On Saturday I made my at to Eplefesten (an apple festival) in the neighboring city of Gvarv with my friends Hannah and Clare. We decided to hitchhike there since it was the only form of transportation that didn't separate us from each other. The first 45 minutes or so of walking were looking rather dismal. No one was stopping, and the walk to Gvarv would take well over an hour. We figured we should have made a sign or something. While walking we kept an eye out for paper to write on, but then Clare found an old painting canvas with a broken frame. The back side was clear so I pulled out my bus pen and proceeded to write "Eplefest" on it. Within 5 minutes an older lady and her friend picked us up, they were going there as well. We chatted on the way and soon arrived, saying thank you and goodbye to our driver, Annelise, and made our way towards the festival. The city of Gvarv is very very small. Apart from the farmlands I'd say it is comparable to Fircrest, WA - and that's being generous. The festival was maybe altogether a city block long, with booths selling Norwegian handicrafts, food, and of course APPLES. One booth was there solely for the purpose of trying different varieties of apples! It was delicious. I found myself in a couple circumstances where my Norwegian was better than someone's English so I would get the chance to practice more. I find these encounters less terrifying now and actually look forward them. I find that I speak better and clearer with strangers, particularly those over 35, than I do with students at the school...probably because I don't get as nervous. After walking around and exploring for a while we decided to make our way home. Deciding that making a sign for hitchhiking would yield the most successful results we used another sign on our way back, this time using a paper plate. Within the first few minutes of walking we were picked up by some nice guys who drove us back to Breisås in Bø. I am sure that some reading this may be a bit concerned about
Sorry it has taken me so long to post! This have begun to pick up here in bø. On Saturday I made my at to Eplefesten (an apple festival) in the neighboring city of Gvarv with my friends Hannah and Clare. We decided to hitchhike there since it was the only form of transportation that didn't separate us from each other. The first 45 minutes or so of walking were looking rather dismal. No one was stopping, and the walk to Gvarv would take well over an hour. We figured we should have made a sign or something. While walking we kept an eye out for paper to write on, but then Clare found an old painting canvas with a broken frame. The back side was clear so I pulled out my bus pen and proceeded to write "Eplefest" on it. Within 5 minutes an older lady and her friend picked us up, they were going there as well. We chatted on the way and soon arrived, saying thank you and goodbye to our driver, Annelise, and made our way towards the festival. The city of Gvarv is very very small. Apart from the farmlands I'd say it is comparable to Fircrest, WA - and that's being generous. The festival was maybe altogether a city block long, with booths selling Norwegian handicrafts, food, and of course APPLES. One booth was there solely for the purpose of trying different varieties of apples! It was delicious. I found myself in a couple circumstances where my Norwegian was better than someone's English so I would get the chance to practice more. I find these encounters less terrifying now and actually look forward them. I find that I speak better and clearer with strangers, particularly those over 35, than I do with students at the school...probably because I don't get as nervous. After walking around and exploring for a while we decided to make our way home. Deciding that making a sign for hitchhiking would yield the most successful results we used another sign on our way back, this time using a paper plate. Within the first few minutes of walking we were picked up by some nice guys who drove us back to Breisås in Bø. I am sure that some reading this may be a bit concerned about
1 Comment
What a day! I thought I would use my telemark bus pass and took a trip to Skien to visit the Husfliden, where they sell bunads. My goal was to try on a couple different styles I like to see which one would look best on my body. The west telemark was by far the winner. However, I still think I will get it made at the bunad shop, Almankås, in Bø because they quoted me a lower price, it's an 8 minute walk vs. an hour long bus ride and the ladies in Bø were willing to let me choose different embroideries and colors while the people at the Husflid wouldn't let me change a thing. Ridiculous. After trying on the bunad I wandered through a couple shops eventually deciding to take a bus to Porsgrunn, the neighboring city to, to check out the Fretex (Salvation Army). When I got on the bus I handed the driver my card and she said something really fast in Norwegian that I didn't understand. I finally asked her if she could say it in English but that made her more upset. She told me to just sit down so I reverently found a seat. This translated to me that my card didn't work on local buses and only the express buses. So when I was done perusing at the Fretex I just started walking. I couldn't find a bus terminal anywhere. The website for the transit would list terminal names but not addresses for me to search so I could walk there. It was a bit frustrating. I decided to walk back to Skien to the bus terminal is been dropped off at earlier in the day. Walking enabled me to get some exercise and see things I would have otherwise missed. When I got back to Skien I explored some antique shops, but my tired feet soon led me back to the bus terminal where I ended up making a new friend. His name is Muhammad and he is 19. He is originally from Afghanistan but moved to Norway two years ago so my Norwegian was almost as good as his. We chatted for about 40 minutes as we waited for our bus, and since his English was not that great we got to speak mostly in Norwegian. This was so great for me! I find it much easier to talk with nonnative speakers. While we were chatting I discovered that when I present my bus card I have to show my receipt from purchasing it to show how long it's good for, which explains why the bus driver earlier was so surly. Finally the bus came and 1.4 hours later I was home, laying on my bed exhausted from the day and glad that I'd gone out and explored. On Wednesday my international marketing class is taking an overnight trip to Kvitseid and Vrådal so look forward to hearing about that! Also, if you have questions about anything here, suggestions on where to visit, or wanna see pictures of stuff please do not hesitate to ask!
