Norwegian & my difficulty learning languages

Shocking right? Taking Norwegian while in Norway... whoa!

As many people know I don't do well with languages (not even English). I had Spanish in middle school and then in High School I took Spanish I & II. And yet, I can't speak Spanish...

Why did I think Norwegian would be any different?
Well, I grew up around it. Since the age of 5 I could count to 10 and say common courtesy's like hello (hei hei) & thank you (takk). I was always around the language and I even understood some, and caught certain words or phrases.

But learning it did not go as I had hoped it would.
When I've learned Spanish we first learned words and then we worked on grammar. To me, this seems like a good way to learn a language. Learn words and then learn how to put them in order. But this class was more of a full-speed-ahead/crash-course style of learning. We jumped strait into phrases and grammar. It took until Chapter 3 before we even learned the days of the week. This class was focused very heavily on grammar with little emphasis on speaking.

I've been told countless times that I should be good at languages because I'm a science major. But I'm just not. Our class was 6 hours a week for 10 weeks. Which didn't leave much time to slow down and get thorough explanations. The language is very heavy on consonants with some combinations I didn't know where possible! Some combo examples are: gj, kj, Hv, skj. Along with that are three extra vowels (å, ø, æ) that I can't help but laugh at myself when I try to pronounce them.

The other problem with learning Norwegian in Oslo is that everybody (literally) is 100% fluent in English. Whenever I try to do anything in Norwegian I usually get a reply in English, not only preventing me from learning more Norwegian but also making  me embarrassed to try Norwegian at all. Although, when I complete a transaction completely in Norwegian it is one of the best feelings ever!

This past week has been cram study time. I needed to make sure I could remember all my different verb, adjective & adverb (etc..) rules. I don't know how much writing I did but I have a cramp in my hand to show for it. Thanks to a wonderful new cafe' I found in town (Cafe Laundromat) I had enough caffeine to keep going. The best part about studying material from the beginning was that upon rereading dialogues and essays, I UNDERSTOOD IT! When we originally read these in class I'd go along and pick out a few words I knew but I never understood the text. So when I feel like I don't know any Norwegian I just need to remind myself that I actually do.

And then I took my final this morning! I'm not sure how it went, but I have good feelings about it (and I'm not going to think about it anymore). Hopefully I'll continue to learn more Norwegian. My stay here is only half over and I've already learned SO much, I just need to get out of my shell and actually use the language!

Now that my final is over, I get to enjoy the Norwegian school system's month long Easter break (amazing!).
Therefore, I leave for a vacation of a lifetime tomorrow! I am beyond excited to spend Easter week in Rome and Easter Sunday in Greece. My schedule is as follows:
Sat-Tues in Venice, Italy
Tues-Sat in Rome, Italy
Sat-Tues in Chania, Crete, Greece
* I will then spend the night in the Oslo airport because of last minute plans for another trip, not leaving enough time to go back home*
Wed-Sat in London

It'll be the event of my night to figure out how to pack clothes for 2 weeks into my backpack!

Takk for nå
(Thanks for now)

Krakow, Poland - The most educational trip ever

Last weekend my friend Ali (also an American) and I took a slightly spur of the moment trip to Krakow, Poland.

At first I was a bit unsure on what we'd do in Krakow, I had never heard of the city before. But looking into it, I found out it was the capital of the German occupation in WWII and the location of the Royal Castle.

I learned so much about a new culture this last weekend. Aside from learning that Polish buss drivers are crazy and reckless, we met people that are very strait forward. We saw a city full of history. Medieval buildings from the 13th century, and war damages from the 20th century. We were both aware and surprised by the feeling in the city, it felt like a city still recovering from war. Spooky to say the least.

We arrived late Wednesday night and were immediately struck with the realization we were most definitely NOT in Scandinavia anymore. Finding our way to the hostel was an experience.. Few locals over the age of 25 speak English and the written language is extremely different from any I've seen. It included so many Z's! I'm not exactly sure how many time we had to turn around and back track.  For some reason we assumed that since Germany is Poland's neighbor, it would be a Germanic language and to be polite we should say takk instead of thank you (few Poles know English). By Saturday we found out that actually: 'taak' meant yes and dziekuje (djenkooyeah) is thank you. Apparently Polish is a Slavic language, making it actually closer to Russian. Oops!

