Monday, December 19, 2011
back in the USA!
Last night I touched down in Boston, after a long and a little bit uncomfortable journey from Oslo. I've become accostumed to flying by now, but the close quaters always seem to get the best of me. My knee cramps up like no tomorrow and whenever I had to get up to use the bathroom, I found it hard to walk. Good thing I will be going to see one of the my old physical trainers today, so that he can review my recovery of my knee. Tomorrow it will be exactly 1 year since I had surgery on it... it still isn't 100% recovered yet, and maybe it never will be, but I'm hoping I can get some good advice on how to improve it faster. Last night instead of taking a bus back up to New Hampshire, I stayed overnight at my best friend Lauren's appointment in the city. I was glad I did, because the last thing I wanted was another hour and a half plus trip back to NH. I was pooped. It felt pretty awesome to finally stretch my legs, relax, and eat some quality American food :P Now I'm sitting on the Concord Coach bus right now, heading back up to Concord!!! I am super excited for the next couple weeks and to spend Christmas and New Years home with my family and friends. It really is the best Christmas gift I could ever asked for! It feels a little bizarre to be back after 6 months though, especially filling out my US Costums Form on the plane when I had to write down that my permenant residence was actually Norway, not the US. Ha ha, that brought up a question or 2 from the officers. It's pretty cool though I think... I definitely can say that I have the best of 2 worlds; Norway and the US. I feel really thankful and blessed. The next couple days I will be going to appointments, doing errands, and enjoying being at my house my family and pets! I'm so pumped. I will write again later in the week. Happy Holidays everybody :)
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Winter Wonderland
There is finally snow here in Norway!!! :) Although I don't like the cold weather, in particular, having snow makes it all worth while, I think. I'd rather it be cold with snow, then without it... it doesn't hurt that it makes the landscape pretty to look at either! I saw the snow for the first time as I walked out of work last night. One negative thing about the shop's location is that it's inside another store so there's no windows to the outside. It definitely put a smile on my face when I saw snowflakes falling from the sky though! My first snow in Norway; how cute. I hear it's been almost pushing 70 degrees back home these days, which is insane for December, but then again I'm not all that surprised because weather in New England can be very unpredictable. I hope there will be snow in NH when I come home! Christmas is not complete without it! There is now 11 days left on the countdown 'til I'm home! Every day that passes I get a little more excited. Not so much looking forward to the long day of traveling (approx. 13-15 hours from the moment I leave my apartment until I get into Boston, ugh. Oh well! It'll be worse when I return to Norway, because then I'll have to deal with major jet lag! Hoping both ways I'll be able to squeeze some sleep time, but not really likely, ha ha.
I finally have completed all the steps in order to get my first pay check soon: I think tomorrow actually!? Once I had gotten my Norwegian social security number, I had to apply for a tax card, which all Norwegians have if they are employed. As most of you all know, we all pay A LOT of tax every year to the state so that we can have the benefits of a social welfare society. You don't need to pay tax though if you make under a certain amount of money in a year, so I lucked out of paying tax this year, because I only started in November. I will need to renew my tax card by the New Year though, but will only be paying a minimum amount of tax, because I'm only working up to 20 hours/week and not making so much money. I calculated though if I work at least 15 hours a week, every week, then I'll be able to make around 8,000 kroner or a little over 10,500 if I work a steady 20 hours/week. This means that every month I can earn around $1,500-$1,900/week, which is GREAT. Doesn't seem like so much money here in Norway, compared to the USA, but it will pay for my student loans every month which I begin paying this month, and for my new Norwegian course. Then I will still have a little extra left over to finally start helping Anders pay the bills, or to put into savings!
That is all for now. Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today of the snow. Enjoy!
First snowfall! (at Vinderen, waiting for the subway after work).
Outside the Oppsal shopping center on my walk home from the subway stop.
View of the snow from outside our apartment on the third floor.
The same view only a few hours later!
Pretty picture of the scenery behind school today.
Along the path on my way to the train station after school.
My school!
I finally have completed all the steps in order to get my first pay check soon: I think tomorrow actually!? Once I had gotten my Norwegian social security number, I had to apply for a tax card, which all Norwegians have if they are employed. As most of you all know, we all pay A LOT of tax every year to the state so that we can have the benefits of a social welfare society. You don't need to pay tax though if you make under a certain amount of money in a year, so I lucked out of paying tax this year, because I only started in November. I will need to renew my tax card by the New Year though, but will only be paying a minimum amount of tax, because I'm only working up to 20 hours/week and not making so much money. I calculated though if I work at least 15 hours a week, every week, then I'll be able to make around 8,000 kroner or a little over 10,500 if I work a steady 20 hours/week. This means that every month I can earn around $1,500-$1,900/week, which is GREAT. Doesn't seem like so much money here in Norway, compared to the USA, but it will pay for my student loans every month which I begin paying this month, and for my new Norwegian course. Then I will still have a little extra left over to finally start helping Anders pay the bills, or to put into savings!
That is all for now. Here are some pictures I took yesterday and today of the snow. Enjoy!
First snowfall! (at Vinderen, waiting for the subway after work).
Outside the Oppsal shopping center on my walk home from the subway stop.
View of the snow from outside our apartment on the third floor.
The same view only a few hours later!
Pretty picture of the scenery behind school today.
Along the path on my way to the train station after school.
My school!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
it's starting to feel a lot like Christmas :)
This is probably one of my most favorite times of the year... the time leading up to the holiday season. This is my first winter here in Norway, but even here I am able to experience all my favorite things during this time, like seeing Christmas lights everywhere! It brings back great memories growing up when my Dad would drive my brother, sister and I around Concord to look at all the lights on all the houses in the neighborhood... although, I haven't seen many houses decked out with Christmas lights here, but many buildings and malls in the city are decorated! It's not as extravagant or "over the top" like it is in the USA, but it'll do... until I get home ;)
The "big" Christmas tree downtown near National Theater.
Bryn shopping center.
Trees outside Oppsal shopping center.
Christmas tree outside the mall in Sandvika.
I finally received my Norwegian personal number at the end of last week, so pretty soon I will be able to receive my first pay check here in Norway! I'm pretty excited about that... in order to get paid though I still have 2 more things that I must do before. 1) In order to get paid I need to have a 'tax card' to give to my boss at Mester Grønn so that the right amount of tax will be taken out of my pay check. Luckily, I won't need to pay any tax this year, because I just started working and won't be making over 30,000 kroner before the end of the year. I have applied now instead for a 'free card' which I should have by the end of the next week! 2) I need to open up a bank account, so when I get paid it will be directly deposited into my bank account. I will be able to do this whenever I have the time this week, because now that I have my personal number I can do it. So, I may be able to get paid this Friday, but if not then I will now definitely be able to get paid before I come home for Christmas which is great! I'm looking forward to start contributing to the bills, because it has been hard for me not being able to help Anders out.
Work is going well and a lot better than when I first started. I was very unsure and didn't know what to expect when I first started and it was quite overwhelming... I've had many unpleasant costumers, but I have learned to just brush it off and not take their comments to heart. I am very new in a foreign country and am proud of what I have acheived so far!!! It takes time to learn a new language and to completely adapt to a different environment, so if people here don't understand that then I don't really care what they think, ha ha. I surprise myself everyday how much I have been learning over these last 5 months, but I know that I still have a long road to travel until I become fluent in the language... I'm more optimistic and positive about it though now.
Looking forward to come home though! Only a few, short weeks away now. A small break is much needed and believe it will provide the energy I need to start my new 6 month, intensive Norwegian praksis class in a kindergarten when I return back to Norway after the holidays.
Now all my paper work has been sent to UiO, so now I must wait until April 2012 to hear about the results. I'm glad I decided to still apply for the Masters program, and hopefully I'll hear a positive result from it! We shall see...
