The blog bug is spreading! Our class has had fun reading my blog, and I am excited to say that now a few of my classmates are also starting blogs. Marjaana, a student from Finland, started a blog at: fromtheedgeoftheearth.blogspot.com. She started it with a great profile of different people in our class. Very great to read so you know the characters in all of these stories. Rachel, also from the US, just started her blog as well and should be adding on to it soon: rachelcollin.blogspot.com. I'll be putting links to the other Tromsø blogs on the right side of the page, so check them out for another view of Tromsø.
I walked home tonight from town at about midnight and it was beautiful. The snow was sparkling and there were almost no cars driving by so my walk was accompanied by the soothing sound of the constant crunch, crunch, crunch of walking home on the snow. A crisp winter air and a clear sky filled the space around me, and I felt very content. A good feeling to have.
Behold, the power of Plumbo!
This evening Stian and I took on the pipes, and we won. For the past week or so the drain in our man bathroom has become plugged up with man hair. Sharing a shower with two other guys with thick dark hair has taken its toll on the pipes and today when I showered and the bathroom flooded with water, bringing with it floating hairballs and a submarine-like packet of chewing tobacco (called snus in Norwegian), I decided it was time to end the madness.
Stian and I went to Euro Spar and bought the miracle acid: PLUMBO! Plumbo is the Norwegian equivalent of Drain-O and comes as a blue powder that when added with water can, according to the package, "cause serious damage to aluminum." Stian asked jokingly if we needed any protective material before we used it, but little did we know that we actually did.
We walked in to the bathroom confidently with our half liter of boiling water to combine with the bottle of Plumbo. We dumped the bottle of plumbo into the drain and it started smoking in an immediate explosion of caustic power. 
As we poured the water in the drain, the room was suddenly filled with the smell of burning hair that we could literally taste. We were lucky to escape with our lives. The drain bubbled over, filling our floor with a grimy layer of liquified hair. 
All we could do was shut the door and wait for the Plumbo to do its work. Upon seeing the effective results, Stian decided that we will now use Plumbo for everything. Instead of taking the trash out, we'll just dump on the Plumbo and let it do its work. The magic of man's conquest over nature. We'll see how long it takes for our man hair to again necessitate the fun of Plumbo!
Sunrise: 8:39 AM
Sunset: 4:16 PM
I am back in Tromsø after a long weekend in Bergen, and I have been welcomed home by snow! Tromsø is a winter wonderland.
I spent the past 4 days in Bergen in a Model United Nations. It reminded me of Student Congress or some other type of high school speech event. Basically, every person was a member of the Security Council. (My group was Argentina.) Then we spent the days debating two topics: the Darfur crisis and terrorism. We tried to pass resolutions and learned the procedure and difficulties of the United Nations. Essentially, we learned that nothing gets done unless the United States wants it, or lets it, get done. We did well though for Argentina, slipping in a few clauses here and there that we liked. I had a huge advantage being a native speaker of English so I was able to dish out the rhetoric on behalf of the great state of Argentina.
The most exciting part of the whole trip however was coming home. I got back to the house all excited to be home, but I didn't have my keys and for the first time in the history of our house no one, not even my recluse housemate Igor, was home. I looked for my keys and thought for a bit, finally deciding I should break in.
I took our garbage can from the street and dragged it to the side of our house, under my window. I stood up on the trash can and the window was at my shoulders. I pryed the window open and then jumped up and pulled myself in. I found my keys hanging right where they should be, on my key hook, and then went outside and dragged the trash can back through the snow to the end of the street, happy with my physical achievement.
Now back to reading and preparing for our oral examination on Friday. In about a week I will be headed to Barcelona to see my parents and the sun! Should be exciting!
Sunrise: 8:13 AM
Sunset: 4:44 PM
I've been told that when Norway was occupied during World War II, Norwegians would wear or carry paper clips (a Norwegian invention) as a sign of nationalism and solidarity. Well, I've found a similar item carried or worn by everyone in Tromsø: reflectors! Everywhere you go people (and dogs!) are wearing and carrying reflectors that would put school crossing guards to shame. Although this is probably a necessary safety measure considering they live one fourth of their lives devoid of the sun, it does seem like a bit of overkill.
For instance, I went and set up a bank account at Nordea bank here in Tromsø. Instead of getting a coffee mug or a nice pen as a thank you from the bank, what do I get? A reflector! Thanks Nordea. I'll have fun playing with this. The same thing happened yesterday. I had a meeting for a United Nations simulation. Basically this weekend I am going to Bergen to participate in a role playing exercise where about 100 people gather together to be the United Nations. I, along with two fellow Tromsøians, will be representing Argentina. Anyways, we got together to talk about our goals and share information about Argentina. What do we get from the sponsors of the conference? A t-shirt? No. An I-pod mini? No. A cool slap bracelet reflector? YES!