"Work will set you free"

Thursday we started the day with a horrible bus ride to Auschwitz. The weather was "perfect" for the events of the day as it was foggy and dreary. Words can't describe our experiences that day. We started with a tour of the first main prison, where many prisoners of war & Poles where kept. Some of these buildings were restored on the inside to become museum displays. Here we saw original pictures, collections of personal items stolen, and original bunks and prison cells.  The most horrifying display was the collection of human hair that was shaved from people who were killed in gas chambers. The remaining hair weighs in over 1 ton. We then took a shuttle bus over to Birkenau (Auschwitz II) where the majority of people were kept. The size of Birkenau is staggering, approximately 73 acres, and it was designed to hold 2,000,000 people. This camp is still original, many barracks were hastily constructed by wood, so only the stone stoves are remaining, others are still standing but in different states of decline. The largest gas chambers were in this camp but the German's bombed them as they evacuated the camp at the end of the war so only ruins remain. It was terrifying and horrible and I was constantly on the verge of tears, but I am glad I got to see this place and learn from it.

After our emotionally rough day we needed something fun and uplifting,  so we spent the evening walking around Old Town and exploring the beautiful market square in the sunset. Dinner was an amazing pizza and wine! (Just preparing for our Italy trip) Though we did learn to not ask for tap water in Poland (our answer was a stern: of course not!).

Cathedral in salt mine

Friday, we took another bus ride (slightly less horrible) to see the Wieliczka Salt Mines. We went 135 meters below the surface, but the whole mine extends 327 meters below and stretches out for 300 kilometers!! It was massive. I had to continually remind myself to not think about how deep below ground we were and what kinds of mining accidents could happen to keep myself calm. The mine itself was amazing. There were all kinds of sculptures, chapels, & underground lakes; all created from salt!.

After our tour we went back to Old Town and this time explored the city in daylight. We had lunch at a very European cafe in front of Wawel Castle. It was my first true castle, and I LOVED it! It had beautiful, typical spiral towers and spanning walls. I'm not sure how much we ate this day, but it was a lot! and delicious! We then wandered over to the Jewish District to see the Old Synagogue & Cemetery. We planned to go out to the town that night but we ended up crashing in the common room of the hostel and just going out for a quick dinner (a 40cm pizza baguette) and going to bed by 10.

Saturday morning we slept in and then went to Schindler's Factory. This last museum surprised me, I was expecting it to be a quick visit to see the history of Schindler (and his List). In actuality, it was a museum of Krakow's history during WWII. It was impossible to read everything in the museum and yet we still spend 2 hours slowly making our way through the much-bigger-than-appearance museum.

Afterwards we thought we might as well walk around the city until our flight and it turned out to be the best day and time to do so! The market square was alive with flowers, horses & carriages, and tons of people doing tricks or dancing for money. People and shopping stands filled the square. It was amazing and beautiful!

Ali and I spent our days talking in Norwegian (when we could) and reviewing worksheets at night. I was also surprised to be one of few blonde people in the city, it made me feel like I stood out. We enjoyed 2 days of 60+ degrees, I got to pet my first horse in 3 months (amazing!), and we spent 50% of our time eating. All-in-all I'd say it was a fantastic weekend!

Lunch in front of Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

Old Town View

One round of desserts!

Touching my first horse in 3 months!

Amazing!

A Week with Kyle

Sometimes I think I'm a pretty lucky girl.

Kyle, my wonderful boyfriend came out to see me on his spring break (plus 2 days extra). When I saw him Friday morning it was one of the happiest moments of my life. After we got back to the house he slept for quite awhile, and we did nothing but relax and watching TV, which is one of the best things to do together.

