Hey, my name is Tom Longchamps. I am a United States student from the University of Nebraska at Omaha studying abroad in Norway. Over the next five month I will be using this site to share my experience. Follow along as I upload new thoughts, pictures, and videos and find out for yourself what studying abroad is all about.
Last Norway Blog
Today is my last day in Norway. At 2:00 am I will leave Kristiansand for the last time with Dylan, Matt, and John as we make our way to Rome. Its definitely a sad day for me. I remember my first few days here and how strange everything was. I had a mixture of emotions at that point ranging from excited to scared. Now, just as I was becoming comfortable, its time to turn the page and move onto the next chapter. I had an awesome time in Norway. I met a lot of great people and had the opportunity to visit places that many will never see. For that, I am grateful. I think that goodbyes are far too permanent so...until we meet again. I wish everyone the best. Take care
Tom
Easter in Austria
My recent trip into Europe consisted of several first time experiences. I drove on the German Autobahn, I gambled in the Czech Republic, I stood amongst thousands of skeletons in Kutna Hora, I spent an afternoon in Prague, and I walked the famous Red Light District of Amsterdam but for me, this trip wasn’t about site seeing. In my opinion, the best part of this trip was the opportunity to be with an Austrian family. I got a once in a lifetime chance to see what a real family is all about in a place so far from home. I am very grateful for that experience and for the generosity of the Wöß family. I will never forget the time that I spent in Austria. This trip was more laid back than my previous trips but what I learned I will take with me forever. Here is how the trip went down.
It was one week after our Ireland/Scotland trip and me and Dylan were already boarding the bus for another adventure. We were invited by Eli to spend a few days of our Easter break with her family in Austria and we made a last minute decision to accept her offer. Because we had little time to plan this trip we booked our tickets to Austria and Amsterdam with no return fight. We were just gonna go with the flow and hope that everything worked out.
Our first destination was Frankfurt Hahn in Germany and the plan was to drive from the airport to Passau (about 5 hours south). Our plane landed around midnight so after we got the keys to the car we settled in for a long night of driving and we hit the road. I would finally get the chance to drive on the Autobahn but sadly it was in a little Volkswagen and not the Lamborghini that I had always imagined. Soon after we left the airport I was comfortable driving and Dylan began to doze off. It was playtime. I geared down and tried to rap the little VW out. There were a few times that I almost gave Dylan a heart attack as he woke to the feel of the breaks and the sight of a semi truck that I was approaching fast. As he gripped the dash I couldn’t help but smile. It was the middle of the night and I was driving through Germany on the Autobahn. It was a good start to a great trip.
We finally pulled into around 6 a.m. and Eli and her sister Sabine were there to meet us. After dropping off the rental car we rode with the two Austrians to their home town of Julbach, Austria. Julbach is a quiet village located less than a half hour from both Germany and the Czech Republic. In many ways it reminded me of home. It is a wide open town with lots of fields and it has a small town feel where everyone seems to know everyone. At one point we were walking through town and I smelled the exhaust of a dirt bike. It took me back to a time when I used to ride through the fields at grandmas house. It was a great feeling. The four of us arrived at Eli’s parent’s house around 7 a.m. I hadn’t slept or brushed my teeth yet and I was still wearing yesterday’s clothes so I was anxious to get cleaned up and crash for a few hours. I have to give the Austrians credit for a very clever invention…built in blackout blinds. All of their windows have them installed and if you put them all the way down it blocks out 100% of the light. It’s like sleeping in a cave. I will definitely have them on my house someday. I woke up to the smell of Eli’s moms cooking so I quickly showered and I and Dylan made our way downstairs. She had prepared a feast and it was delicious. I really got spoiled during my stay in Austria. Our room was comfy, the food was excellent, and Eli’s family was more than gracious. The first night with the Wöß family, we sat around their dining room table, drank some wine, and visited for a few hours. I loved just sitting and listening to Eli’s family talk about Austria and what it was like to live there. It’s been over three months since I’ve been home so it was really nice to spend time with a family.
