Thursday
The package has arrived!!! The thing weighed 26 lbs. and I had to walk a couple blocks with it, but it was completely worth it. Tusen Takk mamman and papa! I think I was more excited about opening that package and the contents than I have ever been on Christmas morning. It was filled with food and other goodies!


Velveeta cheese, ramen noodles, instant soups, Lipton noodle mixes, vanilla, brownie and cake mixes (including the frosting), cake pans, a pair of shoes, my phone, and a jacket. To hold a phone again was the oddest part. My hand actually started shaking. Too bad it doesn’t work… I wonder what other things I’ll forget about by the time I’m home. Driving a car is a sure spectacle. Rediscovering my closet of clothes will be fun. Going to a one stop store like Target will be a thrill!
My cupboard is now overflowing. I should be good for another month, at least.


On our way to the T-bane stop a man approached us and asked us if we’d be interested in a free couch. Due to the fact that we live on the fourth floor we hesitated, but then that fear was vanished because he offered to carry it up for us. For weeks we’ve been worrying about where Mirjam’s sister and Jamie’s friends were going to sleep when they came to visit. Now the perfect solution presented itself and it was FREE, nothing is ever free in Norway. The couch and reclining chair now sit beautifully in our gathering room waiting for some visitors.


Jamie had heard that there was a place like the Salvation Army here in Norway. We decided to check it out. I was surprised that it was almost exactly like the Salvation Army; in fact they have similar logos. They only sold clothes and little trinkets, but it was nice to know it was there. We then walked around Majorstuen a bit more discovering delicious bakeries and hidden treasure s of Oslo.
Dinner:


Friday
This morning I woke up bright and early and headed to campus. I was really confused. I received a bill in the mail for the fall student fee, but the same day I also received a confirmation saying I paid it. I have never given them any money, but it was confirmed in their system that I had so I went with it. I was able to get my student card which enables me to use the library, get student discounts, and print. I must say my picture on the card is quite attractive. haha

I then headed down town to do some shopping. I bought a 60 Liter backpack for my upcoming trips. I’m assuming it’s not the nicest backpack due to the fact I bought it at Clas Ohlsen, an everything store, but it was only 350 NOK ($50), so I assume it will at least get me through. I also made a stop at H&M which is always fatal. It’s bad. I can’t come out of that store without anything… I also bought a couple things to send/bring home. I hope you all will like them.
This is what I wear when I got out. I love my new backpack!


At 4 I went to international coffee hour at Chateau Neuf.

There were a trillion people there and I felt really lost in the jumble. It was hard to just approach an already engaged group and introduce yourself. Luckily, my roommate spotted me. And so the rest of the afternoon we sat there with the rest of our flat mates eating free cookies and coffee.


One thing that is very odd here is that I am of legal drinking age and so is everyone else here. Not only do buddy groups sponsor outings to bars at night, but there is a pub in the basement of every faculty on campus. It is a very odd feeling walking around school with a beer in hand. We finally met some Norwegians tonight!

They filled us in on all the great places to ski in the area as well as a few new phrases. They were a little frightened though when after having a quick gab session in Norwegian I informed them jokingly that I had understood every word that they had just said. Haha. I wish. One thing that is a bit annoying here is that the international students are never mixed with Norwegian students. We all live together, and take classes together. It’s a bit sad. I wish I could learn more about their ways from actually spending time with them. I guess I’ll have to be more frequent at the pub.

Another thing that is sometimes tough is that I am 19. No complaints other than to get into a lot of events 20 is the minimum age. This means I have to stay behind sometimes, other times it only requires a borrowed Spanish ID.

Saturday
Again, I woke up to the sound of rain pounding outside. So there was no choice but for a lazy morning. Suddenly the sun decided to come out so I went for a jog around the lake. There were people everywhere! After, I decided just to dip my feet in the water. Haha, that turned into a swim after I slipped on a rock and was completely soaked. It was quite the embarrassing walk home, barefoot and dripping, through a busy sports university campus.
After an unexpected 2 hour nap Jamie and I went downtown to see what was happening. Due to the fact it was Sunday many shops were closed or closing. We did stop in a few tourist shops and looked.

It’s funny how now when there is a crowd of tourist we get annoyed. Walk faster people!
We also saw the Royal Palace:




Sunday
Already this morning the sun is shining and I am ready to go. We have a lot of over ripe/ smashed bananas so I’ve decided to make banana bread. The kitchen is filled with the aroma of it. I sense that fall is about to break loose soon.
We took a trip up to Holmenkollen today. There lies the site of ski jump from the 1952 winter Olympics and a ski museum.

