My First Month

I have officially been in Norway for 31 days though it honestly doesn’t feel like I’ve been away from Australia for that long. A month can be a really long thing or a really short thing. At the moment it sort of feels like both. A part of me can’t really remember not knowing what it is like to walk to school in the snow, it feels like I’ve lived here for my whole life, while another part of me thinks it was only yesterday that I said my final goodbyes.

Nevertheless a month is a month and I can now say I have gotten through my first one. This is definitely the longest I’ve spent without my family or in a different country but it is sort of becoming my normal. We were told the first three months would be the hardest part and there is a sort of relief knowing that you are a third of the way through the really tough times. These last 31 days have definitely been what I now call ‘roller coaster days’. There have been so many ups and downs already and, whilst at first the constant roller coaster frustrated me, I have now begun to appreciate just how much I have learnt about Norway and myself so far.

31 days is a really short time in the scheme of things but I think I’ve already done more, experienced more than I ever have in 100 days whilst in Australia. So now I present you with a list of 31 things I have accomplished, done or seen in my first 31 days in this beautiful country.

1. I have made a snow angel. I know I’ve mentioned it previously but it was a pretty big deal for me and was certainly very fun.
2. I have played Go Fish in Norwegian. Hopp i Havet is exactly the same and was a very fun way to become more familiar with the pronunciation of numbers (and king and queen).
3. I have played the Norwegian version of Trivial Pursuit (and won!). My host sister was kind enough to translate most of the questions for me however I got to test out my reading ability whilst asking her questions in Norwegian. It was very interesting and I learnt that Norwegians know a lot more about world history than most Australians.
4. I have learnt the way to and from school. the first few times I walked by myself I spent the majority of the time a little unsure if I was going the right way. Luckily I was and I can now walk to and from school without even really thinking about where I am going.
5. I have gone to 11 days of school. My time at school has been slightly interrupted due to Intro and Winter Camp but I have still managed to make it through 11 days without any major problems. The first few days were terrifying but now I am beginning to appreciate the different style of teaching that (as I am at a practical school) focuses more on supporting students’ wants for future occupations rather than telling them they need to focus completely on academic subjects. I have new found respect for my class mates who want to work with children or the elderly or in a hospital and are simply taking the steps required to get them to where they want to be.
6. I have caught the bus by myself. This might not seem like a big thing but catching the bus from Lillestrom to Strommen, knowing that if I don’t get off at the right stop I could be on my way to Oslo, is a little bit scary.
7. I have gone cross country skiing many times, most recently yesterday. My host mum showed me a local track and so now, when I’m bored or have no plans, I am able to go cross country skiing which I really enjoy. It is a lot less painful than running cross country and the view is a lot better (though I still fall a fair bit).
8. I have been a part of a human pyramid. This one sounds a little weird but my first PE class was focused around gymnastics. Many people could probably tell you that cart wheeling and hand stands are certainly not my forte but it was quite fun to learn to juggle and make a human pyramid with my class. We also did trust exercises which were honestly a little scary considering I didn’t even know the names of the people I was with.
9. I have been to an outdoor museum and been inside many old wooden Norwegian houses. Some of the houses we (the other Australians and myself) got to see had been made with no electronic equipment or even screws and bolts! It was quite an interesting experience as the apparent temperature was -23 degrees and the old houses definitely did not have heating.
10. I have fed a moose, reindeer and an alpine fox. I had pretty much lost feeling in my toes whilst I was doing this but it was certainly an experience I will never forget. Moose are actually really intimidating creatures but alpine foxes are the most adorable animal you will ever come across.
11. I have conquered a T-lift. I know I’ve mentioned this a lot but it remains to be one of the things I am most proud of doing so far.
12. I got to go on an amazing Intro and Winter Camp. I know this might sound cheesy and like an over exaggeration but it was honestly one of the best times of my life. Meeting all the oldies, skiing and just being able to talk to people who understood what you were going through was so good. It was devastating when it finished but I do think it helped me to look at my exchange with fresh eyes.
13.  I got to see Monet’s, Manet’s, Picasso’s and Munch’s art all in the same gallery. I am no art fanatic but there was something so special about seeing these paintings I had tried to replicate in my primary school art classes (and failed) in real life. The State Art Gallery in Oslo was incredible and it was very fascinating to go there with my host family who were able to point out some of the more famous Norwegian pieces.
14. I have written a (very) short story in my health class about how empathy can be used when working with children in Norwegian. I was somewhat limited in what I could say due to my small vocabulary but I did manage to piece together a story about a young girl who was angry that everybody else had an orange and she didn’t and thus was comforted by a childcare worker who used empathy to help her calm down. I even managed to explain (I use the word explain in a very lax context) that becoming angry at the girl or telling her to suck it up would not have worked.
15. I have completed a Norwegian maths test. I really like maths and I don’t think I appreciated it enough when I was in Australia. I have learnt that in both Norwegian and English the questions are phrased in very similar ways. Thus I have managed to figure out what the key parts I actually need to understand are and I’m able to answer the questions. Maths is actually the class I think I’m learning the most Norwegian in as I write down the words I don’t know and then translate them later on.
16. I have joined a basketball team. Although the process is not entirely complete it is nearly done so I think it is worth noting. I have been to 3 training sessions and all the girls are really nice. It feels so refreshing to be able to play a team sport again and I really like basketball. I’m hoping to be able to play a game before the season ends (which is relatively soon).
17. I have learnt how to ‘properly’ give hand massages. This was certainly an interesting class but you probably shouldn’t ask me for one when I get back as I am somewhat lacking in the whole relaxation side of things.
