Well, the last few days were diverse.. With a couple of friends I went to the theatre and we saw Den andre mannen, which was in a language I didn't fully understand. We didn't even figure out if it was a bizarre norwegian (bokmål) accent or nynorsk. Next time I will understand more, and next time will be in the main venue in the Nationalteatret.
Also, I went to the opera. Not just from the outside, but also from the inside it's a wonderful building. Le Grand Macabre - well - was macabre but well played and done. Still, very strange and macabre.
Classes are doing fine, I am doing my work.
I started to go swimming everyday, and going to the sauna from time to time, for I knew I normally get a bit sick every autumn. So, what prevents getting sick better than doing that? Right! Wrong. So, I got sick five days before I would be heading home for a week. I decided to stay in bed, and cure the hell out of it. Now I am lying here, and watching Breaking Bad, of course legally as there exists Netflix here in Norway.
Apart from that, nothing really exiting is going on at the moment.
2013.09.15 - Amsterdam
I did actually find the courage and motivation to go to the fitness centre. I did not find norwegian best friends so far. But: I was there for almost every day for the last 1,5 weeks - for swimming. My stamina is very bad, but I reckon if I go there every day for a swim, it will get better. Also, there is a sauna and sauna is always good.
The uni makes me read a lot, the celtic/old nordic studies are challenging. The readings are a lot and a bit hard, and the lectures are exhausting and difficult to understand. But I plan to finish the major part of the paper for the norwegian class this week, so I should have relatively much time for the readings afterwards. Let's see if this plan works.
The choir is still challenging. We had a choir seminar, and this week was just choir on monday, tuesday, friday, sunday, sunday, monday. I was glad it was over. The pieces of music are stunningly beautiful, nevertheless I fear the fact that everything has to be sung my heart; no score allowed -- I do know not a single piece so far.
-- In the end, everything's going to be fine. If it's not fine, it's not the end.
- - -
From friday until sunday, I went to Amsterdam with a friend. We flew there friday evening, arrived at our couch surfer's place at 9pm, talked a bit with this awesome host. Then we went to see the city for that evening and the whole saturday. We run around the whole time, took a tour on the canals, went to the Rijksmuseum and the Sex Museum and were amazed how beautiful this city is. Really, it's worth going there... so many beautiful houses... And ridiculously many people in the red light district.
Also the flair and feeling of the city is very very nice, it was almost hard to go back to Oslo...
I really have to mention that it is a great thing to live in Europe, where it is possible to see quite lot of another city somewhere else, just within a week end.
The uni makes me read a lot, the celtic/old nordic studies are challenging. The readings are a lot and a bit hard, and the lectures are exhausting and difficult to understand. But I plan to finish the major part of the paper for the norwegian class this week, so I should have relatively much time for the readings afterwards. Let's see if this plan works.
The choir is still challenging. We had a choir seminar, and this week was just choir on monday, tuesday, friday, sunday, sunday, monday. I was glad it was over. The pieces of music are stunningly beautiful, nevertheless I fear the fact that everything has to be sung my heart; no score allowed -- I do know not a single piece so far.
-- In the end, everything's going to be fine. If it's not fine, it's not the end.
- - -
From friday until sunday, I went to Amsterdam with a friend. We flew there friday evening, arrived at our couch surfer's place at 9pm, talked a bit with this awesome host. Then we went to see the city for that evening and the whole saturday. We run around the whole time, took a tour on the canals, went to the Rijksmuseum and the Sex Museum and were amazed how beautiful this city is. Really, it's worth going there... so many beautiful houses... And ridiculously many people in the red light district.
Also the flair and feeling of the city is very very nice, it was almost hard to go back to Oslo...
I really have to mention that it is a great thing to live in Europe, where it is possible to see quite lot of another city somewhere else, just within a week end.
2013.09.01 - first trip outside of the city
Well, it was not a big trip. The university organised a trip to a cabin in the woods for around 50 international students. Just one norwegian guy (the organiser) was with us, and 50 internationals.
We took the subway and then a bus to the studenterhytta.no (Yes, apparently has everything it's own website here). We barely were told that soup would be prepared, 6 volunteers were needed, and the same for the dinner ("norwegian style taco"), afterwards was organised a quiz night, and after breakfast we were supposed to tidy everything up. That was all the plan! So, we immediately walked to the nearby lake, I took a swim (warmer than the Sognsvann!), and then we went back for lunch. The area is just as one imagines Oslo surrounding: forests, from time to time a lake, and basically nothing else in view (and - the knowledge that the subway is not really far away). In the evening, our team won the first three rounds of the quiz night, but the fourth round was basically just giving points to the most drunken people. so - "unfortunately" - we lost. But during the game, we got small prices, and we could choose between chocolate and shots. Guess what I chose. Then we wondered about alcohol and left the party to see stars. At 1 am or so, we went to the Sauna (!) where, again, we wondered about alcohol and not very adult Americans.
That evening, I sent the fifth version of my master thesis to my supervisor ("yeeehh"). Now for homework, socialising and enjoying the sun. If i finish the readings (for last monday) in time, I will take a first look into the fitness centre..
Still didn't really meet many Norwegians so far .. maybe I get lucky in the fitness centre...
We took the subway and then a bus to the studenterhytta.no (Yes, apparently has everything it's own website here). We barely were told that soup would be prepared, 6 volunteers were needed, and the same for the dinner ("norwegian style taco"), afterwards was organised a quiz night, and after breakfast we were supposed to tidy everything up. That was all the plan! So, we immediately walked to the nearby lake, I took a swim (warmer than the Sognsvann!), and then we went back for lunch. The area is just as one imagines Oslo surrounding: forests, from time to time a lake, and basically nothing else in view (and - the knowledge that the subway is not really far away). In the evening, our team won the first three rounds of the quiz night, but the fourth round was basically just giving points to the most drunken people. so - "unfortunately" - we lost. But during the game, we got small prices, and we could choose between chocolate and shots. Guess what I chose. Then we wondered about alcohol and left the party to see stars. At 1 am or so, we went to the Sauna (!) where, again, we wondered about alcohol and not very adult Americans.
That evening, I sent the fifth version of my master thesis to my supervisor ("yeeehh"). Now for homework, socialising and enjoying the sun. If i finish the readings (for last monday) in time, I will take a first look into the fitness centre..
Still didn't really meet many Norwegians so far .. maybe I get lucky in the fitness centre...
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