up I can always remember hearing from my Mother or Father, after given anything or after anyone ever did anything specifically for me, "Now what do you say Mary?" and of course, like any other American kid that didn't want a timeout or "THE LOOK" from my parents immediately replying with, "Thank you" and the same with any other kind of social etiquette we identify in The States. That's just what we do.

In contrast though, I have not once seen any parent or guardian say that to any child in Norway. In fact, there is actually no direct translation for the word please. But, not saying please and thank you for everything here in many instances is simply just not considered rude the way we think of it in The States. Instead of saying "Excuse me", most people will usually just go on their way around you without a word and after bumping into someone in a hallway most people will just reply with more of a "Oii" instead of an, "Oh I'm sorry" like we would in the US. That's just what they do.

After living here of course I'm not drawn back by someone quickly replying "HA?!" when they don't understand me instead of an "Excuse me", but at first I won't lie it was tough to get used to. I had to kind of come to a realization though that not everyone thinks the same way as I do and in a different culture people are raised differently as well.

People do still say please and thank you of course, but its just not held the same importance. There may be absolutely nothing wrong with that though. Maybe we use words like "Please" and "Thank you" too often. But, maybe in Norway we use it too little. I think on this topic though there is really no black and white decision that can actually be made. Its just cultural differences, but to me that's one of the things that makes this world that we live in and this experience to be able to see these differences first hand and broaden my view, so very cool.

Norwegian Christmas

Very happy to say I'm finally starting this very long overdue blog post! Unsure why its taken me so long to update but at least here I am! Figured it was best to post before this weekend was over, I'm expecting the next couple of months to be pretty busy with a few trips that I will most definitely have to blog and take a ton of pictures of!

Anyways, Christmas in Norway is very different than Christmas in America! First, it runs a whole lot longer, but they don't get ready for it as early as we do. Christmas here really starts after Christmas Eve and runs into January, so you can really celebrate it through your break. Through Christmas beak many people meet up with family, have people over for coffee and there are a lot of party's and things like that. People also usually get very dressed up when they go to any of these gatherings and especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so that was really special and I definitely got a good wear out of my one dress I brought here, haha! Luckily though, my host sister and I are about the same size ;)

This year I also got to tree hunt for our own tree for the first time! My family owns a uncultivated property close to where we live and after about a half an hour of searching with my host brother for just the right tree we finally found a little crooked, but perfect in just its own way tree. It was a bit tall, so much so we actually had to buy a few extra Christmas ornaments for it! But it turned out really beautiful and to me it was one of the prettiest, and simple Christmas trees I had ever seen. Honestly, I would prefer the Norwegian Christmas tree over the American one any day. The trees themselves are not as full as the American trees and not so full of ornaments, the lights are light bulbs that look like candles and at least in my home we had a really simple star as the topper. Maybe its just my host moms way of doing things, but I was really impressed with our pretty Norwegian tree.
The timing for the tree is different than what I was used to before as well. With my US family we put up our  tree in early/ middle of December and take it down almost the day after Christmas, my family here put up their tree only a few days before and we had it up just until the second week in January.

My host brother standing with our tree, I think he's almost 7 ft so you can imagine how tall our tree was!

Really beautiful hand knitted Christmas ornaments that were being sold at a Christmas fair near where I live. I actually got one from my host aunt that she knitted for Christmas in black and white :)

My family also had an advent calender starting December first and going until Christmas Eve. Myself and my host brother and sister all took turns getting calender gifts every three days. I got some candy, socks for skiing and a full sample set of Burts Bees products. Yep, felt super spoiled :)

Our Advent Calender

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day up at my family's cabin so we actually had a white Christmas! Believe it or not it was completely green where I live in Norway the entire season and I think actually warmer here than it was in The States! I had a great time celebrating Christmas, I even got to try true Norwegian cross country skiing! After spending the majority of the time on my "rompe" ,I quickly realized that I am much better at slalom, but I had fun anyways and would definitely go again!

Skis hanging outside our cabin

One of the buildings on my host family's property sits and the outhouse behind it (yes yes, of course I had to include a picture of the bathroom!)

Christmas Eve myself and 11 other of our family all got dressed up, ate a really great dinner and afterwards opened up our Christmas presents! I think I probably got more presents this year than I have ever gotten before, so thank you everyone for that! Felt very special :) The next day we had a special breakfast and spent the day in the cabin watching Christmas specials and visiting before sitting down for another special Christmas dinner, I haven't weighed myself quite yet but I'm pretty sure I gained at least five pounds through Christmas... at least...