18. I was able to go to a Norwegian nursing home and talk with some of the residents. My health teacher decided I should mix things up and so she organised for me to go with the ‘Gule Engler’ (Yellow Angels) group to a local nursing home. This was definitely a new experience. I was able to have a small conversation with an older lady who had dementia and, upon her request, painted her nails pink. She was very sweet and was quite surprised when I was able to tell her that my bother and sister had given me my ring after she commented on it. In a separate situation I also ended up singing ‘Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gumtree’ after there had been a bit of a sing along and one of the residents decided they wanted ‘Australia’ to sing.
19. I have learnt to do my own washing and how you should handle woolenn clothes in comparison to cotton ones. I didn’t do my own washing in Australia though I was fully capable of it so it has been interesting to start to keep track of my own clothes. Learning (and remembering) little rules/suggestions for the use of the washing machine (for example: if washing woolen clothing put the washing machine on a setting that doesn’t tumble and then once finished put it on tumble for 2 minutes so that it isn’t so water logged but maintains its quality) has been a new challenge.
20. I have been able to share a lot of information about Australia with my classmates. It has actually been really surprising who has been interested in Australia and the sort of questions they ask. Norwegians actually study Australia as part of English so I’ve actually answered some really thought through questions. Trying to explain Australia’s immigration policy, even in English, is a little difficult. When school goes back (I’m currently on Winter break for 1 week) I will be giving my class a presentation about Australia and hopefully explain AFL, cricket and netball. Fun fact: There is actually a phrase used to describe something that is near impossible that is : Trying to teach a Norwegian cricket. I have already been asked by tow different people if cricket is the sport where people ride horses.
21. I’ve been to two Rotary meetings. I have actually only been in Strommen for two Thursdays (I was at camp for the other two) but I’ve been able to introduce myself to the club, exchange banners and give a short presentation on Winter Camp. The Rotary meetings are quite different to the ones I have been to in Australia as they are at lunch. Every week the resident historian gives a presentation on a different land mark or event and, even though I don’t understand most of it, it is fascinating to see the old pictures of places that I now know.
22. I’ve helped to clear snow from the driveway. I think this is one of those things that may only be enjoyable because the novelty hasn’t worn off but it was very fun (and a little tiring). As cheesy as it sounds, I felt like a real Norwegian and I really enjoyed being outside in the snow.
23. I’ve gone sledding. On the last night of our Intro Camp one of the Rotarians from the club who was hosting us offered to take us all sledding near his house. I wasn’t particularly good at it but it didn’t really matter. It was a lot of fun and the view was amazing. We were relatively high up and were able to look over Nesbyen. The lights from the town and the stars in the sky were truly beautiful. I didn’t take a photo as I don’t think anything could have really captured the beauty of the moment. Afterwards we were able to go to the Rotarian’s house and have hot chocolate and bolle.
24. I’ve gotten ice on my eye lashes and in my hair. On the first day of skiing at Winter Camp it was particularly cold. It actually didn’t feel that different to previous days but any water on our body was freezing and so we all ended up with frozen eyelashes. It was quite a weird sensation but in no way was it as glamorous as people make it out to be. The ice and snow makes it harder to open your eyes fully but it did produce some very cool photos.
25. I have watched the Norwegian female cross-country ski relay team win gold at the Olympics. I’ve sort of given up on rooting for Australia as we aren’t in many of the events they televise in Norway and Norway has definitely been more successful. The relay I watched was particularly thrilling. Essentially Norway was 5th half way through and was nearly 30 seconds behind first place. It was exciting to watch and all Australians love an under dog (even though Norway were gold medal favourites I think the comeback counts).
26. I have become much more familiar with the Strommen area. I can now say that I ca find my way home from most places in Strommen. I walk nearly everywhere, to training, school, the shops and the ski tracks so, after a long process of trial and error, I have now sort of figured out where I am in comparison to other places. I may have accidentally taken the ‘scenic route’ many times but it has all worked out in the end.
27. I have participated in an eyelash and eyebrow tinting class. Again I wouldn’t ask me to try out anything I learned in my skin care class as the instructions are all in Norwegian. I am now able to tell what the process should roughly look like but I’m not really sure what the names are of the products you use.
28. I have played Norwegian dodgeball. It didn’t surprise me when I found out we were playing dodgeball in PE. What did surprise me was the fact that there were no teams and everyone just threw balls at everyone else. If you were hit you had to complete the punishment: situps, push ups etc. It was a bit worrying to start off with until I figured out that no onw wanted to be the one to throw the ball at the exchange student….other than the teacher.
29. I have watched a movie in Norwegian. It was called Operation Arctic and it was actually really enjoyable. The subtitles were in Norwegian as well but that only helped with my understanding of the pronunciation. I can happily say that I understood the gist of it and I learnt at least one new word: ingen (nothing or no).
30. I have built a snow man. I must admit I had done this once before whilst at Perisher although I can now acknowledge that that snow man was pitiful. My host parents and I built a massive one, it was almost the same height as me! I learnt that you have to wait for the powdery snow to ice up a bit in order to make a good snow man.
31. I have seen a famous Norwegian actor in Oslo. I wasn’t aware of it at the time but when I was in Oslo with my host family we walked behind and beside quite a well-known Norwegian actor (who’s name I don’t know). I was informed that he played a major role in The Book Of Mormon when it came to Oslo and he was apparently very talented.
32. I know I said 31 but I think this is too important to not include. In this first month I have been homesick. I’m saying this because I know it is nothing to be ashamed of and I think it’s important to be honest and frank. Being homesick sucks but it helps to know that other people have experienced the same thing you have, that’s why I’m including this. I didn’t think I would get home sick, I never really had on school camps but a year is a little different and when that realisation comes crashing down it is hard. I’m only mentioning this because it doesn’t seem so bad anymore. That doesn’t mean it won’t come back but I think it is important that any potential exchange students know that it does actually happen (and isn’t just something that only happens rarely).

