A Happy Hour at the American Embassy - Don't Mind if I Do!

Let's tackle some serious issues here kids - namely booze. As most of you know, I have been known to enjoy a cocktail or two (or ten- don't judge me). As a matter of fact, as a person with few hobbies and a strong desire to be out and about as opposed to staying at home, I find drinking to be a very enjoyable pastime. This, however, becomes problematic when one moves to Norway. Norway has a special luxury tax on three items - tobacco, candy, and alcohol. Thus, alcohol is crazy expensive. If you order a beer at a bar or a restaurant, you should expect to pay at least 80-100 kroner, which is the equivalent of 15-20 USD. The only thing that I have found that is even remotely reasonable price-wise is boxed wine. I bought a box the other day, and if my math is correct, it averages out at about $12 a bottle, which I am okay with. Here is my lovely purchase:

By the way, I have a special love for boxed wine. It reminds me of when I lived with my BFF (what up, Ash!) and it has a spigot, which is decidedly awesome. Anyone who criticizes/ looks down on boxed wine hates America and drowns bunnies.

This will last me for quite a while, but I still felt ripped off. So imagine my delight when Krista (my boss at ACN) asked me if I would like to go to a Happy Hour at the American Embassy to celebrate the inauguration and mentioned that the drinks would be "American priced." Hanging out with diplomats and drinking drinks that don't cost more than the clothes I am wearing? Yes, please. It was really fun. They had cocktails called "Obama-Mamas" and "Fiscal Cliff Cocktails" that were normal prices. They also had food and the people were really friendly. I got to meet some people from the Department of Education and some of the US Marines stationed here in Norway. I also got my picture taken with cardboard cutouts of the Obamas (I will have to get the picture from Krista, she took it on her phone). It was a nice way to end the week. Well, that's it for now. Until next time... 

President Obama’s Second Inauguration Celebrated Overseas

Today I got to do something special. The American Embassy invited several people, including individuals from ACN, to Oslo to view the inauguration of the President of the United States via live stream and then enjoy a screening of Lincoln. It was not special just because it was fun, though it was, for sure. There was free booze - which in Norway is like somebody passing out gold f-ing coins, real talk.  But it was special more so because it reminded me why I was/ am so happy that President Obama was re-elected. Now, I don’t make my politics secret to anyone. I would probably be a card-carrying member of the socialist party if such a thing still actually existed in the US (and if I wasn’t deeply skeptical of all organized groups and their potential for corruption). But I am not happy about President Obama’s election solely for the reasons that most people would think. Of course I am thrilled that we have a President that wants to protect the rights of women, fight poverty and the unequal distribution of resources, end a decade of stupid and fruitless war, make healthcare a right for all citizens, and finally allow all citizens the right to marry whom they choose. These are all fantastic reasons to be happy that President Obama was re-elected. But above all these things, I am downright proud that cynicism and hatred did not triumph in this election.

There was and is a lot to despise about the Romney/ Ryan campaign and the politics it represented. So much in fact that I am not going to go into all the details. Instead I am going to point out the thing I thought the very worst of their whole disgusting agenda, and that is the absolute disdain and blatant cynicism that the campaign displayed not only towards its opponents, but also its own constituents. Basically, the Romney/ Ryan campaign fed on the idea that they could win an election through scare tactics and lying. Their goal was to cater to the worst impulses in humans and capitalize on individuals who were and still are going through some of the hardest times of their lives. They banked on the notion that people would not inform themselves, and would fall for their faked photo-ops and soulless pandering. And you know what? It didn’t work. In a country that faces one of the worst economic crises in recent history, where people are losing their houses and jobs and benefits, people still chose a candidate that would best lead the country. They didn’t let Romney and Ryan and their campaign’s cynicism and contempt for the American people win.

Listening to President Obama’s speech today reminded me of how proud I was that Election Day. Not to say that President Obama is perfect, he certainly is not. But what his re-election represents for me is one of the qualities that I admire most in any person – optimism. The idea that facing hard times does not mean that we should compromise our integrity; it means that we should visualize a better future and work hard to try and make that happen. It was a nice reminder, and I am glad I got to experience this moment of real pride in my being an American citizen while currently the guest of another nation.  

