Author Archives: jlw5296

Thank You for Being Awesome.

Hei alle!

I’ve been home in the US for about a week now. I’m actually not “home” right now, I’m in Florida! My friend Ally, who was student teaching in Utrecht, Netherlands, and I planned this trip to “defrost” from our chilly climates in Northern Europe. I think I went a little bit past “defrosting” to “crisping”. My Norwegian skin wasn’t quite ready for that big ball of fire in the sky! Anyway, let’s backtrack back to Norway…

My last week in school was really bittersweet. I was getting excited to go home but I knew that I needed to cherish the time I had in Trondheim and at Charlottenlund. I felt bad that I had to give a test to my students (and that I wouldn’t be there to grade it) in my last week but I think the students forgave me. Unfortunately I was not able to even be with them when they were taking it because I was in meetings all that day. The meetings were really interesting because they were all about the school. We had the faculty adviser to the student government speak to us about how student government works at Charlottenlund. I found it to be really interesting because I was involved in SGA as a high school student. One of the things that I found most interesting was the unique positions that were featured. The elected board has a member who basically keeps the administration of the school in check. This person regularly meets with the principal, faculty, and even the community. I think this is absolutely wonderful because it makes sure that the student voice is heard. I would have loved to have this position in my student government because I think it’s a great way to keep communication open. I also think that it shows that the administration really appreciates and values the opinion of the students. Mutual respect is key.

One of our other meetings that day was all about the M-Base. The M-Base is an area of the school where students with severe mental and physical disabilities have their classes. Norwegian schools feature full inclusion for most of its students but students with severe disabilties are given extra treatments. Sometimes they do not go to the same classes as the other students in their Base. The M-Base rooms were really awesome. They had one room with a HUGE ball pit, Chuck-E-Cheese style. Another room was completely black with the exception of some fiber-optic lights. It is meant to help students relax and be stimulated. The White Room featured a water bed and a movie projector. The M-Base is open to all students and they are allowed to go in any of the rooms when they have breaks. I think that the M-Base at Charlottenlund shows a key difference between American schools and Norwegian schools. You would be hard-pressed to find a special education classroom like this in the States and I really think the main reason is money. It’s no secret that Norway is an extremely wealthy country and they invest a good amount of money into their schools. The students had Charlottenlund had resources that we only dreamed about in my middle and high schools (and I went to great schools in great school districts). It’s not that American schools do not want to have resources like this; in many cases it’s just not feasible. I can only imagine what an inner-city school would do if they had access to the resources that the Norwegian students do.

During my last week of school I completed one of my life goals: I judged a cooking competition! I am a huge fan of cooking shows (Top Chef being my favorite) so I’ve always wanted to pretend I’m Padma, Tom, Gail or whoever else is on the judging panel. The 9th grade students take food and nutrition class and part of their curriculum is learning how to cook. Each group (A, B, and C) competed in a class cooking competition. It was SO delicious and I was so proud of my students (and Megan’s students) for creating such delicious food! Choosing winners was a really difficult decision! I wish that I had this class when I was in 9th grade. Then maybe I’d actually know how to cook! =)

My last day of school came far too quickly. I had a few surprises up my sleeve and apparently my students and teachers did as well. In the English class that I taught we discussed summer camps (something they do not have in Norway). I was appalled when I found out that none of my students (or even my mentor teachers!) had ever eaten a s’more. I LOVE S’MORES and made it my mission to introduce this delectable treat to Norway before I left. My dad actually came back to Trondheim to help me pack/hang out for a bit, so he brought over s’more supplies. On my last day we made s’mores (using candles) in English. It was a blast! It was so much fun seeing everyone roast their marshmallows and eat their first s’more. I found out later that the candles made a little bit more smoke than I anticipated and other teachers began to smell roasting marshmallow. Whoops. They didn’t know what was going on so they made their classes put on their shoes in case my class set off the smoke alarms and we had to evacuate. Thankfully that did not happen. =)

Ove, my mentor teacher for social studies, told me that the students were planning something for my last day but I had no clue what it was. I was very surprised to see that some of my students had baked a cake for me! We had chocolate cake and lemonade and it was fabulous! I was so honored that the students would take the time to do that for me! I was also unaware that I would be getting presents from my class and my mentors! It was honestly like Christmas! I received so many great things like a Charlottenlund tshirt, coffee table book of Norway, and hand-knitted gloves from Gunvor (Megan’s mentor teacher). The best present, however, was a book I got from my students. Each student wrote me a short goodbye letter or drew me a picture. It was honestly the best gift I’ve ever received. It was so sweet to read such wonderful things from my students. I had to fight the urge to cry in the middle of class! I can’t think of a better way to leave Charlottenlund. It was kind of surreal to hand back my keys and clean out the Batcave (the conference room that Megan and I shared at school). I know that Charlottenlund Ungdomsskole is a truly unique place and I’ll never find another school like it anywhere in the world. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach there and become a part of the school.

The rest of my trip was rather uneventful. My last day of school was a Thursday so I spent Friday packing up my room and getting things together. Leaving on Saturday morning was sad. I feel like I have made so many great relationships and I’ve met so many great people in Norway. It’s really sad to think that, as my English mentor Jarl Henrik so delicately put it, I’ll “never see these people again”. I certainly hope that is not true but it’s hard to think where I’ll be after graduation in May and where my students, teachers, and friends in Norway will be. I hope to return to Trondheim one day (hopefully in the summer!) and maybe I’ll get the chance to see my students and teachers. Then again, maybe I won’t. I think the best thing to do is cherish the time that I spent in Trondheim and appreciate all of the wonderful people that I met and all that they did for me.

The day after my PSU supervisor observed me I put a slide on my PowerPoint presentation for my class that just said “Thank you for being awesome”. Apparently that quote really resonated with my students because many of them wrote that in my book and said it to me as I was leaving. I think it is time for me to return the favor once again. Thank you for being awesome, Trondheim.


Location: 1830 South Ocean Drive Hallandale, Florida USA 33009

The Final Countdown

Hei Alle!