Nothing else new going on here... just trying to keep busy and healthy! Now that my time is consumed with work AND school now, I don't have all the time in the world to work out as much as I used to. I've been so tired lately, because of long weeks and the sun not being out all that much. I hope this week though I'll have the motivation again to kick myself back into gear!! When I do have the time though I have been attending this virtual spinning class at the new gym that Anders and I signed up for, which is only a 10 minute subway ride from our apartment. I have become addicted to the class... it's SUCH a great work out and not so harsh on my knee. They have several virtual classes as well as ones with live instructors, but I haven't participated in any of those yet.
Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving last week... I definitely missed it, that's for sure! My Mom said that we'll be able to have a mini Thanksgiving dinner, mixed in with Christmas dinner, so I'm very much looking forward to that <3
The "big" Christmas tree downtown near National Theater.
Bryn shopping center.
Trees outside Oppsal shopping center.
Christmas tree outside the mall in Sandvika.
I finally received my Norwegian personal number at the end of last week, so pretty soon I will be able to receive my first pay check here in Norway! I'm pretty excited about that... in order to get paid though I still have 2 more things that I must do before. 1) In order to get paid I need to have a 'tax card' to give to my boss at Mester Grønn so that the right amount of tax will be taken out of my pay check. Luckily, I won't need to pay any tax this year, because I just started working and won't be making over 30,000 kroner before the end of the year. I have applied now instead for a 'free card' which I should have by the end of the next week! 2) I need to open up a bank account, so when I get paid it will be directly deposited into my bank account. I will be able to do this whenever I have the time this week, because now that I have my personal number I can do it. So, I may be able to get paid this Friday, but if not then I will now definitely be able to get paid before I come home for Christmas which is great! I'm looking forward to start contributing to the bills, because it has been hard for me not being able to help Anders out.
Work is going well and a lot better than when I first started. I was very unsure and didn't know what to expect when I first started and it was quite overwhelming... I've had many unpleasant costumers, but I have learned to just brush it off and not take their comments to heart. I am very new in a foreign country and am proud of what I have acheived so far!!! It takes time to learn a new language and to completely adapt to a different environment, so if people here don't understand that then I don't really care what they think, ha ha. I surprise myself everyday how much I have been learning over these last 5 months, but I know that I still have a long road to travel until I become fluent in the language... I'm more optimistic and positive about it though now.
Looking forward to come home though! Only a few, short weeks away now. A small break is much needed and believe it will provide the energy I need to start my new 6 month, intensive Norwegian praksis class in a kindergarten when I return back to Norway after the holidays.
Now all my paper work has been sent to UiO, so now I must wait until April 2012 to hear about the results. I'm glad I decided to still apply for the Masters program, and hopefully I'll hear a positive result from it! We shall see...
Nothing else new going on here... just trying to keep busy and healthy! Now that my time is consumed with work AND school now, I don't have all the time in the world to work out as much as I used to. I've been so tired lately, because of long weeks and the sun not being out all that much. I hope this week though I'll have the motivation again to kick myself back into gear!! When I do have the time though I have been attending this virtual spinning class at the new gym that Anders and I signed up for, which is only a 10 minute subway ride from our apartment. I have become addicted to the class... it's SUCH a great work out and not so harsh on my knee. They have several virtual classes as well as ones with live instructors, but I haven't participated in any of those yet.
Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving last week... I definitely missed it, that's for sure! My Mom said that we'll be able to have a mini Thanksgiving dinner, mixed in with Christmas dinner, so I'm very much looking forward to that <3
Thursday, November 17, 2011
finally settled in.
Sorry that I don't update this very much so often. To tell you the truth, I finally can say that I've settled in here, so not many things have been changing all that recently... it feels so great to come back to my own apartment after school and now work also and feel "at home." There are a lot of things that I would like to do and get for the apartment in the future though, but what we have now is more than good enough! I'm content.
It's starting to get pretty cold here now... still hasn't snowed yet, but temperatures have dropped to freezing point, so everyday I wake up and look out the window to see if there's snow on the ground. We do have a thin sheet of frost though on the ground that lasts throughout the day, because the temperature is pretty consistent all day. It's pretty bitter too and I'm afraid that I might not have the best clothing, gear to last me the through the winter comfortably, ha ha! But, seriously. You would think that I would be used to this kind of weather, growing up in NH, but I've become almost a little bitter towards it myself. I wish I just lived somewhere warm, to be completely honest... with palm trees! Maybe some day ;)
I have been working a few days a week now, which is so great. They try to have me work as close to 20 hours/week as possible, but I'll take what I can get!! I still have A LOT to learn about flowers and the products in the store, but I feel more confident now when I'm behind the cash register and when costumers approach me. If I don't understand what a costumer is saying, I direct them to someone else, or if no one is around just kindly explain that I don't understand and I switch over to English. Everyone speaks English so I am able to continue to help them, but most people either seem confused that I switch languages. Some are really great and friendly about it, but I've had a handful of costumers that weren't too happy and rude, actually. I had a man come in and kind of threaten me a little bit saying that he should have known not to speak Norwegian to me and that if I wanted to speak English then I should just go back home to US, because I don't belong here in Norway. Harsh. I try not to take it personally though, but it's hard.
I still have not been allowed to get paid yet either, because I'm waiting for my social security number to come in (as I mentioned in a previous post). Once that number comes in (which I'm assuming will be by mail), then I will need to get a tax-card, open a bank account and THEN be allowed to get paid for all the hours that I've worked! December is just around the corner so I'm really hoping all will fall into place before I go back to the US so that I can have some money to spend! I also need my social security number so that I can finally send my NEC diploma and transcript to NOKUT (an organization that will certify/verify my education from the US and how it is equivalent to a degree here in Europe). Again, patience is something that one cannot live without here in Norway...
I'm not trucking away through my Norwegian class... at this point in time I definitely feel comfortable saying that I feel more confident speaking and understanding Norwegian. But of course I still have a very long road to travel, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I will reach it someday. I actually applied and got accepted into a new Norwegian course that I will take after the holidays when I return to Norway. It's called "barnehage praksiskurs" which is a combination of Norwegian class and internship in a kindergarten too! It's a 6 month program and is pretty intensive. The school days are longer and there is more emphasis on not speaking your mother-tongue. The first 6 weeks of the program I will attend school, just like I've been doing Monday through Friday, but it will be 8:30am - 1:50pm ever day. After those 6 weeks of being in the classroom I will have 2 weeks were I get to intern in a kindergarten full-time (and for free obviously). The last 16 weeks of the program consist of attending Norwegian class 3 days a week and then going back to the kindergarten 2 days a week. I believe that this program is an incredible opportunity and idea for immigrants trying to perfect their Norwegian, learn about the Norwegian work environment and beginning to network with people. I chose the kindergarten program, because obviously I want to work with kids someday! It's going to be a great stepping stone for me and I really look forward to it! By the time summer comes I will definitely be on the way to becoming bilingual. I met with the coordinator of the program so that she can learn a little about myself so that she can place me in a kindergarten that she thinks will fit. I'm pretty sure that I will be set up with one that emphasizes being outside, which will be a lot of fun, definitely when spring rolls around. Learning Norwegian from kids will be fun and an interesting experience!
When I mentioned before that I had applied to the Universitet i Oslo, I had meant that I was still collecting the documents that I had to send to them to complete the application process. I've had a few struggles so far with them and trying to receive paperwork from the schools that I attended in the US, but I'm working on it. It's a little stressful because the deadline for international students is December 1st and that's not so far off! I have my fingers crossed that all the documents that I need will all be collected and delivered to UiO by then. Because if they aren't, then they won't even look at my application.
My dreams and wishes of getting a kitten this winter may have to wait, unfortunately. Although I always think in the back of my mind if Anders may be clever enough to surprise me with a bundle of joy when I return to Norway from the holidays ;) Ha ha, who knows, he always has a trick or two up his sleeve!
