Finals Time!

Finals are here, and I'm ready to step up to the plate. I'm quite a bit behind on my independent study research, but I'm getting an extension into next semester. Other than that I'm looking at another great semester worth of grades as long as I can NAIL my Norwegian final tomorrow. It's actually 2 parts. We have a written final tomorrow and an oral final the day to follow. I have other work to be done, but I should be ok for the rest of my classes (meaning getting an "A").
I was lucky enough to go to the CNN news conference interview of the Nobel Prize last Saturday (Held each year in Oslo). It was GREAT! I got to shake Jonathan Mann's hand, (one of CNN's biggest, baddest and best reporters). I am in the process of making a video for my Comm 402 final, so I'll post it tomorrow after I'm done.

Sunset on a Sunday

Dece in December

Well. I am just dunbfounded at this website. I have more movies that won't upload that are finished than I know what to do with. I can't figure out what the problem is. Hopefully in back at school I can figure it out.
I have videos with footage regarding...

-Trip to Copenhagen
-Trip to Barcelona/Dublin
-A tour of the city of Moss
 These are very long videos that take a while to upload, but I've given some of them more than 24 hours to do so. SO, we'll see what happens, I always have them on my computer to show to those who are interested.
I LEAVE IN 2 WEEKS! Ahhhh!

I also just decided that I can't wait to go back to Squires Dining Hall and build myself a HUGE Cesar Salad with chicken.... ooooh weeeeee!

Sick

Sick all day today, and not "sick" as in super cool, rad or awesome. I've had a massive migraine and been throwing up, oh but it gets better.... I'm one of 8 rooms in the dorms at the moment that had pipes freeze while I was on vacation, so there's no running water in my room. (Throwing up in a toilet I can't immediately flush... oh man). Life will get better, I'm feeling better already. It's just days like today I wish I was at home in a nice bed getting served some chicken noodle soup by those who love me. Happy Thanksgiving to all, I'm so very thankful I was gifted with the opportunities I have been, the people in my life, and the brain to get me around.
Less than a month left... as a matter of fact in 1 month I'll be at home with the fam!

Hockey

I've noticed something familiar about being around what to me is "foreign".
>>And that is simply that regardless of the language you speak, Smiles are Universally translated.


I say this because, as you know from reading, I've been able to finally play hockey here. I play in what we in the states would call the "old men's" league, here they say "gamle gutter" which translates to "old boys". The only difference here is that they actually compete with other old men's teams throughout the county.
I'm not allowed to play games here in Norway with the kids my age because I'm not a citizen, and I am too young to play with the old boys.
To get to my point.... I get to practice with them now twice a week--Tues and Thurs nights. (they play their games on Sun nights)
Well, I've only been out there twice, and I got to skate today (Saturday) against the A team for a charity game.
Having watched two of my friends play in a game every Sunday, in actual competitive hockey (something we don't have in the states much after high school) I get ancy and wish I could play.
     The guys rounded up some old equipment lying around the locker room so I could skate, and I couldn't be happier. My equipment sucks, but I don't care. I actually LOVE my helmet. It's a bright red Jofa bucket from the mid 80's with a halfer visor on it. FILTHY!
I said the smiling thing, because I honestly can not stop smiling on the ice the entire time I've been out there. I look at my reflection, with this sugar sweet red melon protector on my dome and just giggle. The language barrier on the ice is quite a problem. There are only a few guys that can speak english, and I'm still not good enough to "snakker norsk" with them yet. BUT, they all seem to like me, and don't mind that I'm out there simply because I'm smiling the whole time.
The smile comment also comes into play a couple of different times.
When I babysit, the youngest child, the girl, doesn't speak any Eniglish. However, we get along great! We can just feed of off each other's expressions, reading into them, and keep in mind she's only 4.
When their grandparents came over last Thursday, the bestemor (grandma) didn't speak english. Not a problem , simply with facial expressions and gestures we communicated perfectly without even using words.
I have to go, I will write more on this, but I'm headed to Lillestom, where Nicolai my buddy is from, for the evening. PEACE.

