Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

This weekend has been a bittersweet weekend as friends have started to leave Tromsø. Before this, however, we had to go out in style...which of course means a South Dakota party! I "treated" my friends to South Dakota party where we had South Dakota trivia (they got 3 out of the 6 bordering states), South Dakota music (South Dakota, my home), and taverns (or sloppy joe's to most of the world). They were amazed that someone could use so much ketchup, and my Italian friend Marco commented that he could only make it if his mom wasn't looking. Despite the foreign food, we had a great time chatting, listening to music, enjoying the midnight sun, and my new veranda and view.

Saturday was round two with a huge grill party at the student housing where most of the international students live. Almost everyone I knew (and didn't know) were there trying to stay warm in the misty, cloudy weather. It was fun to chat with everyone and to enjoy some crazy group photos! We ended the night in typical fashion going to Driv, the student bar/disco. There we dominated the floor and everyone was in a mixed moods between wanting to have a great last night and realizing that the year was finishing. We had a tearful goodbye as some of the students got ready to leave this morning.

It's been a great year and again, I've had such an amazing time meeting the international students and learning about the rest of the world. There are so many people to visit and so many more adventures to embark upon. I'm thankful I had the opportunity this year to meet all of this wonderful people.