A Trip to the Capital - Oslo

 Hi everyone! Today I decided to venture out of my new little home and peruse the capital of Norway, the city of Oslo. Kate, the other instructor from UND, and I left by train for Oslo this morning and just kind of meandered around the city for a while. We looked at some shops, saw some sights, and went to the Nobel Peace Center. Here are some highlights from the day:

This is Karl Johans Gate. It is kind of the main walking street in this part of Oslo. There is lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, and such

Most of the buildings are very pretty. Lots of old architecture

This is the National Theatre. I would like to see a show there, but since I wouldn't know what the hell was going on, I might skip it

This is the Royal Palace. I think this is the least flashy palace ever made. Norwegians are not know for being frivolous, that's for sure

       

This is a statue of Karl Johan. The inscription on the side says roughly (acoording to google translate) "The People's Love is My Reward"

This is one of the palace guards. Surprisingly the guards are actually armed, but I am pretty sure the weapon they carry is a BB gun

This guard was nice enough to let me take a picture with him. He was very cute and gracious, and I am pretty sure he was 12 years old. I wanted to ask why they choose to guard the royal family with lightly armed toddlers, but I didn't want to seem rude

The view of the city from the palace steps

The waterfront. Kate assured me that it is much more lively and entertaining when it isn't frozen

This is the Nobel Peace Center. It is currently showing a very interesting exhibit on Mahatma Gandhi who they refer to as "the missing laureate" because while nominated on multiple occasions, he was never awarded the prize 

 

This is me listening to some information about Gandhi on what are possibly the first headphones to ever be manufactured. These things had to be at least 60 years old.

A very, very cool exhibit about the role of cartoons in public discourse surrounding the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict

In case you can't read the picture, it says, "It's easy to forget the human side of this. The cartoons help show the real face of the conflict. They help people realize that we are all in this together"

A few of the cartoons displayed

Each one of the peace laureates has a tablet that displays information about their lives and work and they are surrounded by these cool lights. It looked really pretty, but I have to be honest and tell you guys that I definitely did not read them all (or any of them actually - I might suck)

Another view of the lights and peace laureate tablets

The Grand Hotel

The buildings all lit up and pretty

This is Stortinget, the Parliament of Norway

And finally, a Tiger. I have no clue why there is a random tiger statue outside the train station, but I am just going with it

This was pretty much my day in photo-form. We also had a seriously awesome (and surprisingly affordable) meal at the cafe in the Nobel Peace center, but I don't want to become one of those people who takes pictures of the food I eat as if that is a totally normal and not ridiculous thing to do (you know who you are - knock it off!) The day was fun, relaxing, and really f-ing cold. I am now snuggled under a blanket with some hot tea, trying to warm up about 6 hours of chill. I am sure I will go back to Oslo and do some more serious city-exploring, but I think it may be wise to wait for a warmer day. That's it for now. Thanks for reading, pals of mine!

Sliding My Way to Work

I am going to warn my lovely little group of readers: there will be some light to moderate complaining in this post. I like teaching. I like teaching a lot. It is one of the few jobs, that I know of, where you do not have a boss breathing down your neck and you are not only encouraged, but expected to design your days as you see fit. Here is what I don't like about teaching in Norway - walking down the slick as all f**k hill to the school while it is still dark. I had mentioned before that in Norway they do not clear the sidewalks or streets. This means that any snow/ water/ slush that is accumulated throughout a given day freezes overnight into a solid sheet of ice. Now, I live in Grand Forks and I have previously lived in Champaign, IL. I am accustomed to walking on ice, even if I am still pretty bad at it. Those areas of the world, however, are flat. My trek to school here in Moss is short, but it also happens to be straight down a steep hill. It's also dark. So far I have fallen twice. Here is my regular morning path:

Notice how you can't see anything? Yeah, me neither

Today I managed to get down the hill unscathed. Thank god I listened to my mama and brought my snow boots instead of the cute boots I wanted to replace them with. These boots are making it possible for me get to work with at least a little bit of dignity intact:

If you are wondering, the answer is yes, my snow boots are silver leopard spotted. I am forever 12 years old

I will leave you all with something a little more pleasant, the lovely view outside my kitchen window. Although it is a certified pain in the ass to have to walk on the ski slope that is the hill to my apartment, I am very happy to look out the window and see this:

Thanks for reading and have a good week. Until next time...