Torsdag

It's a shame my time here is winding down so fast. I've been up late studying, up early doing homework. I'm so surprised at how much work I have over here for only 13 credits. -- Norwegian Every night (Ver dag) Comm. is always on my mind, we have papers due frequently. Politics and FIlm classes are easier-going, but I still have work for them. I've come to appreciate coffee since I've been here, it's been a huge help with all of this.
As far as my independent study goes, I meet with Dr. Rendahl today to find out what I have to finish up to get a grade.
Vi snakkes!
(We'll talk soon)

Tirsdag (Tuesday)

Had a Norwegian test today--rocked it like a Hendrix song. I'm getting better at the language I have to say. I'm in the process of planning a way to show off my Norwegian skills on the blog, any ideas?
I have roughly 5 weeks left and it's winding down all too fast. In exactly one week I'm taking a trip to Brussels and in exactly one month I'm taking a trip to Paris with some members of the school =)
In between there I'm going to visit my old next-door neighbor, John Artig, in Germany--which I am VERY excited for, not many better dudes out there than him.

-soon

LOVE

Wednesday the 10th of November

The First Snowfall!

A Case of the "Moooooooonnnddaaayyyys"

     I'm still amazed at how differently certain things are here than compared to home. In Politics class today, the class persuaded the teacher to delay our paper another week. Great, of course, but this isn't the first time it's happened. As a matter of fact this is the third paper (not just in Polls) that has been postponed or delayed because students aren't prepared and are whining for more time.
     I got asked today by one of the girls if UND is easier than this. I replied as nicely as I could, "Are you kidding!". That would never happen. Your class would laugh at you (as would the teacher) if you raised your hand in the middle of a lecture bowl saying this week is too busy, can we get an extension. OR this is a good one, my film teacher, a UND grad student brought up another point when we were having a conversation regarding the same topic earlier today. She said that one of the students came up to her a couple weeks ago and asked if she could make the 15 point weekly quiz we have "easier next week", stating that "we are just so busy until then." Of course she replied "absolutely not"! We have already been granted with a word bank, which we didn't have at the beginning of the semester, but because the students whined so much about the difficulty of the test, the prof decided to add a word bank to help us out.
     Through talking to some classmates, it's just a part of their culture. They whine and moan about how "hard" an assignment is, or how "busy" they are and the teacher will usually give them some lee-way. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad we don't have that back home. The classes I've been in high school-- we'd have never had an assignment due!
     I also need to comment on the use of laptops in class. There are classes that I am in (I don't want to name which) that I am not lying, a good 90% of the kids are on Facebook disregarding what the teacher is lecturing about. I do not, and again, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it really irritates me... I mean how am I supposed to concentrate on the teacher when I'm so caught up in the game of "Tetris" being played by the girl sitting in front of me =)
     Another thing: they make you pay for your bags at the grocery store, I don't think I mentioned that before. It's only a matter of time until that starts happening in the states I'm sure.
     Well the Vikes finally won, glad to see that, although they did it in a ridiculous fashion, on the lighter side good thing I'm not a Dallas Cowboys fan.
     To get back on the homework subject, we DO actually have quite a bit to do for Comm. 402 in the upcoming weeks here. Norwegian is getting better, I had dug myself in a hole and I'm climbing out of it. We got to re-do a section of the test, which I did much better on.
Other than that, I'm learning lots in Politics and having a blast in Intro to film.
     Being over here sure puts a good perspective on life. I'm ready to go back and seize the day; take the country by storm. I have my sights set on a pretty cool internship for next summer (not the upcoming one) out in New York, so it's my goal to save up some dough and build a good media-related resume by the time December 1st 2011 rolls around, when the application for it is due.
I sign up for classes on Friday and I'm actually excited. I forgot that selecting classes is good fun...especially now that the majority of my essential studies are out of the way and I can take classes that pertain to my major and will help me in the future. With the whole "perspective" thing, it's making me look at the bigger picture of my education. I'm realizing I'm not in that big of a hurry to complete my degree and enter the career world. I'm realizing the fact that I want more than a bachelor of Arts degree in "Communication". I am interested in WAY more than that. SO we'll see, maybe another major, a minor or two, or grad school is in the future for me. I mean it cant hurt =)
    When it comes to the "perspective" I've been talking about, this most defiantly goes for anyone who is taking the time out of their day to read this. I appreciate you stopping by, and you truly mean a lot to me. Feel free to leave a little comment so I know you were here.
THANKS!