Day two Eli’s dad, Peter, took the day off of work so he could show us the town of in the Krumlov in the Czech Republic. In order to enter the town of Krumlov you must walk through a huge archway in the castle wall. After passing through the wall you get your first view of the picturesque town. It has a river that horse shoes through the center and it is surrounded on each side by rolling hills. The streets are paved with individual stones and the buildings are hundreds of years old but they hardly show their age. The town is well preserved and most likely hasn’t changed much over the years. It was a perfect little city and I’m glad that Peter took the time to show it to us. That night we had to decide whether we wanted to go bowling or gambling. I voted for gambling and I got my wish. Once more me, Dylan, Eli, Sabine, and Peter crammed into the car and drove to the nearest casino which happened to be in the Czech Republic again. After being up about 40 euro then down 20 I ended up losing about 15 Euro but I had a really good time so it was well worth it.
The next day me, Dylan, Eli, and Sabine made plans to meet Tanja in Passau. Tanja is familiar with the town so she was our tour guide. While we were there we saw the world’s biggest organ in a massive church and we stood at the point in town where three different rivers converge. Our last stop in Passau was a place to eat. Tanja took us to a nice brewery/restaurant overlooking the city. It was nice to travel with locals because they knew where to go and they could speak the language. With the girls to help me I decided to order my own beer. The correct way to order would be to say “a dunkles, bitte…danke” which means “a dark beer, please…thank you”. The waiter gave me a funny look but he must have understood because 5 minutes later I had a refreshing dark beer sitting right in front of me. Being able to order something in another language was a great feeling. When we were done in we returned to Julbach. That night we got to meet a few friends of Eli’s at a pizza place and from there we went back to the house for a few drinks. That night Peter was willing to share his 15 year old bottle of Coniac Brandi with me and Dylan. It was the smoothest, most tasty alcohol that I have ever tasted. Thanks again Peter.
Our final day before flying to Amsterdam me, Dylan, Eli, and Sabine woke up early so that we could drive to the Bone Church and Prague. We said our goodbyes early that morning so as soon as we were loaded into the car we waved goodbye to the Wöß’s beautiful home and we were on the road again. It was a four hour drive to the Bone Church so we had a lot of time to kill. Along the way we jammed out, told stories, listened to YouTube videos, made a few pit stops, and finally ended up in a town that was not Kutna Hora even though we thought it was. After a recalculation on the GPS and a few more kilometers we made it to the Bone Church. This place was unbelievable. There were literally thousands of bones piled into four large pyramids. The story goes that during the black plague people wanted to be buried here because it was thought to be sacred. Once the church ran out of burial room they began to dig up the old bodies and arrange their bones in the basement. This took place until eventually they had about 40,000 skeletons (most of them were members of the Rodina family haha. Inside Joke). You may think that such a place would be extremely creepy but it actually wasn’t too bad. It was an honor for the dead to be allowed into this church. Because of this and the amount of bones that were assembled, I felt a respectful awe as I stood in the presence of so many victims. Our final stop was Prague, about an hour away. After I took the wrong turn three times I finally got it right and we found the parking garage we were looking for. Next step, find a place to stay. It ended up being a really nice hostel and we had a whole room to ourselves so it worked out great. That night we hit a few local bars before cashing out. The next day me and Dylan would fly to Amsterdam and part one of our trip would be over.
I have a number of great memories from this trip but I have to say that my favorite memories are not from the main attractions. They are of the “boring times” in between…listening to the toast song on the way to the Bone Church, trying to figure out an Austrian toilet, cracking stupid jokes because your either way too tired or way too bored, talking in the dark before falling asleep, somehow taking the wrong turn three times before you finally get it right. In the moment, these things seem simple or frustrating but eventually they are always the things that make me smile.
P.S. Austria is AWESOME!