Christmas Eve Dinner

Ok so I think I'll end this on what to me is one of the best things through Christmas, FOOD. :) The Christmas food here is very special and most of it is only sold, made and eaten at this time of the year. I think we have a few similar things in the US, but I don't think we have so much. I definitely can imagine how great having these kind of traditions may be to help it really to feel like Christmas and to look forward to every year. 

 Lutefisk

Honestly, after eating Lutefisk about three times now I can conclude that I really like it! Not a strong fishy flavor at all, the consistency is at first a little weird, but paired with bacon, potatoes and peas I really like it! Honestly that is something I never thought I would say, but I was really happily surprised and look forward to hopefully making it in The States next year (To my American family reading this: Yes, you all have to eat it, no choice). 

Not my picture, but what we eat looks exactly the same!

   

Jule Brus

This is super sweet soda is bubbly and yummy and is a favorite with kids!

Side note: See the white line around the top and bottom? Norway recycles their bottles after being cleaned and sterilized, so that's the reminisce of the soda it was used for before!   

Rib

Pork cooked in the oven with a crunchy layer of bacon on top! Yumm... My past vegetarian self would kill me for this one... 

Pine Kjøtt

Cured lamb ribs that are very salty and are made just how they did when there was no refrigerators(this isn't my picture because I forgot to take one...).

Jule Kake

For Christmas my host mom made 12 different kinds of cookies. All were so amazing... The thing I really like about Norwegian cookies and cake is that none of them are too sweet. Of course this means you can just eat more and more of them, which ends up not being so great for your waist line, but hey I'm only here for a year, so I figure I can afford it. ;)

Alrighty, I could go on because even with all of that there are so many things I have missed, but now looking at the length of this blog I think I will have to end this here. If that was too long to read and you just ended up skimming through, I'll sum it up, I had a wonderful Christmas in Norway all because of my wonderful host family and friends, one I will definitely always remember it for the rest of my life. Thank you everyone. :)

Five Months Abroad

So I came to the realization a couple days ago that this next week will be five months since I left The Dalles and began my foreign exchange (actually I counted wrong the first time and thought it was six, now that one was scary). I'm having problems wrapping my mind around the fact that my exchange is more than halfway over. Everyone always says that your exchange flies by, especially after Christmas, but oh my gosh I had no idea how fast! If anyone has a way to stop time, please let me know. I'll reimburse you fully with plate of Norwegian chocolate I swear.

I do not understand how life could go by so quickly. You always hear your parents saying that when your growing up and can't wait to rip off those training wheels and do what your sugar fixated and too curious for your own good self wants. Actually, saying that now, I'm not sure just how much of that has changed on my behalf, but of course that's besides the point. Back to what I was saying, looking back it always seemed my parents always said stuff like, "Oh, just wait Mary, it'll come soon enough and when it does it'll come fast", of course though, when your young, how much of that do you really hear? Life has come by and quite literally taken me by surprise, it seems like just yesterday I was 16 counting down, and planning anxiously for my year abroad and now I'm here five months through, just celebrated my 17th with my 18th and socially given status of "adult" feeling right around the corner.

With this realization, I have to really begin to ask myself what my hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes may be, especially now when many of the decisions that I make like college, jobs, grades and relationships, will very much shape my later life. I feel very lucky to have this experience to be able to really actually learn more about myself and make those decisions a little bit easier on myself in the future. I feel you really have to leave your comforts to be able to understand yourself without many of the very influential people and factors in your life. We often adapt to the world around us, but when that world is flipped and you have to learn all over again, I've found it interesting to find the things I've kept and given up in myself, all without the influences I once had. These things are what I found are the most important to me and what I want to always have in the future and I feel very fortunate to now understand that.

Ok, now I understand that I was going to focus on Christmas in this blog and I promise that is super interesting and I have so much to talk about on the subject! Today this just seemed like something really important to say. Anyways, hope everyone is well and has an amazing New Years so far!

Here are some random and not very relevant pictures:

Twigs in the sunset at 3 pm in the middle of December

Homes built off the ocean and a very conspicuous looking sailor...

The view from my families cabin in Rindal.