On Thursday our class went to the Bø museum. The museum is located at what used to be the town center. The professor giving the lecture today, Mikkel B. Tin, spoke about tradition, specifically in relation to Norwegian art. Following the lecture we walked over to a small exhibit with some bunad and Hardanger fiddles, to a farm house from the 1700's and then to what used to be the old general store, but now has a gift shop attached. The general store was probably my favorite because I got to look at all the old packaging and advertisements for items. I could talk longer about stuff we saw, but I think sharing pictures is easier for both of us :) Officially my fourth week in Norway. Honestly, it feels like it has been much longer than a month. In some ways I've begun to adjust to life here. From knowing which stores to shop at for what, to remembering trails and short cuts around town, Bø is slowly becoming home. Still, I've found it hard to get a rhythm down for my life here. At home it was relatively simple: school, work gym, homework and then whatever the weekly activity was for that night. I think it's taken longer to adjust because I don't have the same consistent structure of routines and foundation of friends here to rely on. But this is good for me. As I usually say, it's character building! This morning I downloaded the app for Our Daily Bread and went for a run/walk through some of the neighboring woods and farm roads then did the devotional half way through. This was a great way to start my day so I think I'll continue this habit. I mean, it threw me off a little for getting ready and I was late for class...but that won't be a regular thing. A week ago last Sunday I went to the introduction course for the Bø Paddling group. Capsizing myself into a cold river was a nice change of pace from the usual watching Netflix in warm comfy bed. The rain did not let up, but we survived. It was lots of fun and I look forward to being a part of this group throughout the the year! Being Sunday and not having weekly church services here, this Fridtjof Nansen quote came to my mind while out on the river, "It's better to go skiing and think of God, than go to church and think of Sport." ...but in this case, kayaking! The creation here sure is something to marvel at. It makes me think a lot about Washington and what an incredible place it is. Below I have added pictures from the paddling as well as a couple from my morning jaunt. Enjoy! On Saturday I was feeling a bit stir crazy and wanted something to do. Bø is a great town, but it is small. Very small. I had seen that there was a Stave church in a neighboring town. My new friend, Vebjørn, was kind enough to drive Hannah and I to Notodden to check it out. I keep assuming everyone knows who Hannah is at this point, if you don't, let me explain that she is another student studying here from PLU. She is the best. OK, continuing the story, we all decided to go. It was not until about 20 minutes on the windy Norwegian roads that I remembered that I get car sick. It was awful. We only had to pull over to breath a couple of times but we made it there mess free! When we arrived there was a wedding just finishing up at the Stave church. It was kind of cool to see people in bunad, celebrating and such, but I mostly wanted to get peruse the church up close. To pass the time we explored the graveyard surrounding the church. There some interesting headstones and long of cool names (cool in contrast to the ones in America). Cemeteries here are so much different that in the States. There is something that feels much more personal here. Perhaps its not have roads that drive through the center of them? Any who, eventually the wedding party cleared and we got to go inside and check out the church. This was not my first time to a Stave church so it was not completely new, but nonetheless is was still beautiful. I love all the intricate carvings and the strong smell of wood. When we were done at the church we started heading back. We stopped by a shop that had a bunch of, what I would consider to be, classic Norwegian furniture was rosemaling. The colors and shapes were neat. I'd like to have a few pieces like this in my home one day, but I am not about to try and ship a kitchen hutch to Tacoma anytime soon. Finally the three of us headed home and made an awesome dinner. I do eat food here, but it is not often what one may define as a meal. So grilling tons of veggies, cooking up beans (which is a staple I haven't had since being here) and eating our American-Mexican meal was the best. Got to see the Hobbit 2 and relax. I posted a slideshow of pictures below for you to scroll through.