Tackling the Domestic While in a Foreign Country

For those of you who know me well, you know that I will do anything, and I mean anything, to avoid laundry. While I love clothes and fashion (I turned my second bedroom at my apartment in Grand Forks into a walk-in closet instead of creating an office for myself like a goddamn adult, for instance), I hate the horrible maintenance and never-ending mess that comes with a large wardrobe. Here is the thing I hate about laundry - it is a chore that is never officially finished. If you are wearing clothes, your laundry cannot be completed. I guess you could do laundry naked if you own a washer and dryer, but I have until most recently either lived in apartments without such appliances or with roommates. And while I love most of my former roommates and have had few problems with my neighbors, I think most people would generally frown upon using communal laundry space whilst wearing nothing but a smile. Because I hate this chore so much, I usually let my laundry pile up until I have about 7-8 loads to do. Here in Norway, however, I cannot avoid doing laundry. I didn't bring that much stuff with me. I brought 5 dresses, 5 pairs of pants, 12 skirts, a handful of sweaters, maybe 15 tops, and 5 pairs of tights (and of course socks and underwear, but I am assuming you don't need the rundown on that). That may seem like a lot to some, but to me, it is incredibly limiting. And it forces me to do laundry much more frequently. Today I decided to tackle the problem head on. This ended up being more difficult than I anticipated because instead of having written labels and instructions, which even if in Norwegian can be translated easily through the magic of google, there are just weird symbols on the appliances:

This is the washer. There are far more buttons than necessary, and I am not too sure I put the soap in the right place, but at least the cycles themselves are labeled with words

The Dryer, however, is like "fuck words, let's use happy faces, rain drops, and fern leaves to indicate how to operate this machine. Doesn't everyone speak emoticon/ clip art?

It was what I imagine trying to do laundry on the space station is like. Basically, I stared at the extra buttons on the washer for a couple minutes and was like, "welp I'll just push some things, pour some soap in, hit the start button and hope for the best." The clothes smelled clean, so I guess it worked out okay. The dryer, on the other hand, is either highly ineffective or I picked the wrong fern leaf/ happy face combination. It didn't so much dry my clothes as warm them up. I ended up just hanging them to dry, so I guess no harm no foul. It is funny how you forget that even the mundane can become interesting if what you are familiar with is suddenly changed. While I was annoyed by this laundry ordeal, I was also kind of amused. The absurdity of a grown woman yelling "why in the fuck would anyone consider a rain drop and an exclamation point an effective communication system" to her dryer while alone in her apartment is not lost on me. Well, I don't have anything else to say. Until next time.

First Teaching Day and a Walk Around Town

Today is the first day of teaching, and it has gone just fine so far. I finished my syllabi with 9 hours to spare, because I am both responsible and punctual... My satire class looks like it is going to be full and the students are already talkative, which is great. Comp is comp, not much different than teaching it at UND. Maybe fewer eye rolls, but give them time and I am sure the students' contempt for the class will grow to American proportions. Today, during the long break I have between classes I took a walk around town. It's not exactly a beautiful day outside or anything, but I decided to take photos anyway. Here are some pictures of foggy little Moss:

This is the American College of Norway

Here's where I live

This is one side of the waterfall I cross to get to town

The beach of one of the fjords

 A little boardwalk/ dock

Having lived in land-locked areas my whole life, I have never seen semi-trucks being loaded onto a huge freight ship

Moss from the Island

Some boats and the bridge between Moss and the island

More boats

A little harbor/ bay area with shops and a big ass boat

Boardwalk/ dock again

The Norwegian Lady. She waits for the safe return of the men at sea. Apparently there is an identical statue in Virginia Beach, because that is one of Moss's sister-cities

The walkway to the beach/ boardwalk

This is the city's crest, the golden crow. The story goes that hundreds of crows circled the town's church and alerted the townspeople that the church was on fire, thus saving it from ruin

The church the crows saved

  One of the many steep, icy hills in town. Norwegians don't clear the sidewalks. Apparently nobody sues here because "it's your fault you have stupid shoes on"

This is the other side of the waterfall and the now defunct paper mill. The mill is the reason that Moss has a faint, oh-so-pleasant sulfur smell. It looks cool, though

The pictures pretty much accurately capture what Moss has looked like every day I have been here thus far. It actually kind of reminds me of southern Ohio in the winter: gray, dreary, but manageable. The darkness thing is not as bad as I thought it would be, the sun rises at about 8:00am or so and sets at 4:30pm-ish. Not awful, but not great. I think this is it for right now. I am anticipating that teaching 4 classes will slow down the progress of this little blog, so don't be surprised if I don't post as frequently. These are charmed days where I have little to do and still possess the energy to do things beyond teach and read...