It is the number one tourist attraction is Oslo. The site was under construction due to the fact that they are hosting the FIS World Cup Ski Championships this year and the jump didn’t meet height requirement for the organization so it is being completely rebuilt. We were still able to tour it though. The tour cost 80 Kr and took us to the very top of the jump. The view was spectacular.


One can see all of Oslo being that the jump is the highest point in the city. The museum was also very informative. There was a display showing how skis were made 5000 years ago until current. There was also a lot of information about the ski movement in the 1900’s when the Norwegian government made skiing the national sport and created multiple campaigns to encourage people to get out and enjoy nature. The crown prince was even a skier himself!



Dinner:

I guess people don’t like to sleep here. Even last night, a Sunday, we went out to a jazz club, Blå. Again the age was 20, but luckily they weren’t checking ID’s and I was able to get in with the rest of the group. I’m not sure why the age is 20. I think that to buy beer and wine the drinking age is 18, but for spirits the age is 20 and that is why the age minimum is the way it is. The concert was great, a live jazz band playing upbeat poetic rhythms.
“Concentrate in the positive, forget about the negative.” Right? For one thing, I was tired. We’d woken up at 7 to make banana bread and I hadn’t managed to squeeze in a nap. Also, I had worn high heeled boots not expecting that before the concert we’d receive a 2 hour, full out tour of Grünerløkka.
Yup, so by the time we actually got to Blå my feet were on fire with swelling blisters. Sore feet and fatigue are not a thrilling combination. I managed to pull it together for most of the night though, putting on a smile, reminding myself how lucky I am to be here in Oslo.

Monday
Here I sit waiting in Sophia Bugges Hus 45 minutes before classes start. Not my typical first day of school… at ALL! For one thing, at home, I’d never go out the night before school started. I like to be in bed early with my backpack packed and outfit placed out. I rolled a little differently today. I woke up at 6 am to take a shower, eat, and gather my things. I hadn’t even bought notebooks, text books, or pens yet! My roommate was probably a little annoyed…

First day of school picture for mom:


I was lucky I guess to have gotten to class so early. There are 300 students registered in the class and only 200 seats in the auditorium. I guess like my professor said, “They aren’t expecting 100 students to show up a day.” Eh?
My first and only class for the week was American literature. It was odd sitting in a class of 300 Norwegians learning about America.
Lewis and Clark… I know them! California? Where is it? I’ll show you!
I really enjoyed the class though, and am excited to start the reading list… which is extensive! I bought the text book for the class; it is 3 inches wide and weighs nearly 10 lbs! The other reading I plan on borrowing from the library in order to save some money. The teacher spoke really great english. I wouldn't be surprised if she is from the US.
One thing I will say is that I am thrilled that classes are starting. Finally I’m starting to realize how lucky I am to be a student. Not only is it an opportunity that not reachable for everyone, but also the fact that we are able to spend time learning about the world around us and not worrying about much else in extremely special. We are given the tools and know how to pull of some pretty amazing things and come up with some incredible thoughts. This time is fast fleeting though as I’ve learned from my roommate who only has a year left in her master’s program. So I must appreciate it.

After class I went down town to Grønland where I picked up some more things from the market and took a look into a couple other stores. I needed notebooks, colored pencil, copy paper, and a broom. When I checked out the woman flat out laughed at me as I placed a pad of paper covered with a clown picture, a pink canister of colored pencils, children’s themed notebooks, and a neon blue broom on the counter. They were cheap alright?!

When I got back I crashed for 2 hours and organized the rest of my things. What to do for the rest of the week? A trip maybe?

Oh! And another bit of youth European fashion... Can you believe this!? haha

Hei Hei everyone. The last couple days have been really horrible. Nothing has been going the way I'd like it too. Finally today I was able to get my computer up and running again after 3 days without it. My card was also frozen. That was super fun. I also burnt a hole in one of my favorite shirts trying to iron it in a very unconventional and embarressing way. Don't ask. Now it's somewhere in the 'rubbish' as my room mate calls it. On top of all of that it has been raining like crazy and COLD! It's difficult cooking in a very small kitchen with 11 people who splatter spaghetti sauce all over the place, fill the sink with dishes, and then leave it like that for a couple days. Today I broke down and just cleaned the mess up myself. On the bright side.. I was able to register for classes. I only have class Mondays and Thursdays! Monday from 9:15 til 4:00
and
Thursday from 10:15 til 12:00
Amazing!!1
Classes start this coming Monday and then end in the first week of December.
Now we're able to plan trips!
Jamie, the other American, and I are planning a trip to Bergen, Norway the first weekend in September. We are hoping to do a hiking trip Madame Nisswandt recommended and a short kayak trip through the fjords. We'll being staying with Will Dack in his apartment there.