Saturday

I worked today!
It's not exactly work... I get to hang out with a family of three boys and a girl and play with them in English, to help them retain their language skills. I had been to their house twice, but today I took the three boys and two of their friends to the local swimming pool; it was Great! They had a waterslide and a high-dive--real decent. I was surprised at how the pool is ran compared to a typical one in the states. There were less rules and the lifeguards weren't as strict. There weren't "roped" off areas at the bottom of the waterslide. You were allowed to go on it 3 people at a time-regardless of age or if you were wearing "water wings".

Today is "National Movie Day" here in Norway, so every ticket to a movie is half price.
I'm going to see the social network flick about facebook, hope it's gooooood.....
=)

1/2 way through my study abroad experience

The Harbor in Oslo

Hola!

Thank you!

Many new followers this week on the blog, Thanks folks!

Fishing on a School Day

There's more...

Make notice that you can hit the "VIEW MORE" tab at the bottom of the page to see more of the past additions to the blog.

A man with a mind for victory....

October 19th 2010

    I am excited and honored to know that I am an official blogger of the University of North dakota. It felt like no one was really reading my writing, but now that I'm a link on the Study Abroad page I'm excited as ever to share my experiences with anyone willing to read the text or watch the videos.
Speaking of videos, I DO have 3 ready to be posted, but they won't upload. Maybe I'm being impatient, but regardless it shouldn't take a 5 min. Video more than 2 hours to upload.... Come On!
       I leave on Friday for Dublin, and it's a bittersweet happenstance. It just so happens that I'm missing the ACN Homecoming dance scheduled for that day. The excellent coordinators we have--have gotten a DJ, a party spot and everything needed to make a GREAT night. I'm meeting my good buddy Tyler Farrell in Dublin and we'll be there from Friday until Tuesday staying at his friend's place. Then, on Tuesday, We fly from Dublin to Barcelona to spend roughly 4 days there. (We get in late Tuesday night, I leave Saturday afternoon.) I'm excited to finally get to travel around Europe, I had been waiting for Tarik to get his Visa, but it still hasn't come. Of course I feel guilty leaving him behind, as any friend would, but I can't wait until we can go somewhere exciting together REAL soon. =)
     I'm sure I'll be having fun, I'm just bumming out that I'm missing such a fun evening. Classes are really under-way. We've been swamped the past week and it will continue until Thursday. I have 2 more papers due next week along with the Norwegian 101 exam I have tomorrow morning. I'm making sure I get pictures of the dance to post on here so my viewers know what it's like to have a Homecoming with a 70 student school...keeping in mind we weren't aware there even was a homecoming week until roughly 6 days before. Regardless, I'm going to make it home in time for the Halloween Party, which should be fun. I'm currently Brian-storming (no, not "brain" storming) for the upcoming Study Abroad meeting at UND... What I wished I had asked before I came over here.
Please leave comments,
Love the feedback.....
BG

holler.

My first trip to the Mat Butikken (grocery store)

I skipped showing the 10 min walk that I recorded from the dorms to the store, but you'll see the scenery in a movie coming up soon when I show a tour of the city. I will also show more on the grocery store, but check out the way they buy bread..wierd!