Scotland Tour
Waking up early the morning after St. Patrick's day to catch a plane was not fun and I was pretty crabby (sorry Dylan and Hilde) but once we landed in Glasgow I felt a lot better. It felt good to know that I was stepping foot in another country. Eli and Tanja decided to stay in instead of continuing on to so it was just me, Dylan, and Hilde. We all agreed that it seemed quite different without the entire group together but we pressed on. We once again made our way to the rental car and began preparations for takeoff. I was pretty comfortable driving on the wrong side of the road and on the wrong side of the car at this point so once the GPS was programmed we took right off. We had about an hour drive to our first hostel and it was a doozy but because we were all so tired we ended up cashing out for a few hours. The place was really old, not very clean, the bathroom was moldy, and it wasn't in a very good neighborhood. That afternoon we woke up showered and decided to go to the highlands early so that we didn't have to sleep where we were. On the way we passed through a little town called . There was a beautiful castle there that got our attention but we were too late and it had already closed. Minus the street signs and power cords, it seemed as if this town hadn't changed since it was created. The three of us spent quite a bit of time just walking around and taking pictures. As we were walking back to the car there was one shop that was still open but it was getting ready to close. The two workers there were nice enough to let us in so that we could look around. It was a bagpipe shop and one of the workers was in full Scottish dress, kilt and all. He played us a quick song and we went on our way. We stayed at the Blackwater Hostel in the Scottish Highlands that night. It was kind of like a cabin in the woods. Very simple with a lot of wood and pretty clean. Earlier we stopped at a gas station and picked up some stuff to make sandwiches so that night we had a simple and cheap meal before going to sleep. The next day was the day of me and Dylan's big hike. We woke up early, stopped at a little diner for a traditional Scottish breakfast, and found a trail. That day we ended up hiking almost six hours up into the highlands. Even though it was a rainy cold morning and we were ill equipped we charged the hillside fearlessly. The weather went from bad to worse as we made our way up the mountain but what we were seeing was so incredible that neither of us wanted to turn back. We continued to scrape and claw our way upward even after the trail had ended. About 4 hours into our hike we were well into the clouds, the wind and rain had picked up and the temperature had dropped. We were soaking wet and frozen but it didn't seem to matter as we took a moment to look around. We were standing on the snow cap of and as we peered out of the clouds we could see countless streams and waterfalls as the rain poured off the mountain into the river below. This adventure is something that I probably would have never thought to do but I am thankful that I got the chance. I have to thank Dylan for coming up with this idea and for inviting me to come along. At this point we were both ready to turn back. We had both pushed our bodies to an extreme that day and we were exhausted. Our legs felt like rubber on the way down. As a result, I pulled off a move that will forever be known as the ninja turtle roll. Here is what happened...my legs were trembling as we were climbing down the mountain and my hands were frozen and tucked into my jacket pockets. I stumbled and began to go down. My frozen hands were stuck in my pockets and were not working so there was nothing to break my fall. I had to make a choice, either face plant on the rocks or tuck and roll, haha. I chose the old tuck and roll move and since Dylan was behind me he had the pleasure of watching it all. I ended up on my back, looking at the sky and it took me a minute to realize what had just happened. I stood up and assessed the damage which ended up being only minor. Afterward I could not stop laughing as I thought about how that must have looked from Dylan's perspective, it still cracks me up now as I am writing about it. It took us about two hours just to get down and I have never been so happy to see a Kia (we had a Kia for a rental car). When we got back to the hostel Hilde was in the kitchen area with all of our stuff because the hostel had booked our room for that night. Our room was still open so we decided to risk taking showers and changing before the next group arrived. I took watch as Dylan showered and as the water turned on a car pulled up. There were a lot of rooms at this place so I felt pretty good about the odds of them going to a different room. I was wrong. They came right in as Dylan was in the shower and I did my best to explain why I was standing in there room and why there was a guy in their shower, haha. Luckily they were a really nice couple from Liverppol and they didn't make a big deal about it. Now we had to find a different place to stay and soon so I could shower and get out of my wet clothes. Once again we lucked out and found a nice place (voted best bed and breakfast in 2004) to spend the night. Our plans for the next and final day of vacation were to drive to and spend the night. On the way we passed through again and this time the castle was open. We ended up buying two tickets, one for the and one for . To make sure we had time we hurried through the first castle and drove straight to the second. Both castles were amazing dude. Even though I didn't get to see much of I was really impressed. I could definitely see myself going back someday and spending more time there. When it started to get late we began to look for a place to stay. There was a big sporting event going on that night and the streets were full of drunken fans. That was the first time since I have been in that I felt like I might have to brawl. It wasn't a very pleasant part of town so we got in the car and left. Thankfully we were able to stay at a friend of Hilde's so we saved money and we felt safer. The next day we drove to the airport and sadly our adventure was over.