As usual it’s been quite a while since my last post. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

– Our little PLU family has expanded! Two girls (Becky and Alison) from the University of Washington have arrived and are both teaching at Charlottenlund. It’s really great to have more native English-speakers at school! Plus, now Megan and I have people to sit with at lunch! Hooray!

– On March 17th our school had its ski day. This is very common here in Trondheim. The entire school (students and teachers) loaded up on buses to Mer�ker. Fans of the blog (or people who can actively use the scrolling function of their browser) may recognize Mer�ker as the place I nearly died attempting to learn how to downhill ski. Needless to say I was a bit anxious about this trip. Our teachers had been telling us/warning us/secretly plotting against us about ski day pretty much since the day we arrived at Charlottenlund. After my adventures downhill skiing (and on the evil chairlift/ people-mover) I was not too keen on finding a pair of downhill skis to borrow. I asked around to see if anyone had extra cross-country skis but to no avail. Each teacher was responsible for manning an activity so I decided to go sledding (or sledging as they call it here). Of course the day of the trip I had about four teachers tell me that I could have borrowed their extra cross-country skis. Too late. : (

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Becky and Megan getting ready for their cross-country skiing adventure!

Overall the trip was awesome! We had absolutely incredible weather (very different from the last time I was in Mer�ker). The sledding hill was more like a sledding cliff so I did not participate. I ended up just hanging out with students who did not feel like participating in any of the activities. It was really great to talk to some students who I would not have normally had the opportunity to interact with. Megan and Becky (one of the teachers from UW) were able to get cross-country skis and let me borrow them for a little bit to try. I actually really liked cross-country skiing! I wish that I were able to get skis earlier in the trip because it would have been a blast to go skiing every weekend. This is one activity that I think I will try to continue next winter back in the States. For lunch we sat around a large grill and cooked hot dogs. Interestingly enough this trip was BYOHD: bring your own hot dog. I figured that if the school had enough funding to send 400 students and their teachers on a free skiing trip they would provide lunch, but whatever. Here in Norway we eat our hot dogs (or p�lse as they are called) wrapped in something called lompe, which is kind of like a potato tortilla. Super delicious. It was super fun just hanging out with all of the teachers and students.

– Ski day also fell on St. Patrick’s Day! St. Patty’s Day is not super-popular here because no one is really of Irish decent. However, Norwegians are always up for a party so it is celebrated. Megan, Becky, and I went to the only Irish pub in town (Cafe Dublin) and paid an exorbitant amount of money for green beer but it was fun regardless.

St Patricks Day.jpgBecky, myself, and Megan celebrating our Irish heritage in Trondheim. (Please remember we had been outside all day! =])

– This past Monday (21 March) my supervisor from PSU visited Charlottenlund to observe me teach. I think it went well! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a good report so I can officially become a certified teacher!

– This past Friday Megan and I finally made it to the Ikea in Trondheim! We literally pass it everyday going to school so it was fun to finally go. I LOVE Ikea (I think its fun to go through all of the mock houses) and it was Megan’s first time so we had a blast walking through the store. The Ikea here in Trondheim looks exactly like every other Ikea I’ve ever been to but instead of the just the furniture names being in Norwegian/Swedish, EVERYTHING is in Norwegian/Swedish. We had a late lunch at the cafe…the food was delicious! We took the free bus from Ikea back into town, which was super convenient. Fun fact I learned from that trip: it’s actually pronounced EE-KAY-AH. Who knew?

Broccoli Man.jpgMy new friend I made in Ikea. Who says vegetables can’t be fun? =)

– For the past week Norway has been experiencing some of the most miserable weather I’ve ever seen. I’ve named it the snowicane or snowpocolypse (mainly because I am a big How I Met Your Mother fan). We have experienced all sorts of precipitation: rain, snow, sleet, hail…everything. Oh, and gale force winds. Awesome. I think that the worst part is the fact that it will be snowing/sleeting sideways and then 10 minutes later be sunny. Ten minutes after that it will be hailing. Sideways. The pictures below are from my room in Steinan. They were taken less than 10 minutes apart.

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– This upcoming week is my last week here in Trondheim. It’s really bittersweet. I’m excited to go home and see my friends and family but I’ve become quite attached to my life here. Charlottenlund is one of the greatest schools that I’ve ever had the opportunity to see/be a part of. I know that there is no school quite like this in the States: the teachers have a lot of autonomy, the students have a lot of personal responsibility, the teachers and students have open communication, there is no dark cloud of state and federal standardized testing looming over everyone’s heads. It really is a wonderful place to teach and go to school. I’m really going to miss everyone that I have met and worked with, both teachers and students.

That’s pretty much it for now! I’ll try to get in another post before I head back to the good ol’ US of A!


Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

BARCELONA

Hei Alle! I’m SO behind on blogging so I’m trying to do two entries this week! Here we go…

I was really surprised when I found out that I was going to have a winter holiday from school during my time in Trondheim. It was at the end of February (21st-25th) and there are no national holidays during that time. I guess the school just thought the students deserve a break at this point in the semester. Sounds like a good deal!

Anyway, one of my best friends from college, Ally, is also majoring in social studies education and is doing her student teaching in the Dept EDUC: Utrecht student teaching program in the Netherlands. We soon realized upon our arrivals in Europe that we had the same winter holiday so we decided to meet up someplace warm. Even though I have traveled quite a bit I had never been to Spain and neither had Ally. We decided to go to the place we had heard the most about: Barcelona. We booked our flights about 3 weeks after we arrived in our respective cities and planned on meeting up.

Time flew by and before I knew it the winter holiday had arrived. Unfortunately Ally and I had some miscommunication and I thought that we were on the same flight from Amsterdam to Barcelona (I had to travel Trondheim-Amsterdam-Barcelona) so I was FREAKING OUT when I didn’t see her at the gate. I didn’t have my computer with me so I bought internet time at a computer in Schiphol and found out that she was on a different flight and would meet me at the airport. Thankfully both of our flights were on time and we met up safely in the Barcelona airport. It was SO AMAZING to see Ally! It felt really good to have someone who is not only one of your best friends, but also someone who is going through a similar experience (student teaching abroad). We took the Aerobus into Barcelona and arrived at our hostel (HelloBCN) around 8pm.

