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...

Confessions of a Prior Veggie Eater

Halla Folkens (learned a new saying today *insert high five*)! So today's post will probably be one of the more odd ones for me to write. Only because I don't think I have ever really written about this kind of thing before, but hey there's a first time for everything!

So as you may or may not already know, I was a vegetarian for about the past two years and off and on for short periods before that. Sure, I will admit that I did enjoy a few In and Out cheeseburgers between that two years, but hey that's a very strong temptation. Now, of course, I'm most definitely not a vegetarian. 

Reason for my decision to go, veggies up, being to be able to enjoy awesome Norwegian food! Also, I didn't think it would be right to go into someone else home and demand a certain kind of eating when your purposely in this kind of situation to experience the culture and it would as well as it make unessesary work for my Norwegian family. 

Well anyways, to come to the point of all of this, I am pretty happy that I made this decision a few months back because my Norwegian family is as well hunting family. Now before the vegetarians I know that may be reading this begin to cringe, you must admit, it is a much better alternative then mass butchering corporations. In the past I have had one or two experiences with my father hunting in the states, but because of my age and lack of experience I really didn't take too much part in it as my family here does. 

Here my host Dad goes out hunting with a group of guys and sometimes members of the family go along as well. This last time they said they brought home eight moose. Then everyone gets together and divides it equally. My host mom and sister then take part in grinding up and packaging our share. Its actually a pretty cool thing. My family is pretty comfortable with all of it, seasoned pros! I have to say that personally I think that it is pretty awesome. True Vikings my friends, haha. :) 

So yes, that is this prior vegetarians experience so far with hunting! Whether or not I will decide to go back to being a vegetarian when I go back to USA is still a matter of question, but I have more than enough time to figure that one out and now I am more than happy to continue on in my meat eating ways. ;) 

To anyone planning on going on exchange in the future, I would definitely advise to not limit yourself when experiencing an new culture and to always keep an open mind. I think that is one of the things I have been the most happy with and have found so important on my exchange. In all the times that I have just made myself completely open to changes and new ways of doing things, I have never once been disappointed and have been happy that I can at least say I tried it. To really experience a culture you have to allow yourself to go out of your comfort zone and do it all. I never want to look back at my life and say, "Yeah, I could of, should of, but didn't." I always want to be able to say "Yeah, I did."
 

The Diaries of a Matpakke

In comparing Norway to America this week in a search to find a topic for a blog post, I realized that in the States, at least where I live, people normally don't bring a packed lunch to school, or well not like how Norwegians do it! I am still mastering the art of creating a matpakke. For example, the following lunch with cracker bread inside was more like a cracker salad by the time I pulled it out at lunch. It always baffles me how all the people around me can have such perfect looking boxes, and mine normally looks like a tornado suddenly had an  outbreak in it. But I have to say they are significantly better than the first few I created.

So to be defined, a "matpakke" basically just translated to, mat = food and pakke =  pack. So I bring a "food pack" to school everyday. My school has a cafeteria as well, and the food is so much better than in the average American schools. But it is as well is much more expensive, not outrageous of course because I believe the school only breaks even and does not turn a profit, but definitely not the kind of place you can eat everyday, especially not with a student budget.

So without further to do, here are THE DIARIES OF A MATPAKKE this week *Bum ba ba buuuuuummmm!*

Mondays Matpakke: Bread with Norwegian cheese, cucumbers and a box of raisins. This one is probably my favorite. 

Tuesdays Matpakke: Cracker bread with Norwegian cheese and a box of raisins.

Wednesdays Mattpakke: Pizza Swirls with cheese, pizza sauce and ham. Yumm

Thursdays Matpakke: None! I start school at 11:30! :)

Fridays Matpakke: Peanut butter and Nugatti (basically nutella) sandwich and a kiwi. This is a very dangerously good combination....

So yes! I believe that concludes Mattpakke Diarys for the week! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their Autumn! 

Oh yes and random side note: we may get snow here soon (YAY!!). 

Trondheim Trip... and an elg!

Heja! Well in the beginning of all of this I had it set in mind that I - of course - would constantly update my blog. Regrettably though, I've found that has not been the case! I'm actually finding blogging to be like a McDonald Monopoly more than anything? You always start off with such high expectations for the little ticket on that very large soda and bag of fries. You know the chances are you didn't exactly win the lottery, but your still pretty happy with your free milkshake ticket. So this is me, being happy about my few blogging milkshake tickets.

Well now to stray away from my horrible McDonalds metaphor, this last week has been Hostferie! I spent the most of it in Trondheim with my family and a couple days with a friend and my contact family. Trondheim is a super beautiful city, whenever I'm there I feel like I could probably spend my entire stay with my camera up. Although, that would require me looking like even more of a tourist than I already do, so I keep my camera away... for some of the time. A picture is worth a thousand words (mind my cheesy saying), so here are a few of my favorite.

Niderosdomen, a large cathedral (and when I say large I mean absolutely huge) in central Trondheim built in the the 11th century.

Buildings built on the waterfront in Trondheim. Some portions of the buildings being homes, where as others are shops.

The last photo is of the bridge that goes over the water that these buildings are built by.

Overlooking the city.

My living situation really does work out perfectly for visiting. Just a 10 minute drive from where I live and then an hour and half boat to the city! Buses travel all around Trondheim throughout the day as well so it makes transportation easy. Although I'm finding that if my budget ever breaks, its usually due to travel. The boat costs almost 40 US dollars both ways, and then of course you have bus fees. So I'm quickly finding out that these trips can not be too frequent, especially not on a student budget with Christmas arriving! 

Oh so awesome thing that I have to share about today, I saw an elg (moose)! For the first time ever on a tur (English direct translation is trip but its equivalent to a hike). He even stayed for a quick photo shoot.

So on that awesome moose note, I should probably leave that blog post, its late and I start school again tomorrow! As always I hope everyone is doing well and thanks for taking the time to read. :)