Bergen :)

Bergen was awesome - and rainy, but rumor has it that so was Ålesund so we didn't miss out on anything! We took the Fløibane, a funicular that takes you to the top of Mount Fløyen, where the view is amazing! We also took a walk along the Bergen brygge (harbour): the old wooden buildings there are on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and they are beautiful. We stayed at some relatives of mine, and it was also nice seeing them again. And I got to meet my friend Anette again! You see, my mum's from Bergen so it's like a second home to me. I'm half "Bergian"!

Except from that, I think me and Monika visited pretty much every shopping mall there is in Bergen!

We had an absolutely delicious, wonderful Orio milkshake at Friday's. Mmmm... Don't have those in Ålesund.

We also visited my adorable little godson, who's going to be 3 years this coming friday. Man has that boy grown! And he was full of energy ;)

We took the "Hurtigrute" back home. That's a ship that one can take along the west coast of Norway, it goes from Bergen and all the way up to Nordkapp, which is waaaay north. We only took it to Ålesund of course, not all the way. That was cool, but the waves were getting big around breakfast time so.. Bad timing for breakfast..

WINTER BREAK

Today is the last day of school for 10 days; now I have WINTER BREAK! :D

I am going to Bergen tomorrow.

Then when I get back on wednesday there's a birthday party, and then I'll go with my family to our cottage and just RELAX.

I will go snowboarding and skiing as much as I possibly can.

And catching up on school work, and reading through the tons of University cataloges I've collected.

NO SCHOOL FOR TEN DAYS!

So you Americans just go ahead and boast about your snowdays now and then..

Sporty!

One great sensation for you! This has never before happened in the history of human race, so do not be surprized if when you see the story on BBC world news.

Sofie Svanes Flem, voluntarily and on her own initiative, got up at 6 am in the morning to go working out at the fitness center at 6.45! Anybody who knew me over in the states must have noticed how much I hated morning practices in volleyball or track.

But it was great! I took a spinning class, and on top of it all I was the only woman there. Me and a bunch of middle-aged men biking like hell. Then, as I had an open block at first and didn't have to go to school immediately, I was chilling in the sauna, getting all dolled up and had a nice breakfast in the school cafeteria. I haven't felt so awake and refreshed for a long time. I was actually annoying everyone else with my wide smile and enthusiastic: "good morning!"

My host mother in the US would have been shocked, really.

Fun weekend!

Sandra left today:(

And what a fun, crazy weekend this has been!

As I told you we started out with getting lost on an island and then get stuck in the ditch on thursday.

Friday she came with me to school, understood nothing at all of what the teacher said. Per-Arne is really a nice teacher, and he was totally confused with what language to talk to her; Norwegian or English? Danish is quite simular to Norwegian but still we have kind of problems understanding each other.

We had a party, and I think people had a great time. We started out with singstar and then just playing music, in the end everybody was dancing and people were getting crazy! Being a Dane, Sandra was surprized to find a Norwegian talking more openly about sex than Danes; Rikke! She is very straight forward while drunk xD We went out afterwards. The only Norwegian guy making any impression on this picky little Dane was a SUPERHOT bartender. I was hoping she'd fall in love with a Norwegian then move here.. but I guess not.

Saturday was just sleeping-in-day, then we went out on a Valentine's date and had the world's most delicious brownies with ice cream on a cafè! Later we watched movies.

Sunday my family took Sandra to the aquarium and then to Fjellstua, a viewpoint where you can see all of Ålesund. Then it was back to the airport, which is being reconstructed at the moment and thus extremely chaotic.

Next time I'll be with Sandra: hopefully ROSKILDE!!

Here you can see everybody getting cosy on my couch :)

Friday 13th must have been on thursday.

It's been snowing like crazy here lately.

Today I went to pick Sandra up at the airport. And I think the ride back home was a ride neither of us will ever forget!

First, I was driving real slow to the airport because of all the snow, so I was 15 minutes late for picking her up. I felt really bad, poor girl :( But that was just the beginning of it.

You see, the airport is on an island. And in order to get to/fro the airport you have to drive through two tunnels. The problem nowadays is, right now they're doing some construction work in the tunnels. They close them at 6 pm to work, which means, after that you have to take a ferry to Ålesund!

As it was almost 6, we figured out we wouldn't make it through both tunnels in time and decided on taking the ferry. But where the hell was the ferry??