I’ve stayed in a few hostels in Europe and I would really recommend it. If you’ve lived in a dorm they you kind of know what it is like. HelloBCN had a great location (close to one of the main attractions in Barcelona, Las Ramblas) and was safe and clean. The staff was really kind and helpful AND it included free breakfast! Woo!

On our first full day in Barcelona Ally and I decided to take a free walking tour of the city. You can find free walking tours in many major European cities and, again, I would definitely do it. These tours are usually given by young English-speaking transplants and the tours are geared towards young people. The tour guides are paid by tips so if you do a walking tour remember to bring some change. We had a great tour guide who really took us all over and didn’t try to bore us with facts. The tour was mostly of the Gothic Quarter but it also helped us get our bearings in the city. It was really great.

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The next day Ally and I got up early to go to the Sagrada Familia. Ally really likes art history and I just love looking at pretty stuff so we were both pretty excited. We traveled by metro (which, although is not necessary, is very navigable and reliable), so when we arrived from the underground to the church we both literally gasped. It was the most beautiful structure I’ve ever seen. We got on line (we were about 15 minutes early) and pretty much got right in as soon as the church opened. We “splurged” on the audio tour with our entrance pass (a whopping 13 Euro…which seems like nothing when you live in Norway!) and it was SO worth it. I feel like I appreciated the little details in the church so much more because I knew more about them. The Sagrada Familia was probably the most beautiful building I have ever been in and is currently my favorite place on Earth. Gaudi really outdid himself. It is so intricate and the details are so deliberate and well thought out. I could really devote an entire post to the Sagrada Familia but I’ll try and edit and only put up my favorite pictures:

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After the Sagrada Familia Ally and I decided that it was Gaudi Day and we ventured to find Parc Guell, a park designed by Gaudi. I feel like Dr. Seuss must have lived there. It kind of looked like the buildings were topped with ice cream that was melting in the sun…really difficult to explain. The mosaic work was insane. SO COOL.

parc guell.jpgThe next day Ally and I went to the pier and beach! It was so incredible to feel such warmth (almost 70F!!) in the middle of winter…especially when you’re coming from Norway. It was great just to sit and relax. We also found a beautiful park that had orange trees! All of the oranges in Norway come from Spain so it was cool to see them.

On our last day we went to Montjuic. This is a beautiful mountain in the middle of the city that is home to the Olympic stadium from the ’92 summer games. There are also lost of beautiful parks to explore. Ally and I pretty much went on our own version of a photo safari. It was probably the warmest and clearest day we had on our trip so we both got some excellent shots. I feel like many people don’t go up to Montjuic because it wasn’t too crowded when we were there but I would highly recommend it. Its a great place to explore and get a little lost. I also loved the Olympic park but I also am a bit of an Olympic super-fan. =) We also went back to the park entrance at Placa Espanya later that night to see the fountain show. It was a great way to end our week in Barca.
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It was really hard to say goodbye to Ally and Barcelona but it was also good to get back to Norway. Even though this trip was quite expensive (thanks for the graduation present, Mom and Dad!) it really was worth it. I would definitely recommend visiting Barcelona to anyone studying abroad in Europe! Until next time…


Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

Røros Winter Fair and a Literal Trip to Hell

Hei Alle!

I’m trying to play catchup here so let’s go back, back, wayyyyy back to February 15. On that day our supervisor, Randi, arranged for us to go and visit the R�ros winter fair. R�ros (pronounced something like rUH-ros)is located about 2 hours east of Trondheim in the mountains that separate Norway and Sweden. R�ros is a UNESCO World Heritage site so I was very excited to see what it was all about. Plus we got to play hooky from school, which is always fun. (Although writing substitute plans is not, as I found out.)

Randi picked Megan and myself (as well as the two other teachers, Hester and Marlise) early that morning and we were soon on our way to R�ros. The scenery was absolutely beautiful (as always) and Randi gave us lots of fun information along the way. R�ros used to be an old copper mining town. Every February the miners would trek back into R�ros from the surrounding areas to drop off what they had mined. There was a large celebration in the town square in front of the smelt house. Although the copper has long since run out people still celebrate this time of year. Men and women travel with horses and even reindeer from all over Norway and Sweden to come to this festival. Remember, it is still winter here in Scandinavia so the trip is quite treacherous. In fact, two carriages actually were lost along the way to R�ros but were thankfully found the next day.

We traveled through many small towns on our way to R�ros. Each town/municipality (or kommune) has its own symbol. It was really fun looking at all of the symbols and hearing the backstory behind them. Before we knew it we were in R�ros. It was a beautiful quaint town literally stuck in the mountains. It was mobbed with people for the fair and there was a cute street festival going on. It reminded me of the street festivals you’ll find in the States during the summer. It was so weird to see them with snow on the ground.

Speaking of snow, it was cold. Like REALLY COLD. Like, -12C (10F) cold. We were outside for a LONG time waiting for the carriages to arrive. There was a cute pre-parade show with local singers and dancers. My personal favorites were the local Norwegian rap duo (adorable, although that probably wasn’t quite what they were going for) and the local upper secondary school dance performance. The school performed the local traditional dance and it was really fun because all of the townspeople joined in at the end. Unfortunately it was absolutely mobbed so I wasn’t able to get good pictures of the parade. It was really fun, but painfully cold. We somehow managed to survive the nearly 2 hours outside for the parade. We then decided to walk around a bit. I managed to get split from the group (as usual) so I took a few pictures. My mentor teacher, Ove, offered to let me bring the school’s Canon DSLR (really fancy) camera so I used both my point-and-shoot as well as the school camera:

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After enjoying the fair for a bit we drove another hour to Randi’s cabin. It was such a beautiful drive! Unfortunately my camera was in the trunk so I could not take pictures =(. We essentially drove along a HUGE lake. However you would never know that it was a lake because there was at least 3 feet of snow on top of the ice of the lake. It was incredible to see this gigantic tree-less area in a heavily wooded area. It felt like we were on another planet. When we got to the road that Randi’s cabin is on we found that it was closed due to too much snow. However, Randi had a Honda CR-V and the snow looked loosely packed so we decided to try off-roading. Bad idea. We got stuck. Way stuck. There was so much densely packed snow that the bottom of her car (i.e. the axles and whatever else is down there) were stuck in the snow. Try as we might, 5 women were not going to get this car out. We tried for about 30 minutes and finally flagged down a snow plow (the biggest one I have ever seen) to pull us out. Thank goodness for good samaritans!