In the last 31 days I have met so many new people and forged friendships that, if not for the exchange, wouldn’t have seemed possible before. The last 31 days have been roller coaster days, there’s no doubt about that. Everyday has been a ‘big day’ and everything I do, no matter how small, seems like a little achievement.  Norway is really beautiful and my area is currently experiencing the most snow it has had in the last 15-20 years. Unlike the Australian Summer, the Norwegian Winter never gets old (even after a month) and I still think nothing compares walking to school while it snows around you.

The first month has been harder than I ever though it would be but often your hardest days lead to the best days of your life.. or at least that is what google tells me.  It has now been over a year since I first filled out the expression of interest form for exchange online. It was so long ago and to be honest I think I had a rather naive view of what it would be like. I thought only of the good parts before, during and after. It was so cool to have people tell me I was brave and that they could never leave for a year. I now hate the word brave because there are times when I feel anything but brave. There are times when I feel incompetent, incapable, immature and insecure and the whole notion of going on exchange, of not seeing my family for a year seems stupid and impossible, not brave. I don’t think I am brave. But to be fair this is only a very small portion of the time and I guess it’s what you get with exchange. You crash and burn a tiny bit so that you can end up better than ever. I’m now learning to appreciate the good times and to find the good things to appreciate even when things seem bad. The last 31 days have been the biggest adventure of my life and I wouldn’t change any of it, the good or bad, for the world.

I love Norway and I’m learning to love this new life. If you know any students who are in year 9 or 10 mention exchange to them. This month has been insane and I know my journey is only just getting started.

Until next time,

Alicia