We asked the guy at the gas station. Oh, just right after the bridge, take a left and follow the signs... Great, well the signs were all white because of the snow! Thank's a lot man.

So we headed left.. Hmm, no signs. But after a phone call we were assured that "we would see the ferry, just keep on going straight". And there it was.. on the left side. We thought! A ferry!

But the road down seemed very little travelled. This couldn't be it? We kept on driving, constantly looking for a road down on the left hand to the ferry we had seen. After a while, when there were still no signs of any roads on the left side, we turned around and headed back for the ferry. Took the road down.. And guess what: a fishing boat!

But - luckily - some guys working on the boat were heading for the ferry, and we could follow them... Follow me, he said, and drove hastily away from us... Wait! I drove after, trying to reach him, up the hilll, back on the main road, and .. oops! We got stuck on the ditch!

Soo.. we finally had some nice guy pull us out of the ditch, and after waiting another 45 minutes for the next ferry, we were finally getting a little bit closer to Ålesund.

What a trip!

Sandra's plane arrived at 17.25. At 20.15 we finally arrived at my house.

Sandra is coming!

My friend Sandra from Denmark is coming to visit me!

We were both exchange students in Iowa and became great friends then, and now I can't believe that I am actually going to see her again. I haven's seen her since June last year.. Now she'll finally get to experience see Ålesund and all the snow.

I've missed her soo much. This is gonna be a great weekend with my Dane!

Volda!

Arrived!

Making tacos

<3>

Cheers!

Sidebrok
Sleeping bag!

Girl's weekend at Ina's!

This Saturday, me and Birgit decided to finally visit Ina in her new student apartment in Volda, some hours away.

It was nice to get away from Ålesund for a while, not that I do not love it here but I am too adventourus a person to stay a long time in just one place without feeling a bit trapped. I start feeling restless. So Volda proved to be just the change of environment and the excitement to spice up my life that I desperately needed at the moment!

After a 2 1/2 hours ride on the bus - which of course being on the West coast of Norway also included a ferry ride - and after almost going off at
the totally wrong bus station, we made it to Volda!

This cosy, cold town in which half the people are students. Suits me perfectly!

We stumbled through the snow; sleeping bags in our hands, towards the apartment building - and on the way bought some ingredients for tacos. Shockingly, we forgot to buy the main ingredient: the tortillas... Guess who had to run back and get some ;)

After a nice dinner with girl talk and candles, we started dolling up while singing out loudly, then headed out into the snow for our big night out!

Volda, seemingly a small town, proved to be large enough to get lost in; and after wandering around in the freezing cold for an hour, and after endless phone calls to Ina's friends and class mates, we made it to the first party! There we finally got to meet the people we'd heard so much about in endless phone conversations with Ina!

After this party - I told you it was only the first party - we went out to the student house for a concert.

This I had my doubts about. The band, Sidebrok, is a Norwegian rap group - and although I do not dislike them I am not excactly their biggest fan either. As expected, since the band is from Volda/Ørsta, there was a lot of people. I actually had the most wonderful time!

Pherhaps it was the beer, or the people's energy, or the cute guy I met there; but either way it was amazing! And of course three skilled girls like ourselves got a free ride home.

Waking up at 6.30 the next morning and not being able to fall asleep again was obviously less fun, but after hours of waiting on my behalf for the others to wake up we had a nice breakfast.

Then it was saying goodbye to Ina, a sad separation it was indeed; and heading back to reality: a Norwegian presentation and a math test awaiting in Ålesund.

School.

School is part of life, well for most young adults, I prefer not referring to myself as a kid anymore ;)

Winter is the hardest time going to school. It is cold outside, I just want to go skiing and snowboarding but instead teachers are freaking out: after Easter time, it's examination time. Ok we, not the teachers, are the ones who should be freaking out. Misunderstand me right - we will all be freaking out in time. We just have to get through all the chapters in every book there is before Easter then!

Oooh, sweet spring time, and Winter break time, come soon!

And then graduation; then out on my own finding myself. I want to become a journalist, actually I want to study journalism in London - but before that I want to travel, or study African studies.

Hmm, so many thoughts, dreams, hopes, expectations.. But I comfort myself with this: we all end up somewhere.

I will pursue my dreams! I just have to get through this last year of school first ;)

celebrations and parties

Friends <3>

Lights! :)

Me and Alen. My date that night but not dating ;)

Marte and Ole Kristian