Friday the 15th

Oh lordy did I have fun today!

Our Norwegian 101 class went on a kayaking trip this morning and it was a blast. I had never been real kayaking before today--but I can say that I'll be going again soon. We started in a lake near our school and traveled upstream a couple kilometers before stopping, having norwegian buns and taking a break at a rest stop--then turning around and heading back to where we started. Because I was afraid of getting it wet, I didn't bring my camera to take pictures. However, I didn't tip over once, Tarik--on the other hand-- flipped twice.

Back into the swing of things

     I'm back from my journey to Stavanger and it seems as if someone turned up the speed on the treadmill that is my coursework. We're deep into all of my classes and it's time to play catch-up. I'm not exactly behind at all, it's just that in the next week and a half I have 2 exams (one of which is a mid-term), a quiz, a group presentation, a take home test of a minimum eight pages, and another essay due. SO-- for anyone reading this blog thinking that they can come over any study abroad and take a cake-walk though their classes, I'm sad to inform you that you're wrong. I guess if I didn't care about my grades this would be easier, but why come to "study" abroad if I'm going to sit and beat everyone in NHL 11 all day. Not happening. I have boat loads of pictures to put up as well. Please comment or e mail me (brian.gendreau@und.nodak.edu) and let me know what you think of the blog so far. I'm running thin on ideas to make videos about, mainly because I know you don't want to see me sit and talk in front of the camera for hours on end. Boooorring!

     I'm sorry to those recently offended, Norwegians DO drink as much milk as Americans-- I misspoke.  

My Norwegian 101 class is going kayaking on Friday, should be fun! 

Hopefully the weather holds out, or at least the precipitation. It was quite rainy last week in Stavanger (home of Mr. Experience, Ulrik Hulkali) and it's been cold here since Sunday when I got back, although it's not too bad when the sun is out. High of 51, Low of 36 today, should continue to be like this all week. 

Over and out. 

   B.E.G.

Let me hear from you, my followers!

PRIDE

ACN Cribs

This was me today

Stavanger on Fall Break... GO TWINS!

            I am currently in Stavanger, Norway and thoroughly enjoying it. Tonight we went to a professional soccer game at the local stadium and watched a victory take place for the home team—the Viking futbol’ club (out of Stavanger).

This is quite the city. I am VERY impressed with the history that surrounds it, as well as the current way of life. As a matter of fact, in 2008 Stavanger, Norway was named a “European Culture Capital” because of it’s rich, celebrated history. The city got big in the later 18 and 1900’s as a world leader in production of sardines! It’s (as you can tell by my picture) on the coast of the North sea and is b-e-a-utiful to say the least with the harbor littered with old and new buildings, and "old town", a "downtown" (business) and a "nightlife" area/section as well. It's a clean city and seems to be one of the classier places I've been since coming to Study Abroad. Stavanger gains quite a bit of money from the oil industry, something Norway is very proud of. It’s the 3^rd largest city in Norway as well. It hardly snows here in Stavanger, and you cant ell by looking at the houses. Most garages are not enclosed, and practically every house has at least one large porch. It does get cold during the winter, but rarely below freezing for an extended period of time.
We’ve also been to a professional hockey game since we’ve been here, the team that Ulrik used to play for—the Stavanger Oilers. I did take pictures at the game, but they were on Tarik’s camera that got lost on the same night. I’m going to bed tonight listening to the Twins Game one against the over-rated-over-paid New York Yankees—very excited. 

Stavanger is where I'm currently spending my fall break, where Ulrik my friend is from.

His family.... (Far, Mor, Bror and Hund Zorro)(father, mother, brother and dog Zorro)

....have been VERY friendly and welcoming, I can't thank them enough for their hospitality.

Hiking in the morning, many pictures to come, although Tarik lost his camera in the back seat of a Stavangerian Taxi!