P.S. I cannot believe that I'm not going to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year!!! It's a huge bummer, because it's one of the holidays that I look forward to every year. Everyone knows how much I love food and I absolutely LOVE turkey dinner; it's the best. I wanted to try to make a turkey here too and cook a little, but don't know how realistic it'll be, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. If I don't write again before, Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Eat an extra plate for me :P
It's starting to get pretty cold here now... still hasn't snowed yet, but temperatures have dropped to freezing point, so everyday I wake up and look out the window to see if there's snow on the ground. We do have a thin sheet of frost though on the ground that lasts throughout the day, because the temperature is pretty consistent all day. It's pretty bitter too and I'm afraid that I might not have the best clothing, gear to last me the through the winter comfortably, ha ha! But, seriously. You would think that I would be used to this kind of weather, growing up in NH, but I've become almost a little bitter towards it myself. I wish I just lived somewhere warm, to be completely honest... with palm trees! Maybe some day ;)
I have been working a few days a week now, which is so great. They try to have me work as close to 20 hours/week as possible, but I'll take what I can get!! I still have A LOT to learn about flowers and the products in the store, but I feel more confident now when I'm behind the cash register and when costumers approach me. If I don't understand what a costumer is saying, I direct them to someone else, or if no one is around just kindly explain that I don't understand and I switch over to English. Everyone speaks English so I am able to continue to help them, but most people either seem confused that I switch languages. Some are really great and friendly about it, but I've had a handful of costumers that weren't too happy and rude, actually. I had a man come in and kind of threaten me a little bit saying that he should have known not to speak Norwegian to me and that if I wanted to speak English then I should just go back home to US, because I don't belong here in Norway. Harsh. I try not to take it personally though, but it's hard.
I still have not been allowed to get paid yet either, because I'm waiting for my social security number to come in (as I mentioned in a previous post). Once that number comes in (which I'm assuming will be by mail), then I will need to get a tax-card, open a bank account and THEN be allowed to get paid for all the hours that I've worked! December is just around the corner so I'm really hoping all will fall into place before I go back to the US so that I can have some money to spend! I also need my social security number so that I can finally send my NEC diploma and transcript to NOKUT (an organization that will certify/verify my education from the US and how it is equivalent to a degree here in Europe). Again, patience is something that one cannot live without here in Norway...
I'm not trucking away through my Norwegian class... at this point in time I definitely feel comfortable saying that I feel more confident speaking and understanding Norwegian. But of course I still have a very long road to travel, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I will reach it someday. I actually applied and got accepted into a new Norwegian course that I will take after the holidays when I return to Norway. It's called "barnehage praksiskurs" which is a combination of Norwegian class and internship in a kindergarten too! It's a 6 month program and is pretty intensive. The school days are longer and there is more emphasis on not speaking your mother-tongue. The first 6 weeks of the program I will attend school, just like I've been doing Monday through Friday, but it will be 8:30am - 1:50pm ever day. After those 6 weeks of being in the classroom I will have 2 weeks were I get to intern in a kindergarten full-time (and for free obviously). The last 16 weeks of the program consist of attending Norwegian class 3 days a week and then going back to the kindergarten 2 days a week. I believe that this program is an incredible opportunity and idea for immigrants trying to perfect their Norwegian, learn about the Norwegian work environment and beginning to network with people. I chose the kindergarten program, because obviously I want to work with kids someday! It's going to be a great stepping stone for me and I really look forward to it! By the time summer comes I will definitely be on the way to becoming bilingual. I met with the coordinator of the program so that she can learn a little about myself so that she can place me in a kindergarten that she thinks will fit. I'm pretty sure that I will be set up with one that emphasizes being outside, which will be a lot of fun, definitely when spring rolls around. Learning Norwegian from kids will be fun and an interesting experience!
When I mentioned before that I had applied to the Universitet i Oslo, I had meant that I was still collecting the documents that I had to send to them to complete the application process. I've had a few struggles so far with them and trying to receive paperwork from the schools that I attended in the US, but I'm working on it. It's a little stressful because the deadline for international students is December 1st and that's not so far off! I have my fingers crossed that all the documents that I need will all be collected and delivered to UiO by then. Because if they aren't, then they won't even look at my application.
My dreams and wishes of getting a kitten this winter may have to wait, unfortunately. Although I always think in the back of my mind if Anders may be clever enough to surprise me with a bundle of joy when I return to Norway from the holidays ;) Ha ha, who knows, he always has a trick or two up his sleeve!
P.S. I cannot believe that I'm not going to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year!!! It's a huge bummer, because it's one of the holidays that I look forward to every year. Everyone knows how much I love food and I absolutely LOVE turkey dinner; it's the best. I wanted to try to make a turkey here too and cook a little, but don't know how realistic it'll be, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. If I don't write again before, Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Eat an extra plate for me :P
Sunday, November 6, 2011
unemployed no longer!
On November 1st, I picked up my visa (just a sticker with my picture in my passport), and I can officially stay in Norway for an entire year now! Until November 1, 2012 I don't have to worry about visas: Hallelujah! :) Now that I have temporary residency in Norway, I am also FINALLY allowed to start working part-time at the flower shop and I have already started! My first day was Thursday and I have already worked 13 hours! I won't be able to get paid until I get my Norwegian social security number though, which I applied for on the day that I picked up my visa. It actually takes 4-6 weeks to get one, not 1-2 weeks as people had told me. There are so many people wanting to live in Norway that the process now takes longer. No big deal though! I can still work up to 20 hours every week and once I get my social security number, which I should have by December 1st, then I will have to get a tax card, open a bank account and THEN be allowed to get paid. I should expect to get my first paycheck right before I head back to the US. Of course all the hours that I'm working now I will get reimbursed in my first paycheck. I am so excited to start making money again... I will be making the same amount of money working 50% that I used to make working full-time in the US; crazy. But, Norway as a whole and Oslo as a city are the most expensive places to live in the world right now, so yes I'm making more money, but it won't really seem like I will be. Anders had been SO supportive of me over these last few months, financial wise, and I'm looking forward to finally being able to contribute to paying bills. With my income as an addition we'll be able to live pretty comfortably and be able to start putting money aside for savings. Things are starting to finally fall into place, and I couldn't be happier!
Work is tough though. I've only worked 2 shifts so far, but it is one of the most overwhelming things that I've experienced. My Norwegian is still not at a level where I can communicate comfortably with costumers... but I've only worked twice and I already think that the second day was better than the first. I'm doing a lot of the same tasks that I used to do when I worked at Boloco in the US, but now I'm just working with flowers, not burritos, ha ha. I even have the same uniform, it's like déjà vu!!! Black shirt, black apron... it's pretty funny. Now I'm wrapping bouquets of flowers instead of rolling burritos. I've also been on cash register, which was a little new to me, because I barely was on cash register duty at Boloco. It's not as intimidating as I had thought though, it's actually quite easy, I just will need to learn over time to do all the complicated stuff like if costumers return products, or use gift cards, for example (mind you, I'm learning how to do this ALL in Norwegian)! I don't know very much, or actually anything about flowers, so it's like a double whammy for me when I go into work. Not only can I communicate very well with the costumers yet, but even if I could, I wouldn't be able to give them much advice on the products!! This is a problem, but I'm new to all this and will learn it over time, just like anything else. I am so thankful that I was given the job, because I need to money, but this is going to be so beneficial to me to learn the language better. I'm going to have to be more patient than ever, because it's going to be pretty frustrating. Everyone that works there though are all super helpful and nice, so I think it's going to be alright!
Also, I decided to apply for the Special Needs Education Masters program at the Universitet i Oslo afterall, because I don't want to close any doors for myself. Who knows what may happen in the next year and I don't want to regret not applying. I still need to send some documents to them this week, but hopefully I can get it all out of the way by the end of the week! I won't find out until April of next year anyways if I got accepted or not, and I can always decide not to follow through with the program if I decided to do so. So, we will see what happens! I thought it was a good idea to do this though.
I am really looking forward to come home for the holidays! It's going to be really great to see family and friends again, even if it's only for a short amount of time. I have a lot of people that I want to see, but I also look forward to just relaxing at home. It'll be good to bring back the last of my stuff that I have been keeping back home as well as stock up on some things that are cheaper to buy in the US, to bring back to Norway with me!
