The Turks

Leo, me, Suna, Amanda

So let me tell you a little bit about the Turkish students that we met while we were there. The classes we were taking consisted of about 30 American students, 10 Norwegians, and 5 Turkish students. The Turks were some of the nicest people I have ever met, so not what you would expect. We made really good friends with a few of them: Burak, Leo, and Suna. Burak was roommates with Jack and that how we became pals with him and Leo was just an all around awesome guy! The funniest thing he said was in class, here is the story. The topic in class was companies’ ads not having the same meaning in one place as they do in another. Some of the examples were packaging Oreos in tubes and not boxes and marketing McDonalds for different regions. And one of our classmates, Stig, said that something similar happened in Norway with the Honda Fit (Fitte) (pronounced Feet-a). And he continues to say what the meaning of Fitte means in Norwegian….I’ll just let you look that up on Google Translate…and he said that out loud in class!!! So needless to say that woke everyone up and Leo turns to me and Jack and says, “I will buy this car!” So funny! 

Now a Suna story…we were out at the bar and she was being her usual drunk, Turkish self. Well the tables had candles on them and she leaned over the table and well, burned her hair! And all she has to say is, “Oh, I burned my hair!” WTF Suna?!?!? Are you kidding me? LOL we miss their crazy antics! 

Suna, Amanda, me

Suna

Back in time to Pack

Amanda, Charlotte, Me, and Christina

Of course I had given myself some time to relax and pack my bags but it was so bitter sweet. The past 6 weeks had been a life changing time for me. There is something about being on your own in a foreign land that I guess really makes you figure out who you are. Being the planner that I am I called the bus depot to ask them if they could please come up to our apartments to pick us up as we had 28 or so students with lots of luggage going to the airport.  So glad they picked us up, we didn’t want to have to walk the dreaded hill! A super steep hill, we were on top and the town was below.

 The flight back was indeed something to remember. We were about 1 ½ into the flight when all of a sudden we hear, “is there a doctor on flight?” HOLY SHIT!!! What is going on??? Well, turns out a baby was having some problems and we had to turn around and head back to Oslo. We had to wait on the tarmac for a gate, de plane, and then wait for them to do diagnostic testing on the plane since we had a heaving landing (the plane was still full of fuel). We finally made it Newark 14 hours later! We missed out flight back to Houston and had to stay overnight…blah! Amanda and I decided to take the 1st flight out that left at about 5 a.m., gave us about 3 hours of sleep and took us through Cincinnati or something but we made it to Houston! FINALLY! So glad to be home…now it was time to chill for a week then head back up to school for summer classes….but not before an amazing trip to Italy was in the works! ;)

me and Justin

me and Amanda

the 3 of us!

A short trip to København

okay, I actually went to Copenhagen before Stockholm! (it sneaked pass me on my files :P )

Jack, Burak (one of the Turks), and I decided to go to Copenhagen for 2 days, 1 night. We stayed at a great hostel near Tivoli and the train station; they even had little soap and shampoo packets (not common in hostels). We got there and had a little bit of a hard time getting from the airport to the city but we made it and immediately went out! We had an early flight so we could have the whole day. We walked around and when to the Museum Erotica (come on…we had to) and walked around some more and saw all the old buildings and the harbor. We also stopped and took a break in Rosenborg Palace Park.



{City Hall}

{Ooo, La, La}

Then we went to Tivoli right before dark which was a good call because all the lights were lit up and it looked so magical! Then we headed back and in the morning we would all go our separate ways. Burak headed….well I don’t remember where, Poland I think. Jack headed to the train station to make his way to Berlin and I hung out at the train station until I felt comfortable enough to head out in a foreign city on my own. Then I headed back to train station to catch my bus to the airport to catch my flight to Stockholm, Sweden. And they didn’t collect my fair for the bus so that was nice! As I flew over the water I got to see the cool wind generators that are in the seas! So cool!

{Tivoli before the sun went down}

{Jack, Burak, and me}

{Tivoli at night}

Stockholm

I get to Stockholm and take the super fast train from the airport to city, then I wait for my mom’s high school friend Åse's kids, Katharina and Christian, to come pick me up…hard to find people I have never met :P Well we found each other and then went to store to get dinner and a movie and then it was off to their house!

One of the days I was there, the oldest daughter, Elisabeth took me back into the city via a small local train and we did some shopping, sightseeing, and had some lunch. Headed back to the house, had dinner and then went out for a night on the town with Elisabeth and Katharina! We met up with some of their friends and went to an outside bar by the sea which I thought was really cool! Then went to a club and danced but Techno really isn't my style.

{The Baltic Sea}

One afternoon Elisabeth took me sun bathing on the banks of the Baltic Sea! So cool to say that! It was wonderful and relaxing. After my stay I headed back to Hønefoss for my last days in Norway :( so sad to leave but the end was near.

{out at Josefina!}

London Calling

Me and Big Ben

I have to say that we were so lucky to have a connection in London, England. Amanda has an uncle (really a close family friend) that works for Shell over there. He lived in a beautiful flat in a beautiful neighborhood! But let me start with our trip to get there…

Hello good chap!