We ended up going to a nearby hotel for a late lunch. It was a charming place that served some traditional Norwegian food…like reindeer burgers! I had to try one. (To all of my Rudolph-loving friends, I’m sorry. Santa has another 10 months to figure out who will lead his sleigh Christmas Eve.) It was delicious! It wasn’t nearly as game-y as I anticipated. I would definitely eat it again. I managed to get a shot of the hotel and surrounding area at sunset. Beautiful! (The big white area with no trees is the lake.)

hotel.jpgWe began our trip back to Trondheim after lunch. We made two pretty cool stops. One was in a town called Selbu, which is where the “Selbu rose” knitting pattern was designed. If you’ve seen a Norwegian sweater, you’ve seen a Selbu rose. The big tourist attraction in town is the giant troll statue at a gas station. Obviously I had to get my picture taken with it.
GIANT TROLL.jpgOur last stop of the day was to a town pretty close to Trondheim. In fact, it’s where the Trondheim airport is located. The name of the town: Hell. Now, I LOVE the fact that there is a Hell on Earth and it has, in fact, frozen over. No word on whether or not it is possible to get a beer in hell (sorry, Tucker Max). As you can tell, I love good (or bad) puns about Hell so I managed to snap a few pictures even though it was dark. My favorite is below:HELL.jpg

We finally returned to Trondheim at around 8:30pm. It was a really great day! It was a lot of fun to see more of S�r-Tr�ndelag and do some traditional things. This is a trip I won’t forget!

Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

February

Hei Alle!

So I’ve realized that it’s been exactly a month since my last true blog update. Whoops. It’s not that I don’t want to blog I just really don’t have the time. As a student teacher I’m pretty much working full time and that means that I don’t have that much free time. It’s pretty much eat, sleep, teach, plan, repeat. I’m sure all of my other fellow student teachers could agree.

Since I haven’t written in such a long time I’m going to try and give the highlights in chronological order. Every social studies teacher loves a good timeline. So here we go:

On Saturday the 5th of February Megan, her roommate Nina, and I went to Sweden. There is a free bus that leaves from downtown Trondheim and goes just across the border to a store in Sweden. Goods like groceries are supposed to be cheaper in Sweden so Norwegians flock to this one store (Coop) to stock up. Meat is significantly cheaper in Sweden so this bus is known around town as the “Meat Bus”. Awesome. The clientele for the “Meat Bus” is rather…eclectic. International students, older people, immigrants…everyone who wants a good bargain. The trip lasts about 5 hours…2 hours each way and 1 hour in the store. Since the time limit is so short people get quite aggressive. It’s kind of like being on a real-life version of Supermarket Sweep, which is surprisingly less fun that it seems to be on TV. Especially when you have old ladies elbowing you for the best cut of sirloin. I didn’t think the prices were that great and I can’t say I’d go back but at least I can say I’ve been to Sweden. Check.

Sweden.jpgPretty much all I saw of Sweden. The store was behind me when I was taking this picture.

The following weekend (11-13 February) Megan and I finally ventured out into the social world! Friday was the busiest social day I’ve had yet. My mentor teacher, Ove, invited all of the teachers at Charlottenlund (including Megan and I) for a drink at Den Gode Nabo. Megan and I were initially unsure whether or not it was appropriate for us to go out with our teachers but we decided that it is a part of the culture here…and we didn’t want to be rude. It ended up being quite fun getting to know some of the staff outside of school. Later that evening Megan and I finally made it to the Studentersamfundet (Student Society House)! We went with our friend Espen and some of his friends, who are so sweet and friendly. At the Samfundet (as its called locally) you pay about 40 NOK at the door (about 8 USD) and then 5 NOK to check your coat. There are at least 8 bars and a concert hall in this place. It is HUGE. Once you have paid cover you can go into any of the bars or clubs. The drink prices are cheaper than in bars downtown but are by no means State College prices. It is incredibly confusing in the Samfundet but also lots of fun. The only problem is that the last bus back up to Steinan (where I live) is a little before midnight. I was definitely not ready to go when we had to catch the bus but I really didn’t feel like venturing home by myself in the dark. You can check out more about the Samfundet here: http://www.samfundet.no/

The following Monday was Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is not celebrated in Norway, but since I was teaching English that day I decided to make my students little valentines. When I handed it to them they looked at me like I was crazy. I personally love Valentine’s Day so I was a bit disappointed when my students were not very receptive but oh well. On the 16th of February our supervisor at NTNU, Randi, took us to a town called R�ros to go to the winter fair. It was a really awesome day that truly deserves its own blog entry. That weekend (18-20 February) was extremely busy. My older sister Tori came to visit. She is a physical education teacher in Alexandria, VA and she came over to Norway on her days off for President’s Day. She arrived on Friday morning so I took her to school with me! My students were quite excited to see another American. She sat in on my social studies elective class (samfunnsfag fordyping) and then I gave her a tour of the school. We spent the rest of the weekend walking around town. It was good to see her and really give her a tour. When my parents came to visit I had only been here about 2 weeks so I couldn’t really play tour guide. By now I know much more about the city. Tori and I were lucky enough to have beautiful (if cold) weather on Friday and Saturday so we spent most of the days walking around town. The beauty of this city and the surrounding area really never gets old. I still find myself stopping and taking pictures.