Although I have created a new home for myself here in Norway with Anders, New Hampshire is ALWAYS going to be my home! <3
Work is tough though. I've only worked 2 shifts so far, but it is one of the most overwhelming things that I've experienced. My Norwegian is still not at a level where I can communicate comfortably with costumers... but I've only worked twice and I already think that the second day was better than the first. I'm doing a lot of the same tasks that I used to do when I worked at Boloco in the US, but now I'm just working with flowers, not burritos, ha ha. I even have the same uniform, it's like déjà vu!!! Black shirt, black apron... it's pretty funny. Now I'm wrapping bouquets of flowers instead of rolling burritos. I've also been on cash register, which was a little new to me, because I barely was on cash register duty at Boloco. It's not as intimidating as I had thought though, it's actually quite easy, I just will need to learn over time to do all the complicated stuff like if costumers return products, or use gift cards, for example (mind you, I'm learning how to do this ALL in Norwegian)! I don't know very much, or actually anything about flowers, so it's like a double whammy for me when I go into work. Not only can I communicate very well with the costumers yet, but even if I could, I wouldn't be able to give them much advice on the products!! This is a problem, but I'm new to all this and will learn it over time, just like anything else. I am so thankful that I was given the job, because I need to money, but this is going to be so beneficial to me to learn the language better. I'm going to have to be more patient than ever, because it's going to be pretty frustrating. Everyone that works there though are all super helpful and nice, so I think it's going to be alright!
Also, I decided to apply for the Special Needs Education Masters program at the Universitet i Oslo afterall, because I don't want to close any doors for myself. Who knows what may happen in the next year and I don't want to regret not applying. I still need to send some documents to them this week, but hopefully I can get it all out of the way by the end of the week! I won't find out until April of next year anyways if I got accepted or not, and I can always decide not to follow through with the program if I decided to do so. So, we will see what happens! I thought it was a good idea to do this though.
I am really looking forward to come home for the holidays! It's going to be really great to see family and friends again, even if it's only for a short amount of time. I have a lot of people that I want to see, but I also look forward to just relaxing at home. It'll be good to bring back the last of my stuff that I have been keeping back home as well as stock up on some things that are cheaper to buy in the US, to bring back to Norway with me!
Although I have created a new home for myself here in Norway with Anders, New Hampshire is ALWAYS going to be my home! <3
Monday, October 31, 2011
the BEST day everrr
Today is seriously the BEST day ever!!! I received the greatest news today! 1) I will be traveling home for Christmas and 2) my visa to stay in Norway has been finalized! I am having trouble comprehending the situation... I'm just SOOO ecstatic, it's hard to put into words :D I guess my mother was planning on buying me a round-trip ticket as my Christmas gift, but was planning on waiting to surprise me with it... I thought I was planning to come home after Christmas this year, but over the weekend I was having second thoughts. I have many years to enjoy and experience a traditional Norwegian Christmas, but I really would like to be with my friends and family this year. It's going to be SUCH a breath of fresh air, because I've had a lot of obstacles to overcome during these last 4 months!!! I haven't set the dates yet, but plan to come home for at least 2 weeks, regardless! My Norwegian class now goes until Dec. 21st, but I'm thinking that I will head to NH the weekend before my class is over, which won't be a problem, because I asked today! I may or, may not stay in The States for New Years Eve, but we'll see, if I can make plans. I should have the ticket bought by this week! I still can't believe it!!! Today is the best day ever.
But, anyways... my visa, come to find out, was finalized last Friday, so bright and early tomorrow morning I will go to the police station to get my sticker in my passport! It's that easy. But, then I must go to register myself in the Oslo "population count" in which I will receive my very own Norwegian personal number (same as social security in the US). I will have this number for life and will finally be able to start working part-time, open a bank account, etc! I won't be getting it tomorrow though, because it takes a week or 2 to get it, but hoping I can plan on it not taking so long. I'll find out tomorrow the amount of time I've been granted on this particular visa, but my guess is that it is for at least 1 year, but could be for 2! We'll see.
Everything is falling into place :) Since I will now come home for the holidays, everything works out perfect for me, school wise as well. I had another meeting with my school counselor last week and she introduced me to a new class that I have the opportunity to take at the beginning of January. Not only is it a Norwegian class still, but it is also an internship part time as well! I can choose from a handful of areas to do it in, but will definitely decide to do it in a kindergarten or after school program, because I want to work with children, regardless of what I'll be doing in the future, so this will be such a great foundation for me and a great thing for future employers to see that I've accomplished when the time comes! It's for 6 months (January-June) and is pretty intensive. Of course I am still granted time off, just like any other school, but if you sign up for a class like this then you must be dedicated to seeing it out. You must apply for the class though, so I must find out more information about it ASAP, so that I can guarantee a spot in the class! It'll be a very beneficial experience for me, and it's something I look forward to! I may even be able to get some kind of salary when I'm in the kindergarten, actually working, but I'm not 100% sure and must also look into this as well. It will be approx. 30 hours a week, I believe, but that still gives me free time to work part-time at the flower shop too!
Over the weekend, as I mentioned in my previous post, Anders and I hosted a Halloween party at our new apartment! It was a costume party, of course, and we had so much fun!! We invited about a dozen of our friends and had a blast! We went all out--we decorated the living room with fake spider webs (with spiders!), had lit up Jack O' Lanterns on the window sills, Halloween candy and more! All of our friends probably didn't know what to expect, because it's not a traditional holiday, but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves! It was pretty hilarious to see a bunch of Scandinavians dressed up in costumes. To me, it's normal dressing up every year, even at 22 years old! It's such a great tradition and I'm glad everybody liked it. I'm sure we'll continue the tradition next year as well!!
The crew!
The hippie & the German.
The old roomies :)
The Girlzzz
Superman, the zombie & the hippie.
Massive spider web!
More decorations.
Happy Halloween everybody!!!
But, anyways... my visa, come to find out, was finalized last Friday, so bright and early tomorrow morning I will go to the police station to get my sticker in my passport! It's that easy. But, then I must go to register myself in the Oslo "population count" in which I will receive my very own Norwegian personal number (same as social security in the US). I will have this number for life and will finally be able to start working part-time, open a bank account, etc! I won't be getting it tomorrow though, because it takes a week or 2 to get it, but hoping I can plan on it not taking so long. I'll find out tomorrow the amount of time I've been granted on this particular visa, but my guess is that it is for at least 1 year, but could be for 2! We'll see.
Everything is falling into place :) Since I will now come home for the holidays, everything works out perfect for me, school wise as well. I had another meeting with my school counselor last week and she introduced me to a new class that I have the opportunity to take at the beginning of January. Not only is it a Norwegian class still, but it is also an internship part time as well! I can choose from a handful of areas to do it in, but will definitely decide to do it in a kindergarten or after school program, because I want to work with children, regardless of what I'll be doing in the future, so this will be such a great foundation for me and a great thing for future employers to see that I've accomplished when the time comes! It's for 6 months (January-June) and is pretty intensive. Of course I am still granted time off, just like any other school, but if you sign up for a class like this then you must be dedicated to seeing it out. You must apply for the class though, so I must find out more information about it ASAP, so that I can guarantee a spot in the class! It'll be a very beneficial experience for me, and it's something I look forward to! I may even be able to get some kind of salary when I'm in the kindergarten, actually working, but I'm not 100% sure and must also look into this as well. It will be approx. 30 hours a week, I believe, but that still gives me free time to work part-time at the flower shop too!
Over the weekend, as I mentioned in my previous post, Anders and I hosted a Halloween party at our new apartment! It was a costume party, of course, and we had so much fun!! We invited about a dozen of our friends and had a blast! We went all out--we decorated the living room with fake spider webs (with spiders!), had lit up Jack O' Lanterns on the window sills, Halloween candy and more! All of our friends probably didn't know what to expect, because it's not a traditional holiday, but everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves! It was pretty hilarious to see a bunch of Scandinavians dressed up in costumes. To me, it's normal dressing up every year, even at 22 years old! It's such a great tradition and I'm glad everybody liked it. I'm sure we'll continue the tradition next year as well!!
