My favorite part of break was becoming more acquainted with the beautiful city that I live in.. exploring new streets downtown and discovering hidden beaches on Bygdøy! I can't wait for my family and friends to start visiting me, because I'm going to have SO much to show them!! I know that they will all fall in love with Norway, just like I did :) The only unfortunate thing that happened over break was that I chipped my tooth. Looking back on the experience now I can't help but laugh, but it was a little embarrassing at the time it happened.. I was at a friend's house celebrating his birthday and chipped my tooth on a hard tiled floor after attempting the infamous "worm" dance move.. it's okay to laugh now, it's kind of funny! I chipped a pretty big chunk of my front tooth off though, but was glad it didn't hurt. I had to go a few days before I could see a dentist, because everything was closed because of the holidays. I was not very happy that I had to go to school with a gap in my mouth after break was over, but luckily had it fixed that very day! The procedure was quick and pain-free; all the dentist had to do was adhere a fake piece onto the rest of my tooth. I really hope that it will stay put for a very, very long time.. but only time will tell! Obviously I can't live my life worrying about hard foods that might knock it right back out again, but I'm being as cautious and aware as possible. If it happens to fall out, then I will just need to get a more permanent replacement!
ha ha ha
Pretty soon, at the end of May, I will be taking the next Norwegian proficiency test. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a little anxious and nervous, but everybody seems pretty positive that I will be able to pass. I have confidence that I will be able to pass myself, but I just have to study as much as I can when I'm not at school, or at work when I'm speaking Norwegian. It's important for Anders and I to talk as much Norwegian as we can together (including when I'm around friends too), watching Norwegian TV programs and even reading the newspaper. I'm doing the best I can, but I will only be able to study so much.. Norskprøve 3 is kind of like the SATS, because no matter how long you study for it, you still won't know the topics that you'll be reading, hearing, writing and talking about. It's important that I pass the test my first try though, because not only is it expensive, but it will help me tremendously when it comes to finding another job this summer! They are passing a rule now in Oslo for all immigrants to have documentation that they have passed Norskprøve 3 to get a job in Norway.
I've worked a few more times as a substitute in the kindergarten where I currently have my internship! I feel blessed for the opportunity and I'm having a lot of fun with it! It's definitely helping me to network with people that may become important resources for me when I try looking for jobs. My hope of finding/wanting a full-time job this summer has drastically changed though, because of GOOD NEWS! I found out last week that I got accepted into the Special Needs Education masters program at the University of Oslo that will commence this upcoming August!!!! I was a little surprised to hear the news, because I almost had forgotten about it in a sense. I applied back in November, but at that time wasn't so sure what I wanted to do in my future here.. this past year (almost) has been a bit of struggle with finances and personal matters so I had told myself that it would be best, with whatever answer I received back from UiO, that I would do everything that I could to find a full-time job and take a break from going to school and start to make a consistent income.. I took a long, hard look at things again once I received such great news and concluded that it actually will be best to continue my education and receive my master's degree. Yes, having a steady income and lots of extra money can be a good thing, but I'm only 22 (almost 23), so why am I rushing to find a full-time job!? Even if I found a full-time job, it wouldn't be something that I would want to continue for many years and then what would happen after that? I would probably end up going back to school anyways later on.. so I know now that I can't pass up such an AMAZING opportunity. UiO is rated one of the best universities in Norway and one of the best in all of Scandinavia! It's a leading university in Europe too! I can't even express how excited I am that I accepted the offer.. it'll give me a chance to perfect what exactly I want to do when I grow up, give me the opportunity to make new friends, network with people and have the opportunity just to continue to live here in Oslo! The welcoming ceremony for all students starts only a few days after I return back from Norway from the US in August, so it's perfect timing! I could write forever about UiO and how excited I am, but I thought if anybody wondered more about the university that they could read about it on their homepage: http://www.uio.no/english/.
Other than the great news, all is well. I look forward to the end of school when I can relax and focus on other things.. after I take the test at the end of May I'll be taking a long weekend in London to unwind and meet up with a old friend whom I met on Semester At Sea! It's definitely happening now, just need to buy my plane ticket soon! I'll be traveling from June 2nd - June 6th; it's definitely going to be an adventure!
Something fun: I got to go to one of Norway's famous circuses, called Arnardo. It brought back good memories as a kid.. it was filled with lots of types of acrobatics, strength and of course animals :) Here are some pics:
There were many protesters there too.. "Yes to circuses, without animals."
A short video: stuffed animal monkeys riding on the backs of donkeys.. funny!
No comments:
Post a Comment