The first two weeks at the university are filled with free *gratis* things. One of our favorites last week were the student bags filled with goodies. Many bags magically disappeared in backpacks and we lined up for the second bag (I heard from a Norwegian that that’s what one does in Norway. They line up for 2 or 3… I don’t know, but I lined up for my second free bag anyways…).

When we saw a couple of students with these bags today we knew just what to do.

Student starter packs include: kinder chocolate, liquorice, instant coffee, a ruler, toothpaste, gum, instant noodles, coupons for stuff (in Norwegian, and my lessons don’t start till next week) chocolates, Knäckebrot, nuts, shower gel, cheerios, antibacterial wipes, and a condom of course.

A small market we discovered today. Funky stuff, lovely mittens, and delicious waffles. We’ll have to go back for a concert at night time.

Blueberry trip to Nordmarka

The International student office at the university organizes fun trips for all international students every Friday afternoon. This week we went on a lovely hike, didn’t really find all those blueberries, but had a good time.

It’s Thursday and my first week of school is almost over. It’s been great getting to know everyone. We are a truly diverse group with students from the Maldives, Belize, Indonesia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Philippines, Mexico, Tanzania, Croatia, Germany (or Canada, that’s me!), Germany (Mexico), Ghana (UK), Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Ireland, and Serbia.

Just waiting for classes to start…

We’ve spent the morning comparing Early Childhood Education in our countries and prepared for group presentations tomorrow. (Tomorrow! They’ve got a full agenda for us here.) After being overwhelmed by all the different systems at first, we’ve managed to find similarities and differences. I’ve brought some photos of Pooh Corner and am excited to share a little bit of home with my new classmates.

Holmenkollbakken is a large ski jump at the edge of Oslo.

We found the path less traveled and had a picnic lunch away form the tourists. My classmates in this photo are from Ireland, Ecuador, Poland, and Estonia.

Almost looks like BC when you’re on top of the mountain… But the flag gives it away!

love love love, miss you, Antje

A comment from my friend Michelle: “Olive was very disappointed to hear all the good-looking puppies were gone by the time you were at the bbq. I had to explain to her that “hot dogs” does not mean good-looking puppies.”

Our first pub in Oslo. Tap beer was 56 NOK = 10 CAD. This is a good price in Norway! We came up with many ways to make the beer last longer…

We think that our program starts in Oslo so that we can concentrate on the academic and not the social life. Imagine they started us out in Ireland? We would be at the pub all the time.

I am in the lobby.

Hello everyone,

Remember, I had that bike accident many months ago? If you happen to see that skateboarder at the seawall send him my way! Unfortunately my shoulder/arm still hurts when I type too much so I took a bit of a break from the blog.

I’ve bought a yoga mat for stretching and will make sure to stretch everyday. I think there is a free weight room at school so I can strengthen my muscles too. And perhaps I’ll get a secretary!

Last night we went to a student BBQ at St. Hanshaugen park. When we arrived there was a sea of students and of course there were no hot dogs left. Next time (I think I’ll be busy that day!) we’ll bring some drinks, that’s for sure! I was wondering if you could drink in public parks, but there seems to be no problem at all.

So we went home early for a Tuesday night dinner. It was lovely.