The crew!
The hippie & the German.
The old roomies :)
The Girlzzz
Superman, the zombie & the hippie.
Massive spider web!
More decorations.
Happy Halloween everybody!!!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Happy Birthday Mom!
First, I wanted to make a shout out to my wonderful mother, on her 50th birthday today! Half way to 100 and you don't look a year older than 28 (as Anders said) ;) It was definitely good timing on the flowers--we're glad you liked them! We hope that you and John have a lovely weekend at the lakehouse! I love you!
Mom & I, last weekend in the US.
Now, here in Norway, "mørketida" has begun! Directly translated it means "the dark time". This is the time period when fall slowly morphs into winter and takes away with it the sun. We live in the southern part of the country, so it's not nearly as brutal as the more you venture towards the arctic circle, but you can still notice a drastic difference in the amount of sunlight there is through the duration of a day. Unlike in the summer where it seemed like the sun never set and was bright as could be at midnight, the sun sets around 5:30pm now! The sky also turns completely pitch black now at night, just like I remembered it always being back home in NH. In the morning the sun doesn't rise until after 8:30am now too, but lately it doesn't even seem like it rises at all, because of how cloudy and gloomy it has been! It definitely will be interesting to see how the weather will progress in the months to follow, because I have been told that it's only going to get worse, ha ha. After the start of the new year though, the days will slowly start getting a little longer until around the start of April when the sun will seem to be out all the time. It's definitely a phenomenon that is a little strange to get used to!
This weekend is Halloween weekend! Halloween isn't actually a traditional holiday here in Norway, but over the years Norwegians have adopted it as their own. How they celebrate it though isn't nearly as extreme as Americans do! There isn't any "trick or treating" but people of all ages still dress up. Anders and I are throwing a costume party at our new apartment Saturday night... I'm really looking forward to it! It should be a lot of fun! I'm planning on being a hippie and am pretty sure that I have gathered everything that I need to complete my outfit! I will definitely post pictures after the weekend so that everyone can have a good laugh :)
Also, I met with one of the trainers today at my gym where I've been going to for the past few months. I finally worked up the courage to ask him some tips on good knee exercises and was able to plan a session where he showed me several different ones. My knee still hurts, from time to time, even being 10 months post-op. Many of the exercises that I have from physical therapy before aren't very challenging for me anymore, so I need new ones. I learned some great new ones today that I will continue to use and develop. My muscles in my right leg aren't quite equivilant yet to my left leg, but I've been working hard to even them out. I think I still have some months of recovering left to do though before I'm back to where I was at before... or if I'll ever be able to get back to where I was at before.
That's all for now though... nothing new otherwise. Hope everyone has a great weekend and a little Halloween spirit! <3
Mom & I, last weekend in the US.
Now, here in Norway, "mørketida" has begun! Directly translated it means "the dark time". This is the time period when fall slowly morphs into winter and takes away with it the sun. We live in the southern part of the country, so it's not nearly as brutal as the more you venture towards the arctic circle, but you can still notice a drastic difference in the amount of sunlight there is through the duration of a day. Unlike in the summer where it seemed like the sun never set and was bright as could be at midnight, the sun sets around 5:30pm now! The sky also turns completely pitch black now at night, just like I remembered it always being back home in NH. In the morning the sun doesn't rise until after 8:30am now too, but lately it doesn't even seem like it rises at all, because of how cloudy and gloomy it has been! It definitely will be interesting to see how the weather will progress in the months to follow, because I have been told that it's only going to get worse, ha ha. After the start of the new year though, the days will slowly start getting a little longer until around the start of April when the sun will seem to be out all the time. It's definitely a phenomenon that is a little strange to get used to!
This weekend is Halloween weekend! Halloween isn't actually a traditional holiday here in Norway, but over the years Norwegians have adopted it as their own. How they celebrate it though isn't nearly as extreme as Americans do! There isn't any "trick or treating" but people of all ages still dress up. Anders and I are throwing a costume party at our new apartment Saturday night... I'm really looking forward to it! It should be a lot of fun! I'm planning on being a hippie and am pretty sure that I have gathered everything that I need to complete my outfit! I will definitely post pictures after the weekend so that everyone can have a good laugh :)
Also, I met with one of the trainers today at my gym where I've been going to for the past few months. I finally worked up the courage to ask him some tips on good knee exercises and was able to plan a session where he showed me several different ones. My knee still hurts, from time to time, even being 10 months post-op. Many of the exercises that I have from physical therapy before aren't very challenging for me anymore, so I need new ones. I learned some great new ones today that I will continue to use and develop. My muscles in my right leg aren't quite equivilant yet to my left leg, but I've been working hard to even them out. I think I still have some months of recovering left to do though before I'm back to where I was at before... or if I'll ever be able to get back to where I was at before.
That's all for now though... nothing new otherwise. Hope everyone has a great weekend and a little Halloween spirit! <3
Sunday, October 23, 2011
home sweet home!
This is probably the longest time I have waited inbetween new posts here... sorry to keep you all waiting! Let's just say that it has been a pretty busy last couple of weeks. The last time that I wrote, fall vacation was ending and I was heading back to school. Now we are in a new semester at school, which will last until Christmas... can you believe how fast the time has gone by?? I can't. We're still plugging away in my Norwegian class, but at a very slow pace. In the beginning I didn't like it so much, but now I'm beginning to realize that it's a good thing, because learning a language shouldn't be rushed... we're about to start Ch.5 this week, which means that we've only covered four chapters in the book in the last 2 months! Information is definitely soaking in better though, than it did in my class at UiO this summer. It amazes me how much I can understand now, even though I know I have a long road ahead of me, before I master the language completely. I got to meet Anders' grandmother and grandfather on his mom's side yesterday, they live in the same part of the city as us (only a walk away) and I could understand a lot of what they were saying... it was great to finally meet them!
So, we've now been living in our new apartment for an entire week now! WE LOVE IT. I really couldn't be happier at this apartment... it's in a great location and it's a good size apartment, for just the two of us. We've done a lot with it within the last week and it's starting to come along! We moved in on Saturday, October 16. It was an exhausted day for sure... only Anders, myself and his father were helping to move in and it was a lot for just the 3 of us to do! Anders' father rented a moving truck for us, so we were able to get all of our stuff in one trip, which was nice. There isn't an elevator in our apartment, because it's only 4 floors, so we had to carry everything up 3 flights of stairs... it was rough and we were all extrememly sore afterwards, but it was all worth it! I stayed up until the late hours of morning to organize everything and once it was done, it looked really nice! Over the last week we have added things to the place, like a TV, microwave, washing machine and other miscellaneous things... now we just need to decorate! The walls are pretty bare and I'd like to get some "Feng shui" up in here, maybe some plants and flowers (now that I will soon be working at Mester Grønn!). Now that we have our own apartment now, I've been wanting to really get into cooking and baking. I don't think that I'm bad at cooking, but I want to learn some new recipes and improve my creativity. It will be fun!
Here are some pictures of the new place:
Beginning of a sunset in Oppsal!
Walking onto our balcony...
Master bedroom.
Living room area... oh, look! Anders & Gustav ;)
Dining area (eventually will get a table!).
Bathroom.
Kitchen.
2nd bedroom.
Entry way, walking into the apartment.
Street view from the balcony.
I still don't have my visa yet, but I am still patiently waiting... and waiting some more! My boss and I had discussed that she had thought that I could work for "free" at the shop until my visa was finalized and then she would reimburse me... but, she's not allowed to do that. But, I'm guarenteed the job she said, so I'm praying it won't take much longer until I can start working part time. That will be nice. It will only be for 15-20 hours, but it'll be enough for the moment, since I'm still attending class 20 hours a week too. I'll take what I can get!