My New Abode

So, today is my second full day in Norway, and so far, so good. I know where the mall, some bars, the library, the train station, and the grocery store are - so I feel like I am set. My apartment is quite nice, much more room than I am used to. Note the lovely pictures:

My Bedroom: the bed is huge and it has a walk-in closet big enough to use as a dressing room. It makes my giving up my awesome bed and "closet room" in Grand Forks for the semester less painful.

The Living Room: it is quite spacious and has a fireplace, but I am afraid that I will burn the place down, so I will stick to the electric heat, thankyouverymuch.

The Office/ Spare Bedroom: again, really big and nice. If anyone wants to come visit, I have room for you, that's for sure!

The Kitchen: I have successfully made oatmeal, cut up carrots and apples, and boiled water in here thus far. Hopefully the culinary endeavors become a little more advanced in the following weeks, or I am going to be seriously hungry - and sick of oatmeal, carrots, and apples.

The Bathroom: this is seriously the biggest bathroom I have ever had. The sink/ vanity area is separate from the toilet area, and...

The Shower Room: that's right, the shower has its own room - complete with heated dressing area. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

I really like this apartment. It is the whole second floor of a house and actually also has a second sitting area, but I forgot to take a picture of it, mostly because I haven't really been in there and I doubt I will use it much. I will post pictures of the outside and the view from my window in an upcoming post dedicated to Moss and ACN in general. I think this is it for now. I gotta tell you guys - I am pretty proud of myself for remembering to do this whole blog thing. 2 posts in 4 days, not too shabby - for me at least.

The First Travel Day

Here I am on my first leg of the journey. I still look okay, and not like the sleep deprived mess I was when I actually got to Norway

Hi anyone who has chosen to read this fairly narcissistic little project I have decided to start. I am assuming that if you are reading this that you know me personally and are interested in my recent decision to teach for a semester in Norway. And since I am assuming that most of you dear readers already know me, you can imagine how counter blogging, or public writing at all, is to my personality. I can honestly say that I have never been a blogger or even a journal writer. Frankly, dedicating time to any task that has no consequence if not accomplished has never been on the top of my priority list. It is the reason why I have so few hobbies; my apathy toward anything other than those things that have dire consequences if not completed (such as failing or disappointing people I admire) always wins out in the end. In addition, I find my writing voice (much like my speaking voice) a little grating, so I don't make it a habit of subjecting others to it (very much unlike my speaking voice, which I try to subject people to on a constant basis). Anyway, this blog will be dedicated to chronicling my journey to Norway, the teaching experience I have at the American College of Norway, and the travelling I do throughout the semester. I am writing this blog for two reasons: 1) It is an easy way to keep track of all the things I will do over the next semester. Let's face it, I am never gonna be a scrapbook kind of gal...and 2) It will give me a way to let those who are interested see what I am doing without repeating the same information over and over. So, in the spirit of getting started on the right foot, I am writing this first entry on the bus from Oslo to Moss. The bus has Wifi, which is very cool, considering the last bus I was on could only offer the smell of urine and a homeless guy puking in the back - what up, Cincinnati Metro! Both plane rides were easy and uneventful. It was interesting having all the announcements made in Norwegian first, then English (thank god for the English, guess who didn't bother to learn the native language of the country she moved to...this gal). Two of the exchange students from UND were on my flight, so we navigated the Oslo airport as a team, which is always good. While they are here to study and I am here to teach, it makes me feel less alone to have other UND people around. There is little else to tell right now, but I wanted to get this first blog post in before I forgot. I have no idea how frequent they will be, but I will try to be consistent (of course, that could mean that I consistently forget to write anything, and let's face it, that would be par for the course). Bye for now.