Thanksgiving

Ok, it's been a long time since my last post, not with lack of attempt though! I have sat down quite a few times now and attempted to write this. I always seem to get lost in my in what I'm writing though, or just my thoughts for that matter (both are pretty darn normal lately, I probably spend more time daydreaming then I spend in the real world. I gotta say though, its not incredibly boring).

I think I want to buy a waffle, I'm at my favorite coffee shop where I live, trying to finally focus on this oh so neglected blog.

Ok, waffle bought, back on track.

 So much has happened and there's so much to tell, I'm not entirely sure where to start... I left off at Thanksgiving though last so I'll try and just start there. Well I suppose a better way to say that is the lack of Thanksgiving in Norway, not very many people know very much about it other than, "Oh yeah you guys just eat turkey right?" and the one amazing person that said "Isn't it a day your thankful for everything?" Honestly  I almost jumped up hugged the second person, although knowing that hugging a random, probably way to talkative foreigner, would have most likely been a bit weird, as I had just randomly met the person,  I restrained myself to a high five, haha!

Anyways, of course since it isn't an actual holiday here, I went to school and had a regular Thursday, just like any other. Few things have made me feel weirder than that day, like your just missing something of yourself. Even thinking about it now, more than a month later, I can completely remember the feeling. I think it was actually a good thing though, because no matter how off I felt, I realized I still had the option to make my day great and I can say in complete honesty, I definitely did do my best. I probably had some of the most hilarious conversations that day with other students about the most random things, than I have had so far in my entire exchange and probably got more "Happy Thanksgivings" then I would have normally gotten in The States. I think the biggest thing I learned from that odd day is life is seriously what you make it, you'll usually always receive what you give to others. Making that realization is really important.

My host family was so incredible though as well. My host parents couldn't be there the evening after school because of a necessary appointment that was not in anyone's control, but my wonderful Norwegian Grandma, we call her Mimi, came over to visit and taste the horrible Pecan Pie I attempted to make. I think that is definitely one thing I should let my US Grandma make for Thanksgiving  from now on, it wasn't horribly fantastic. It was great to have the company though and she is the sweetest, so it made even a cruddy pie special. I also shared "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" with my host brother, which at least with my family is definitely a Thanksgiving tradition.

I was as well was pretty fortunate to have a really special Thanksgiving dinner with my host family the Sunday after! We of course had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and the best thing PUMPKIN PIE! I was lucky to get a Christmas package from my US family the day before that inside held, a can of pumpkin, that pie turned out much better than the other :) To my American family reading this: Thank you for smuggling pumpkin into a pumpkinless country for me!

The meal was turned out great and it was so incredible that my host family was willing to go out of their way, especially my host mom (and believe me making a thanksgiving dinner outside of the US is not easy), just for a tradition that we have at home. I'm pretty lucky to have a such an amazing family that truly just cares. I can also honestly say that Norwegian turkey is much better than any of the turkey I've had in the US. Who would of guessed, right?

I'll apologize for the photo but I only took one, I was too excited to eat, haha!

So yes, that was my Norwegian Thanksgiving, not so normal, but definitely one I'll always remember and cherish (no matter how cheesy that sounds). Tusen takk alle sammen!

I'll try and write soon about Christmas here, but of course with my neglected blog record I will try to not make too many promises! Haha!

Skype Sessions, Handball and 3 Foot Tall Norwegian Teachers

Hei alle sammen! So I guess I kinda broke my plan to blog every weekend, but my knitting needles needed some TLC so of course I had to tend to that...  Its been a good week though! Began this Sunday with the first Skype session with my family in The States since I left America, so that was great. :) You really do create a new appreciation for your family when not having talked for so long.

We decided to take the first three months and not talk at all because this is averagely the amount of time that it takes for a person to adapt to the new culture and to avoid future homesickness AFS usually suggests limited contact. I really think, although hard at times, it has definitely worked out for the best. It almost in a way, forces you to create a new life in your new country. Where there were difficult times that without our limited contact, I would have probably called my family back home and probably would have ended up missing them more, I talked to my family in Norway instead, which for me has always worked against the homesickness. But of course, I am so happy I can now talk with my family in America again. :)

So this last couple of days I have been thinking about it and I don't think I have really talked so much about just normal weekly stuff! Although my schedule largely consistent of school, as I am still 16 and sadly math is still important (blech)! I am playing Handball and as well volunteering at a Barnehagen (kindergarten) every week. This last week I also began a Swing Dancing class, which I am entirely horrible at, but hey, its a ton of fun. :)