9/29.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! =)

This entry is a bit “scatterbrained, but if you’re reading this blog, then you most likely know me, and know that I can tend to possess that quality from time to time. So please, fasten your safety belt and bare with me.

I made a little journal before I came here, so I would remember what I thought before I came. I was defiantly wrong about a lot of things. I wondered about TV and movies. I was defiantly surprised by the fact that most of the media that influences the Norwegian culture is from America. They watch shows in the dorms like “The Simpsons”, “Gossip Girl”, “South Park”, “King of Queens” and others. They watch almost all of the same movies, although there are Norwegian and Swedish films as well. There is quite an American music influence over here, but the music that is liked and accepted over here is a bit different. (a lot of Techno and a lot of Pop music.) I am a fan of Old Rock and Roll and Real Rap—not poppy hip-hop, and I don’t seem to share the connection with too many of the students here…well the Norwegian ones anyway. There are quite a few kids that go to school here that were at some point foreign exchange students in the U.S. Their states have ranged from Oklahoma and Kansas to Seattle and even Grand Forks!

Everything here is quite expensive. To be honest I don’t think I’ve run into anything that is cheaper here than at home. Norwegians pay quite a bit in taxes on their goods—anywhere from 10 to 25 percent depending on what is being purchased. Because of this, Norwegians, especially the lower class, big families, and students tend to drive to Sweden to buy certain things like meats, cheese, tobacco, alcohol and candy. They also tend to buy their expensive technologies (like computers, ipods and what not) in the Untied States, because even after duty and taxes it’s still cheaper. Another result of the high prices, is that they rarely tip at a restaurant or bar—not a thing. In the U.S. 10% is stingy, here it’s greatly appreciated.

I could go on and on about the difference in shopping for food. I have a video to accompany this, but I have been shocked at what I’ve found in the meat section in the grocery store. They don’t have refrigerated turkey or chicken, they only serve frozen chicken breasts, and in larger bags (pretty much in bulk). They have red meats, but not like at home. There’s little selection as to what kind of hamburger, steak and pork, and they’re slim pickings. I expected to see a lot of fish, especially cheaper and that’s not the case. They have a selection comparable to a nice Rainbow or Kowalski’s in the states, roughly priced the same. They don’t have much for white lunch meat (meaning turkey and chicken)

They don’t sell milk in anything bigger than a 1.5 liter carton, mainly because Norwegians don’t drink nearly as much milk as we do. Grocery shopping has been an event to say the least. To use a cart, you need to insert a 10 kroner coin (worth almost $2.00) so it will unlock.

Another thing you have to pay for that I was astounded by is the bathroom! At train stations, in the mall and in other certain places it costs almost a dollar to use the bathroom! Ridiculous! I was waiting for a train and after eating at the station I had 5 kroner left on me…that’s it. I spent it on a little piece of chocolate…which turned out to be disgusting! (In my opinion it was gross… because it had coconut filling. However, Norwegian chocolate is UNREAL—So good. World famous actually, behind the swiss of course.) Anywhoo… I spent the 5 kroner on a nasty candy, and 10 min later needed to “take a leak”. I asked the cashier for the bathroom, and she informed me I had to pay 5 kroner! (6 kroner is roughly $1.oo) Needless to say I had to wait until I got on the train where it was free.

The little things in America you take for granted!

To add to that, I take for granted being able to talk to anyone around. Especially in Minnesota, everyone is willing to help out for the most part, lend a hand or pass the time in conversation with. Well it’s VERY hard to do that when I know little Norwegian (although I’m learning in class). But also, Norwegians are known for being reserved people, not talking to those around them. AND not looking someone in the eye when you pass them on the sidewalk! Outrageous! I give out smiles like it’s my day job and I am consistently Shut Down.

AND ON I CONTINUE…Please post questions and comments below—I’d love to answer them.

