Thursday - 5AM
Agnieszka, Rob and I wake up, pack up, and run off. Well, actually walk, and then take the street car, and then take the train. Destination: Krakow!
Once on the train, Agnieszka decides it would be much more pleasant and less crowded in the pregnancy and family car... which Rob and I thought would backfire. Ironically it did. For a while it was just the three of us and an actual pregnant chic and her boyfriend/husband/parter, but then a little ways down the tracks we picked up a 3 person family, complete with little boy and DVD player to torture us with little kid movies filled with really repetitive songs that are still bouncing around in my head somewhere.
10 or 11AM - Arrived Alive
First quest in Krakow was to rent a car, which turned out to be a more difficult and drawn out adventure than it should have been. The first taxi we took first took us to an autobody repair shop, and then to a rental dealership which we could not rent a vehicle from due to our lack of credit cards and the fact that none of us are 23. So we took another taxi to another place, which eventually rented us a sporty blue Kia. Rob was happy because it had a full tank of gas; Agnieszka was happy because it had a CD player. There was actually a CD in there... which I totally took - it was someone's sweet roadtrip mix.
The same people who rented us the car suggested an apartment we could rent fairly cheaply for the weekend. We went for some much needed sustenence in the form of pizza, and then checked out the flat. Fully furnished, has everything we need: Internet, kitchen, beds, blowdryer :)
So we are in #4 for the weekend, and I like it quite alot.
After I showered and they napped, we headed out to see Wawel Castle, which was beautiful, but the inside was closed by that time, so we are hopefully going back on Sunday to finish that adventure.
Back at "our" appartment, the other 2 crashed and I tried to sleep, but didn't get there until around 1AM due to too much coffee and happiness :P
12/28/2007
12/25/2007
Christmas and Cabbage Rolls
So here it is, Christmas, and I am sitting here in Poland, enjoying the full feeling after devouring cabbage rolls and mashed potatoes, and talking to my mother on Skype. Ahh.
Here, Christmas isn't overly Christmasy. And by here, I mean the Szlowieniec household. In order to deviate from the rest of the country - which is the most Catholic country, like, ever - they simply don't celebrate Christmas. There is no tree, no gifts, no Christmas Dinner, no stockings hung by the chimney with care. But there was wall painting, which I did my fair share of. They have been building their house for about 15 years and there is still much to be done, and so while we are here, Rob and Agnieszka and I are pitching in.
On Sunday we attempted to drive to Czech Republic for some skiing and snowboarding, but the car broke down on the way there, and we got towed back... it was a little saddening considering I had spent the whole previous day trying to mentally prepare myself for my first attempt at snowboarding, and for nothing, but in the end we had a good day at home just hanging out watching movies with Polish subtitles and then on Christmas Eve eve, we went out to the city of Wroclaw and saw some sights and Christmas lights and ate at Pizza Hut (random) where they put corn on the pizza (also random).
On Thursday we are taking the bus to Krakow and then spending the weekend there... Rob has a friend from home who also has a Polish girlfriend, and they happen to be in Poland at the same time as us, so he wants to meet up with them, hence the trip to Krakow. I'm just going along, taking pictures, and avoiding being in the way of all the couples and Christmas mush.
Africa tales yet to come... probably won't be posting them until after Poland due to limited Internet access (it's only available on one computer, and it's in Michal's room (Michal = older brother - he likes to tickle me).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Here, Christmas isn't overly Christmasy. And by here, I mean the Szlowieniec household. In order to deviate from the rest of the country - which is the most Catholic country, like, ever - they simply don't celebrate Christmas. There is no tree, no gifts, no Christmas Dinner, no stockings hung by the chimney with care. But there was wall painting, which I did my fair share of. They have been building their house for about 15 years and there is still much to be done, and so while we are here, Rob and Agnieszka and I are pitching in.
