Dyrskun

Hi!

Tomorrow morning I have a test on plant identification (with the Latin names). So, I think it's a perfect time to update my blog. Haha.

I made some notes last week so that I wouldn't forget what I did, but some of the days sound very boring, and as I remember it, it was more interesting. And they don't have pictures! Oh, well. It gets more interesting towards the end of the week. Let's see where I left off:

Monday Sept. 6

errands

Tuesday Sept. 7

homework and class, house meeting

Wednesday, Sept. 8

International students meeting- paperwork

Kayaking!! I got to borrow a really good playboat and practiced surfing.

Scenery on the (1 hour long) walk back from kayaking.

Thursday Sept. 9

Norwegian class

Blueberry and lingon berry picking

Dinner with friends

Friday Sept. 10

Friluftsliv class trip to Lifjell, the highest mountains near Bø. We just went for a short walk, with a lunch stop where we made bannock with ground-up lichen in it over the fire. Tasted ok! I also spent an hour picking blueberries. It was a bit chilly.

It's particularly beautiful in the mountains at this time of year because the leaves are changing colour. The mountain birch is the tree which grows at the highest elevations, not spruce like I'm used to in the Rockies. Then there are blueberries, dwarf birch, and other shrubs whose leaves also change colour.

A "lecture" about some plants.

The lunch spot.

Lichen-bannock.

Saturday Sept. 11

Along with most of the international students, I went to the Dyrskun market in Seljord, a town near Bø (with the lake with the seaserpent, remember?). This market happens once and year and people from all over Norway come to it. It was pouring rain all day, but the market was still crowded.

There was heavy machinery, crafts, art, knives, knitted mittens and socks, traditional clothing, outdoor clothing, shoes, organic food, meat, fish, honey and much more being sold. There were also animal shows and cultural exhibits. I tried many samples and bought honey, moose salami, pickled fish, gloves, and wool clothes. Outside this "official" market there were lots of other stalls set up selling food and used books and dishes and so on.

Here are some pictures of typical stalls at the market:

Machinery.

Artwork- paintings on lichen-covered rocks.

Honey.

Meat.

Outdoor clothing (this place was very crowded!)

Goth-clothing, including goth-Buffs (neck warmers).

"And much more." (A dog yurt)

Military gear (outside the market).

In the evening I talked with my family for the first time (using Skype for the first time)!

Ok, I think this is long enough for one update. Tomorrow I will continue catching up from Sept. 12 on (which is a cool hike and I took lots of pictures, :) ) Good bye!