Needless to say, I am now well lit so you don't have to worry about me getting hit by a car. Maybe just worry about the fashion police now that I am wearirng a glow-in the dark slap bracelet. Remind anyone else of 3rd grade?
I know, I know, saving the environment is important and I shouldn't complain about minor annoyances while others have to deal with my wasteful lifestyle, but there is something that grosses me out here in Tromsø: Matavfall. In Tromsø there is a systematic division of garbage. First, you have your recycleables: plastic, cardboard, and aluminum. These are easy to seperate because you can cash them in at the grocery store for a pretty good rate. Thus far, this has been the best, (and only) way I've found to make money in Norway. Second, you have your regular garbage that is bagged and taken away once a week. Finally, you have matavfall which is the food waste. Instead of having a garbage disposal we shovel all the left-overs into a small plastic bag under our sink. This festering bag of disease collects rotting peels, left over noodles, and anything else that 7 college kids might cook and not eat. Needless to say, it's a smelly mess. But hey, if everything was the same easy, it wouldn't be Norway, so I dump my left over cheerios and rice in the bag while holding my breath, the whole time praying i am not the one who has to take it out!
PS- New pics up. Check the link to the right!
I am convinced that my guardian angel is in the form of a stoic, old Norwegian bus driver. Last night I took the bus to Tungveien on the far north side of the island. There I enjoyed a Spanish feast thanks to the boyfriend of one of the Spanish exchange students here who just arrived from Spain with authentic tapas materials! We had a great time eating, chatting, and drinking tea, but I realized about halfway through the night that I had left my umbrella on the bus! I was a bit frustrated since I use it almost everyday, so I was extremely surpised and excited that when I caught the last bus home it was the same bus and same driver I had earlier in the evening! He had my umbrella and I was extremely excited. But, in the midst of my excitement I set down my mittens, but of course didn't realize this until I had gotten of the bus.
This morning we called down to the downtown bus office and asked if they had red mittens. They said they had some grey and red ones so I figured that they were probably mine. Well, I went down there only to discover a shelf full of winter clothing and umbrellas, but my mittens were not a part of the collection. (now I know where to do my winter shopping though!) I was bummed out and worried that I wouldn't find them, when who should appear but my bus driver! I told him I forgot my mittens and he nodded and ask if I was also the umbrella guy. Yes. Thanks. Well, this time he didn't have the mittens but he took me close the bus office on the north side of the island, told me when to get off, and gave me directions to the office.
I walked up there and first only saw garages. I walked into one and one guy was on a cell phone and one guy was underneath a bus. Neither one seemed to care that I was there. Kind of made me want to hop in the cab of a bus and take it for a spin. Eventually, I asked someone and they pointed me up the hill a bit more to the next building. I went there and the guy at the window said, "No we don't have anything. And then said, let's look. (why not look right away?!) He took me into another garage where they have a big garbage can that they fill up with lost items before taking them downtown. My mittens must have just missed the trip because they were the only items in the can. I took them and thanked the guy and took the bus home, but this time it was a different bus and driver, so I guess there are more than one on this island! An exciting adventure, but I hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon.
Last Friday I experienced the apex of cultural miscommunication. We had a study group meeting with Marjaana from Finland, Andre from Norway, Rachel from the US, and me. We meet once a week to go over the readings and both Andrea and Marjaana speak English like natives. Quite incredible actually. Well, almost. We discovered that somethings aren't taught in English classes. We were talking going to school that morning and Marjaana was complaining because I was so slow. I said, without hesitation, "If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm an anal brusher." All of a sudden Marjaana just kind of froze in awkwardness and neither her nor Andre said anything. Rachel and I kept on talking and didn't notice anything for about 10 seconds until we looked at their faces and saw the disgusting looks of confusion. Suddenly I realized what they thought I said! Everyone started laughing when we all felt the awkwardness together and to go along with the joke, I was quick to assure Marjaana that the brush we used to wash the dishes with had been in my anus. Well, we spent the next 5 minutes discussing anal retentive and it's more common form, anal. I think that Marjaana was still convinced that I actually did brush my anus even after the explaination. Needless to say, it reminded me of the difficulty of cross cultural communication and reminded me that maybe I should stop being an anal brusher!
Just got back from a late night run with my housemate Stian. It felt great to get out and exercise! We ran to the University and back which is about 4km with a good hill towards the University. The best part was running back and stretching outside our housing, looking at the light of Tromsø on the water as the rain started to come down and cool us off. So refreshing and real.
Off to bed soon. Feel free to check out a slew of new photos finally!
Just when I was getting a little home sick and sick of the grey rain of Tromsø who should step in, but Rotary!