CLASS: Today marks my 3rd week in Norway, along with my first official week of classes. School here in Norway is a bit different that what I am used to in the U.S. At PLU I usually have tons of homework, projects to work on, papers to write and quizzes, tests, exams, etc.. to plan for. Here, not so much. While there are group projects to work on, and "suggested readings" before lectures, the only class I actually have homework in is my Advanced Norwegian Language course. Instead of all the busy work there is one big final exam at the end of the semester. One thing that has been hard to get used to is the fact that the teachers don't really care if you come to class or not. At PLU your attendance and often participation in class is graded, and can affect your grade negatively if you don't show up. I was concerned about maybe needing to miss class one day for a trip and my professor seemed shocked that I even asked him if it would be OK for me to maybe miss that day. He just laughed and said, "Of course." Altogether, I think I enjoy the autonomy autonomy I have in my studies here. PHONE: I got a new sim card with a Norwegian number! It is a prepaid card that cost 200Kr and has 50Kr already loaded on it. I was iffy about paying for a phone since I do not exactly need one. But, there have been time where I wish I could text another Norwegian friend or use my phone to look up a map or access Google Translate at the grocery store. Since I am going to be here for a year it makes sense, especially for when I travel around Norway. I will add my number to my contact info on here, but please remember that since it is prepaid I have to pay for every single text and minute of calling, so I'd prefer to keep it as limited as possible...cuz I am cheap haha BAKING: *Warning this may not be interesting to most males and some females. Oh man, ingredients here are a bit different! The other day I went to find baking soda and had a bit of trouble, then I finally figured out what my problem was...I was looking for something that resembled the Arm&Hammer Baking Soda boxes from home, but eventually found it in packet form. There are maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons in the packet at best. The other think that proved a bit difficult to find was shortening. I have not been able to find anything similar to Crisco here, but I found a refrigerated vegetable shortening that worked fine. I wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies and also couldn't find chocolate chips. I've realized that these kind of cookies are not exactly as common here as in the states. I decided to buy a big Freia Melkesjokolade bar and cut it up into pieces. The other weird ingredient to find was brown sugar. All of the sugar here is much coarser than at home, and when I asked for brown sugar in that store I was offered the stuff that you put in coffee. Once again the packaging fooled me. It was in a tiny bag with a picture of a piece of coffee cake on it. When I got back to my home and opened the bag I found something that didn't look like the brown sugar I was used to. There was a very strong molasses smell and once again, grainy sugar. When I started to cream the sugars and butter I found that they didn't turned into the same smooth concoction I am used to. Long story short the first batch ended up weird, I added a lot more flour, the chocolate pieces all melted to nothingness inside the cookies but they tasted OK. I forgot to mention, this was on my birthday, and since I didn't have stuff to make a cake I tried to do cookies. Yesterday I came back wiser and more prepared to make cookies again. I made peanut butter cookies and stuck a piece of the Norwegian Chocolate in the middle. I use these cookies as bargaining chips for rides and other favors. If I have learned anything in my life, its that boys will gladly do things for food. And though the ones on my birthday didn't turn out to great, I was lucky enough to have a cake after all. My friend Hannah was gone on a school trip so I spent most of my birthday alone, but my first Norwegian friend that I've made here, Øystein, invited me over to watch a movie with him and his girlfriend. I could not have asked for anything better; cake, a movie, great conversation and good friends is all I could want for my birthday. I'll try to get better at updating this more often. If there is anything you want to hear about or are interested to have to tell about, let me know! Hope all is well for you, and thanks for all your prayers! |
AuthorMy name is Bonney, and I am a student at Pacific Lutheran University. This year I will be studying abroad in Bø i Telemark, Norway. Archives
May 2015
Categories
All
|