For everyone back in America who are probably like me before I left the states and have never heard of Handball before, most simply explained, its kinda like if Football, Soccer and Basketball all had a baby. If that's understandably hard to understand, there is a link of a better explanation below, haha. Anyways, that as well is a ton of fun. I really don't have very much experience with sports, I've always found to be a bit on the little less athletic side? The only couple of sports I have attended outside of School PE (but lets face it, those rambunctious hours spent in a smelly gym, where even a game like Frisbee usually turns into a game of very intense dodge ball, does not count for anything more than just some extra time running), has been Volleyball and Slalom Ski Racing. Which correlates in no way to Handball so this has definitely been something new for me! Like I said though, I have really enjoyed learning and playing with the team.
HANDBALL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handball

Volunteering at the Barnehagen as well has been one of the highlights of the week for me, even if some days I wish I could come home with a little bit less dirt in my hair. They are some of the cutest kids ever. Also, they definitely help with learning Norwegian, there is no speaking English to a Norwegian five year old who's wondering why you don't want to eat the orange he just stuck in the dirt. They do however LOVE to count to ten in English for me, its pretty adorable. They also help me learn my colors and animals in Norwegian, it feels pretty funny to be learning from five year olds, but at this point they definitely know more than I do on the subject! Very strict teachers as well I have to say, "Nei Mary, Nei" seems to be the general response to a lot of what I say! Haha, but their little smiles and bright red cheeks from the Northern weather always make my Wednesdays so bright. :)

Other than that the rest of my week usually doesn't have very many set plans, but i'm not ever bored (unless I'm in math), it always seems like there are things to do.

I guess this sums it up! Hope everyone is well and is staying warm as this weather is changing! Hade!

Thought Trains, Awkward FE Student Moments, Halloween and Pie.

So, I sit down this evening with no specific bright ideas or subjects to write about. So I guess we will just see where this goes! Really trying my best at blogging every weekend and so far I think I'm doing fairly well? With my very easily distracted self, I do at times find it to be more of an uphill battle though. One second I'm writing about my day, when an email comes and suddenly I'm watching YouTube videos on how to apply make up to your legs (weird I know but seriously, its a thing). Oh and for my train of thought? Yeah, that left the station a long time ago.

Anyways, like always, life's good! I am understanding more and more Norwegian, so of course that is really great. Its usually a nice thing to be able to understand what people are saying around you, haha! Most importantly though I don't have to do the foreigner "Just smile, nod and pray to God that it wasn't a question" thing. It's always makes for an very awkward moment when someone asks something like, "Hi, how are you?" and your just standing there, smiling up to your ears, nodding away...

I'm really trying to force myself to speak more Norwegian though. It's incredibly easy to just speak to everyone in English, especially people my age. Everyone in Norway has an English course in school since they are in the fourth grade, so most can speak pretty fluently and I would say that the vast majority of Norway can at least understand most English. So as you can probably understand that's a good and bad thing. It's nice to always be able to get my point across, but it as well doesn't really force me to learn the language as fast as I could. So at this point I'm trying to speak a mix of Norwegian as much as I can with words I don't know in English. My family here has been so incredibly helpful with trying to help me learn as well, so that has been really nice to be able to talk to them and ask them questions. :)

Oh and Halloween was a couple days ago! In Norway it is not nearly as big of a deal as in the US though so a lot of people don't really do anything for it. Little kids still get all dressed up though and go trick or treating, so I met some very adorable Zombies and Witches. Adults and teenagers don't really too much special that day though, but I did carve a pumpkin! Taught my younger host brother the art of properly gutting and carving this orange fruit/veggie (actually, that's a really good question, is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable??) and he was a pro! We named them Bernard and Bernetta. Bernard though, rest his little seed filled heart, had his life cut short by a baseball bat and pavement. But he will always remain in our memories...

Norway doesn't do very much with pumpkins though, so they're often not in stock, which the day after Halloween I came to an understanding of. This of course being because of Thanksgiving and to me its most necessary dish, Pumpkin Pie. After going into the three different shops we have in Bjugn, I have to regrettably report that it does not look like we will be having any pumpkin pie this year. But ya know, if anyone feels the need though to smuggle a can in from the states for a certain someone it would not be put to waste...just sayin...