I've been thinking a lot about my future lately here, including my decisions about school and working... I was able to talk with our "rådgiver" at school (which pretty much a guidance counselor) and she opened my eyes to a new perspective on things. Although I have been patient here, I have also been trying to speed things up and making future plans, when they might not necessarily be the most realistic choices for me. For example, I was thinking to apply for grad school at UiO for next fall, but I'm reconsidering, because the program is entirely in English and would that benefit me if I am planning on staying in Norway?? If I want to work with kids and adolescents, I have no choice but to become fluent in Norwegian, so my main priority, for as long as it takes, is for me to learn Norwegian... I don't need to jump the gun and go back to school right away. I have 2 more tests to pass in Norwegian, until I'm considered "fluent" and this will take at least another year or more for me to do, IF I work hard. If I am able to accomplish these tasks, then I could go for a Masters in Norwegian! This will open so many doors to me, because there are several more programs that are taught in Norwegian that I'm more interested in... I believe it will just benefit me more in the future. So, for the time being I need to focus of learning this language and working part-time, whenever I can. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky within the next year and get offered a full-time job somewhere! If this happens then I can apply for my work permit and just work, and maybe not need to go back to school... so I guess we'll see!
First things are first though, as soon as possible I was told, I need to get my education from the US "certified" here in Norway. It is a pretty simple process, but can take many months... I just need to send to this organization called NOKUT my school papers and they will decide what my education is equivalent to here in Norway. Whenever I have a conversation with people about my degree in Outdoor Leadership, many are beyond confused, which makes me a little nervous... I'm not sure what NOKUT will decide what my degree will be called here in Norway, but I really don't care as long as it still counts for a Bachelors. I didn't go to school for 4 years and have to pay back thousands of dollars for the next 2 decades for nothing! There's hope though, I just have to remain positive. I think I want to start to volunteer somewhere too, to take up some free time that I have... not sure where, but I'm looking into it now. It would be nice to start networking with people and to keep practicing my Norwegian... I also could do some meaningful work, which is something I've always wanted to do too. It's not always about the money... so, pretty much my plans now are just to keep attending Norwegian classes, study hard, work part-time whenever I can, help out with the bills on the apartment, try to save a little money and just enjoy my life here in Norway! It's a beautiful country to live in and I have a lot to be grateful for... I have the rest of my life to work full-time and to be busy, so I'm going to try to relax a little bit and take things as they come! :)
So, we've now been living in our new apartment for an entire week now! WE LOVE IT. I really couldn't be happier at this apartment... it's in a great location and it's a good size apartment, for just the two of us. We've done a lot with it within the last week and it's starting to come along! We moved in on Saturday, October 16. It was an exhausted day for sure... only Anders, myself and his father were helping to move in and it was a lot for just the 3 of us to do! Anders' father rented a moving truck for us, so we were able to get all of our stuff in one trip, which was nice. There isn't an elevator in our apartment, because it's only 4 floors, so we had to carry everything up 3 flights of stairs... it was rough and we were all extrememly sore afterwards, but it was all worth it! I stayed up until the late hours of morning to organize everything and once it was done, it looked really nice! Over the last week we have added things to the place, like a TV, microwave, washing machine and other miscellaneous things... now we just need to decorate! The walls are pretty bare and I'd like to get some "Feng shui" up in here, maybe some plants and flowers (now that I will soon be working at Mester Grønn!). Now that we have our own apartment now, I've been wanting to really get into cooking and baking. I don't think that I'm bad at cooking, but I want to learn some new recipes and improve my creativity. It will be fun!
Here are some pictures of the new place:
Beginning of a sunset in Oppsal!
Walking onto our balcony...
Master bedroom.
Living room area... oh, look! Anders & Gustav ;)
Dining area (eventually will get a table!).
Bathroom.
Kitchen.
2nd bedroom.
Entry way, walking into the apartment.
Street view from the balcony.
I still don't have my visa yet, but I am still patiently waiting... and waiting some more! My boss and I had discussed that she had thought that I could work for "free" at the shop until my visa was finalized and then she would reimburse me... but, she's not allowed to do that. But, I'm guarenteed the job she said, so I'm praying it won't take much longer until I can start working part time. That will be nice. It will only be for 15-20 hours, but it'll be enough for the moment, since I'm still attending class 20 hours a week too. I'll take what I can get!
I've been thinking a lot about my future lately here, including my decisions about school and working... I was able to talk with our "rådgiver" at school (which pretty much a guidance counselor) and she opened my eyes to a new perspective on things. Although I have been patient here, I have also been trying to speed things up and making future plans, when they might not necessarily be the most realistic choices for me. For example, I was thinking to apply for grad school at UiO for next fall, but I'm reconsidering, because the program is entirely in English and would that benefit me if I am planning on staying in Norway?? If I want to work with kids and adolescents, I have no choice but to become fluent in Norwegian, so my main priority, for as long as it takes, is for me to learn Norwegian... I don't need to jump the gun and go back to school right away. I have 2 more tests to pass in Norwegian, until I'm considered "fluent" and this will take at least another year or more for me to do, IF I work hard. If I am able to accomplish these tasks, then I could go for a Masters in Norwegian! This will open so many doors to me, because there are several more programs that are taught in Norwegian that I'm more interested in... I believe it will just benefit me more in the future. So, for the time being I need to focus of learning this language and working part-time, whenever I can. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky within the next year and get offered a full-time job somewhere! If this happens then I can apply for my work permit and just work, and maybe not need to go back to school... so I guess we'll see!
First things are first though, as soon as possible I was told, I need to get my education from the US "certified" here in Norway. It is a pretty simple process, but can take many months... I just need to send to this organization called NOKUT my school papers and they will decide what my education is equivalent to here in Norway. Whenever I have a conversation with people about my degree in Outdoor Leadership, many are beyond confused, which makes me a little nervous... I'm not sure what NOKUT will decide what my degree will be called here in Norway, but I really don't care as long as it still counts for a Bachelors. I didn't go to school for 4 years and have to pay back thousands of dollars for the next 2 decades for nothing! There's hope though, I just have to remain positive. I think I want to start to volunteer somewhere too, to take up some free time that I have... not sure where, but I'm looking into it now. It would be nice to start networking with people and to keep practicing my Norwegian... I also could do some meaningful work, which is something I've always wanted to do too. It's not always about the money... so, pretty much my plans now are just to keep attending Norwegian classes, study hard, work part-time whenever I can, help out with the bills on the apartment, try to save a little money and just enjoy my life here in Norway! It's a beautiful country to live in and I have a lot to be grateful for... I have the rest of my life to work full-time and to be busy, so I'm going to try to relax a little bit and take things as they come! :)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
things are starting to look up :)
A couple new updates: Anders and I are moving into our apartment earlier afterall!!! We were supposed to move in a week from Monday, the 17th, but are now getting the keys next Friday instead! This is great, because instead of starting to move things in on a Monday night, we'll have the entire weekend to move everything in and get situated :) It is a big relief. We started going through the house and began to pack some things... we are SO excited. Second good news is that I got offered a job from Gustav's mother!!! It's the real deal. I have to wait until my visa is done processing though. Unfortunately they can't speed up the process (I got in contact with them). I'm hoping that this won't be an issue with Gustav's mother, because apparently she wanted me to start "right away." I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem though... but what a huge relief that will be lifted off my shoulders if everything goes well! Things are finally falling into place... just a little bit more time. I think working in a flower shop will be fun!
"Høst ferien" will be over for me the day after tomorrow. The weather was fantastic ALL week and I definitely took advantage of it. One day I went on a long walking trip and took some scenic pictures. It's so beautiful here... I'm kind of looking forward to going back to school though, because now I have some motivation to keep up with my Norwegian!! Not being able to get my visa for another month or so, will buy me some time to practice my Norwegian more...
(All pictures taken & edited by ME!)
"Høst ferien" will be over for me the day after tomorrow. The weather was fantastic ALL week and I definitely took advantage of it. One day I went on a long walking trip and took some scenic pictures. It's so beautiful here... I'm kind of looking forward to going back to school though, because now I have some motivation to keep up with my Norwegian!! Not being able to get my visa for another month or so, will buy me some time to practice my Norwegian more...
(All pictures taken & edited by ME!)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Patience is a virtue... literally.