On Sunday we attempted to drive to Czech Republic for some skiing and snowboarding, but the car broke down on the way there, and we got towed back... it was a little saddening considering I had spent the whole previous day trying to mentally prepare myself for my first attempt at snowboarding, and for nothing, but in the end we had a good day at home just hanging out watching movies with Polish subtitles and then on Christmas Eve eve, we went out to the city of Wroclaw and saw some sights and Christmas lights and ate at Pizza Hut (random) where they put corn on the pizza (also random).
On Thursday we are taking the bus to Krakow and then spending the weekend there... Rob has a friend from home who also has a Polish girlfriend, and they happen to be in Poland at the same time as us, so he wants to meet up with them, hence the trip to Krakow. I'm just going along, taking pictures, and avoiding being in the way of all the couples and Christmas mush.
Africa tales yet to come... probably won't be posting them until after Poland due to limited Internet access (it's only available on one computer, and it's in Michal's room (Michal = older brother - he likes to tickle me).
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
11/06/2007
UP UP AND AWAY!!!
It's currently 11:16AM (Norwegian time) and I leave at 2:30AM.
I AM JAZZED.
Wish me luck as I head off to Africa! I will be MIA for a while.
Peace!
I AM JAZZED.
Wish me luck as I head off to Africa! I will be MIA for a while.
Peace!
10/30/2007
The Great Cucumber Battle of 2007
Sarah and I were at odds with each other as we were working in the greenhouse tunnels today, so as we stood on opposite sides of the tunnel, taking down dead cucumber plants and not speaking to each other, I slyly took a nice, rotten cucumber and chucked it at her. It missed, and I calmly continued, as if i was completely innoccent. A few minutes later, I chucked another. Again it missed. After throwing about five cucumbers and repeatedly missing, Sarah turns to me and says "Hey Jen, remember that one time when we were in the greenhouse and you tried to throw cucumbers at me, but kept missing because you can't throw?" and then proceeded to throw a cucumber at me, and actually hit me in the arm. This caused great rage to stir in my soul and I grabbed the nearest and largest cucumber and tore through the dry crumbly plants after her, chasing her down the rows and outside the greenhouse, throwing the cucumber at the last second (of course, it missed) just as Werner Rusch (the principal) walked by with his grandson. Now, it would have been a better story if I could now say I had hit the principal, or worse yet, his grandson, with the cucumber, but luckily for me it didn't, and he just laughed at me, and I ran back in the tunnels real fast.
Back to taking down dead plants (I'm allergic to those things and now have a nice rash on the insides of both my arms), Sarah and I continued in silence until a little while later when i challenged her to a duel, and got hit in the face with a nice chunk of rotting cucumber (pleasant).
In the end, we declared an unspoken truce, but I intend to get her back the next time we have to work in the tunnels.
Life here is slow for the next week, as quite a few students are gone, as well as the agriculture program is over, and the evangelistic meetings were finished on Sunday night. We have a test on Thursday, and other than that its just all about the packing and preparing for Tanzania/Honduras, for which I am very excited, and am anticipating greatly.
Happy Halloween tomorrow :) I'm wearing my candy-corn socks and trying to get over the fact that I did not carve a pumpkin this year for the first time in... a long time. It's sad. Although I did carve one on Facebook, but somehow without the whole pumpkin guts and seeds and mess and all it's just not the same, but I think I'll manage to get over it, somehow.
<3Jen
Back to taking down dead plants (I'm allergic to those things and now have a nice rash on the insides of both my arms), Sarah and I continued in silence until a little while later when i challenged her to a duel, and got hit in the face with a nice chunk of rotting cucumber (pleasant).
In the end, we declared an unspoken truce, but I intend to get her back the next time we have to work in the tunnels.
Life here is slow for the next week, as quite a few students are gone, as well as the agriculture program is over, and the evangelistic meetings were finished on Sunday night. We have a test on Thursday, and other than that its just all about the packing and preparing for Tanzania/Honduras, for which I am very excited, and am anticipating greatly.
Happy Halloween tomorrow :) I'm wearing my candy-corn socks and trying to get over the fact that I did not carve a pumpkin this year for the first time in... a long time. It's sad. Although I did carve one on Facebook, but somehow without the whole pumpkin guts and seeds and mess and all it's just not the same, but I think I'll manage to get over it, somehow.
