Norwegian overload!!

These last few days from the minute I've woken up, to the time I go to bed, feels like one big Norwegian lesson.. I haven't been able to come up for air! I've learned so much Norwegian within the last few days than most people probably learn over a longer period of the time. No wonder the class was labeled "Intensive." I walked into my first day of class thinking that I was in the wrong class when my teacher didn't speak a word of English and handed me a syllabus, all in Norwegian. I don't think she said a complete sentence in English the entire class!! I was a little overwhelmed, but if I've learned so much in the last few days, I wonder how much I'll have learnt after the 6 weeks is over!?

The first day, in a nutshell, we learned how to present and introduce ourselves..

For example:
Hva heter du? = What is your name?
Jeg heter Heather. = My name is Heather.
Hvor kommer du fra? = Where are you from?
Jeg kommer fra USA. = I am from the US.

The second day we learned nationalities and how to pronounce countries while today, the third day, we started learning different things in the kitchen as well as family vocabulary. These are just a FEW of the things that I've learned.. I've also learned some grammar and have been able to finally string some sentences together :) I haven't really talked much to the other students in clas, besides a couple girls whom I sit with everyday. One girl is from Columbia, while the other is from Ukraine. We have our first test this Friday.. I'm a little nervous.

Yesterday I picked up some information on how to apply as an international student to the University of Oslo, where my summer school in taken place, for Master's programs next fall. And, today at school I was able to sign up for a weekend excursion which was included in my tuition cost. I will be going to Jotunheimen to hike the most popular hiking trail in Norway over Besseggen mountain and also go on a reindeer safari! Put this URL in the browser if you want to learn more about it --> http://www.summerschool.uio.no/students/exdetails/hike.html

I tried going for a run yesterday, for the first time in a long while and I did ok.. wish I had a knee brace though! I ran on and off for about 45 minutes, because I got lost!! I'm pretty sore today, but will probably try again tomorrow, I think. Just got home from a soccer game in Oslo and should probably get some homework in before I go to bed.. it's midnight now and I need to get up in 8 hours for school! Oh--this morning I took the bus and subway all by myself to school!! I'm becoming somewhat of a city girl now.. "Who would have thunk it!?"

As they would say in Norwegian.. god natt! Goodnight.

Norway: my new home, away from home.

I arrived in Norway a few days ago & I still don't think it has hit me yet.. I feel like that I am just vacationing here, like I did last summer, but last summer I had a ticket home. This has been one of the most nerve-racking, yet exhilarting decisions I've probably ever made!!! I have a good gut-feeling about it all though, and I know that things will be good. I had registration and orientation for Oslo International Summer School yesterday and am signed up for Intensive Elementary Norwegian, Level 1. There is also a class, an open-forum lecture twice a week, about Norwegian Life and Society that I will try to go to as much as possible, just to learn more about the culture. The location of the school can't get much better.. right near downtown Oslo, where everything is only a short bus, subway trip away. It is a very large city, but I am eager to understand the insides and outs of it. I purchased a student bus/subway pass, because I will be communting from Rykkinn into Oslo at least 5 days a week and the price of transportation is pretty expensive. A day's worth of bus/subway passes just to get to and from school would be around $30 and my pass only cost around $130 for a month = so a great deal!


Royal Palace

Later that night we went to Oslo Live, this huge music festival which happens every summer in Oslo, where DJs and bands from all over come, Ludacris being one of them! It was a lot fun!!! I got to see a lot of Anders' childhood friends, which I be-friended last summer, so it was really great to see them. Also met a couple new people too and am eager to start my class tomorrow, so that I can meet more people!! During my ISS orientation I came to find out that there are 569 students attending the 6-week session, aging from as young as 17 to as old as 71! 95 countries are also represented, which is crazy! There are a lot of fun things planned for us within the 6-weeks, so I'm looking forward to it all. My Norwegian class is 5 days a week for 3 hours, so that I hope that it'll give me a good basis so that I can begin practicing communicating better with people here.




The gang!

Also coming up in the next week I'll be trying to finalize figuring out what kind of visa to apply for (Residency or work permit) and whether I could potentially have a job opportunity after my summer school is over.. I may be working in a restaurant that is opening up nearby, whom Anders' family has been chatting with the owner, so we'll see! I'm just trying to take this day by day, but so far all is good and I am enjoying myself!

I'm thinking about all my family and friends back home! Thanks for all the love and support <3