I just got back from an afternoon with my host counselor Peter Drecker. It was so much fun! He picked me up at home and took me downtown to my rotary contact person, Sissel. Between the two of them, they are in charge of me and are supposed to help me get situated and help plug me into rotary events. Randomly, they are both optometrists and being in Sissel’s office reminded me so much of my aunt’s office. She had funky frames and was so kind! We talked a little bit about some paper work and I received my first Rotary scholarship check…40,000 Norwegian kroner! Almost $7,000, so that feels good carrying around.
After that I started a tour with Peter who drove me all around the islands. We also went to his office and met his son who works there as well. We also ate lunch, and I found out that I was with a pretty cool guy! He is originally German and came to Norway to optometry school where he met his wife on Syttende Mai (Norwegian Independence Day) four days after arriving in the country. He was the trainer for Tromsø’s football club, which would be the equivalent of maybe the Minnesota Twins. I was very excited about this so he took me to the stadium where he still knew everyone. He showed me around and took me out to the field. It was a big day for the football club because last week they advanced to the second round of the UEFA Cup, which is an all-European football tournament. It was a big deal for Tromsø because they are pretty small and not the best by any means, but they made it through the first round. Today they drew who they will play against in their bracket and it turns out that their first game is at home against Roma, which is one of the biggest clubs in Europe from Rome, Italy. And even better, Peter told me he wanted me to be his guest to the game on October 20th! I’m so excited to go to such a big game, especially with someone who has so many connections.
Then, the day got even crazier as I learned that his daughter was “en pop sterjne,” a pop star!. And it turned out he wasn’t exaggerating. His daughter is the lead singer of Bel Canto, which is a very popular group from Norway. They have been around for quite awhile and are probably second to A-Ha for the most known and longest lasting Norwegian groups. Peter also showed me his house and told me that I am welcomed to come to their house anytime and can borrow his car if I ever need to. Finally, he told me that he would like to give me a personal tour of Germany as well! He said we can stay with his family in Germany, drive the autobahn, and go to the island where my relatives are from. I had such a great time with him and it was so great to spend a day with an adult out on the town. I also felt great because we spoke Norwegian the whole time!
Besides Peter, I have also had some other great Rotary experiences lately. Yesterday, I went to one of the Rotary club meetings where I first met Sissel, my optometrist/contact Rotary person. It was a fun meeting and I had a great time talking with a few of the people there. The speaker for the meeting was talking about an expansion to the Radisson Hotell that we were meeting at, and half way through his talk, there was a knock at the door. It was the pizza delivery boy from the pizza restaurant connected to the Radisson. It was a great presentation move and it tasted so great! I have been thinking that I need to go grocery shopping for the past three days, but Rotary keeps helping me put off the inevitable.
The other great Rotary experience was a true Norwegian fest! I got a random phone call on Thursday from the president of the Tromsø Roteract, which is Rotary for people between 18-30. They were having a nation-wide meeting for leaders of different Rotary Clubs and they wanted to invite me to the party they were having after their meeting. It was a black and white party so I finally got to wear my suit and wing tip shoes. We met at an apartment downtown that was very funky Norwegian with all wood floors and ceilings. Everyone looked great in a variety of outfits ranging from suits and dresses to funky European shirts and pants.
All I can say is that it was a proper, high-class Norwegian party. We all paid 200 kroner so I was expecting a nice meal and maybe some wine, but instead we had traditional fish soup and TONS of wine and spirits. I hadn’t tasted good wine since I arrived so it was such a shock to be in a suit, speaking in Norwegian to these young adults who had either just started working or were just finishing up school, all while drinking great wine. We even had cognac and coffee after the meal. And this was, of course, a traditional Norwegian party, so after this “forspeil” or pre-party consisting of eating and drinking and talking, as well as presentation of some Roteract awards and a series of toasts (Skål!), it was time to go out. We went across the street to a local bar with some dancing, but to be honest it didn’t compare at all to the apartment, so after about an hour there we headed back to the apartment for the beloved “nattspeil” or post party. We came back and turned on the music and danced, drank, and talked. It was a great time. Again, it was so much fun to have a night all in Norwegian and night with some new faces and new people. They were so interesting, some having started their own businesses, but most just starting their first jobs. They were from all parts of Norway and were all leaders in their Roteract clubs. It seemed almost everyone had traveled to some part of the world or had a story for every occasion. In traditional Norwegian fashion, none of the guys danced, but I cut a rug with the girls who were dancing and we had a great evening. At about 6am, 10 hours after the festivities began, it was time to walk home along the water, as the seagulls were already out looking for the fish from the morning’s catch.
So, I can officially say my Rotary experience has begun. I have met some great people associated with Rotary and they have been very warm and friendly, a welcomed change from the impression you get of the average Norwegian on the street. I am excited to learn more about Norwegian culture from my new Rotary friends and feel like I now have a “family” here in Norway that will help take care of me. As we say in Norwegian, “Spennende!” (exciting!). That’s all for now, I have to go take some notes for our first exam which is on Friday.