Amanda, Jack, and I took this trip together. We took a bus to the “cheap airport” near Oslo and landed at the “cheap airport” near London. When it was all said and done, I’m not sure if taking the cheaper flights was worth it since we had to take so many buses and trains to get to our final destinations. We made it to London and met up with her uncle briefly (he had to finish his work day) and he showed us were we would meet up with him for the play we were seeing that night. So we had some lunch and then walked around the River Thames and popped in the Museum of Modern Art. We saw The Buddy Holly Story! How funny, crazy, cool is that? During the play they kind of interacted with the audience and asked someone where they were from…well they were from Japan…but how crazy would it have been if they had picked us and we got to say, “Lubbock, TX!” It would have been awesome! So we saw the play and headed home via our feet and strolled by Buckingham Palace, and the Queen was home too! The next day we went to the Tower of London and took the tour with the only female Beefeater (don’t ask me why they call them that but they are the “guardians of the Tower of London”) but it was very cool to be somewhere and see things that are so old! And of course, it’s part of my family history! My mom’s cousin has been able to prove that one of our family members was a bastard child of King Henry the VIII (one of many bastards I’m sure!) so it was just very cool! We walked by Big Ben many times and then went to Saturday mass at Westminster Abby! Very cool and the boys choir was so angelic. Then we went for a dusk ride on the London Eye (the best way to see London I am sure, and you must do it at dusk! Så vakkert)! When everything was all said and done I think we figured we walked 15 miles in 2.5 days! Talk about cardio!

the only female Beefeater

Where Queen Anne was killed

The London Eye at night

Jack, Amanda, and me

So much walking!!!

 

Classic!

Norway in a Nutshell

So the Bergen trip was suppose to be the 1^st weekend we got to Norway but because of a huge conference or concert or something all the hotels and hostels were booked to capacity. So we went on this trip a few weeks into our time there. This trip consists of a train ride from Hønesfoss to Bergen on the West coast of Norway. We stay there for a few days and take a bus, ferry, and train back to Hønesfoss. So when picking how we wanted to sleep at the Bergen YMCA you could sleep in a room of 4 people with a private bathroom or sleep in a room of 32 with a shared bathroom! HA, Amanda and I opted for the 4 per room, Jack and Anne Marit (from class) opted for the 32 person room. We bunked with Leo (fun Turkish guy from class) and Marine (a wonderful French girl from class). Well Jack and Anne Marit realized what they had done and asked if they could stay with us; of course!!! So we pretty much had a hug slumber party for a few days. Our American teacher from Texas Tech that went with us and was also teaching one of our classes, had asked which ones of us wanted to take a hike up the mountain range (Mount Floyen)? It will only take 4-5hrs he said. So being the adventurous bunch we are we decided that this was a good idea…well not so much. The tram that they usually take to get up the steep part of the mountain was out of order so we had to hike up that part and then continue along the mountain range to our final destination. Well…the trip took about 7hrs (all effing day!), we ran out of water and had to drink from a natural spring, and none of us had any food left. Since it took all day we didn't get to see much of the city since the next day was Sunday and not a lot was open. So this is the place I want to go when I head back there, from what I saw of it, it’s an artsy little city.

the famous houses in Bergen

on the train ride to Bergen...snow in June!

Finally we are ready to head home! Taking the ferry was one of the highlights! We floated down Norway’s biggest fjord. Such still water and beautiful landscapes! We get off in this little town called Flåm. Then we got on this little, old fashioned train that twists and turns within the mountains and then we got on a normal train back to Hønefoss. We had 2 quizzes the next day so I tried to study but that just didn't happen…as a result the quizzes didn't go too well either :P

Finally at the top of the mountain

time to reflect?

the fjord

huge waterfall we saw while on the old fashion train

Day Trip to Oslo

beautiful fountain that I just love

Oslo is known for being the most expensive city in the whole world…well maybe that’s because Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Well Jack, Amanda, and I had planned to take the bus for day trip into Oslo (about 45mins from Hønesfoss). Well the night before Amanda and I decided to go out to Lloyd’s, well Amanda went off to get some pulesveis so I needed a ride back to my place…I got a ride back to my place and Amanda decided to not come to Oslo with us since she was having so much fun ;). So Jack and I headed to Oslo! We had a great time exploring the city and seeing the sights.

 

Frogner Park

Ski Jump! We went to the top!

Me being silly :P

a view from the top of the ski jump

The Scream

the Opera House

We didn’t get to see everything (since we walked the whole time) but we did see a lot! The things we did see were: the ski jump, Frogner Park, the Opera House (made to look like a glacier) and the piece of art known as The Scream (which I didn’t know was painted on a pier in Oslo…so it makes since that it’s in the city). We stopped for lunch at McDonalds (we were so longing for American food!) were we found out that our medium is their large (I wanted more French FriesL). We had great weather and over all it was a good trip to the country’s capital.

An American in Norway

When I was a junior in college a Norwegian teacher came and gave a lecture in one of my classes. Studying abroad had never crossed my mind before, kind of a combination of getting “home sick” and not really having the funding to go. But this teacher, Sigva, had so many WONDERFUL things to say about this town and school in Hønesfoss, Norway…I was interested. This particular study abroad "session" was only going to be for 6 weeks! Not too bad, I could manage that. So I called my mom as soon as class was over and told her I thought this was something I really needed to do and should do (since I probably wouldn’t get a summer internship). So my parents talked about it and since my mom has traveled the world she understood that it would be a wonderful and worthwhile experience for me. So I started taking one of the three classes after spring break. There was only six engineering going, four boys and two girls, including me. So mid-May comes around and it is time to fly across the pond with people I barely know! This is where that other girl, Amanda, and I realize we are long lost best friends! How wonderful! The next six weeks we were pretty mush inseparable.

We get to our new homes for the next six weeks and start exploring the area. What a wonderful and beautiful place! We went to the grocery store and just generally become familiar with the area; figure out where the school was and where we need to go for class, where the train station is, and most importantly where the bar is! The local bakery had the most amazing treats and the town had many pizza parlors that we indulged in thanks to our new connections in waiter friends! And of course we took in the Norwegian fashion at the mall. We met one of our now good friends via the bartender at Lloyds (♫ I like the bar-r-tender♫) his cousin Charlotte! And she helped us meet other fun people.

Jack, Ece, Amanda, Charlotte

 

Me, Christina, Charlotte, Amanda