Ireland Tour
Ok, the time that you have all been waiting for has finally come...my Ireland blog. I had an incredibly good time on this trip mostly thanks to the people that I was with. There were five of us total: Me, Dylan, Eli, Tanja, and Hilde. The day of our departure we met each other and shared a cab to the bus station. Energy levels were high as we boarded the bus and made our way to the airport. Our first snag was at airport security. All of us made it through except for Dylan. That day we found out that for some reason he carries around a butter knife with him at all times, haha. The guards picked up on it and confiscated it pretty quick but luckily it ended up not being a big deal. By the time we landed in Dublin we had been traveling for several hours and we were getting a little tired but the excitement from the thought of driving a backwards vehicle through Ireland quickly woke me up. With the bags loaded into the car and everyone securely fastened, in I started the engine. My heart was beating a little faster at this point from a mix of nerves and adrenaline. With my left hand I shifted into gear, gave a little gas, and pulled out of my stall. I spent about ten minutes screwing around in the parking lot trying to familiarize myself with the crazy machine that I was controlling. Once I gained enough confidence I aimed the car for the exit and blasted out of the car rental lot at about three miles per hour. It was a crazy feeling and I can't wait to do it again. That night my navigator was Dylan and we had a three hour drive to Galway. Half way to there we stopped in a little town to get some food. I was finally able to order that big, fat, greasy burger that I had been craving since I left home and it did not disappoint. We eventually made it to our hostel in Galway around 2 a.m. thanks to my skillful navigator and the watchful eyes of the girls in the back seat. At first I was pleased with our hostel. It was new and it seemed nice but it was not a good experience. This was the first place that I have stayed in with so many people in one room. There were a total of ten people in our tiny room including a few people that snore so all of us got very little sleep. Also, I will never forget the smell of that room in the morning. You had to walk out of the room, breath fresh air and go back in to get the full effect but it was awful. Imagine ten people, some of which I'm sure didn't shower, in a small enclosed room breathing, sweating, and farting all night long. It was unexplainably bad! Because of the smell, we were quick to check out so we walked around Galway for a few hours before taking the leisurely drive to the Cliffs of Moher. It was nice to have the flexibility to mess around a little on the way to the cliffs. We stopped a few times to take some pictures and to just appreciate where we were and what we were doing. We ended up making it to the Cliffs mid afternoon. I knew that they would be large but I was blown away when I found myself looking over the edge of a 200 meter drop. I don't believe that words or even pictures can authenticate the sensation of actually being there, it must be experienced first hand. Limerick was our next destination so once we were satisfied with our Cliffs experience we piled back into the car and hit the road. I think we really lucked out with our hotel that night. The girls got their own room and so did me and Dylan and they were new, nice, and cheap. Once we found food, no thanks to the directions we got from the front desk, it ended up being a pretty good night. I drank my very first Guinness in a pub called Strikers and we experienced a real Irish pub. I was really surprised at how nice the Irish people are. The stereotype that I had in my head was that the Irish are a bunch of rude, obnoxious, drunks but I couldn't have been more wrong. Day two our destination was Wicklow in the Wicklow Mountains. Along the way we stopped at a few random cities to eat and to site see. I will never forget this day because it's the day that I met the love of my life and I let her slip away. I didn't even catch her name so I just call her "GOLD TOOTH". She was a little old lady that could have been a little old man, I'm not too sure. She sat at the table next to us in one of the restaurants that we ate at and I will never forget her. She had a mouth full of solid gold and she wasn't afraid to show it. She also had a thick Irish accent and she talked really fast so she was hard to understand but when she was done talking she would give the craziest grin and every tooth in her mouth would sparkle. I found it really hard to make eye contact with her as I could not take my eyes off of her mouth. It was an odd experience that I wouldn't take back for anything. After diner we finished our drive to our hostel. We ended up getting lost and missing our reservation so we were forced to search for a new hotel. Once again we lucked out and found a nice hotel that we could afford and the guys and girls each got their own room. We woke up on St. Patrick's Day about an hour outside of Dublin and we drove straight to our hotel. This was the best place that we had stayed in yet. It was an apartment on the top floor. It had two bedrooms, a dining room, living room with a sleeper sofa, and full kitchen. After getting settled in we left for the Guinness Factory. I was really looking forward to this part of our trip and it ended up being a good experience. From the top floor of the Guinness Factory I drank the best beer that I have ever had with four really great people while overlooking the city of Dublin. I was happy and the night had just begun. After the factory we found a pub and began the celebration of St. Patrick from the center of the world wide Irish holiday.
Week Ten
I am getting ready to leave for Ireland and Scotland but I just wanted to post a quick journal about my last week. Once again it was pretty laid back but I will have a lot to post after this trip. Saturday I played in a dodgeball tournament with some other international students. I posted some pictures of the event so check it out. Even though we didnt do very good I had a blast. The tournament started at 10 in the morning and ended about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. We played seven matches total and the best out of three games won each match.