Canal.jpgOn Sunday nothing was open, as usual. Since museums are pretty much the only option Tori and I decided to go to Rockheim, a music museum. It was actually really cool! The first part was mostly about Norwegian musicians and music, so that was a bit over my head, but they had lots of great artifacts and activities. In one room you can learn how to play the electric guitar from one of the most famous guitarists in Norway (I can’t remember his name!). You can also mix your own song using music samples and a computer system. It was really hands on and a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend it…it’s a great Sunday afternoon activity. You can find out more information about Rockheim here: http://www.rockheim.no/

The weekend my sister visited was also THON weekend back at State. I can honestly say that the only time I’ve been homesick since I’ve been here was THON weekend. As a senior it was really sad to miss my last THON. I knew a lot of people who were either dancers, captains, or committee members. I tried to send dancer mail from Norway but unfortunately it did not get there in time. I watched the live feed as much as I could but it really wasn’t the same. I’m so proud of all those who danced or were involved in THON 2011. The total is absolutely astounding and actually made me tear up when I saw it. I rocked my THON shirt over here and I am so proud to be representing such a fantastic school, student body, and cause while abroad.

The week following my sister’s visit was my winter holiday. For some reason the schools in Trondheim had off from 21-27 February. I took that time to travel with one of my best friends from college, Ally, who is doing the same program I am but in Utrecht, the Netherlands. We went to warm, sunny, and beautiful Barcelona, Spain. Like my other trip, this deserves it’s own entry.

Naturally I’ve skipped a lot of stuff. I am in school and teaching every day. It has been a blast and I am learning a lot. Perhaps school stuff will get its own entry as well…

The Skiing World Championship is currently taking place in Oslo and to say people are obsessed is an understatement. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen such fanaticism. Or such looks of scorn when I tell them that I haven’t been watching or following the events. I don’t have a TV and I obviously don’t ski (see my last entry for proof) so it’s a bit hard for me to keep up. I don’t like watching skiing as much as I like watching other people watch skiing. Way more fun. : )

I’ll do my best to get better with blogging more frequently, especially since I have less than an month left here in Trondheim. My program is significantly shorter than most others because I have to go back to State College in May and graduate. The term “time flies when you’re having fun” has never been more true.

Catch ya later, virtual world!

Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

FAIL Blog

Hei alle!

I think that I should just re-name this blog the FAIL blog because I fail to write in it all the time! Its hard to find the time to sit and write about my life when I need to plan lessons and such! The last few weeks have been super fun but I’ll write about them another time because I am currently on winter holiday in BARCELONA with one of my best friends from college, Ally. I’m using hostel wi-fi right now but I’ll be sure to update when I get back to good ol’ Norge! 
Side note, congrats to all those involved in THON! the news of over $9.5 for the kids literally made me tear up. I’m so proud to be representing PSU abroad!

Location: HelloBCN Hostel, Lafont 8-10, Barcelona, Spain

Skiing, Teaching, and A Trip to the Emergency Room: Three Unrelated Events

Hei alle! What a week it has been here in Trondheim! Here’s what’s been going on:

Last Friday Megan and I did not have school. Apparently it was supposed to just be a day off for the students and a work day for the teachers but somehow the teachers managed to get the day off too. I spent the day walking around the city with Megan and we met up with her mentor teacher Gunvor and her daughter for coffee at a cafe. That night Megan and I made a real homemade meal…which was delicious! We were quite proud of ourselves! All in all it was a very relaxing day that was much needed.

P1030233.jpgPhotographic proof of our delicious meal!

On Saturday Megan and I went on the skiing trip to Mer�ker through SiT the housing office. We met at the Samfundet (basically the off campus student union) early in the morning to board the buses for the approximately 1 hour bus ride to the mountain. It was a beautiful drive through the Norwegian countryside. I began to notice that the weather was getting quite bad the closer we got to the mountain. I knew it was going to be an interesting day when our bus got stuck in the ice and started sliding backwards down the road. We eventually got that situation figured out and we made it to the ski lodge. By this time the weather had gotten pretty bad. I didn’t take a picture but I found one that describes the weather conditions well:

whiteout.jpg
No, there is nothing wrong with your browser. This is actually what it looked like. It was a complete whiteout, but not the Penn State kind. You couldn’t see anything! The students running the program reminded us of an old Norwegian saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”. And with that, we were off to get our skis.

After being fitted for my skis the staff sent me down the mountain, without direction or instruction. I must have been quite a sight to see. Unfortunately the ski lift (which was more like a people mover: you stood up on the ground and this contraption literally pulled you up the mountain) wasn’t working on the beginner hill so we were on the “childrens'” slope. Well another Norwegian saying goes “Norwegians are born with skis on their feet”. So naturally the kiddie hill was a bit more difficult than the equivalent would have been in the States. Honestly, skiing was really hard, especially with very little instruction (mostly from strangers willing to help me out) and the conditions. I made it down the mountain twice before deciding I should probably quit while I was ahead (i.e. still in one piece). All in all I would say that the trip was a success because I had the opportunity to chat with some other really cool international students and try something I’d never done before. I would like to try skiing again, but probably on a bunny hill with a patient instructor. =)

Monday was my first day teaching my own lessons. Honestly, my lesson was a bit of a dud. I was teaching my students the causes of World War I (which is difficult in itself), but adding the language barrier on top of that made it even harder. It was a great learning experience because now I know the type of language I need to use, how much content I should try to cover in one period, and general classroom management. My other lessons for the week (another social studies lesson, an English lesson, and a current events lesson) went much better. Being here has really made me aware of how difficult communication can be and that I really need to make a conscious effort to make sure that my students understand my vocabulary, the content we are covering in class, and the work that they are responsible for.

Tuesday was quite a day. In the morning Megan and I had by far the worst bus driver I’ve ever had the displeasure of riding with. Not only was the bus late but the driver kept slamming on the breaks for every little thing! By the time we arrived at school both Megan and I were feeling a bit queasy. Unfortunately things kept getting worse for Megan. After eating food prepared by our students, she began to feel quite sick. She made it home after school okay and we parted ways to our rooms. When I woke up from my nap I saw that Megan had Skyped me saying that she wasn’t feeling well…at all. Long story short, she had been stomach-sick all afternoon and needed to go to the hospital. I think that is the worst nightmare of every student abroad. Norway is known for having a health care system that is very different from the US. Did we go to the hospital? A private doctor? Th emergency room? Did we need our HTH medical cards? We had no clue what the rules were here. Megan’s phone was broken so I called our student assistant Ingrid (who did not pick up initially) and our program director Randi, who told us to take a taxi to the hospital. I finally got in touch with Ingrid who arranged to have a friend to take all of us to the hospital.

