Digital Postcard

For my online class I had to write a "digital postcard" of sorts...essentially I had to pick a picture and write about how it was a representation of my time abroad. And while one might think that choosing 1 out of over 1,200 pictures would be difficult...it wasnt really. So here is the picture and what I have to say about it and my time abroad...enjoy!

If a picture is really worth a thousand words, then my time in Oslo, Norway is worth well over 1,000,000 words. In the last three weeks I have taken more than 1,200 pictures of friends, sights, and the everyday happenings of an international student. As I have traveled and lived in Europe, it is one way that I can interpret and process my experiences. It is a form of expression that I use to document, remember, and share what I am seeing and doing. Every individual has their own form of expression and remembering: some use personal journals, many use online public blogs, others draw sketches, a few tell stories, most have internal reflection, etc., but no matter the form everyone in some way or another processes what they are experiencing. I personally use a few forms, but the most visible and rewarding are pictures taken by my Canon Digital Rebel. And while not every picture I take is an award winning photo, they all have some meaning, and help to tell the story of my life in Norway.

The picture I have attached to describing my time in Norway is a of me and two friends, Eamon and Tim, standing in an inflatable pool at a Pool Party that we threw in our student village. It was an Australian themed pool party (with an Australian flag and everything) that we threw outside our apartment as a way to meet new people from around the student village, grill food and have some fun in the sun. Now one might ask, why choose this photo, surely of the 1,200 pictures I have taken since arriving in Oslo there are others that better represent my study abroad experience thus far. But the answer is fairly simple, this photo shows me and some new friends. The only thing that is bad about it is that it only shows two of the many people I have met and spent time with. I came to Norway for the beautiful natural landscape and geologic features of the country. With its mountains, glaciers, fjords, forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, and beauty one is never without a spectacular view. And while so far the beauty is holding true (Norway is the most beautiful country I have ever been to), I have found and am finding that it is the people that are truly making this experience amazing. Since arriving in Oslo I have met so many wonderful people: there is Arvid, Millosz, Adam, Kent, Gaute, Kristina, Helena, Maral, Yosef, Ragnar, Kjersti, and Jan from Norway; Tim, Eamon, and Max from Australia; Kate from Canada, Steve from Ireland, Susanne from Germany, and the list goes on and on. The wide variety of the people I am meeting and spending time with is the kind of diversity that I think I have been craving for a long time. Its not to say that I don't value the amazing friendships that I have at home, because I do more than anything, but never before in my life have I been surrounded by so many people of such differing backgrounds and life experiences. And while I like to think that I am a fairly cultured and informed person when it comes to global affairs, the people I am meeting are helping me to learn and broaden the spectrum more than I ever thought possible. Our friendships are able to transcend potential differences in culture, politics, religion, upbringing, fashion or food tastes, and we are able to find some common ground and forge a bond that will last a lifetime. So while I am sure that there will be so many other things that will make my study abroad experience great, it is the people I meet and the friends I make that are and will make this time truly special.

Its been how long since I left home?

Before I write any further I just wanted to resolve the cliffhanger I left off with last post...in order to cover up the hair that failed to occupy a small area above my right ear, I wore a hat sort of low and tilted over to the side for the entire first day. Then proceeded to go and buy a hair clippers that would with out a doubt handle the 240V that Norwegian electric outlets emit...and on that Tuesday evening I was able to fully shave my head and avoid any further hair malfunctions/catastrophes.

Ok, now that that is out of the way...In an effort to avoid falling any further behind on writing about my Norwegian happenings, I have decided to simply fast forward the last two weeks to the present...but because so much has happened I will give a brief synopsis of some noteworthy items...

Over the last two weeks I have started classes at the University of Oslo (sort of). I am taking three classes, Geomorphology of Nordic Countries, Environmental Geology, and Introductory Norwegian Language...and until today (when I had a full 2 hour lecture in Geomorph) I had only had only met for 20 minutes in both Geology courses (Norwegian doesnt start until next week)...so the transition into Norwegian university life has been slow and easy.