Yesterday we had an official welcome ceremony from the University. The entire student body was present at a local park. The entire speech was in Norwegian. All of the international students were completely zoned out.

We also had a buddy group meeting where we toured around for a bit with other students. Interestingly there were 4 people from Minnesota in my group...

Slow and steady always wins the race
Waking up to the sound of rain pounding against your window is never motivation to get out of bed. My fellow American, Jamie, was kind enough to lend me a movie to lie in bed with, Phantom of the Oprah. I chose it because I knew it was long. Around noon I explored the laundry rooms. It costs 15 NOK a load, around $3. So it was quite expensive. I think I will be wearing my clothes until people start to plug their noses around me. The machines were completely in Norwegian so I had NO idea how to start them. It took me around a half hour to finally get the water to fill. Before I left the states my mom bought me some 3 in 1 washing sheets. As I put one in the man next to me sighed, “Ahhh…. The American way”, as he shook his head.

That afternoon I shared the joys of Ikea and Trafikkatan with Jamie. Upon returning home I was greeted by Maddi, a Minnesotan! She invited me out for the night and I gladly accepted. Around 10 we went to an apartment with other students mainly from Germany, Mexico, Italy, Spain … and Minnesota! Interestingly, I’ve learned more Spanish here than I have Norwegian.

Later, we went to an out door bar that translates to “Uncle Donalds”.

Drinks are very expensive here. We nearly paid 375 NOK for 4 shots and a beer, that is 60 USD! We had a great time dancing and mingling with each other and others. Around 2:30 we returned to Kringsja on the night bus.

Oslo is like the 70’s without drugs
That is what we’ve been told. Today Jamie and I met up with a local named Ben. He showed us the hidden secrets of Oslo and gave us pointers ranging from cheap food to cheap travel. We went out for lunch, very expensive, my sandwich cost over $20. You can’t eat out here. The prices are outrageous!







That evening a couple girls and I went to the nearby lake, Sognsvann. I went for a dip. The water was so refreshing.





My ROOM MATE and I:

In front of our building...


After wards we got ready and headed downtown to an international student party at Chateau Neuf. The number of people there was overwhelming. We had some drinks, did a little dancing, and mingled with everyone. At around midnight we decided to head home. Sadly we missed the last T-bane by 5 minutes. Ugh. An hour later we were able to find a night bus. It was freezing, there were nasty slugs everywhere and I was tired. Not my best night here. We didn’t get in bed until 2:30 am. Mirjam and I then were unable to stop talking until the wee hours of the morning.


COFFEE
This morning I chatted with Ben on Skype. It was so good to hear from him. He is back in Arizona now. The time difference is 9 hours. This might be a little rough… After a late night, we were exhausted, but still went downtown to explore. Jamie and I took the local ferries around the Oslo fjord. Along the way we stopped and saw the Viking ship.

The entire time we were dragging our feet. It was extremely hot today! At around 3 we headed to the University of Oslo campus where there was a waffles and coffee party being hosted for the international students. The coffee was amazing! It was an instant wake up! From there a bunch of us headed to the beach.

We enjoyed the amazing company of Paris, from Turkey, and Micheal, from the U.S.. It was so funny to talk with them because Michael is your typical ,preppy American guy, where as Paris just bums around the world and goes with flow. We didn’t get back until around 8. We made hot dogs and rice for dinner and ate with the Singaporians. They are always cooking up something good/ interesting. Luckily I also splurged on some ice cream! Now I sit waiting to use the internet, as we only have one connection per room.

Oh! and of course! European fashion at it's best!

The last 24 hours have probably been the most exciting since we ran from Stockholm. I booked a ticket to Munich for Oktoberfest with a girl I met maybe a half hour before we paid for the tickets. We paid $30 round trip! How amazing is that? You can't even get to Minneapolis and back for that price.
Anyways... Today I went to the Norsk Folkumuseum. I spent practically all day there. My favorite exhibits were:
Norwegian Folk Dress: The traditional wedding outfits were so beautiful. I'm almost tempted to wear one myself.

The above is a traditional wedding outfit for a certain part of Norway

Sami Culture: The Sami are people that live in the very north of Finland, Norway and Sweden. I found it very interesting that they seem to be almost rejected from the rest of Norwegian society. I'm not sure if that's because they want to preserve their culture or because modern society rejects them. Never the less, I found this exhibit quite interesting.


the Gol Stave Church




Here are some other photos:

Stockholm Update

Here is video of us being completely scared the first night in our hotel in Stockholm. Every time I watch it I cannot stop laughing.
Click on the arrow it watch it:

Rain, rain go away! It seems that summer has ended here in Oslo. It has been on and off raining for the last couple days.
Yesterday I woke up late and went downtown Oslo to visit the National Gallery which houses "The Scream" and "Madonna" by Edvard Munch.





