Saturday we walked around the city in a "tour" that I had designed.
-First, we went to the Opera House, where it was as windy as Colorado. It was insane! I've never had such strong wind while in Norway before.
-From there were found our way to the Fortress. I hadn't been to this place yet so it was new for both of us. And really cool!
-Then we walked towards the center of the city and wound around some streets ending up by the City Hall.
-Then we walked around Aker Brygge, the waterside area.
That evening we went over to my cousins house to try a traditional Norwegian meal. Lutefisk. I had never tried lutefisk, though I have of course heard of it, growing up in a Norwegian family. But all I had heard was that it was supposed to be disgusting and smelly. But both Kyle and I were determined to at least try it. And we liked it. It was really good. The fish itself doesn't have very much flavor but mixed with everything it was great. I was very pleasantly surprised! Dinner combined with akavit and wine (for me) lead to hours of eating, talking, and dancing. At 2:30 we finally left to go home.

Because of our late night, we slept in until after noon on Sunday. But we were still able to make it to the Viking Ship museum. It was amazing. There were 3 different ships, all in very different places of decay. The first ship is massive and impressive, and looks like it could go out to sea today. The others were worse for wear but still very cool to look at. That evening we decided to take a walking-tour I had read about in my very handy dandy Rick Steves book. It led us from Oslo Sentre to a bunch of churches and graveyards off the beaten path, and then we followed a park path along the river and finally looped down and ended up in the Grunlokka neighborhood, a popular and "hip" area of Oslo.


Monday began our Stockholm adventure that I previously wrote about. It was such a beautful city! And by Tuesday night we were back in Oslo. 


Wednesday I sadly had to to go class (after ditching my Tuesday classes) so while I was in class Kyle got to sit in the cafe' and read his paper. After class I showed him around campus and we also visited a new part of town for him. It was the "chic" area known as Majourstuen. That evening was our Valentines date, since we couldn't be together on 2/14 we decided that 3/14 was a better date for us. We went to Egon restaurant were I ordered a big juicy american cheeseburger and french fries. It was amazing!!!


Thursday I had a 3 hour lecture for Norwegian class, so once again Kyle sat in the cafe' doing hw, but because of the school system here I had 2 breaks where I was able to go visit with him for a bit. After class we went to the Vigeland Frogner park. (sadly my camera was dead, so no pics) and walked around the interesting statues. Afterwards we went back to the house to relax and watch Big Bang Theory (our show) and Across the Universe (gotta love the Beatles). It was wonderful to sit on the couch and watch TV like we used to do back home.


Friday was our last day. After sleeping in quite a bit, we went to Holmkollen, a HUGE ski jump. At the base was a cool museum on skiing in Norway. It was fun to see how different regions of Norway developed different types of skis. It also had displays about North & South Pole explorations done by Norwegians. I honestly think these people are crazy! that's way to cold for me!! After the museum we took a lift to the top of the ski jump. Looking down the jump I realized there was no way I could EVER be a ski jumper. Not ever. And even though it was foggy, we were so high up that we could still see out over much of the city.


Saturday morning bright and early, I took Kyle back to the airport and said goodbye. Luckily I found out the airport had just put in a starbucks, so I was able to find comfort in the best white mocha I've had in months. After an amazing 8 days together I am looking forward to the next European trip we take together (whenever that will be). I can't wait to see Kyle again in 104 days (or so)

Stockholm, Sweden

My new favorite city

The quickest round trip ever:
 -7:25am Monday morning Kyle & I got on the train for Stockholm and arrived around 1:30pm.
-We spent approx 26 hours in the city before our 3:30pm Tuesday returning train.
-By 9:30pm we were back in Oslo, not even 48 hours later.

Even though it was short, it was my favorite trip yet.

We stayed in an exceptionally clean hostel. The only difference from a hotel was that we had to either: bring our own or pay for linens and towels. We had a private room and private bathroom which is rare for a hostel.

On Monday, after arriving we took a relaxing walk around Sodermalm, the island that our hostel was on. We saw many old churches from 1300's, cute little cafe's, winding side streets and all the charm of Europe. Sweden used to be an European power and had a lot of French influence, so the city is much larger and different looking than the other Scandinavian cities I've visited. I loved how all the churches had little parks and gardens. Because the two of us are a bit "lame" we were back in our hostel by 7 and got an early nights sleep.

