Sverige(Harrytur!), IKEA, og KG Konserten
We took a trip to Sweden with my host family--that was awesome! Everything in Sweden is so cheap in comparison to Norway--I bought a few clothes, and we bought a TON of groceries--it's a Norwegian thing. We spent TONS of money, but probably like half as much as we would have paid in Norway. We actually ran into some family of the Volde
ns! It was only like an hour long drive, and we also found a MASSIVE candy store that makes me never want to look at candy again because there was SOOO much!
We also took a trip to IKEA the day after Sweden, and I got to see all the magic that has just hit Denver! The cool thing is they have all these models of rooms in h
ouses you can walk through that are all decorated! It is quite fun. Plus, IKEA is huge, and they have all sorts of pretty inexpensive stuff!
The other thing I have yet to write about is the KG concert that Karine was in with
her school--they all sang in the Norwegian national dress, and they are REALLY good! They had dancers, singers, and a bell choir! The soloists were incredible, and they sang English and Nor
wegian Christmas songs--Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer was quite the hit with an all-boys a Capella choir in Norwegian!! Also, my second host family had two daughters dance and sing in the show as well, so it was quite the fest!
Snø og Amerikaner!
We finally got snow! And I got pictures! Muahahaha! And, on the sa
me note, MacKenzie and I went into Oslo to celebrate snow and the fact that our country isn't "at war" although I'm sure the technicalities are not exactly that simple, and we got a "real American meal" at TGI Friday's! Truth be told, we were just craving a real burger--it wasn't QUITE the same as in the US, but it was pretty close! We got awesome milkshakes as well!
Siste skole dag før jul
The last school day before Christmas break! It was pretty fun :) In fact, the last whole week, all we ended up doing in classes for the most part was really having "kosetimen" which basically meant we were having a cozy class party. People brought in gingerbread and all different kinds of cake. Then, as I guess it is pretty common to do, we watched old Mickey Mouse Christmas videos dubbed to Norwegian. It was so much fun, and I finally did my presentation on the Vikings in History. It didn't go too badly, either! The last day of school
before Christmas, a bunch of the teachers met us outside of the school with candy and clementines in Santa outfits, or as it is called in Norwegian, Julenissen kostumer. They gave out Christmas hugs and candy, and the sidewalk was lined with candles--it was pretty festive considering how dark it gets in Norway--I understand why they love Christmas so much, now--it brings life and spirit in a time of darkness. Then we all met in the cantine and waited for someone to tell us what we were doing. We ended up in the Aula or Theater, I guess it is called that? And watched a few of our friends sing for us, and our teachers do some sort of crazy southern chicken dance. I'm not kidding, they were dressed up like chickens. Crazy Norwegians!! One of the kids that sang for us is called Per, and he was actually on Norway's "Idol," which is like American Idol for us in the US! He was a pretty good singer, I must say! Then, we headed back to our classrooms, and we watched old Mickey cartoons
and played mind games and things like that while we ate cake AGAIN :) It was a really cozy and fun day :) When I got home, Karine and I decided to make a gingerbread house from the dough we bought at IKEA, and it turned out TOTALLY professional! The cool thing is, after Christmas, we smashed it with a hammer, as tradition says to, and then ate it! I was actually appalled at first that people actually eat gingerbread houses after they have been sitting around for a week or two, but it was GOOD!! And fun to smash things :) Not to mention, we had the whole family home for a few days before we left for Christmas, so it made life all the more festive! We were nine people for a while! My host parents, my host sister, both my host brothers and their girlfriends, and Joakim, my oldest host brother's dog. It was a really fun time!
Jul i Bergen!
Bergen! Okay so a day after I went on break from school, we heade
d out to Bergen. We took the train which took about six hours and was actually really fun because all my host brother Magnus and I did was make up stupid (or awesome--up to interpretation) dances, watch Spirited Away, and drink hot chocolate. We also opened some of the gifts from Joakim and Juli Anne which were homemade fudge and chocolate-covered marshmallows! That was really fun! Then, everyone except Magnus and I got off the train early to be picked up, and we took the train all the way to Bergen to be picked up there because it was easier with the rides and picking people up because we were so many people. This ended up with Magnus and I completely lost at not the biggest bus station in the world--still not sure how we managed to get so confused, but we didn't get to Britt's parents' house for quite some time! When we got there, however, it was really nice. They had soup out for us, and we sat around and watched some TV together, until Britt's mother and her dec
ided to go shopping, and Karine and I decided to go with them. We ended up going to a HUGE shopping mall--not as big as the one I live nearest to now, but still pretty big! Karine just needed to buy some tights and I just wanted to do something, so it turned out to be a pretty good outing. The day we got there was on the 23 of December, by the way. Then, we went home, ate dinner, and I met Astrid--I think she was Britt's Aunt maybe? I forget the family connection but she was really nice and fun :) We went to bed decently late as all family gatherings always end later than most due to the looking at family photographs and all that--so much dirt on my host brothers now!