<3Jen
10/29/2007
I, Jen, the Candy King
This post marks the first post of a new era as such, for it is the first post written since the 19th of October, which marked the date of my birth 18 years previous. This day thankfully managed to be rather uneventful, and I managed to get through it without being sung the special EBS version of “Happy Birthday” due to my precautionary measures (i.e. threatening anyone to within an inch of their lives who even suggested doing such a thing. But regardless of this I still managed to have the song thoroughly ingrained in my brain the whole day, which caused me to be driven near madness.
“A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you!
May you feel Jesus near every day of the year!
A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you!
The best that you ever knew!
Lord keep her shining for you, Lord keep her shining for you!
In the world’s darkest night – keep her pure, keep her bright!
Lord keep her shining for you, Lord keep her shining for you!
Until she beholds Your face!”
And believe me, the tune is worse.
But anyway, it was nice, since my birthday fell on a Friday, which meant I only had to attend 2 hours of classes, and then I applied myself to the lovely task of cleaning the cafeteria, and then sheer, unadulterated freedom stood before me, waiting for me to take advantage of it. So I did.
Sarah and I went down to the boy’s dorm, where Marcus was waiting with his recent grocery purchases for us to come make nachos. The afternoon was spent pretty much stuffing our faces and me falling asleep on the couch (too much excitement I guess).
In the evening there was a meeting at Erin’s house (she is one of the teachers here; she’s real funny) for all of us traveling to Tanzania, and I taught Hugo and Andrés to put marshmallows in their hot chocolate, which they thought was pretty much the strangest (yet brilliant) idea ever. We then had a crash course in Swahili, which I sadly remember hardly any of, and learned a new song, also in Swahili. Luckily we have two guys here from Kenya who actually speak Swahili, and so they taught us the song and helped with our pathetic attempts at pronunciation.
Saturday was a nice, freezing cold day. Sarah and I missed the bus to church, so we hijacked a bicycle and with me pedaling and her sitting side-saddle on the back rack, we plummeted down the hill (we found the brakes to be rather lacking in actual braking ability) with reckless abandon and managed to arrive in one piece in a matter of minutes.
“Church” was the topic in Sabbath school, and I really appreciated it, as we deviated from the lesson and discussed the kinds of things we would want to see instated if we were to begin our own church; what kinds of things we thought were crucial to having a healthy functioning church. We also discussed the word itself and the different things the word “Church” brings to mind, and the pros and cons of using this word.
I am slowly but surely picking up Norwegian, as I always listen to the sermon in the native tongue instead of wearing the detestable headphones which are available to have translation, and I am beginning to get the gist of what people are saying. Also I have been studying “Norwegian in 10 minutes” when I get the chance and have picked up some useful words/phrases from that as well.
Oh, and to explain the title: on Thursday “talk time” turned into lunch at Erin’s house (she makes really good fettuccini alfredo, by the way) and shopping in Drammen, where I bought a bag of awesome candy from the Candy King and a new hat, both of which I was very excited about. So now you know.
Well that’s really all I can think of, and it’s not that interesting at all, but it gives you a little glimpse into my life as I prepare to pack up and head off to Tanzania – there won’t be any updates from the 7th of November until sometime in late December, but then there shall be a veritable deluge of my adventures from there, so hold tight.
<3Jen
“A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you!
May you feel Jesus near every day of the year!
A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you!
The best that you ever knew!
Lord keep her shining for you, Lord keep her shining for you!
In the world’s darkest night – keep her pure, keep her bright!
Lord keep her shining for you, Lord keep her shining for you!
Until she beholds Your face!”
And believe me, the tune is worse.
But anyway, it was nice, since my birthday fell on a Friday, which meant I only had to attend 2 hours of classes, and then I applied myself to the lovely task of cleaning the cafeteria, and then sheer, unadulterated freedom stood before me, waiting for me to take advantage of it. So I did.
