Week 38

Hi! How is your fall going?

I'm really behind on updating my blog! I will try to catch up with the highlights, starting back on September 19. Oh no, that's almost a month ago. Sorry!

So here's a summary of week 38. (It was new to me to use week numbers like they usually do here, but it's very practical! Week 1 is the first week in January and so on like that.)

Sunday, the day after I got back from Lifjell, was mostly spent studying supposed to be spent studying.

Monday I had a test and then a bunch of classes.

My schedule is really long on Mondays, from 8:30am to 6:15pm. Then Tuesdays I start at 8:30, but have the afternoon off. The rest of the week varies, with 3 or 4 classes that don't have a set schedule.

The format of classes here is to have each subject 1 or 2 times a week, for 2 or 3 blocks of 45min of classes and a 15min break. But it varies a lot. Sometimes classes from different subjects overlap and the teachers say to go to whichever you prefer. Huh.

So right no school is not too busy, but with 6 subjects (45 ECTS) and classes at 8:30 at least three times a week I'm not slacking either.

Tuesday I joined an Ultimate Frisbee group. A skilled player is trying to start up a team here. He is a super coach and I learned how to throw (is that even the right verb?) the disc better and how to play using actual strategy, oh my! Like me, many of the other participants have a lot of enthusiasm but not so much skill yet. It was tons of fun, and a bit funny too.

I went kayaking after class on Wednesday.

The club's equipment.

View of the non-rapidy part and the kayak I was using.

On Friday we played Ultimate Frisbee again, even though it was pouring rain and cold.

On Saturday I biked to an Apple Festival being held in Gvarv, another small town just 7km from Bø. It wasn't really an exciting outing. But one cool thing was trying different apple juices. It was a really windy day and I felt like I was almost being blown off the bike path. OK, ok, I actually did get blown off of it. In the afternoon I went kayaking and it was really getting cold in the water. And yes I know that personally because I practiced rolling a few times, both intentionally and unintentionally.... The water was higher than usual from yesterday's rain and the smallest surf wave tipped me!

The Applefest

Fresh apple juice being made

Types of apples

Fish for sale

Another thing I get to practice when kayaking or playing ultimate (which I don't get to in class or hanging out with other international students) is hearing and speaking Norwegian. And Danish I suppose, because I think more than half of the people in these activities are Danish people who wanted to study in Bø. Unfortunately we still resort to English a lot of the time, but at least I'm working on it a little.

The backyard of my dream house. See that orange thing in the corner of the picture?

Yeah, it's a slackline! Never mind that it's mostly just used to dry paddling clothes. ... :)... Also, cheap rent and a huge room with a fireplace in it are factors. Maybe if I get on a waiting list I could live there 5 years from now?

By Sunday I noticed that I had come down with a cold. 'Nooo!' I thought. 'How could this have happened to me?' Then I remembered kayaking in cold water...and frisbee in the rain... and windy biking...staying up late talking... and so on. So I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. Sigh.

Well, even though I was feeling sick, at least all I just had to focus on my 2 tests coming up in week 39. HA, YEAH RIGHT!! In the next update I will tell you how the 2 tests were only a tiny part of that week.