The hospital in Trondheim (St. Olav’s) is very similar to the hospitals that I have been to in the States, although there is way more art on the walls. Trying to make people feel more at home? I don’t know. We (Megan, Ingrid, Ingrid’s friend, and myself) got to the emergency room waiting area and took a number. We were called fairly quickly and Megan was taken into an examination room. They took her temperature with by far the coolest thing I have ever seen: it was hand-held instrument that the nurse put on Megan’s skin, moved it around to different areas of her face, and then waited for the beep to see what her temperature was. It was so cool! After the nurse (who spoke wonderful English) left, we waited for the doctor. And we waited. And we waited. About 2 hours later the doctor (who did not speak any English) came in and told her that she needed to get treatment in the emergency room. I’m still not sure what we were in for the first 2 hours, but regardless, we were moved down the the emergency floor.

When we got to the emergency floor Megan’s bed was placed literally in the middle of the hallway. There we waited again. Doctors and nurses just walked around us as if we weren’t there. (We later found out that there was a very serious car accident that required much of the staff’s attention, which is why we were kind of ignored for a while.) Once we waited in the hallway for about 2 more hours a nurse finally took Megan. It was the first time anyone had asked us for identification. Unfortunately we had absolutely no identification or proof of address for Megan because we left in such a rush. Apparently that was no big deal. No one seemed to be particularly worried that we had absolutely no form of ID. I guess that’s just how health care works around here: treat first and ask questions later.

It was about midnight when an emergency room doctor finally saw Megan. He determined that she either had food poisoning or the Norovirus (a.k.a. the Norwalk virus: a very contagious stomach virus that is highly contagious and is usually common in crowded places such as schools and cruise ships). Supposedly the Norovirus strikes Norway pretty hard every year. In fact, many kindergartens in Trondheim have been closed in January and February due to outbreaks of the virus. After hearing that the Norovirus is common in enclosed spaces the daily recess for my students (regardless of the weather) began to make a lot more sense. The doctor basically said that there wasn’t much to do so he sent us home. We had to take a taxi home because Ingrid and her friend had left about an hour earlier (they are teachers as well and had to go to school the next day). We left the hospital around 1am and I was home by 1:30am. Needless to say school the next day was less than fun. I’m happy to report that Megan is feeling much better now! She was really a champ throughout the entire ordeal. It’s scary being sick abroad but she handled it really well.

The rest of the week has been relatively uneventful. I’m trying to get in the swing of things: teaching and writing lesson plans. My social life is a bit dull since I have so much work to do and I’m exhausted after school. Hopefully I’ll be able to get more energy and experience some of Trondheim’s nightlife soon!

So a recap of the week:
-Days off from school are a much fun for the teachers as they are for the students.
-Skiing is hard.
-You don’t need ID to get treated in a Norwegian hospital.
-The Norovirus sucks.

 


Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

A Tourist in My Own Town: A Weekend with My Parents


Current Temperature: 36 F
Current Amount of Snow: about 4 inches
Conditions: Cloudy, Icy

Hei alle! Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Student teaching has been keeping me quite busy!

This past weekend my parents (who I know read this blog, so hi guys!) came to visit me in Trondheim. I know that I’ve only been here for about two weeks but this really was the only opportunity they would have to come visit me since they will be in Antarctica for most of February. It’s no wonder where I got the travel bug from! Plus they managed to bring quite a few goodies from the States (i.e. Dunkin Donuts ground coffee…yumm). Unfortunately they could only be here from Friday-Monday but we definitely made the most of our time together. My parents wanted to see the things that affected me the most: my dorm and my school. We checked them out on Saturday. After that we were planning on being tourists.

Believe it or not, we’ve been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Trondheim. And by heat wave I mean it was about 40F here this weekend, but it was rainy and cloudy. It was raining quite hard on Friday (like, hard enough to make my mascara run) but thankfully my mentor teacher, Ove, offered to give Megan and I a ride into town so we didn’t have to deal with the wet and crowded buses after school. What a nice guy! My parents were staying at the Radisson Blu Royal Garden Hotel right on the Nidelva River downtown. It was a beautiful hotel with an amazing view of the river and the old town. Thankfully since it was a bit warmer out much of the ice had melted on the sidewalks (except for in Steinan, where I live). Although it was a bit slushy it wasn’t nearly as slippery as it had been earlier in the week. I was quite happy about that, especially since I had my parents with me!

We managed to get my parents a 72-hour bus pass for them to use while they were here. I don’t remember how much it cost but I remember it being an incredible deal since a single, one-way bus ticket is 30 NOK (about 5 USD!). I would definitely recommend getting one for any visitors!

The thing that my parents and I really got from this weekend is that Trondheim really isn’t a tourist town. The map that they hand out at any place a tourist may be found (e.g. the Nidaros Cathedral, Sentralstajon, hotels, etc) is quite difficult to read. There are a number of museums in town, but they aren’t advertised very well. Trondheim is really a university town. I guess the local authorities know who they have to cater to: the students, not the few tourists. For example, on Sunday my parents went to the Cathedral (since it was the only thing open) and then wanted to go to dinner after. However that wasn’t exactly possible since the bus schedule isn’t exactly conducive to doing anything on a Sunday. I had to skip out on dinner because I wouldn’t be able to catch a bus until 7:40PM, which would get me home around 8:00-8:15PM. That doesn’t sound too bad, but when you have to get up for school at 5:30AM the following day, the bus schedule left much to be desired. 