Sarah and I went down to the boy’s dorm, where Marcus was waiting with his recent grocery purchases for us to come make nachos. The afternoon was spent pretty much stuffing our faces and me falling asleep on the couch (too much excitement I guess).
In the evening there was a meeting at Erin’s house (she is one of the teachers here; she’s real funny) for all of us traveling to Tanzania, and I taught Hugo and Andrés to put marshmallows in their hot chocolate, which they thought was pretty much the strangest (yet brilliant) idea ever. We then had a crash course in Swahili, which I sadly remember hardly any of, and learned a new song, also in Swahili. Luckily we have two guys here from Kenya who actually speak Swahili, and so they taught us the song and helped with our pathetic attempts at pronunciation.
Saturday was a nice, freezing cold day. Sarah and I missed the bus to church, so we hijacked a bicycle and with me pedaling and her sitting side-saddle on the back rack, we plummeted down the hill (we found the brakes to be rather lacking in actual braking ability) with reckless abandon and managed to arrive in one piece in a matter of minutes.
“Church” was the topic in Sabbath school, and I really appreciated it, as we deviated from the lesson and discussed the kinds of things we would want to see instated if we were to begin our own church; what kinds of things we thought were crucial to having a healthy functioning church. We also discussed the word itself and the different things the word “Church” brings to mind, and the pros and cons of using this word.
I am slowly but surely picking up Norwegian, as I always listen to the sermon in the native tongue instead of wearing the detestable headphones which are available to have translation, and I am beginning to get the gist of what people are saying. Also I have been studying “Norwegian in 10 minutes” when I get the chance and have picked up some useful words/phrases from that as well.
Oh, and to explain the title: on Thursday “talk time” turned into lunch at Erin’s house (she makes really good fettuccini alfredo, by the way) and shopping in Drammen, where I bought a bag of awesome candy from the Candy King and a new hat, both of which I was very excited about. So now you know.
Well that’s really all I can think of, and it’s not that interesting at all, but it gives you a little glimpse into my life as I prepare to pack up and head off to Tanzania – there won’t be any updates from the 7th of November until sometime in late December, but then there shall be a veritable deluge of my adventures from there, so hold tight.
<3Jen
10/16/2007
Bread Day!
Happy International Bread Day, everyone!
I would never have known this holiday existed, much less that it fell on today, October 16th, if I was not here in Norway, and having to clean down at the health food store/bakery/church/doctor’s office/physiotherapy building down in Skotselv. Yesterday I was whisked over to a table in the midst of my cleaning in order to inspect the display being set up for today, and upon questioning why this was being set up, I was informed that it was for International Bread Day (duh) and there was a big deal about it and bread competitions etc. etc., and that the bread from “our” bakery here usually got rather high in the rankings. Actually, the bread they make here at the Skotselv Adventist Bakery (not it’s official title, I’m sure, but that is what I shall choose to call it) is the healthiest bread in Norway at least, and the secret is that it is made with sprouted wheat. It’s not much of a secret – they print it right on the bag – so I don’t feel too bad spilling the beans online.
So I am now officially roommate-less, as my roommate, along with several other students (including Nova Scotia’s own Robert Richard James Monk) left for Bulgaria at 4AM today because they are all going to be doing evangelistic meetings over there for the next 2 ½ weeks! Our class is rather empty now, and so is my room, which is fine with me. I’ll admit it will be very nice to be able to get ready for school in the morning in complete darkness and silence in order not to disturb poor sleeping Natalia.
Now I’m just hanging out, listening to The Clash, ripping music to my computer, and eyeing Natalia’s bookshelf, thinking that Norwegian in 10 minutes a day looks like it is a worth a little closer inspection. I wish you all a Happy Bread Day and encourage you to select a healthy whole grain bread to celebrate with.