I'm on "høst ferien" this week, which means that I'm on vacation! Schools all over Norway get a week off in the fall from school, and since I'm attending Norwegian courses that means me too. I don't know if I was dreading having an entire week off, because I seem to already have enough free time on my hands when I am attending classes, so I wasn't quite sure that I was looking forward to having even MORE free time. BUT, I've had a change of heart. I've actually been quite productive this week so far, plus it's been nice to sleep in every day too, not going to lie! ;) The fall weather has been proving to still be beautiful and I have enjoyed some long walks around Rykkinn by myself and with friends. Today I am going into Oslo to walk around and have lunch with a friend! It'll be nice to get out of the house. On Sunday Anders, myself and some friends may be going paintballing, but I'm not 100% sure on that yet... I also don't know how I feel about it, ha ha.
I've also started putting together a binder of Norwegian grammar: including new words and verbs that I've learned from my classes. It's pretty bulky, but I plan to get some pretty good use out of it, once I actually start studying it... the next exam that I will take (depending on whether I'm ready or not) is in February, so even though it's over 4 months away, I need all the time I can get! I had a meeting with my teacher last week at school and she said that she is very impressed with my reading and writing skills; she says they are beyond a level that I'm supposed to be at from only taking Norwegian courses for barely 4 months. My speaking, and oral presentation, on the other hand isn't quite up to the same level... but that really just comes in time and comfortability. She said that I understand and have soaked up A LOT of Norwegian and she's just waiting for the day that all of it will just "spill over the edge" and I just start talking in Norwegian, not caring whether every other word that comes out of my mouth is correct or not. I look forward to that day too, but my problem is that I need to start speaking MORE Norwegian... everybody keeps telling me this and I know they're right. I just have to start DOING IT. I really don't know what's stopping me. I've got nothing to lose, but so much to gain!
I've also been starting to pack some things in the house and getting ready for the big move!! I can't believe in just a week and a half now Anders and I will be getting the keys to our new apartment! I am beyond excited... we still have a lot more things to get for the apartment, but we have been very appreciative of all the things that have already been given to us. We have most big things such as: a bed, couches and other large furniture, but we will need to get a kitchen table and a washing machine ASAP. We also need some essential kitchen things like pots and pans, but other than that we will accumulate more stuff over time when we have more money. I cannot wait to start decorating and making the place as our own :) We're having a house warming party at the end of October with some of our friends at our new place for Halloween! Of course Halloween is not a Norwegian holiday, but our friends are excited about the idea so it's going to be a lot of fun!! I can't wait.
Some pottery we picked up at a 2nd-hand store yesterday for very cheap!
Other news... haven't heard back yet from the outdoor job that I applied for, BUT Gustav's mother (my roommate from last year at NEC with Anders) runs her own flower boutique in Oslo, and when I was over for dinner over last weekend she mentioned to me that she was thinking that I could be a nice addition to her business!! She's on a holiday this week, but when she returns she said that she'll be in touch... so we'll see how that goes! I think it would be fun, and it's a job, so I hope she agrees. I will have to wait until I get the decision back on my visa though, regardless, which is unpredictable. They said it could take up to 2 months, but sometimes it may take longer... you just never know. I just hope that I can get it by the end of the month. I have my fingers crossed; I've done enough waiting, but I'm willing to still be patient.
I've also started putting together a binder of Norwegian grammar: including new words and verbs that I've learned from my classes. It's pretty bulky, but I plan to get some pretty good use out of it, once I actually start studying it... the next exam that I will take (depending on whether I'm ready or not) is in February, so even though it's over 4 months away, I need all the time I can get! I had a meeting with my teacher last week at school and she said that she is very impressed with my reading and writing skills; she says they are beyond a level that I'm supposed to be at from only taking Norwegian courses for barely 4 months. My speaking, and oral presentation, on the other hand isn't quite up to the same level... but that really just comes in time and comfortability. She said that I understand and have soaked up A LOT of Norwegian and she's just waiting for the day that all of it will just "spill over the edge" and I just start talking in Norwegian, not caring whether every other word that comes out of my mouth is correct or not. I look forward to that day too, but my problem is that I need to start speaking MORE Norwegian... everybody keeps telling me this and I know they're right. I just have to start DOING IT. I really don't know what's stopping me. I've got nothing to lose, but so much to gain!
I've also been starting to pack some things in the house and getting ready for the big move!! I can't believe in just a week and a half now Anders and I will be getting the keys to our new apartment! I am beyond excited... we still have a lot more things to get for the apartment, but we have been very appreciative of all the things that have already been given to us. We have most big things such as: a bed, couches and other large furniture, but we will need to get a kitchen table and a washing machine ASAP. We also need some essential kitchen things like pots and pans, but other than that we will accumulate more stuff over time when we have more money. I cannot wait to start decorating and making the place as our own :) We're having a house warming party at the end of October with some of our friends at our new place for Halloween! Of course Halloween is not a Norwegian holiday, but our friends are excited about the idea so it's going to be a lot of fun!! I can't wait.
Some pottery we picked up at a 2nd-hand store yesterday for very cheap!
Other news... haven't heard back yet from the outdoor job that I applied for, BUT Gustav's mother (my roommate from last year at NEC with Anders) runs her own flower boutique in Oslo, and when I was over for dinner over last weekend she mentioned to me that she was thinking that I could be a nice addition to her business!! She's on a holiday this week, but when she returns she said that she'll be in touch... so we'll see how that goes! I think it would be fun, and it's a job, so I hope she agrees. I will have to wait until I get the decision back on my visa though, regardless, which is unpredictable. They said it could take up to 2 months, but sometimes it may take longer... you just never know. I just hope that I can get it by the end of the month. I have my fingers crossed; I've done enough waiting, but I'm willing to still be patient.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Good things come to those who wait~
Hmmm, let's see... I haven't been up to too much since last time I wrote. Still plugging away at learning Norwegian and trying to find a job. At the beginning of last week I applied for a position in The Norwegian Trekking Association, which is Norway's biggest outdoor organization. Not only do they offer guided tours all over the country, but they also are caretakers for of trails and cabins all over the country as well. The position was to be a consulant within the association under the area of youth and outdoor recreation, which are two things that I am passionate about! I believe that I have a decent amount of experience, especially working with kids, and have the education and qualifications for it. The deadline for the application is October 1st, so I hope to hear back shortly after that date on whether I was considered for the position or not. All I received so far was an e-mail stating that my application was received and that they might get back to me after the application deadline. I wonder whether my age, or that I don't speak fluent Norwegian yet will affect my chances, but I'm trying to stay positive, and patient. All I can really do. I am still waiting for my visa/temporary residence permit to come in as well, because I can't start working without it. I hope that before October is over I will have it.
Other than that, becoming anxious about moving into our own apartment, nothing else really is new over here! I did meet a couple new friends though :) They are sisters, Raya and Farah and are from Palastine/Dubai. They have been living in Norway with their parents for a couple years now and will become Norwegian residents soon. The oldest, Raya (she's 20), comes to my Norwegian class once a week, which is how we met. She speaks perfect English and we found that we have a lot in common. I found out that she also lives in Rykkinn, only a 5 minute walk from where we're living now! I slept over her house over the weekend and was introduced to some homemade Arabic cooking, which is quite delicious! I had a lot of fun. We had a day off from school today so I took them hiking up Solfjellstua, the hiking trail at the top of Rykkinn. They never grew up in the Middle East doing such things, so I wasn't sure what they would think of it, but they ended up enjoying themselves!! The weather wasn't that great, couldn't see anything at the top with all the fog, but it was a good trip. I think they think that I'm a little crazy about nature, hiking and working out though haha. They called me their own personal trainer... made me laugh.
Raya and Farah at the top!
Besides the fog today, we have been REALLY lucky lately with the nice, fall weather. The leaves are beginning to fall and change colors and during the days it is sunny, with a slight breeze. It has gotten pretty chilly though these days, especially first thing in the morning and at night. When I walk to the bus each morning to go to school I can usually see my breath. It only gets worse from here I was told... but thank God I grew up in NH, so I'm pretty prepared for it and don't really mind it.