While my parents were here I had the opportunity to enjoy some of Trondheim’s restaurants. They are INCREDIBLY expensive (as is everything here in Norway) so Megan and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to explore much of the culinary world in Trondheim. Here’s a quick run-down of the places we visited (and my colorful commentary):

AiSuma
http://aisuma.no/
One of the front desk ladies at the hotel recommended this restaurant to my parents and I on their first night in town. It was only a short walk from where my parents were staying and the place was incredible! The interior was beautifully decorated with tastefully mismatched furniture and one of the coolest bathrooms I’ve ever been in. AiSuma advertises itself as an Italian restaurant but it didn’t look like any Italian food I’ve ever had.  The bread had a great garlic dipping sauce that my dad and I couldn’t stop eating! We had to remember to save room for the main course! The place had a relatively limited menu but what they had was delicious. I had a great lamb dish the first time we were there and since the food was so good we went back a second time! I had a great chicken dish the second time with an incredible sauce. The staff was super friendly and helpful so if you are in Trondheim I would definitely recommend this place!

Den Gode Nabo
http://www.dengodenabo.com/
This restaurant, who’s name translates to “The Good Neighbor”, is an old Trondheim establishment located right off of the oldest footbridge in town. After descending down a creeky set of stairs you enter a true tavern. The entire restaurant is wood, from the floorboards to the ceiling. The place also had a lit pillar candle on every table (a common decoration in Norway). Clearly fire code are different in Norway because I don’t know if I would have so many candles in an entirely wooden building, but hey, I’m no fire chief. Den Gode Nabo had a rather limited menu while my parents and I were there (something was up with the kitchen) but they had incredible fish and chips, which I never knew I liked! They also have a pretty extensive beer list…even if it will cost you and arm and a leg to buy a beer. I’d definitely check out this place for an authentic Trondheim experience and an amazing view of the river and cathedral!

Choco Boco
http://choco.no/
This place is easily my new favorite place in town (and possibly on the planet). There are multiple locations around Trondheim but the one my parents and I visited is located in the old town, across the footbridge, and caddy-corner from Den Gode Nabo. It looks like an old row house with additions that they converted into a cozy cafe. It was relatively miserable outside the day that we went but you couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy as soon as you stepped in. Their hot chocolate is pretty spectacular…Swiss Miss might not cut it after trying this concoction. Plus, it’s open on Sunday (a rarity here in Trondheim). It is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday: relax, so some work, and drink hot cocoa. Definitely a must!

That’s enough food talk for now. Are you hungry yet? =)

In other news, Megan and I will be going skiing on Saturday through an excursion run by SiT (the student housing office here in Trondheim). It is really a great deal: 250 NOK for transportation, food, and lift passes. I don’t have equipment so I’ll be paying the 150 NOK rental fee. Although 400 NOK sounds like a lot it only equals to about 70 USD. Can’t beat that! It will be my first experience on skis and I’m not the most coordinated kid on the block so we’ll see how this goes. I jokingly said my last goodbyes to the staff at school.

Speaking of school I will be taking over in both English and samfunnsfag this week. We’ll be discussing the USA and American culture (topics I’m relatively familiar with) in English and World War I in samfunnsfag. My students seem to be really excited about WWI so I’m excited to see if my first-ever unit plan (created in a partnership with Megan) will be a success.

Hope you’re all keeping warm in the good ol’ US of A! =)


Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

What do you mean they don’t wear shoes? A look into the Norwegian public education system…

Current Temp: 34 F
Current Amount of Snow: about 1.5 ft
Current Conditions: ICY

Hei! Many people from home have been asking me what the public schools are like here in Norway. I think it can be described best in one sentence: Students don’t wear shoes.

What does this mean? Basically, Norwegian schools are the most relaxed place I’ve ever been. I am placed at an ungdomsskole (lower secondary school, basically our equivalent of a middle school) in year 9. Schools in Norway are split into 3 levels: barneskole (primary school: grades 1-7, ages 6-13), ungdomsskole (lower secondary school: grades 8-10, ages 13-16), and videreg�ende skole  (upper secondary school: grades VG1-VG3, ages 16-19). The last level of schooling is not required by law, but many jobs and most universities require it.

My placement at the Charlottenlund Ungdomsskole has been wonderful so far, even if it is a little difficult to get to. I get up at 5:30AM to catch as 7AM bus (that is usually early anyway) to the main street of town (Munkegata) to catch another bus by 7:30AM to get me to school by 8AM. Classes start at 8:15AM. I rarely hit traffic going to school, but coming home is a different story.

My first day of school was extremely overwhelming. My fellow student teacher, Megan, and I arrived to school extremely early since we were unsure of the bus system. Somehow upon my entry into the school I met my mentor teacher, Ove. He introduced himself and told me to go to the wardrobe to take off my heavy winter coat and boots. It was a bit surprising at first to hear that I must take off my shoes upon entering the school but thankfully I was warned about this so I brought an extra pair. We then went to the teacher’s office room. Rather than having a desk in the classroom, teachers at Charlottenlund have a desk in a separate room. Megan and I were assigned the conference table for our “desk”, but unfortunately the conference room was being used our first day. Megan met up with her mentor teacher and we split up. Megan and I are both teaching year 9, but the grade is split up into 3 blocks (A, B, C). Each block of roughly 50 students is further split into 2 classes. Each block has about 3 teachers who teach multiple subjects. My mentor teacher instructs Norwegian and samfunnsfag (“society subject”, or social studies). I will be teaching samfunnsfag, an English language/culture class, and fagfordyping, a social studies elective class. Megan and I teach the elective class together and pretty much have free range on the non-existent curriculum. It’s kind of a teacher’s dream and a teacher’s nightmare at the same time. What to teach?

Attendance is taken at the beginning of the day and is rather quick. The students are usually in the room before the teachers arrive. As soon as the teachers prompt them, the students stand up. They wait for the teachers to greet them with a god dag (“good day”). After that, attendance is taken and then the classes are split into their two groups. Schedules here are VERY different than the middle/high school class schedule I had. It is much more like a college class schedule. The students do not have the same classes every day. For example, they have samfunnsfag Mondays and Tuesdays, English Mondays and Wednesdays, and fagfordyping only on Fridays. It is extremely confusing as an outsider looking in, but the students seem to know what is going on. What is even more bizarre is the fact that when teachers do not have class, they do not have to be in school. There is no such thing as a standard school day. For example, my students have school from 8:15AM-2:15PM on Mondays but from 10:00AM-3:15PM on Tuesdays. I don’t even teach a class on Wednesdays! There are at least one or two scheduled coffee breaks per day. I can leave whenever my classes are finished. Apparently this type of schedule is a little different even by Norwegian standards and I’m still having quite a bit of trouble grasping the fact that I don’t have to be in school until 12:45 on Fridays. I don’t feel like I’m doing enough work!