Tuesday, we woke up bright and early, although not that bright, as our room did not have windows (I have never slept in such a dark room before), and neither was it as early as we hoped.. the snooze button is so addictive. For breakfast we went to a local bakery and drank tea and had pastries.. how glamorous and European of us. Afterwards we walked over to the historical district on the island Gamla Stan and went into the gorgeous Stockholm Cathedral, the church where royal weddings are held. Countless sculptures, paintings, and decorations of all types covered the walls. The grand organ was one of the largest I've ever seen, and the alter was magnificent. We also arrived at the Royal Palace just in time to watch the changing of the guards and then explored the royal apartments and the palace museum. It was fun imaging myself as a Princess of Sweden walking down the grand staircase. Just like in fairy tales. We spent the rest of the day winding around streets and exploring churches and famous monuments.

Sweden is known for some pretty amazing chocolate, so of course I bought several different types to try. Absolutely delicious. Scandinavian chocolate is a million times better than Hersey's.

Stockholm was such a fun city. It was full of history but modern at the same time. As we were walking around the palace they were bringing in snow and setting up for a ski race. The people were very friendly, within moments of leaving the central station a lady asked us if we needed help; apparently we looked helpless, searching our map and then around the streets, and back again. Another plus side to this city was the surprise of finding a Tully's coffee shop. Since it is not as famous as Starbucks, I was surprised (but very pleased) to find a familiar brand of coffee. All in all, an amazing trip!

Breakfast Bakery

Best coffee I've had in months

Shopping District in Gamla Stan

Stockholm's Cathedral alter

Royal Palace & snow for ski race

Bergen & Flam - West Coast Norway

When you think of Norway many people don't realize how wide it is (let alone how long it is). I live in Oslo which is  pretty far east, and Bergen almost as west as you can go.

My first night train was from Oslo to Bergen, and was approx 8 hours. Luckily my computer is filled with seasons 1-8 of Grey's Anatomy (now done with season 5). Not only did the seats have outlets for my computer, but I got blankets, pillows, ear plugs and an eye mask. Also to top off my journey, the seat next to me was empty! So after several hours of Grey's Anatomy I was able to curl up and sleep the rest of the way.

Other than train tickets I had a free trip to this new city! My cousin Thor was staying in Bergen for work and I was able to crash in the company-paid-for hotel room, and this fancy hotel had free breakfast, waffles from 4-6, a dinner buffet and unlimited fruit/tea/coffee all day. Talk about a sweet deal!

Brygge - What Bergen is most known for

Friday (after a short nap, as sleeping on trains isn't very restful) I explored the Western Port of Norway while Thor worked. The main touristy area of Bergen is extremely small. The city does extend for a large distance though and is actually Norways 2nd largest city (after Oslo). The first thing I did was walk to the docks, this part reminded me very much of Seattle with a fish market, seafood restraunts and boats everywhere. The Naval ships were in port alongside a few oldfashioned fishing boats. The city also has a large fortress the the royal family used to stay at, that hosted many ceremonies back in the day.
That evening we walked up to Fløien Mountain which was 320 metres above sea-level. From here we watched the sunset over Bergen, it was a breathtaking view!

Saturday, we decided to do the "Norway in a Nutshell" Tour. It comprised of: Train from Bergen - Myrdal, an old train from Myrdal -Flåm, next a boat ride from Flåm - Gudvangen and then a bus ride from Gudvangen - Voss. Finally finished with the train from Voss back to Bergen. We caught our first train at 10am and got back to Bergen around 8pm, so it was quite the long day. The tour took us down one of Norways most famous fjords, Aurlandsfjord. While not the best timing to see the scenery (the snow was gone leaving behind dead trees and brownland) there were still breathtaking views and picturesque scenery.