Horses which tend to graze behind my school... I pet one of them the other day ;)
A beautiful fall day (behind my school).
Pretty soon I will begin to apply to Universitet i Oslo for the Special Needs Education program, which is entirely in English. The application opens up the 1st of October and then I have until the 1st of December to have everything in. It is the only program that I'm applying for and the only school as well. There aren't many English Masters programs here and especially in what I'm interested in. I found out that they only accept 15 international applicants into the program, so it could mean that that either the program is super competitive, or just not many international students apply for the program in the first place.
These next couple months are going to be interesting and I am going to have to excercise a lot of patience... I just hope that everything will work out and as soon as possible! But, for right now I am just trying to keep busy and having fun! Went to a "fotball" game last night and the atmosphere was so exciting! Flags were waving and red flares were burning. I think I'm starting to become a fan...
Vålerenga game last night!
Other than that, becoming anxious about moving into our own apartment, nothing else really is new over here! I did meet a couple new friends though :) They are sisters, Raya and Farah and are from Palastine/Dubai. They have been living in Norway with their parents for a couple years now and will become Norwegian residents soon. The oldest, Raya (she's 20), comes to my Norwegian class once a week, which is how we met. She speaks perfect English and we found that we have a lot in common. I found out that she also lives in Rykkinn, only a 5 minute walk from where we're living now! I slept over her house over the weekend and was introduced to some homemade Arabic cooking, which is quite delicious! I had a lot of fun. We had a day off from school today so I took them hiking up Solfjellstua, the hiking trail at the top of Rykkinn. They never grew up in the Middle East doing such things, so I wasn't sure what they would think of it, but they ended up enjoying themselves!! The weather wasn't that great, couldn't see anything at the top with all the fog, but it was a good trip. I think they think that I'm a little crazy about nature, hiking and working out though haha. They called me their own personal trainer... made me laugh.
Raya and Farah at the top!
Besides the fog today, we have been REALLY lucky lately with the nice, fall weather. The leaves are beginning to fall and change colors and during the days it is sunny, with a slight breeze. It has gotten pretty chilly though these days, especially first thing in the morning and at night. When I walk to the bus each morning to go to school I can usually see my breath. It only gets worse from here I was told... but thank God I grew up in NH, so I'm pretty prepared for it and don't really mind it.
Horses which tend to graze behind my school... I pet one of them the other day ;)
A beautiful fall day (behind my school).
Pretty soon I will begin to apply to Universitet i Oslo for the Special Needs Education program, which is entirely in English. The application opens up the 1st of October and then I have until the 1st of December to have everything in. It is the only program that I'm applying for and the only school as well. There aren't many English Masters programs here and especially in what I'm interested in. I found out that they only accept 15 international applicants into the program, so it could mean that that either the program is super competitive, or just not many international students apply for the program in the first place.
These next couple months are going to be interesting and I am going to have to excercise a lot of patience... I just hope that everything will work out and as soon as possible! But, for right now I am just trying to keep busy and having fun! Went to a "fotball" game last night and the atmosphere was so exciting! Flags were waving and red flares were burning. I think I'm starting to become a fan...
Vålerenga game last night!
Monday, September 19, 2011
2 years :)
Over this past weekend, Anders and I celebrated 2 years being together! We went hiking up Kolsåstoppen, (a mountain near by, only takes an hour to hike up), Anders made a delicious chicken dinner, then we met up friends whom we hadn't seen in a while at a bar/club in Sandvika. Overall, it was a great day. Sunday night we had family dinner at Anders' father's house which consisted of fish (caught by Anders' father) and rømmegrøt, a Norwegian traditional sour cream porrige, which a lot of Norwegians eat with fish. You sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on the top, then eat it as is, or pour on top of fish. It was DELICIOUS. We then had homemade eplekake (apple cake) with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Norwegian vanilla ice cream is so good, because it's so creamy. Family dinner last night made me REALLY think about home again and I had a moment where I was homesick. I miss all my family and friends! Being homesick is natural though... I kind of took a break from Norwegian this weekend, so this week I'm really going to have to push myself to study more and to practice speaking more. Less than a month now until we move into our apartment!! Woo hoo!
View from the top.
Another view from the top.
We're on top of the world!
Me!
On the hike back down...
Anders surprised me with red roses! What a sweetie :)
View from the top.
Another view from the top.
We're on top of the world!
Me!
On the hike back down...
Anders surprised me with red roses! What a sweetie :)
Monday, September 12, 2011
GREAT NEWS!!!!!
Anders and I finally have an apartment!!! We are VERY excited and get to move in on October 17th! It is in Oslo, but on the outskirts, in an area called Oppsal, which is on the east side of the city. It is only about a 15 minute T-bane ride into the center, so it's a peaceful oasis from the hustle and bustle of downtown. We've been told it's also only a 15 minutes walk away from the woods AND from a lake, which will be so nice in the spring and summer months. I cannot wait to check out the woods nearby and find some good hiking trails I can go on this fall!
We got very lucky in landing this apartment... we only went to look at it yesterday!! We saw it online and contacted the realtor and was told that the apartment had no bids on it after its showings, so we got to meet with the owner last night and placed a bid to the realtor when we got home! We found out this morning that it was ours :) We are VERY happy and excited to move in! We are being given a lot of furniture and necessities that we will need in the apartment from Anders' family, which is a huge plus, because we'll need to be pretty conservative on what we decide to buy for the apartment in the near future...
I went to the Immigration Office this morning to hand in my paperwork for my new visa, so it is finally taking off and should take no longer than 2 months for my permit to come in! Good news with this is that I'll be able to come home in January for a little bit, but not sure on the dates yet. I may have to keep in mind if I will be working or not, but I have no idea yet about work still and was told this morning that I can't work until I physically get my permit, so that's another 2 months that I will need to wait... the bad news. But, I am looking frequently online at available positions and have been in contact with some companies, so hopefully I can land a part-time job after we settle into the apartment. We'll see! I can only hope for the best now... I have a general idea of how my future could pan out and I don't hate it ;) Pretty soon I'll be applying for my Masters at UiO for Special Needs Education!
Here's a link to pictures of our apartment:
http://www.finn.no/finn/realestate/homes/object?finnkode=30372863
We got very lucky in landing this apartment... we only went to look at it yesterday!! We saw it online and contacted the realtor and was told that the apartment had no bids on it after its showings, so we got to meet with the owner last night and placed a bid to the realtor when we got home! We found out this morning that it was ours :) We are VERY happy and excited to move in! We are being given a lot of furniture and necessities that we will need in the apartment from Anders' family, which is a huge plus, because we'll need to be pretty conservative on what we decide to buy for the apartment in the near future...
I went to the Immigration Office this morning to hand in my paperwork for my new visa, so it is finally taking off and should take no longer than 2 months for my permit to come in! Good news with this is that I'll be able to come home in January for a little bit, but not sure on the dates yet. I may have to keep in mind if I will be working or not, but I have no idea yet about work still and was told this morning that I can't work until I physically get my permit, so that's another 2 months that I will need to wait... the bad news. But, I am looking frequently online at available positions and have been in contact with some companies, so hopefully I can land a part-time job after we settle into the apartment. We'll see! I can only hope for the best now... I have a general idea of how my future could pan out and I don't hate it ;) Pretty soon I'll be applying for my Masters at UiO for Special Needs Education!
Here's a link to pictures of our apartment:
http://www.finn.no/finn/realestate/homes/object?finnkode=30372863
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Iceland pics from Anders' trip!
Iceland is definitely on my list of places to see.. especially after seeing these pictures! The times I have flown over it, on the way to Norway, there wasn't much to see, but I knew there had to be more to it than what I saw. It has a very diverse landscape and Anders was able to see a little of all of it. He was in the Reykjavik area. He went to the Blue Lagoon and on a jeep safari where he saw waterfalls, geysers, glaciers and volcanoes! Enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)