Now onto the big question: why don’t students wear shoes? The answer is actually quite simple. The weather conditions outside can be pretty terrible (snowy, slushy, etc) so the students simply take off their shoes and put them in the locker room. They just wear their socks all day. Some wear socks and sandals (which goes against everything I stand for morally) but most just hang out in their socks. I’ve got to say, they seem pretty comfortable! Schools here try to create a sense of community by having their students take pride in their school. This means that each year and block have certain duties that they must do each week. This includes running the snack bar and sweeping the floors of their classroom. The schools here do not have sports (those are run by outside clubs) so I guess this is a way for them to build school spirit. Everyone here seems pretty relaxed. No one rushes to class. There are no bells telling you when to start and end class. Teachers have quite a bit of freedom here. One thing I found rather odd is that the students still have recess. Outside. In the winter. In Norway. If you are a student you are going outside after lunch whether you like it or not. They literally lock the doors behind the students and don’t let them in until the teachers have finished eating lunch. Fresh air is good I guess!

Honestly, it has been a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around this entirely new system. The first week was a little rough due to sheer confusion. My mentor teacher and the rest of the staff did the best they could to make sense of the schedule and atmosphere for me. Its hard enough being introduced to a new school system but add on top the fact that most of the classes I will teach are still being taught in Norwegian and you get quite a stressful situation. It is just so completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced before so it takes some getting used to. Once I figure out a schedule and begin teaching I’m sure things will begin to make a lot more sense. I’m also still waiting for some instruction and guidance from the College of Education so things have been a little stressful!

As far as non-school life goes, I spent the weekend sightseeing with Megan and our friend Espen, who was kind enough to play tour guide for us. We went up to the old fortress for some absolutely breathtaking views of the city and the fjord (even if it was a little bit cloudy). Hopefully I’ll be experiencing some more of the Trondheim culture soon!

P1030217 2.jpg
We’ve had some warm weather (by Trondheim standards) over the weekend and it actually rained yesterday! Unfortunately that meant that the roads were a solid sheet of ice when I woke up for school this morning. Needless to say the commute was a bit difficult. It’s hard to be motivated for school on a Monday morning when the bus you need to take literally slides down the hill away from your bus stop. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes on the bus this morning. Thankfully I survived :). Walking on ice has proven to be quite difficult, especially since I’m not exactly graceful. Hopefully I’ll make it through this trip without any broken bones! I’ll write more about my adventures in Norway later! Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, America!

Location: Edgar B Schieldropsvei 42-18 7033 Trondheim Norway

Hei Trondheim! (Hi Trondheim!)

Current Temperature: 36 F
Current Amount of Snow: about 2 feet

Hey all! I’ve been in a Trondheim a few days now and I’ve been slacking a bit on blogging (I’m going to have to get used to this). Here’s my life up to now:

I left my house in New Jersey on the 4th and after a short (and painless) stop-over in Copenhagen I arrived at the Trondheim airport (Værnes) on the 5th. To say that this airport is small is being generous. It was tiny! Thankfully the program I am in (PLU) at NTNU arranged for someone to meet me at the central station in Trondheim and told me about a cheap bus to get into town (the Flybussen). I arrived with no problems! Phew!

Our student assistant (Ingrid) took me to my dorm in the Steinen Studentby (Student Village). I live is something called a småhus (literally a “small house”) with 3 other people. We each have our own rooms and share a kitchen, toilet, and two showers. I’m not going to lie, my room is pretty sweet. I have a downstairs living room area and a loft upstairs with a bed, desk, and closet. I’ll post a picture when it isn’t a total disaster zone (which it is now). The first night was a bit rough because I couldn’t get in contact with my parents. My international phone plan wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out the Internet connection in my room (which really is no surprise to those who know me well). It was weird feeling almost completely alone. I literally knew one person in Norway: Ingrid. Thankfully she is an incredible, warmhearted person who truly wants me to succeed here.

Things quickly got better when Ingrid and I met up with the other PSU student in my program, Megan. It was nice to see a familiar face! We met up and ended up hanging out with an NTNU student who lives in Steinen that Megan met while lost! He’s been such a great help too!

NTNU had an orientation program for foreign exchange students Thursday and Friday but Megan and I chose not to go. We are in a bit of an odd situation because we aren’t really students through the university. Our program is extremely small (4 people!) and we don’t really associate with the university. It’s not that we don’t like them, it’s just that our program is very different than all of the others. No one really knows what to do with Megan and I (and some people haven’t even heard of us!). Plus, we had to do some errands like getting our student IDs and bus passes since the offices are only open when we will be teaching. Its been a little difficult to meet people since Megan and I couldn’t go to orientation and my roommates seem to like to keep to themselves. (One literally ran away from me. I didn’t even have a chance to say anything!) That being said my roommates are starting to open up (no one has run from me since the first time) and there are TONS of international students in Steinen so Megan and I pretty much start talking to anyone we hear speaking English. It’s worked so far! (P.S. Norwegian is HARD. More about that later). We spent most of the weekend touring around Trondheim and taking in the sights. The best was our visit to the Nidaros Cathedral (see below) It was tons of fun!

Nidaros.jpgThe Nidaros Cathedral. Construction started in 1070 AD. What were you doing in 1070 AD?

Sorry for such a long entry! (You’ll discover that I tend to be a bit long-winded =P) Today was my first day in the school that I will be teaching in. Schools in Norway are quite different from schools in the US, but that’s a different story for a different time. Right now, it’s dinnertime. Bye for now!


Location: Trondheim, Norway