The Struggle Plane
It wasn't all that bad except for having cramped legs and the fact that I didn't really eat much over the course of those ten flight hours, plus airport time. But that was in my control. Everything out of my control -- flights being on time, my suitcase arriving safely, the people sitting next to me on the plane -- worked out as well as I could have hoped. There was a brief moment of panic shortly after arriving at Gardermoen airport, during which my phone didn't work (as I expected it would) and I feared I wouldn't be able to find the people who were picking me up from the airport. Upon exiting customs, however, I found them -- or, rather, they found me -- almost immediately and brought me to the University of Oslo, Blindern campus where I will be staying at studying for these six weeks at the International Summer School (ISS).
After getting settled into my dorm room -- it is a bit smaller than I expected and rather old but has all the necessities so I guess I can't complain -- I set out to explore campus and the surrounding area with a few other guys from my floor. An Oslo veteran, Brady, who attended this program when my brother was here, acted as our tour guide. Some people just can't escape the Digre brothers. Muahahahaha!
Having someone I knew from before coming to Norway has made meeting new people and the whole new environment a lot less overwhelming. If what they said at orientation yesterday (21 June) is true, there are people from something on the order of 86 different countries studying at ISS.
I've met so many awesome people from so many different countries -- United States (of course), Belgium, Slovakia, Russia, Germany, China (which is where my roommate is from), and Azerbaijan, to name a few -- in the first three days of being here and I look forward to meeting and getting to know many more. It's such a wonderful chance to expand my world view and make new connections with some fantastic people!
The Struggle Train
Like I said, my first full day here started off with orientation as well as registration. After the academic obligations, I spent most of the afternoon exploring downtown Oslo, including the Royal Palace, Karl Johans gate (the main, most famous street in Oslo), the Oslo Opera House, Akke Brygge (a fancy shopping and dining district), and various side streets. It was a nice way to get acquainted with Oslo and learn my way around the metro system, which is where the struggle train bit comes in. It took me a few tries to figure out that some of the metro seats are spring-loaded and won't stay down unless you're sitting on them. Much to my surprise, pulling them down and then letting go makes BIG NOISE! Also, if Brady hadn't been there to point out that you have to push the button on the door in order to make it open, I likely would have missed my stop, standing there like a hopeless puppy, wondering why the door isn't opening. But Oslo is such a beautiful and clean city; such minor struggles have no chance of dampening my mood.
The Struggle Bus
Today (June 22), the main activity was a bus tour of Oslo. We drove past many of the places I walked past yesterday but it was nice to hear the factoids our tour guide provided. The highlights were Frogner Park and Vigeland sculptures, the Viking Ship museum, and the Holmenkollen ski jump. I've provided some pictures of the last two below. The only struggle I had was spilling water down my shirt when I took a drink from my water bottle.
Together, the past few days comprise "The Struggle Plainus." The struggles have been minor but it's all been part of the fun of adjusting to life in Norway. I expect there to be many challenges for me to face but I hope to approach them all the way I've approached these first days: with an open mind and a smile on my face.
Chief among those challenges: classes starting tomorrow at 8:15. My first class starts at 8:15, ends at 10:00, and then right after that I have another class until 13:00. For those who don't know, the two classes I'm taking are Norwegian History and Intensive Elementary Norwegian Level I. In addition, I brought along an Old Norse textbook that I hope to work through on my own. I'll be very busy, of course, but I'm very excited for the weeks ahead and can't wait to find out what ISS and Norway has in store.
That's all for now. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again but I'd like to post something at least every few days. Stay tuned. -NLD
Viking Ship Museum
Holmenkollen ski jump
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