My Norwegian Adventure
Monday we had a really intense gym class. The afternoon was normal, as was Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday evening I went with Roar and Torhild and their walking group on a walking tour of some historic markers in Trondheim. It was pretty interesting. Wednesday evening we went out to eat with Roar's parents and afterwards went to hear a speaker about the old buildings in Trondheim. Thursday was English fagdag and we focused on preparing for our mock exam on Monday. Friday I had a Spanish "whole-day exam". I finished early and I think it went pretty well. Saturday Roar, Torhild and I drove up and around the Trondheim fjord. Our first stop was at Hell-Hell railway station, not far from the Trondheim airport. Then we went to a candle shop that had a lot of classic American car decor-a bit of a weird combination, but it was a really cool place. We met with Torhild's sister and brother-in-law at Stiklestad, the site where St. King Olav the Holy, the patron saint of Norway (and my confirmation saint) was killed. He is buried in Nidarosdommen, across from my school. Then we visited Torhild's brothers and had some cake and coffee there. Torhild showed me Verdal, the area she grew up in, and we continued on. We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant and then drove to where the ferry crosses the Trondheim fjord. That was where we picked up Rune, my host brother. We crossed on the ferry and then drove back to Trondheim. It was a long but really fun day and I saw a lot of really cool things.
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Monday we played dodgeball in gym class. It was really fun and I helped my team by catching a lot of balls. The rest of the day was normal. Tuesday I had a Norwegian test. We were given all day to work, but I finished early, so I was able to leave early. Wednesday I had my usual classes. I had a presentation in English which went well. In the evening I went with Roar and Torhild to a walk. It was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It started raining about halfway through, but it wasn't too bad to walk in the rain. When we finished we had waffles and I got a pin for completing the walk. Then we went home and warmed up with some soup for a late dinner. Thursday I had math fagdag; we worked on some individual tasks. In the afternoon I had Norwegian. Friday was my usual classes. In the evening, Roar's parents picked me up to spend the weekend with them again. Saturday we took the bus into the city and walked to a shopping center for lunch. Sunday we went for a walk along the fjord for lunch. Then they dropped me off at home in the evening since Roar and Torhild got home late.
Saturday I went with Torhild and her friend to a flea market. We looked at all the different stuff there was, but didn't buy anything. Sunday was a walk that Roar and Torhild had organized with some of their friends. I helped with the lottery bit, mostly giving people their prizes if they won anything. It was really fun because all the people that came knew each other and were having fun. There was also a lot of good food! Monday and Tuesday I had my usual classes and nothing out of the ordinary happened in them. Wednesday there was no school so that the teachers could plan their lessons. I went to a Rotary meeting in the early afternoon. Thursday I had chemistry fagdag and we did a short lab. Friday afternoon I had a chemistry test that I think went okay. During the afternoon Torhild, Roar, and Rune went to Denmark, so after school Roar's parents picked me up and I spent the weekend with them. Friday night we watched a movie and some TV. Saturday we went into the city and I met with my friend Julie for a short while in the afternoon. Sunday we went for a walk in Bymarka and ate lunch at the cabin there. For dinner, one of Roar's nieces who is studying at the university in Trondheim came over for dinner. Then Roar, Torhild, and Rune came to get me and we went home.
After a weekend of relaxing, I was reluctant to wake up and go to school on Monday. I started the morning with gym class. We played several fun games: the first had the objective to steal as many "flags" from other people as possible. Our next game was a type of every-man-for-themself dodgeball. If you were hit by a ball you had to remember who had hit you and run laps around the gym until they were hit. We played a version of tag where, once you were tagged, you couldn't use the part of your body where you had been tagged (if they tagged your leg you either had to hop or sit). While dodging the people who were "it" you had to carry classmates who had been tagged to mats where they were able to start over. Our next game required you to run from one end of the gym to the other without being caught. If you were caught, you had to join hands with whoever had tagged you, forming one big chain of people across the middle of the gym. Our final game was regular tag with the catch that we were all scooting around on our butts. This actually looked pretty funny as no one moved particularly fast and there were several times where people were cornered and just gave up, only to pass the job of being "it" onto the person right next to them. All the games were a lot of fun to play. After lunch I had Psychology, and we worked individually on some tasks the teacher had assigned us. Then I had International English. Tuesday was the same as usual. In Spanish we started a movie. Wednesday we met our long-term English sub; he seems like a fun guy. My whole class was excited because our history sub was our old Norwegian teacher. In the evening I went to the post office and picked up a package from St. Peter's DRE, Eileen. So now I'm re-stocked on some of my favorite American treats, I have some more reading once I finish my current book and I have a pocket rosary to take with me when I travel. Thanks so much, Eileen! Thursday I had Psychology fagdag in the morning and Norwegian in the afternoon. Thursday we finished watching a movie in Spanish. We got our math tests back and I was surprised to see that I had done pretty well, and I had Chemistry after lunch. Today also marks only 75 more days before I leave Norway and am finished with my exchange year.
Tuesday, it was back to school. It was really difficult to get up early again and focus on schoolwork. Nothing special happened except that I met my new Norwegian teacher. She's technically the regular teacher, but she had been on maternity leave for the end of last year and the whole of this school year, so I hadn't had her before. She seems really nice and I think I'll get along with her. Wednesday was usual classes. In the evening I went with my host parents and Roar's niece to a hiking area and we walked up to a restaurant for dinner there. Thursday I had English fagdag, but my teacher was sick and the substitute wasn't able to come before 10, so I got to sleep in! I woke up at my usual time, and nothing feels better than knowing that you should be getting up, but that you don't have to. The rest of Thursday was normal though. I was glad for Friday. The beginning of the week had been pretty warm, but Thursday and Friday we got some snow, which no one was happy about. I spent the weekend relaxing; nothing special.
This week my little sister, Teresa, and my cousin, Declan, were on a school service-learning trip with other SHS Spanish students in Ecuador. I know they were both really excited for this trip and did a lot of really cool stuff. You can see pictures from their trip here: https://www.facebook.com/Slinger-High-School-Service-Learning-951330771611798/?fref=nf |
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