Settling In…
I am about two weeks into my stay and I am beginning to get the hang of things.
I attended my first Østre Toten rotary meeting last Monday. I gave a little spiel on what Northern California is all about and I talked about my hobbies and interests, all in Norwegian. The club is much smaller to the one in Eureka, holding about twenty-five active members.
Here I am with the Rotary club president
On the 22nd of August I began my first day of Norwegian High School. At the Lena Videregående Skole I am taking: anthropology, Spanish, Norwegian, religion, sports, English, History, and Norwegian government. There are around 600 students that attend the school, their ages ranging from 16-19. It would be equivalent to the 10th, 11th, and 12th years of US high school with an additional 13th year. The style of learning and teaching at the school relates much more to the style of college than highschool. Each day I have different classes and I begin and end my school day at different times. Somedays I may begin and 8, others 9 or 10. I can end the school day anywhere between 1:30 and 3:00. I am the only exchange student attending the school so I am adapting right into the Norwegian teenager lifestyle. On the first day of school we held a ceremony for one of the students who was lost to the Utøya shootings. Two students who survived lit candles for the girl and all staff and students took a minute of silence in remembrance. The school has taken many precautions on behavior and they have provided students with the opportunity to speak out their feelings on the horrible incident.
The main school entrance
The school library
Kolbu’s beautiful country side
A closeby pond
Toten’s nearby city, Gjøvik
Fun Fact #2: In Norway they have these little houses called, Potetbua. Inside they sell eggs, potatoes, wheat, and mainly dairy products. They can be found downtown or beside peoples farms. They use a self-service method. They are always left unattended so honesty plays a big role in paying for the items. One picks up what they need, and they pay the prices posted. The potetbua shows the great deal of trust that Norway has for its people.
Potetbua in downtown Lena
No comments:
Post a Comment