Sunday was truly a day of rest. We walked around the city for a few hours, finding numerous little alleyways, stairwells and cobblestone pathways. It reminded me of a quaint european town. Afterwards we rested and watched TV.. how very cultural of me! However, for dinner that night we went to a traditional Norwegian restraunt. There aren't many places that serve tradtional food, it's considered old fashioned and boring. However, I loved it!! The smells, the decor, the food, all reminded me of my Oldemor (great-grandmother) and my Besteforeldre (grandparents) homes & cooking.

When going to catch my train back to Oslo, once again the night train, I encountered my first major traveling faux pas.. You know that awkward time around midnight where you can say the wrong date without realizing it? It's one of the reasons online assignments tend to be due at 11:45pm, saving us the confusion. Typically I know what day it is, particualry when buying something, however I needed the Sunday night- Monday morning train and accidently bought the Monday night - Tuesday morning ticket. (these are by the way, non-refundable) so I paid 199NOK for a ticket that was a day after I needed to be back. A last minute train ticket, for the correct train, ended up costing 600NOK... So in all, I paid 800NOK to take a train from Bergen to Oslo (equiv of $140). Lesson of the trip, mistakes cost a lot of money!

Bergen was a gorgeous little city with a lot more to offer than I though it would! I hope I'm able to do Norway in a Nutshell, or a similar type trip, sometime this summer when everything is green and flourishing.

Awesome boat!

Fresh fish

Flam Valley

Aurlandsfjord

Our new friend in Voss

Tiny alleys through the city

Hobbies & Relaxing

Hobby:
1. an activity or interest persued for pleasure or relaxation

Relaxation:
1. abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, application, etc.
2. an activity or recreation that provides such relief, diversion, entertainment.

Sure, I knew what these words meant. But as a college student, I typically don't have time for anything "fun" outside of school and work. But, as a student in Norway, I go to class 3X a week, on a busy week. 2 of my 3 classes just had a month long break, and after 2 more weeks they will have another month break, and the third will be completely done. To occupy myself I have come across these "things" called a hobby.

Relaxing:

Maybe not a true hobby, but one none the less. I have occasionally stayed in bed or on the couch literally all day. On the weekends it's not unusual for me to wake up around 1pm (I must admit that once I woke up at 4). My excuse is that I am merely making up for 3 years of lost sleep while at CSU, but once that sleep is all made up, I'm need to pre-sleep for when I will have a lack of sleep next year.

Cross Country Skiing:
Sadly this hobby didn't get much practice, I had some equipment malfunctions and then the snow all melted. But I have fallen in love with this sport. It's harder than it looks but also not to difficult, after my first time on skis I felt pretty good about it. I loved the trails and scenery you get to see when skiing. You can go so much further and faster than walking (and you don't sink in snow). Hopefully I'll get to do this next winter in Colorado!

Knitting:

Yes, I have decided to become a little norwegian grandmother. I was taught how to knit many years ago, I just had to learn how to start for myself (my grandma always did the first row when I was young) and how to not drop stitches (or pick up extra). Now that I have strait edges (on both sides) I love it. Plus, it's a relaxing way to be "productive" while watching TV.

Torrenting:

Speaking of TV.. I have learned how to download TV shows & movies. I am fairly addicted to this particular past time. In the 2 months that I've been in Norway I have seen:

5 seasons of Big Bang Theory

3 seasons of Parenthood

3 seasons of Modern Family

1st season of Once Upon a Time 

8 seasons of Grey's Anatomy

... yes, this is a sick and horrible problem.

Drawing:

Back in high school I used to draw all the time. Since college I have occasionally drawn, but I've always drawn horses. Here, with all my free time I've decided to branch out. I'm currently learning how to draw different features on human faces, eyes, noses, ears etc. with the final goal of actually drawing a person.

Yoga:

Weekly, sometimes biweekly, yoga classes are my new favorite way to exercise. I hate the gym, I hate being sweaty, and I especially hate treadmills, I feel like a hamster on a wheel. But yoga is perfect. Great workout, minimal sweat and it will hopefully help strengthen my back for horse riding and make me all flexible again.

Daily Walks:

Still working on the commitment of this hobby, but I try to walk around my neighborhood daily, unless it's very cold of course. The scenery is gorgeous and fresh air is always amazing!