TIME TO GO!!

Wednesday Aug. 11
The day I've been waiting for has arrived! The bags are packed! (Really, really packed, as in full.) I am flying to Norway (via Toronto, Boston, and Iceland). It took a while.

I didn't feel sad to leave Edmonton because I think in my head I had already been leaving for a while. But I was a bit sad to leave people.

I left home in the morning and said goodbye to my dad at the airport. My mom and brother I already said goodbye to because they were off doing other things. (My mom, visiting in Ontario; my brother, just sleeping.) Who knows when we will see each other again? At the most, 11 months!

Kalli and Emma came to visit me in the Toronto airport. It was great to see them! And also I really appreciated their help on where to go and carrying my bags!

Thursday Aug. 12
I arrived in Oslo about noon. I stored my luggage, bought some food, and then took the bus to a beach. It was a sunny day and it felt great to sit outside and swim after being in airplanes and airports. There were a lot of boats going by, and also people in rented sea kayaks and SUPs. The beach is called Huk and is on Bydøy, an island-type thing where there are a lot of museums and some farm fields that belong to the king. In the evening I slept at Anker Hostel, which is close to the train station.

Friday Aug. 13
It was raining when I woke up, so I just went back to sleep. Later I walked and looked around. In the afternoon I took the train to Bø and met Terri on the train. It was arranged that we got a ride from the train station to our houses.

I live in Breisås, which is an area with a lot of student houses up a hill about a 20 minute walk from the university. I was really excited about how nice my house is. I have a great view of the valley from by bedroom. There are 5 other people living there, each in their own room. There are 2 bathrooms and 2 showers, and each bedroom has a sink. There's also a kitchen and storage shed. Then there is a common building with laundry, a sauna, extra showers and toilets, and a big room with chairs and a TV.

Fortunately there were all sort of dishes left outside from the people living there before me. I went shopping in the evening and the store was much closer than I was expecting. So I could happily have a hot meal at home on my first day in Bø.

Saturday Aug. 14
I went for a walk in the forest behind Breisås. It's awesome to have a forest right next to your house. The trails were really wet. I walked mostly up for over an hour and got to a rocky hilltop with a nice view. Then I spend an hour picking blueberries. It was relaxing. The weather was warm and sunny. I ran back down and it took a lot less time than going up.

In the evening (and so far this will be repeated almost every evening) there are people sitting at picnic table outside the houses and visiting. Sometimes there's some music. Many people drink and smoke, but some don't. It gets pretty cold when the sun sets, but it's probably warmer than other times of year....

Sunday Aug. 15
I rollerskied on a newly paved bike path beside a main road. There was a student orientation meeting where we had a tour around the school and town. Afterward I visited with Terri and went to see where she lives (it's called Grivi, an apartment-style student housing kind of far away from where I live).

Monday Aug. 16
There were some meetings at school or something, I can't remember at the moment. The weather was staying overcast and raining for a few days. In the evening there was a party at the student pub/club type place (called Kroa) with a pre-party outside Grivi. It was OK but I don't think the drinking party/club scene is my thing.

Tuesday Aug. 17
More orientation meetings at school about computer stuff. In the evening I went to a party being held at a hall. People were talking and there was loud music. I spend a lot of time talking with people these days. It's very interesting to hear about other people's experiences from their home country or where they've traveled. Most people I met are friendly and really like to talk.

There are many parties and activities organized or advertised through the school or the international student office in this first week.

To get somewhere, I just walk- home, school, stores, other student's residences, bars, etc. A half hour walk to get somewhere is normal! So far it's enjoyable and not a problem, because I'm not late, busy or tired yet.

Wednesday Aug. 18
I didn't have anything else to do today so I decided to do a hike. I got some advice from the tourist information centre. A lot of the trailheads are not near the town. It would be convenient to bike to the trailheads, maybe I will look for one. I chose one of the closest trails and had to walk along roads for about an hour and a half, which was a little boring but I didn't have something else to do that day so it was fine. Then I got to the lysløype, or lit trails. Then I had a nice hike through the forest to a rocky hill top of about 350m altitude (called Høyreslass). I stopped to practice reading Norwegian on all the signs with information about nature and history and stuff. It was cloudy and the trail was wet and slippery, but the view was good. I had lunch and then walked down another way.

The trails are signed and marked really well, but only once you get to the trail area. Going through town and down roads to the trail head takes some guessing, because there weren't really any signs saying "this way to trails". On the way back to Bø along roads, a car stopped and offered me a ride. So I got back sooner and planned. At home, there were many people in the kitchen and my housemates from Spain made some delicious spanish omelet for everyone. Then we went berry picking. There are raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and lingonberries. In the evening I talked with people more. Around midnight I usually just go to bed, but some people go out to a pub or something.

Thursday Aug. 19
I had a Norwegian language class at 8:30. I was lucky and could get most of the textbooks from the library. In the afternoon there was a guided walk along the Bø river. Along the way we had a short concert from a Hardanger-fiddle player. There are some pretty cool waterfalls and rapids along this river. After the walk Terri and I went to the public library and shopping. I got home lateish in the the evening and like usual talked with housemates and neighbours. The weather is stillllllllllll overcast and chillier than I expect for August. When it's rainy there are lots of crazy people drifting their cars around the traffic circle. Or even just in an intersection, even though other cars are waiting to get by.

Friday Aug. 20
I had Alpine Ecology classes all day, except when I had to miss part to attend another class (Friluftsliv/'The individual, environs, and society'). I finally found out what we are doing for a trip for this class. It sounds GREAT. But I'm going to keep it a surprise so that you're in suspense to come check this blog again.


Sorry if this blog post was a bit bland. At the time, each day was fun and exciting but now I'm tired and can't remember everything that happened. I might be able to write in a more interesting way if I get around to making more frequent blog posts. I will try, we'll see how it goes.

Goodbye!

OH WAIT, I forgot something important. Pictures!!

A cyclist at the beach in Oslo.

Walking through the king's farm on Bydøy.

Rainy day walking around in Oslo.

A student's well-balanced meal.

Hiking trail going to Høyreslass.

Overcast view from Høyreslass.


The many international students going for a walk along the river.

One of my housemates along the river.

Waterfall on the Bø river. (I forget the name, Hauge-something-foss)

Surfing?

Another waterfall.

Typical view when walking around this area.

A view from the school.