The Painted City

Oh Berlin...

Our Germany Quest trip began at 4 AM for me... We left the dorm at 5:45 and hiked down to the train station. The train however was broken so we had to take a bus... Which Katie and I almost missed, we had to run full speed to get there. The bus ride was fine however it took a bit longer than the train so again we had to run to the next train. On the train to the airport we met two American guys who are studying in Kristiansund. Mike is from Alaska and William is from Wisconsin. They were headed to Berlin as well so we spent the next few hours with them on trains, planes and buses with some waiting and kebabs thrown in. We are going to try to meet up with Mike when he is at Oktoberfest.

Our new friend Mike

Eating Kebabs with Mike and William

Our first night in Berlin we split up and decided to meet back up at the Berlin wall... What we didn't know was that there are two Berlin wall sites... Kate and I visited one and Ted Cath and Hailey went to the other. The wall Kate and I went to was incredibly historical site. All the graffiti was original and there was a museum attached. It was very moving and full of information. It has really sparked my interest into the way gypsy people were treated during that time.

We spent the night relaxing in the hostel and got up early then next day to go to the check point Charlie museum. Talk about a ton of information packed into one building. Again it was super moving.

Metropol Hostel

Checkpoint Charlie

After that we split again to go to the other section of the wall. This one was repainted in 2009 and was amazing. The artwork was phenominal.

Our last mission of the day was the national gallery... It was cool and had the original "thinker" but not as cool as Oslo's national gallery. It was raining so much at this point that by the end of our hour long walk home we were drenched... My clothes are still damp.

A beautiful park we walked through on our way back

So long Berlin!

-Noreen

3 observations of Berlin
1. Wow Norway is expensive
2. Nothing is better after a mentally exhausting museum than coffee
2. Belin has more graffiti than any other place I have ever seen. Every wall is covered. Some of it is cool but mostly it makes the city look a bit dirty.

Week Five

Wow week five already!

This week was not extremely busy by any means.

Also there have not particularly been any life revelations. So I will just give you a run down of the week.

Sunday: Oslo to drop off Deanne and to show her and Gonzalo as much as we could in and hour and a half (which was not much at all)
Monday: class then PAPER WRITING!!!!
Tuesday: Class and relaxing all day and making applesauce
Wednesday: Class and more apple sauce
Thursday: Elena's birthday dinner and dancing
Friday: PAPER WRITING!!! and packing

Also because I have not blogged about the excursion I will just add some pictures.

RØROS

Being silly on the Train to Røros

Hanging out in Røros

Liv Ullman (famous Norwegian actress)

TRONDHEIM 

St. Olav's statue in the center of Trondheim

Beautiful old homes along the river in Trondheim

Part of the Fort in Trondheim, the fort was captured during WWII and used as a Nazi headquarters

Relaxing outside the University

Trondheim University is beautiful and is surrounded by beautiful lawns

Trondheim University lookin' like Hogwarts

The Cathedral in Trondheim, this is where the King is coronated    

We had a free evening so Cath Kate Kirk and I went for a walk around the city and stopped back at the Cathedral 

KRISTIANSUND

We took a ferry to Kristiansund in order to learn about the oil industry 

The ride was cold but beautiful

MOLDE

We had a delay in Molde which is "The City of Roses" It was a beautiful place to rest

Next week is GERMANY QUEST!!!

so Berlin Prague and Munich!!!

SORRRRRYYYYY

So I know I haven't blogged in ages.

I have been avoiding blogging about our excursion, because so much happened. So I am still going to avoid it and instead just blog about my life currently.

This week is Week 5... We've all settled in it seems. Even though our class schedule is always changing I am, at this point, used to it. Today we had a real lecture I think it has been our second one so far. It was great we talked about development and how it is measured and how different countries have different perspectives on these topics. Normally class is more of a discussion or a trip to learn things (like going to the court house).

