Remember me? I’m sorry, I’m sorry. For a while there, I became so used to not really having much of a social life and now that I am making new friends, I’ve gotten so overwhelmed and caught up in it all! But at least I’m having a blast, right? I’ll never stop writing though, just maybe less frequently than before.
Here are the necessary tunes:
So, where to begin?! Much has happened but most of which is just common day nonsense that may not necessarily be worth “writing home about.” Hmm…okay, I’ll reflect in chronological order…
I really like salmon now. Like, super like. Even raw! I never thought I’d see the day I would try or enjoy real sushi, but I also never thought I’d see the day I’d live in Norway. I’ve recently eaten deer meat, and loved it. Aaaand reindeer meat!!! Not a big fan. It wasn’t too terrible until Cato told me that the wilder the animal, the more it smells like the fur…so then all I could taste was fur. Straight up nasty. Takk for det, Cato. (L-Magz’s “ex-boyfriend is a reindeer.” I hope she actually reads this to re-appreciate that little gem.)
I need some ideas for crafts! I was all about those strings of birds and now I’m looking for more. Am I becoming crafty? You bet your sweet buns, I am. Just the other day, I sat down and drew a picture, then handcrafted a couple cards, then cut my hair a bit. Artsyfartsycraftycreative Town, population: Emilita. But srsly, I could use come really creative suggestions. Home décor is probably preferred, like something along the lines of my dangling birds…cute stuff. And shippable ideas are best, because since I can’t really afford to buy things for people at home, I like the idea of making stuff for them!
Moving on.
I recently met up with Klara Jensen and Ian Plaine in Bergen! Such a good day. They were the first familiar faces I’ve seen in Norway and it was really, really nice. I admit, I even got a little teary-eyed as soon as I saw them walking towards me. It was a combination of the happiness of seeing a bit of home here, and the realization that I would not know them if it weren’t for my cousin Matt. Almost two years after his death and he’s still bringing people together. Anyway, that day was so very great. The weather was good so we went to the top of Floyen, walked around in the snow a bit, and then went to have the best risgrøt I’ve ever had. And then we just sat and talked and strolled around the city for hours – talking about life, Ian’s upcoming move to Norway (!!!!!), and such. It was definitely one of my happiest days I’ve had here.
A couple days later, I went to a Couch Surfing meeting with high hopes of meeting some new people, and that I did. I met people from all over the world, but especially bonded with 3 other Americans (the only three I’ve met since coming here). There’s Mariann from Tucson (but originally born here), Alex from an island near Seattle, and Eric from Washington D.C. (but has lived many places throughout his life). And we are just 4 peas in a pod. We all feel an automatic connection and a sense of familiarity despite being from all different parts of the US. Since meeting just over two weeks ago (has it really only been that long?!), we have hung out on multiple occasions.
First, Alex, Eric, two of Alex’s friends (from Slovenia and Italy) spent a day exploring Hardanger Fjord and visiting a famous waterfall. The same day, Eric, Mariann, and I went out to a bar for a 50’s and 60’s night and that was shenanigans – it was my first night out in Bergen! The following Tuesday night, Mariann, Alex, and I went to watch a Norwegian movie on the Uni. Bergen campus and the movie had Norwegian subtitles! I actually did surprisingly well…maybe I’m better at Norwegian than I thought.
Then just a couple nights later, us four Americans met up for a trivia night at an Irish pub in the city. It was in ENGLISH thankfully! And we didn’t do too badly! There was one particular question that was hilarious – they asked what the maximum potential height of an ostrich is…in centimeters…and we were allowed a +/- 10 cushion. Alex, being the brainiac he is, settled on 275 cm and he was EXACTLY RIGHT baaaahahaha we could not believe that! It was such a fun night and we are planning on making it a weekly event. And our team name is “Honeybadger don’t give a sh*t…” soooo our trivia team obviously rocks.
Since meeting, Mariann and I have hung out quite a bit. I introduced her to my favorite café recently and now it’s seems like it will become our meeting place. (By the way, I never thought I’d become a “regular” at a café but it’s haaapeningggg…maybe 2012 really will be the end of the world.) A few nights ago, we were watching Wasteland (excellent documentary, I highly recommend it) at her friends house when we saw the NORTHERN friggin’ LIGHTS. That is NOT normal for this far south so it was extra, extra exciting. Seeing the Northern Lights has been #1 on my bucket list for many moons now, so this was quite a special occasion for me. I kind of had one of those “wow, life is amazing” sort of moments.
Other highlights of the past month:
- A night out of dancing with Maria-Elena and some of her classmates and the DJ played a Bay Area song….I was elated! Such a fun night though. I love how people don’t go out until SO LATE in Europe – we didn’t even go to the club until about midnight. Hahhhh awesome.
- Graduated Norskkurs 1-2 and have since started Norskkurs 3-4…bouts to be fluent!
- Lastly, thanks for the card and pictures, Zia Fris! And for the postcard, Zia Anna and Uncle B! Receiving any type of mail is like Christmas.
- Trivia night with Mariann and Alex last night….we are so bad, we are good. Creativity points are clutch for us!
Lowlight of my life:
- I had to go into the city early before class this past Monday. It had recently snowed and was started to melt and get slushy. Now, they USUALLY have all of the main sidewalks mostly cleared by the time I come to class so it rarely matters what shoes I wear as long as I’m wearing wool socks (which, by the way, all have holes in the bottoms (except for the pair from Lenka and Howard, those ones are STURDY) because I’ve worn them all so much…hint, hint.) So the day I decide to wear my beat up old, holey Vans shoes the sidewalks were definitely not cleared…at all…and were slushy and terrible. I had to walk across the city to buy a book before class and about 3 minutes into my walk, my feet were completely soaked. Then I had 3.5 hours of class then met up with Mariann for warm beverages. By the time we made it to the café, I was literally worried for my toes. Luckily the café lady brought us blankets and told me it was absolutely okay to take off my warm shoes. But that really sucked. Norway is cold.
And now I must go. We are headed to Geilo for the weekend! Hopefully I’ll learn to ski.
Ending thought…imagine a world without fences. This has been in my head for many months now. Next time you’re on a walk, or driving around, just notice how many fences there are. The entire concept of private property would be changed. Domestication of animals could fall apart. Or maybe not. Hmm. Just a thought.