Also over the last two weeks I have met boatloads of new people from both Norway and around the world (if you have looked at any pictures on my Flickr page, many of them appear there...). People from Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Mozambique, Ethiopia, England...and the list goes on. It has been an incredibly refreshing and wonderful experience being able to talk, hang out with, and become friends with so many people from so many places, cultures and experiences. The diversity that I am surrounded by is something that I think I have been craving for a long time...and so now that it is here I am thoroughly enjoying it...

And as one might expect, new friends lead to new experiences...most notably the Australian Pool Party we had in Norway (again, if you have looked at Flickr, there are many, many pictures of this event). It was a spectacular gathering that we had in the middle of our student village...a multi-national barbeque of sorts that also happened to involve an inflatable pool, an Australian flag, disposable grills, and a various forms of grill-able meat...

So all in all the first two weeks of my life in Oslo has been full and wonderful...I have been so many places, seen so many things, met (and made friends with) so many people, and truly enjoyed life...

The Perfect Day

After a weekend of quiet reflection time also known as boredom...the week of orientation started on Monday. All that I had to do was pick up an information packet, and it would give me all the info I needed for the rest of orientation week, but more importantly it was giving me my University username and password, so I could set up my internet. Needless to say, this was shaping up to be a big day...

The info packet pick-up went fine, I got it and the coveted username and was ready to get online. After waiting in line at the reception desk of my student village, I finally was able to get my internet turned on...so I hurried back to the room so that I could set it up and be back blogging about the weekend/checking up on the Olympics/emailing/uploading pictures...but it wasnt to be my day. Apparently I had a dumbed down version of Linux (the operating free operating system on my computer, usually the computer geek alternative to Windows or Mac), which was prohibiting me from configuring my computer properly to set up my internet. Not knowing what to do, I found the IT help desk on campus (also known as HOUSTON...as in "Houston we have a problem"...oh the Norwegian sense of humor...) and decided to take up my problem with them. Surely a room full of computer wizards can fix my simple internet problem right? Wrong...it took three people all staring at my little 8.9 inch Eee PC before they could figure out what form of Linux I had...but after figuring that out, none of them could actually do anything to help my internet problem...so they suggested that I leave my computer with them over night and the "Linux guy" could fix it in the morning...perfect.

So without any computer, much less internet, I headed home for another quiet evening of reading and relaxing before my first orientation group meeting started the next morning. At about 10 PM I was getting ready to sleep (note, when you have nothing to do but read and sleep...your sleep starts much sooner), but decided with such a big day coming up I should just give my hair a trim. I had brought along my hair clippers (why pay for a haircut when I can just do it myself?) and a converter my father had given me (the electrical outlets here have an output of 240V, but US appliances take 120V, so you need a converter to pair down the voltage). So I plugged in the clippers with the converter, turned it on...nothing out of the ordinary, OK, time to cut hair. I usually start cutting my hair on the right side of my head, just above the sideburns...which is where I started this time too...for about the first three seconds (enough time to cut about 4 square inches of hair just above my right sideburn and ear) all was fine..at about the 3.5 second mark, the clippers went bezerk. Not just any bezerk, it sounded like I was trying to cut down a forest with a chainsaw...you might have thought that at the 3.5 second mark, my hair turned to metal. It was bad. The converter had gone out (thanks Dad), and so there was no way I could cut any hair with the clippers...which would have been fine, EXCEPT that I had already cut about 4 square inches off. Had the converter gone out right away, I would have been fine with just letting my hair be for the night, in fact I probably would have just let it grow out the entire semester...it wasnt that big of a deal. But becuase the converter waited 3.5 seconds before going ape, and subsequently I had cut some hair off...it became a big deal. And because it was already 10:30 at night there was nowhere for me to go and get a converter or a clippers...and with my Buddy Group meeting at 9:30 the next morning there was no time for me to fix it before that...perfect.

