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HELLO EVERYONE!
So I have added a few different photo albums, so check those out! I am having the most amazing time here in Norway. I honestly feel that this was the best decision I have ever made, I think everyone should study abroad! I've been here only one week and I have learned so much about myself, my home country, and about the world around me. It's phenomenal! Ive met people my age from Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Italy, Latvia, Poland and I have a Hungarian roommate! I am 9 hours ahead in time of Oregon so Im always looking at my watch to see wha time it is there. So many things are different than America here! I started a list of different things:
Garbage is called rubbish
You have to buy bread in whole loaves and then put it into a machine to have it sliced
You have to pay for a shopping cart at a store but then you get the $ back after you are finished
Everything is in liters, kilograms, kilometers, knots, and Celsius
The word used for apartment, dorm, or house is called flat
In all bathrooms, to flush the toilet the flusher is on top not the side and in the dorms you have to pull the rod up to flush
Everything here is extremely expensive!I looked at a Venus Vibrance Razor and it was literally 25 US Dollars
Everyone here notices immediately that I am an American.Most of the time they don't mind but sometimes I get a negative reaction
I feel so much lesser, being an American in Europe and studying with Europeans who I feel have received a better education than I have.Everyone here speaks at the least, two languages and most speak three including English and I feel dumb because I can only speak one language.Everyone says that I am privileged because I speak English and it is a worldwide known language but I don't feel privileged I feel as though I am not as smart as everyone else I know that speaks more than one language.
Also, I have come to realize how badly Americans are high maintenance and somewhat selfish.I have so many more "things" than my roommate. It makes me feel bad. She has way less clothes than me and way less hair products and shower products and cosmetics.Being an American, a girl learns at a young age how to put makeup on and how to "shop 'till you drop" and all of this just leads American women to feel like they absolutely need all of these extra things like makeup, hair solution, fashionable pants and shirts, when really they don't because a woman is beautiful no matter what she looks like on the outside.It is ridiculous how much Americans will judge and place wrong perceptions on others without even knowing them.
It's crazy how everyone that I have met here has come here to learn English better.Europeans my age will try so hard to better their English speaking skills.The other day I was talking to my roommate about how I was excited to start classes here but also scared of it being too difficult.She said that I have no reason to be afraid because I speak English just fine.She said that she has reason to be scared because some words she will not understand in English (all of the classes that international students take are taught in English) and I do not have that concern….. I didn't look at it that way.
Europeans go to school for three years and get their bachelor's degree and then two extra years and get either their masters or certified in a specialty subject.But everyone attends school for five years or more.My roommate is 23 years old and I believe she is on her 6th year of school and her second degree.It's crazy!!!!
So I lost my dorm key and I had to get it replaced for 500 kroner, that's $100!I wasn't too happy about wasting $100 and I can't believe that I lost my key!I never lose keys!Oh well… Also today it's been rainy and cloudy so that wasn't very fun.Since I have been here it has been nothing but beautiful weather.Hot and sunny with clear skies until today.I hope the rain isn't here for good, I still haven't made it down to the city beach.This town has everything!It is so so beautiful and nice and clean too.Bike riding is a big thing in Kristiansand.When the sun comes out the entire town is outside doing active things.Also, Norwegians are all very pretty. The guys are handsome and all of the girls are gorgeous and they all wear really cute clothes!I'm jealous of how cute they look all the time.The people who live here are very proud of this place and they have good reason to be since it's such a great place to live.There are beaches, lakes, ocean, forests for hiking, it has everything!I live right on the waterfront and everyone in town has their own boat.I want to try and become friends with a local and get them to take me out on their boat.But I don't have much time because the weather will be getting bad soon.I went on a hiking trip just the other day with all of the other international students and it was great.It actually reminded me a lot of Oregon.It was a beautiful trail we hike up this mountain and the view was so pretty looking out into the ocean.I took lots of pictures.At the top of where we hiked there is a cute little café that serves Norwegian waffles and ice cream.I bought an ice cream cone for 20 kroner, that's $4.Then we got some waffles for free and they were so good!There are so many active people in this town!We saw a lot of locals jogging this trail.Some people brought their dogs up the trail.I talked to this one Norwegian couple who had a cute dog named Teidman.He was very cute and old.He was a golden retriever but he looked very white.Golden Retriever's in Norway are white! Who would have thought. haha...
I started school yesterday, I had International Marketing and I can tell I am going to love this class. I honestly have never felt so uplifted in a lecture before. It was the best feeling ever just sitting there with other international students talking about global marketing and different cultures around the world. I was amazed at how intelligent the professor was too, I can't wait to go to my other classes to see what they are like too. I have International Finance, International Management, and Incentives in Organizations on my schedule also. Im so excited for the upcoming semester! Ill never forget this experience!!!
I love you all and I miss you all back home in America! Ill see you again at Christmas! Ill keep updating this site with albums and blogs so keep checking it!
~Priscilla
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