I finished my first paper and presentation so I dont have to worry about it during my trip. Once I get back though I have to look forward to a presentation to the class. I have one more paper to complete and then I just have to start studying for my final exams in May. I gotta go now, thanks for reading.
Week Nine
So far March has been beautiful in Kristiansand. Monday and Tuesday I saw the sun for the first time in weeks. The sky was so clear that as I walked to class I had to make an effort to find even a single cloud. It has been so long that the feeling of sunlight on my skin is unfamiliar. I am glad to see that on days like this Kristiansand comes alive. There were seagulls flying around, people out walking their dogs or pushing strollers, kids were out playing soccer, and there was even traffic on the streets. The whole town seemed to buzz.
This week I also got to ride a bike. I know that it seems a little ordinary but not for me. The last time I rode a bike was most likely before I got my drivers license (a long time ago). I have gotten used to walking everywhere (the University, gym, grocery store, mall, bars, downtown, shopping, friends dorms) so the opportunity to ride a bike was like getting to drive a Ferrari. I saddled up, started peddling, and before I knew it I felt the wind in my hair and the burn in my legs, haha. I'm pretty sure I broke a few land speed records though.
Wednesday ended up being just as nice as Monday and Tuesday but Thursday the snow and clouds came back. I think we got a few inches of snow but it soon melted because Friday and Saturday the sun came back out and it warmed up. I started working on the few assignments that I have for class. My plan is to have everything done before I leave for Ireland so that when I get back my only task will be to read. I don't think that goal will be a problem.
I haven't booked my Easter break tickets yet but I think I figured out where I will go. I want to make my way to Western France and spend a few days checking out Normandy, Mont St Michel, and a WWII cemetary. From there I will either make my way to Paris or Austria. I haven't decided yet. I am pretty excited about the first party of my trip though. Its only a week away from my Ireland/Scotland trip and I can't wait.
Eighth Week
So I just got done working out, showering, and eating some food (sardines on bread, good stuff!). Now it’s time to update everyone on my last week. It has once again been a pretty quiet week. I didn't have any classes this week because the two courses that I have started are in self study for a few weeks. That means that students are expected to review everything that has been covered in class so far on their own time. I was a little disappointed because I couldn't find any cheap airfare this week to anywhere so I was stuck in . Oh well though. I start my third class, The Political Corruption of Economy, on Monday March 1st. It sounds like it will be an interesting class so I am looking forward to it.
At the beginning of this week Rachel buzzed my hair pretty short so I kind of look like a drill sergeant but it will grow back. So far I have gotten mixed reviews but I like it and like I said, it will grow back. It will be much easier to manage in and . Speaking of which, me and Dylan pretty much have our leg of the trip planned. We will be flying into Glaskow and touring there for a day. From Glaskow we will rent a car and drive north into the Scottish Highlands to go hiking and do some sightseeing. The Scottish Highlands are where the movie Braveheart was filmed. There is some amazing countryside there that we will get to see. I will bring back some great pictures for sure. From there we will drive to and spend a day touring there. I'm sure we will run across a few castles along the way and we should have plenty of time to stop and take it all in. I leave exactly two weeks from today and I can't wait. I know I still haven’t posted any new pictures but you will have to wait until my trip for new pictures.
Sixth and Seventh Week
As you can probably tell by the pictures that I posted, I have not been very busy the last two weeks which is why I didn't have a journal entry last week. In the last two weeks I have mostly been studying. Last Friday I had my first midterm exam in my European Union class (which I feel pretty good about) and I have a paper due next week so I have been focusing on that as well.
I am pretty excited because me, Dylan, Hilde, Tanja, and Eli booked a trip together. We are going to tour Ireland and Scottland. We leave on March 14th and the plan is to get a rental car and drive from Dublin to the west coast of Ireland. While there we plan on seeing the Cliffs of Moher and a few national parks. We will eventually make a big circle through Ireland and end up back in Dublin on the 17th for the big day....St. Patrick's Day. Its probably gonna get a little crazy and I can't wait. From Dublin we are flying to Glaskow, Scottland. We plan on getting another rental car in Scottland and checking out some castles and countryside as we make our way to Edinburgh. Total we will be gone for about a week.