The next day was the big day where everything happens--in Norway, they don't celebrate Christmas on the 25th, all the festivities are done on the 24th, and in REALLY nice clothing! We headed out for lunch with Britt's brother's family at their ho
use--we ate grøt (see the top of this blog entry if you forgot what that is), and just visited! Did I mention in Bergen they have a different dialect than in Oslo, so that was quite the challenge sometimes! They have this tradition in Norway with grøt where they slip a shaved almond into the pot of grøt, and whoever gets the almond gets a pig-shaped marzipan candy. Throughout the years they have begun to give out lots of different things, but traditionally, it should be a little marzipan pig. At that lunch, I believe it was my host siblings' cousin that got the "mandel" as it is called in Norwegian. I also got to meet Britt's brother Peter's penguin, which was apparently shot by Britt's father--I think it was her father...maybe her grandfather...and then stuffed, and gets passed down in the family ever since--pretty sad, but kind of cool to see a real penguin! After that, we opened some gifts with their family, they gave me a classic black scarf that I absolutely love and is so warm! Their family actually just left for a thr
ee-month adventure in Australia, New Zealand, Viet Nam, and some other places--exciting, right?? After their house, we went to the church service, which lasted for about an hour in a TOTALLY packed church. That was kind of cool because we sang Norwegian Christmas songs and just got to feel completely at home sitting in a church full of people because apparently EVERYONE goes to church on Christmas Eve just to sing and be merry! After that, we went home and changed for the formal part of the evening--Christmas Eve dinner. Right before dinner we watched a hilarious Christmas Eve special that has been on TV every year since God knows when in Europe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1v4BYV-YvA there's the link to watch it! I thought it was pretty hilarious myself--that classy British humor. Then, we sat down to a Christmas dinner of pinnekjøtt, which is lamb ribs--it was incredibly good! Then, for dessert, we ate something that was basically lemon mousse--so go
od! That also included an almond, and that time I believe it was Britt that got it! Then, we opened gifts :) Mine from the US hadn't come yet, so I couldn't give anything to the family--I made them homemade cookies, but we ended up doing their gifts later when we got back. With Britt's parents, my host parents, Magnus, Karine, Astrid, and I, we had quite a group! We opened gifts one or two at a time so that everyone could see what everyone else got--Britt got a book of 1000 places in the world to visit and CLARK, Colorado was one of them, but not Steamboat! Can you believe that?? I got an AMAZING Norwegian sweater from Britt's parents, a Norwegian book, a hair-straightener, and a table decoration. It was so cozy and nice, and we had cake that evening as well--they really enjoy their double desserts around Christmas time! We went to bed fat and happy after I skyped my family and watched them open the gifts I got them from Norway!!
The next day, we decided to take a trip into the city and see B
ergen. It is such a pretty place, so open. I took pictures all around the city, on statues and of historical monuments, learned about the time when the whole city of Bergen caught on fire during the war--it really is a place of fantastic history. We went through this gingerbread village set up every year with more gingerbread than I have ever seen in my life!
We also took a tram-type thing up to the top of one of the mountains around Bergen and saw the whole city from up top--that was pretty cool. After that, we went and saw Britt's brother one last time and his family, and had coffee with them. We had them over for dinner that night as well, so we saw them quite a lot! Then, we went home and had a cozy evening together before we left the next day. I can't remember which days, but a few times we went out and walked around and did some nature sightseeing--which was quite interesting because it was POURING rain, and Gunnar and I got soaking wet! Because the weather had been so bad and SOOO windy, the train on the way back was cancelled through some stretches, so we had to do some train to bus back to train hopping, but it was overall pretty fun, and I finally got to see The Shining and The Incredibles in Norwegian on the way back! When we got back, Joakim and Juli Anne were back from their trip to Narvik to visit her parents, and they had with them their dog, Copper (Kopper? Probably), and had some evening food set out for us, along with a bunch of homemade stuff from Juli Anne and her parents--they really like to make homemade stuff during the holidays, it was awesome! We all sat around and socialized and just had a really good time--the next day I finally got some gift packages from the USA and gave them to the family--they loved them! (I hope!)
Nyttårs
New Years is also a pretty big holiday in Norway. My family was having a party at their house for it, along with a bunch of my friends, so the other exchange student and I went first to our friend's party to actually bring in the New Year and see all the fireworks outside, and then caught a ride from my host dad back to the house, and cozied up to so yummy dessert while we talked to all my family friends. There isn't so much tradition surrounding New Years as there is Christmas here, but it was still fun, and there were still TONS of fireworks--weird to think I will be going home THIS year!! :( Two days after New Years I headed into Drammen to see a film with some friends--it was really fun! I'm exciting to go skiing soon, come on, snow!
Begynner av skolen igjen
So school has begun again, and it is really pretty exciting, just fun to see some friends again since I was travelling for most of the vacation. Winter camp with Rotary is approaching fast--I think it is in about six and a half weeks, and Eurotrip is this year as well! I still have quite a few things I want to experience in Norway. I can't believe i am moving families in less than two months! It is sad to think about because I really love my host family now, but my next family is just across the street and seem like really interesting people, so it should be really fun! I've still got tons of concerts, theme parks, horseback riding, and skiing to fit into my exchange, not to mention travel, so I had better get a move-on, I guess!