We have a big weekend ahead of us.
                                                         Tonight: Disco!
                                       Tomorrow Morning: Deanne (Katie's friend from PLU) is coming to visit!
                                    Tomorrow Afternoon: Waffles and Coffee with International Students!
                                           Tomorrow Night: Spanish Dinner
                                                       Saturday: American Party
                                                         Sunday: Oslo with Deanne

This last week has not been too busy, just a lot of hanging out and working on projects and homework.

One of the things I love about this trip is the conversation. Not even just in class, mostly in our free time we talk about really important things like Burqa Bans in France and other politically important topics like that. Its great because generally I do not feel like I know a lot of things, however when we talk we all just inform each other and share our views on things without worry about what we say.

So anyway... Not a lot has happened other than getting settled into our lives.

-Noreen

3 Observations of Today
1. One hour of productivity a day is plenty
2. Biking in the rain is terrible
3. Having an open mind in discussion will not only help you to learn more but will also keep you from getting unnecessarily upset

Excursioning

I will admit it, I haven't been to a lot of places in the world. I haven't seen a lot of things and in general I do not believe I yet have the knowledge and experience to choose a place to spend the rest of my life. I have however found a place where I would at the very least enjoying spending a great deal of my time.

Trondheim, Norway. One of the most beautiful places I've been too. It might not be THE most beautiful, but a place needs a bit more than beauty to make it complete.

I love that it is a city, but makes the effort to have natural green space all over. Where ever you looked there was some where nice to spend a few minutes laying in the grass. There is an amazing mix of historical and modern. They are converting the city into a "Smart City" which has an exceptionally low carbon footprint and very low energy consumption. Its a college town, meaning it is bustling with young people and with inexpensive things (which all young people love).

The river through town makes every view spectacular. The University looks like Harry Potter University. The Church's are great, one is historically magnificent and the other does amazing good works. The fjord is beautiful!

All of these things, combined with the amazing weather, made me wish I could be in Trondheim always.

-Noreen

3 Observations of Today
1. Long bus rides are awful
2. 16 people travelling together will get closer, though might not like each other more it seems
3. I believe travelling is the only way to find where you belong

P.S. I will be writing real posts with photos about the trip over the next week, there is a lot to say so it might take a bit.

Week Three

This week has been much more normal, not so crazy. Things are starting to feel a lot more like home. Here's the week in a quick list:

• Toured the court house and had a lecture by the head judge
• Worked on class paper with Katie and Catherine
• Lecture by Inger on welfare
• Talked with Stian about field studies in class
• Swimming in Lake Mjøsa  Katie Catherine Magnus and Gonzalo

In to the water, Katie is in pain

Me being a chicken

Still being a chicken as Magnus runs in like a true Norwegian

Finally I made it over to the Island

Trying to climb out over the rocks

• Paper writing in the loudest library of my life
• Dancing at the discotech!
• Finishing papers
• International Coffee hour and FREE waffles
• Movie Night with the contact group
• Late night dinner making with Katie Gonzalo and Magnus
• Sleeping in super late on Friday and Saturday
• Sat in the sun on the dock 

Not a super exciting week but it has been nice. So far I haven't been too terribly homesick, just a little at times. It helps that I have made such good friends since being here. Katie and I have come to realize that we share the same life at times (same allergies and same stumble upon preferences). I think with out the close freindships I have made with all of the Americans and with everyone who is generally mentioned on here, things would be a lot harder. I miss everyone at home but I am having a great time :D 

Next week I will be travelling around Norway on an excursion for class we are going to Røros, Trondheim and Kristansund which are all in the North Central section of Norway. We will be visiting politically important places, historically important places and some places that Inger thinks are important for class. It should be really fun and really exhausting. My plan is to take a lot of pictures and blog about it when i get back since I doubt i will have internet. 

I didn't say this before but for those of you that read this regularly (sorry the posts are not consistent) if you have questions or want to hear more about anything feel free to leave a comment at any point. 

-Noreen

3 Observations of Today

1. Group made dinners are cheaper, more delicious, more nutritious and generally more fun. 

2. Skate board kids look the same in every country 

3. I love to sleep (during the day)