I was also looking at my calendar and I noticed that two weeks after I get back from Ireland and Scottland I have a two week break from classes. I am trying to find a cool place to visit since I have so much time so if anyone has suggestions let me know. I was thinking Croatia, Egypt, Spain, Austria, Poland, or the Czech Republic.
If you haven't checked out my top ten lists at the bottom of the page take a look and let me know what you think.
Fifth Week
I am writing this on Monday because I spent the weekend in London and didn't get a chance last night. This week started out pretty normal. Wednesday the international students had the opportunity to sit in the commons area of campus and talk about where they are from to interested students. We all made signs and brought items from home to share with people. I brought a football. It was a good time to talk about UNO with other students who are considering studying abroad. The international pub was also on Wednesday but I skipped because I had to pack for my trip to London.
Me, Kelsey, Kayla, Rachel, and Fana left early Thursday morning for London. Our train left from Kristiansand at 9:15 and it was about a five hour ride to the airport. The flight was scheduled for around 10:00pm so we had about an eight hour layover once we got to the airport. We passed the time by playing cards, eating, and telling stupid stories until it was time to board. So far every plane that I have been on has been boarded from outside. They open the airport doors, lead you to the plane, and you climb the stairs onto the plane. The flight was about two hours so with the time change we landed in Stansted about 11:00 and made our way to the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was nice but I noticed that European rooms are smaller than American rooms. It was a long day of travelling. In the morning we ate breakfast and took an hour long shuttle ride into London. I really like London. It was full of beautiful buildings and a lot of history. When the shuttle dropped us off we were quite a ways from our hostel so we just started walking. Along the way we shopped and ate and we spotted Big Ben, the London Eye, the art gallery, and lots of other cool buildings. The hostel ended up being pretty nice. We stayed in a room with three bunk beds (6 beds total) so it was me, the girls, and another guy that was touring Europe with his son. Saturday morning we woke up, showered, ate breakfast at the hostel, and went on a walking tour of London. We got to see Buckingham Palace, Westminister, Big Ben, Parliament, the tube (subway), and several other places. After the tour we spent our remaining time walking around some more, eating, and taking it all in. We went through the art gallery and eventually made our way over to the London Eye. London Eye is a huge ferris wheel along the river. I didn't ride it because it was about $40 but it was neat to stand close to it and see how big it is. Our shuttle back to the airport was scheduled to leave at around 11:00pm so we began to make our way back to our pickup point. When we made it back to the airport we spent the night there because out flight left early and we didn't want to pay for a hotel. From there we traveled back to Kristiansand the same way we travelled to London.
Once I finally made it home I was crazy tired but some students wanted me to watch the Super Bowl with them so I did. I finally made it to bed around 4am Monday morning. I think I got about ten hours of sleep in three days but it was a great trip and I had a lot of fun.
Fourth Week
It seems like I am writing these more often. I know that I say that every week but its the first thing that I think of when I start writing. Last Friday was the Trip to Denmark and there were a lot of students. We sailed off at about 4:30 p.m. from Kristiansand harbor and the ride to Denmark took about three and a half hours. Most people went to the duty free area during this time to take advantage of the cheap, tax free items. There was also a small casino onboard, two bars, a restaurant, and several sitting areas. I spent the time talking with other students and checking out the boat. Once the boat reached Denmark we deboarded, got our tickets, and waited to reboard. This took about fourty five minutes. By this time I was starving and ready for the buffet and open bar on the return trip. I was suprised at how big the buffet was. It had a lot to offer such as seafood, pasta, fries, salad, desserts, and ice cream. The bar offered red and white wine and beer. The boat arrived back in Kristiansand around midnight and I walked home full and tired. This was the main event of the week. Other than this my week consisted of reading, eating, watching movies, and working out (A pretty standard week). Next weekend I am looking forward to going to London. I won't be back until late Sunday so look for my next post to be on Monday, February 8th.