I was hoping that a different version of his Madonna would be there. Last year in my art history class I studied his lithograph of the "Madonna". I found that version much more interesting. It is actually one of my very favorite works. I found out that the below version is in Chicago.


Although they were amazing there were also other artists that caught my eye as well, particularly Harald Sohlberg. I loved his paintings "Summer Night" and "Winter Night".


After spending a considerable amount of time at the gallery I headed over to the street markets where I picked up some fresh vegetables and sauces for dinner. It was crazy at the market. People were grabbing things like crazy, their baskets completely filled with produce. Inside the market the isle were so small barely one person could pass. The shelves were stuffed full of imported sauces and canned goods. I even found maple syrup! It was $10 for a very small bottle, so I had to pass.

Once home I made a quick dinner.


For the rest of the night I ended up on Skype with Ben, my mom, Katy and Ella. It was a good night.
I woke up to the sound of rain this morning, so my room mate and I stayed in bed quite late. We then decided to go for a run to a nearby lake she had heard of. Although it was drizzling it felt so amazing to get out and exercise. The lake is absolutely beautiful. it is very small compared to what we consider a lake back home, only 2 miles around.

For lunch I made my FAVORITE. Risengrot!!! With of course the help of my handy dictionary.

2, pretty much uneventful, days have passed. The sun has been shining although the forecast predicted rain throughout the entire week. I am NOT complaining.
Again, yesterday I went to the beach. I didn't talk to a single person all day. It was horribly boring although my tan is probably the darkest it's ever been. I blame it on the salt water.
This morning I ran a few errands downtown. I finally know where I live! My post is open!

Natalie Madden
Olav M. Troviks Vei 26
H0404
0864 Oslo, Norway

Hopefully I'll start receiving mail soon. Wink. Wink ;)
I also walked around the campus a bit today. It is much smaller than the U. It is like walking around the "mall" area at the U of M. It takes probably 10 minutes from one side to the other. I was a little surprised when it just ended.
I've been really tired, almost sick lately. I'm not sure from what. SO I came back to my apartment and took a nap this afternoon. In the middle of my nap I woke up to a unfamilliar girl standing above me. We were both a little frightened. The arrival of my room mate. Her name is Miriam and she is from Germany. We went to the grocery store and had dinner together. We also cleaned the bathroom together. haha. She seems very nice and I think we will make great room mates. I am thrilled to be in the presence of another person again!
I seem to be the youngest one studying here. Most everyone else is at least 21 or older. I feel young, but I am ale to have conversations with them and relate to them on similar levels so we are all getting along well. They all seemed very surprised when they found out I was only 19.
Today I also went through my receipts to find out excatly how much I was paying for things. I was more than a little surprised when I found out that I payed $9 for some cheese! Oops.
For the rest of the week I think I'm going to do some touristy things around Oslo.
4 days until more people start arriving and the party starts! School starts a week from today. I can't wait! I just finished my second book in a week and am so thirsty for another one. Hopefully my American literature class will help with that.
I've read a little online about my classes but don't know my schedule yet. It's interesting because all of my assignments are worth zero points, but to take the final exam they all need to be turned in. The 4 hour final exam is 100% of the grade! I better study up.
I miss my family, friends, and Ben everyday, but things are looking better and time is moving quicker than I expected it would. Yet, I'm already looking into the fall and anticipating the things I'll miss, Halloween and Thanksgiving for sure. For those who know me well, you know I don't do well without pumpkins in the fall. Thus, I have requested for mom to send me some. As for other things I have wanted from home:
-Maple Syrup: Can't find it here
-baking pans: I need my muffins and breads!
-my cell phone: The cheapest one I can get here is 50 USD
-Instant coffee: I don't want to buy a coffee maker and I'm struggling without the caffeine
-Recipies: for the holidays
-Candy: to trade with other exchange students
-Cheap dried foods: so I don't spend myself into the ground

It was very smart of me to bring toothpaste, shampoo, etc. from home. Here they are all quite expensive and don't come in 'family' size bottles. I also have difficulty recognizing some of the products. 'Is this hand soap or body wash?'

I am also sad about missing the swim season, my favorite time of year. I'm not sure they can put me on skype at a swim meet. haha. Hopefully my sisters won't miss me too much. I wish more than anything I could be there for them.

I am hoping to find either a job or volunteer position in a middle school english class here. When I return I will need 72 hours with kids to even apply to my major. So cross your fingers for me.