So as my first Monday in Oslo came to a close, with the rain pouring down outside (no, I did not make this part up for dramatic effect), I fell asleep with no computer, 4 square inches of hair missing, and no idea what the next day would bring...perfect.

The Calm Before the Storm

I think the easiest way to explain my absence from the blogosphere over the last two weeks is this...its been a whirlwind over here in Oslo. No, it has not been particularly windy, but there has been so much activity that I legitimately havent had time to write...so I will try and recap some of the memorable happenings...

My life in Oslo started two weeks ago tomorrow...after a wonderful time in Notodden, Amy and I made the bus trip back to the city. For that afternoon and evening we wandered the streets of Oslo taking in the cites and snapping pictures. We decided to not really plan where we were going...and I think that that made our discoveries that much more fun. I would say that it was a grand finish to what had been magnificent two weeks of travel...but as the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end"...so that Friday night I said goodbye to Amy and wandered off into the Oslo night, ready to start a new chapeter in life.

I will be honest though...it started kind of slow...ha hah! For that first weekend not a whole lot happened. None of my flatmates were around (it has been quite an interesting situation with them...but that is a story for another time), I had no internet, and I didnt know a soul. Part of it was liberating to be so alone and on my own...but mostly it just sucked. I was forced to frequent the local McDonalds and Burger Kings to access internet (I had made a vow that I would never go to a McDonalds or Burger King while in Europe...but desperate times call for desperate measures...), but you can only sit in Burger King for so long...so that was only a two hour highlight of a 24 hour day. I finished the book I was reading and started another. I folded up all my clothes so nice and had them all organized. I got ridiculous amounts of sleep, despite the 4:45 AM sunrise. And I went running...alot (I think one day I ended up running around 15k...I have never run that far in my life). All in all, I was well rested, read, and ran by the time orientation stuff started.

"The Teenage Life" is a synonym for "The Good Life"

The night after the BBQ and my conversation with Halvard, I must have been deemed OK and not dangerous, because I was very politely asked by Halvard, Hokan and their friend if I could drive them to the local movie store to rent some DVDs. I, of course accepted (in part because it gave me another chance to drive the Underdal's manual car), as it gave me a rare glimpse into what teenage Norwegian life might be like....and I can assure you that it is very similar to the same teenage life that I lived through, and that many other American's live through. That night they planned to rent some scary movies, buy loads of junk food, and stay up until 4 AM...dont you just miss those teenage glory years? All in all, they were kind enough to rent a movie that we all (Amy and I and the boys) would watch (it happened to be Beowulf, which by the way turned out to be a terribly dissapointing movie) in addition to their genre of choice. So on a rainy Thursday night in August, I was brought back to my youth...and for one night, was one of the boys.

The international language of friendship...

On one night while staying in Notodden (by the way, I am finding that pronouncing "Notodden" in Norwegian is much harder than one might think) the Underdal's took us to a good old fashioned BBQ at the house of Jan's sister. The BBQ was very similar to any standard grill out one might have in the US, EXCEPT that it was in Norway, which automatically makes it awesome...additionally the house was located on a picturesqe Norwegian farm nestled into the hill side, with forest and rock outcroppings behind, and a beautiful view of a wonderful serene Norwegian lake. Also, there happened to be a group of youngsters from Belfast, Ireland there (they were working on the farm during the week for a sort of work exchange trip with their church) and many members of Jan and Kjersti's church. The husband of Jan's sister is the pastor of their church (Dad he reminds me a lot of Ian from Scotland...you would have enjoyed his company), was the Master Griller of sorts, and is one of the most sociable people you will ever meet. After an hour or so of grilling (there was none of this quick-and-easy "pre-cooked" business), we sat down to eat (all 40+ of us) in the barn, which was pleasently lit with candles precariously perched around the room. The food was great and I met some very interesting people, inlcuding one young women who studied for a year in Bakersfield, California very near to where I lived in Fresno (I am finding this to be the smallest world), but the best part of the night was the extended conversation I had with Halvard, Jan and Kjersti's 13 year old son.