Third Week
My third week in Kristiansand was pretty laid back. Tuesday the university held their first International Pub starting with Norway as the host. At the International Pub, international students are given the opportunity to talk about their home country. These events are held every Tuesday at the campus pub and students from different countries host the parties each week. Every country is expected to host at least once during the semester. I had a really good time and I learned a lot more about Norway (such as Kicking the Hat). I also learned that skal means cheers in Bokmal (Norwegian). The word sounds like skole and I was told that it originated with the Vikings because they would drink from the skulls of the people they killed. I thought that was pretty interesting. Wednesday I started my second class and I think that I am really going to like it. The class is Industrial Buying Behavior and it focuses on business to business marketing. I talked to a few students that took the course last semester and they said that it is a difficult class but also that it's a fun class. I guess I will just have to find out for myself. On Thursday and Friday I didn't do much other than read but on Saturday I made plans to go to London with Kelsey and Kayla. I'm pretty excited about it! We leave on February 4th and return on the 7th. I have no idea what we are going to do but it will definitely be an adventure.
Second Week
Its already my second week and it seems like the time flew by. This last week I only had one class so I had a lot of free time to read on my own, explore the town, go to the gym, go to they grocery store, and meet new people. This week I am confident that I can find pretty much anything that I need in Kristiansand. It took several hours of just walking around and getting lost but I think the best way to find yourself is to get lost.
Classes here are set up differently that in the states. They require more independance from the students as they are required to read and learn more on their own. Attending class is optional but recommended and in most cases there is only one test at the end of the semester that determines your grade.
The gym here is great. Since I have so much free time I have been spending a lot of time there. Spicheren has a large pool, basketball court, volleyball court, rock climbing wall, full fitness center, hot tub, sauna, and much more. Its better than what I imagined it would be.
Going to the grocery store in a foreign country is an adventure. I hate going to the gorcery store in the U.S. but in Norway, I have fun trying to find what I need because its like a scavenger hunt. I can't read any of the labels so I have to rely on pictures and instinct. You might think your buying oatmeal buy your actually getting flour, haha. Also, food is priced differently here. For example, if a six pack of beer reads 15 NOK, that price is for each indivudual beer. So a six pack at this price would actually cost 90 NOK. This example goes for a lot of other types of food and drinks too. Getting food has been a challenge but it wouldn't be fun if it was easy.
Last Thursday a group of student organized a party and I had my first Kristiansand pub experience. We started out at one of the dorms playing tippy cup and making introductions. From there we took a taxi downtown. It was a blast. Friday was the second welcoming party for the rest of the incoming student who were not here in time to attend the first party. This one was more laid back and there were not as many people but I still had a great time. Between the two parties I met tons of new people from all over and had a great time.
First Week
So the first week has come and gone and it was a crazy one full of ups and downs. The week started out kind of rough because my sleep was all messed up and I couldn't stop questioning what I was doing. Why am I here? How did I get myself into this situation? As the week continued and my sleep schedule began to turn around I settled into my dorm and calmed down.
Starting classes felt really good because I got a chance to meet some local students and get back into a routine. It goes something like this.....Wake up around 6 a.m. After getting cleaned up and ready for the day, I get dressed. Long socks, undies, t-shirt, sweat pants, long sleeve thermal, jeans, hooded sweat shirt, beanie, winter coat. This is my minimum amount of clothing if I am going outside. It has been really cold here but they tell me that this level of cold is uncommon. Hopefully they are right and it warms up a little bit. After layering up I walk to class about one to two miles away. Norway classes run four hours with two or three breaks in between for coffee or snacks. After class I have been going to the local gym, Spicheren. The first time I went there to work out I remember feeling comforted by the familiar smell of the gym. Its weird, I know. After my workout I begin my one or two mile walk back home so I can cook some food and do some homework.
Once Friday came the Student Network at the University threw all of the international students a party at one of the dorms. I had a really good time and was able to meet a lot of the other students. Alcohol in Kristiansand is really expensive so most people "foreplay" before going out to the pubs. The rest of the week was pretty relaxed. I read a little and spent time walking around town and checking things out. I am looking forward to seeing what else Norway has in store, can't wait!
1. Norwegians really keep to themselves and sometimes come off as rude but I have found that they are extremely generous once you get to know them
3. Going to the grocery store is not as easy as it seems, sometimes you have to prepare for the grocery store as if you were preparing for climbing a mountain.
4. A lot of people speak english in Norway but nothing is written in english which makes shopping and travelling a little bit harder.
6. Norway is closed on Sundays so get food Saturday.
7. Nothing is free so expect to pay for everything. Grocery carts, bathrooms, wireless internet, etc.
8. The term excuse me or I'm sorry does not exist in Norway. If someone runs into you its as if it never happened
5. Convenience and Speed (If you want something here bring you patients and have plenty of time)