I’m very surprised at how much the Norwegians chew chewing tobacco. They do I quite a lot, but they chew the “pouched” or what they call “portioned” SNUS. Students do it in class, before and after. They don’t spit, and usually place it in their top lip between the first and second and front teeth, in the upper gums of course. Many of the girls here do it just as do the guys. From my standpoint it is extremely unattractive… a girl smiles and there’s a brown little thing in her front grill.

         Being here is great. I AM loving it and recommend it to anyone considering it. I DO miss home, but I miss the things and people from home. As the famous historian Joeseph Dirte’ once said, “Home is where you make it.” And that is true, it’s where the heart is. I miss my family, friends, and way of life (DRIVING A CAR!). Here they only drive when needed, because gas is more than 4x as expensive as it is back home. So next time you’re mad at the prices, think of me chipping in over here for those who will drive me from time to time.

Things I miss most about home besides what I just mentioned….

1.    1. Cheez-it’s (nothing compares)

2.    2. DILL PICKLES (They only have the sweet pickles here….Ish..)

3.    3.Ritz bitz with cheese (I hardly even like those back home.)

4.    4. More clothes than what I brought

5.    5. My pillow

6.    6. My hockey equipment (I could skate nearly everyday if I had it.)

7.    7. Flaming hot cheetos (again, I hardly like them at home.)

8.    8. Mac and cheese (Theirs is white. They basically DO NOT have American cheese here (like KRAFT SINGLES). If you watch the “cribs video” (Which is a ridiculous video and I apologize for making anyone watch me act stupid in it… You see what cheese they DO have. White. It’s not mozzarella, not parmesan, it’s… um… white.)

9.  9.  Good peanut butter (theirs is really dry)

1.10. Dress clothes. (Norwegians get very dressed up for evenings. Ties sometimes, dress shirts, nice slacks—girls in dresses. And then there’s me and Tarik…rockin’ the blue jeans and a zip-up hoodie.)

As you can tell I’m hungry right now, because the list is mainly food.

 GET AT ME, ASK SOME QUESTIONS.....

More to come…. Plenty more to come.

In class

An action shot taken unexpectidly during International Politics.... but it's proof I'm going to class!

Welcome Weekend Video

Fishing Trip on a School Day

(After class of course)

Looking out into what could arguably be called the Atlantic Ocean, or North Sea.

Week 3 started

The Technical difficulties are over, and my blogging begins. I’m 3 weeks into my trip and I have yet to experience much of any culture shock. I do get homesick, from missing those close to me, but the cultures are quite similar in so many ways that it’s an easy feeling.

I do feel uncomfortable at times however, when I am surrounded by Norwegian conversation and I can not understand any of what is being said. However, it was said on the first day of school that because this is the “American” College of Norway, English should be spoken, especially when there are English speaking American students present in the room, not even the same conversation. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is a rule I truly appreciate, but, there are many times that this doesn’t stand up and I’m left out in the cold.

There are 70 students here at ACN. Of them, there are three from UND (Me, Tarik and Chris Johnson). There is one student from Westchester University in Pennsylvania, and one student from Beijing, China.

All of the Norwegian students that attend school here are here to transfer into the United States. Most of them plan on going to either California or somewhere on the east coast. There are others that plan on transferring to UND—as a matter of fact I plan on living with one, maybe two of them next year when they come to Grand Forks to study.

The classes are mostly the same as home as far as what is expected out of me as a student. We have tests, essays, quizzes and homework. I am currently enrolled in Norwegian 101 (the language), International Communication (Comm. 402), International Politics, (Polls 220), and Intro. to film (English 226). I’m liking all of the classes as well as the professors. Two of my professors (Emily Hill and Stephen Rhendal are from UND- here for the semester, and the other two are Norwegian citizens teaching here at ACN.)

The actual classroom and the school is much different however. Through a video to be posted shortly, I will “show” you rather than tell. There are no lecture bowls here, and as a matter of fact, all of my classes, besides Norwegian 101 are in a room comparable to the ISP (integrated studies program) room at UND. There are only a few classrooms, a few offices and a little common area for students to hang out between classes. Because the school is so small, there are never two classes going on at the same time.