Up until that point I had only talked a little bit with Halvard, as he was understandinbly shy around a never before seen 20 year old American. But I knew that he played football (soccer), so that was the launch point of what turned out to be a wonderfully in depth conversation. Its strange...I never cease to be amazed at how, despite language barriers, people of such different up bringings and cultures can relate and become friends. Its not that I dont think its possible for two different people to become friends (as I have witnessed or experienced many examples to the contrary) , its the ability and desire to make connections and understand one another despite impervious circumstances. The topics that are discussed, while sometimes simpler in depth, are never dull...and I never feel as though just because they cant speak English as well as me (I have been painfully reminded throughout this trip that I am not multi-lingual, and everyone in Europe is...thus all conversations are kindly conducted in English to help me), that they are any less of a friend. It is this ability to forge friendships with people so different from me in many respects, that is truly fascinating, wonderful and humbling.

I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery...twice...

As I set off on this journey, I wondered a few times if I would see anyone I knew? Obviously I was staying with people I knew and traveling with someone I knew...but when would be the first time, if any time, that I saw someone I wasnt expecting to see? Would they be from home? From school? I mean, what are the odds of that?

To be completely honest I was thinking that on the morning of August 5th, as we set out in the car from Notodden, over Mt. Gausta, to Rjukan, a tiny mountain village located in the valley between mountain tops. You may have heard of Rjukan, or the hydroelectric plant located there...during WWII the plant was creating hydroelectric power, but they were also making fertilizer as well, which had a by product of "heavy water" (used in nuclear reactors). The plant was the largest power plant in the world during the early 1900s, and when the German's occupied Norway during the war, they immediately took over the plant to get their hands on the heavy water production in hopes of creating the atomic bomb. Long story short, there is a museum there now commemorating the effort from some Norwegian special forces that sabotaged the plant and the German nuclear effort. It is a very interesting little museum, and it is nestled partway up the mountain providing for a spectacular setting. It is here however, that the odds were defeated...not by the Norwegian special forces sabotaging the German war machine, but where I saw someone I knew. It is on the trail leading from the parking lot to the museum that we saw Ben Antoniewicz. For those of you who dont know, Ben and I played basketball together in middle school, and went to the same high school. I havent talked to or seen him in a couple of years, but as we were walking down the trail (he was walking up), we passed him and I turned to Amy and said "Was that Ben Antoniewicz? No, must be someone who looks like him...a lot like him." But then as we passed, a second later I heard a "Wait...Tallis?" Yup, it was Ben, and we did see him on a trail on the side of a mountain in a rather remote part of southern Norway. Yup, we were about 4000 some miles from home, with hundreds of millions of people between us. Yup, we happened to walking on that exact trail at the exact same time. If anyone can tell me the odds of that (*cough**Ken Psyck**cough*), I would love to know. We chatted a bit, took a picture to document the occasion and went our separate ways. It was so utterly unbelievable. I mean really...what are the odds? I still cant get over that part of it...

Anyways, the rest of the day was amazing too, we stopped at a small cottage restaurant located halfway up the other side of the valley for a bowl of traditional Norwegian porridge (it was made of essentially sour cream and flour). We went up a chair lift of sorts to the top of the valley on the far side where we had a magnificent view of Rjukan and the entire valley. Then headed back over the mountain, stopping at a little hotel nestled in the mountainside for some coffee and desert. Mom, you would have loved this hotel...it had so many antiques and little collectibles it was also a bit ridiculous.

So all in all it was a great day. I was convinced afterwords that Norway was the most beautiful country I had ever been to...and I saw Ben Antoniewicz.