I have to say I miss Squires Dining Hall quite a bit. They don’t have a dining hall here at ACN, only a cafeteria across the street shared with the Peterson Paper factory—and it’s “pay cash” as opposed to swiping my student ID or something of the sort.

The students are all great and have taken a liking to each other. Most everyone came here without knowing anyone, unlike the U.S. where students tend to pick schools where they know others are attending. They are all up on technology just as we are in the U.S. They have up to date computers, ipods, ipad’s, iphones, tv’s, Xbox’s and more. They tend to have later release dates than we do in the states on highly anticipated video games (Halo: Reach, NHL 11) and movies—both in the theaters and on video.

I have been to a movie theatre here a couple of times and they are a bit different. At these movie theaters, the purchase of “snacks” are a lot different than the U.S. Here it’s like buying snacks at a gas station. They have bottled soda on racks in coolers, candy on racks and hanging from hooks, they have popcorn buckets pre-portioned, and in warmers right next to the coolers. They also serve chips (comparable to Sun Chips) and “Bacon Crisps” (comparable to Pork Rinds).

You select your treats and pay for your movie ticket after waiting in line. You are also assigned seat numbers and rows, and go into a theatre about half the size of what I would call a regular theater in Grand Forks.

Mentioning Gas stations reminded me to mention that the convenience stores in Norway are a bit different as well. Their candy and snacks are ALL different, hardly anything is recognizable, and it’s all in Norwegian language. The most surprising thing, was that mostly every convenience store sells hot food, but more surprisingly is that it’s actually good! I’m not one for gas station hot dogs in the states, but here they’re recommended, especially the famous bacon wrapped hotdogs dogs. (For the record I tried one and loved it!) People actually enjoy stopping at a gas station to eat!

Because there are very few “fast food” restaurants here in Norway, if a person is hungry and in a hurry, it’s extremely common for them to stop into a convenience store and get a hotdog, burger, calzone, sandwich (warmed or cold) among other things.

Video #1

Welcome to Moss, Norway

Blogging Again!

I'm Back at it, and you can expect even more!!

I'm sorry to say that I haven't been posting for almost two weeks now. The internet was down here in the dorms for quite a while, and I didn't have a connection. I have two videos ready to be posted-- but YouTube won't let me post them because I don't have the rights to the music I added. It will be fixed soon, but just an update now that I have internet again! Thanks for following, look forward to more blogging very soon!  =)  

Also, feel free to ask questions-- I'm anxious to answer them. 

I have pictures of my dorm, of the city, and my first trip to Copenhagen with some guys.

Moss is where my school is located, Oslo-- The Capital is Oslo of course, but the most underrated city in Europe (according to my new friend Peter, is Bergen) Blue is Norway, Green is Sweden

First Pictures

Me in the Subway station in Philly

Independence Hall, Nice snapshot Tarik

Me and The Liberty Bell

Moss, Norway from a distance

Finally Here!!

After almost a full day of traveling I am finally in my dorm room in Moss, Norway (pronounced "Maus" by the locals). It was a bit of shock to get off the plane in Oslo (the capital of Norway) and see signs in a different language. The school is across from a paper factory and you can smell it from miles away! Moss is actually known as for the smell of the city. However, if that's the worst thing about this town I'm doing okay! All of the students are fluent in English and can speak it quite well. They are all extremely nice and genuinely interested in what we (the Americans) have to say.
The school has 70 students and consists of primarily Norwegian students who have come to the American College of Norway to gain credentials to transfer to a school in the U.S. There are only 5 American students and 1 from China. It's myself, Tarik, and Chris from UND, 2 students from a school in Philadelphia, and Dee, the student from Hong Kong.
We got to stop for 4-5 hours in Philly, took photos and whatnot. Look forward to seeing them, post and ask as many questions as possible!
Thanks=)