I would never have known this holiday existed, much less that it fell on today, October 16th, if I was not here in Norway, and having to clean down at the health food store/bakery/church/doctor’s office/physiotherapy building down in Skotselv. Yesterday I was whisked over to a table in the midst of my cleaning in order to inspect the display being set up for today, and upon questioning why this was being set up, I was informed that it was for International Bread Day (duh) and there was a big deal about it and bread competitions etc. etc., and that the bread from “our” bakery here usually got rather high in the rankings. Actually, the bread they make here at the Skotselv Adventist Bakery (not it’s official title, I’m sure, but that is what I shall choose to call it) is the healthiest bread in Norway at least, and the secret is that it is made with sprouted wheat. It’s not much of a secret – they print it right on the bag – so I don’t feel too bad spilling the beans online.
So I am now officially roommate-less, as my roommate, along with several other students (including Nova Scotia’s own Robert Richard James Monk) left for Bulgaria at 4AM today because they are all going to be doing evangelistic meetings over there for the next 2 ½ weeks! Our class is rather empty now, and so is my room, which is fine with me. I’ll admit it will be very nice to be able to get ready for school in the morning in complete darkness and silence in order not to disturb poor sleeping Natalia.
Now I’m just hanging out, listening to The Clash, ripping music to my computer, and eyeing Natalia’s bookshelf, thinking that Norwegian in 10 minutes a day looks like it is a worth a little closer inspection. I wish you all a Happy Bread Day and encourage you to select a healthy whole grain bread to celebrate with.
10/06/2007
Bible Studies and Tales of Talk Time
Life in Skotselv is getting a little redundant – I am not a creature of habit, to say the least, and I am finding less and less ways to break up the monotony – there are only so many adventures one can go on in a town the size of a midgets back pocket, so I’m thinking of hopping a bus if not this weekend then the next, and parading about the wondrous, yet-to-be-explored-by-Jen-Scott streets of Oslo! Hopefully this will help me get out of my rut, which is getting deeper with each passing day. But, even if I don’t get to Oslo this weekend, at least my pants will, because Tatiana is taking them with her to some meetings this weekend. My pants get out more than me, how totally wrong is that?!
I really shouldn’t be doing this right now, I should be catching up on writing bible studies (I’m two behind, oops) or sleeping, or some other equally silly pass time, but really, how dull is that? Today (as I write , it still...) is Friday and I shall be having class, cleaning and then I’ll go in search of adventure, most likely a solo one, since I am finding myself short on friends lately. Not that I don’t have friends, but they are all mostly preoccupied with other people, so I tend to one-woman it around the place, which suits me just fine.
Thursday night I frolicked about Drammen with Marcus and went to McDonalds, which felt completely wrong, since the interior was unlike that of any McDonalds I have ever darkened the doors of. It was all decked out, complete with chandeliers and mirrored walls. I felt silly chowing down on a McChicken (first once-dead thing I have eaten since coming to EBS, wow!) and fries in such an environment, but it was an interesting experience, and I enjoyed it.
Thursday, I had talk-time. First, let me explain the concept: one day every week, I am scheduled, rain or shine, to sit down with a particular staff member (her name is Lindsay, she is 22 and the wife of one of the teachers of my evangelism course; she is also pregnant and expecting in December) and talk about my life, how things are going, and whatever else might come to mind. At first the very idea of this pretty much turned my stomach and I did everything I could to get out of it, but lately I have had a change of heart. I actually have begun to appreciate it. This is partly because in the beginning, Lindsay shared with me that she thought the idea was ridiculous herself, and so we agreed not to make it any worse than it had to be, and also not to probe into each others lives and follow the general guidelines of “talk-time” and make it like a visit to your neighbourhood shrink. It is also largely based on the fact that I get sick of talking to the same people all week and I run out of new topics to broach with the people I commonly associate with (which is all the students), so having a specific time to talk to someone else gives me an opportunity to bring things up that have been bugging me about a class, or something that has struck my fancy, or, if nothing is on my mind, then at times we don’t speak at all, or just tell stories (mostly she tells stories and I listen). Drinking tea is a nice pastime, and fills up the silence. She has introduced me to a glorious new type of tea, the name of which is Good Earth, and it tastes like heaven in a teacup. So I am happy to say that I now, much to my surprise, actually enjoy talk time. Hurray!
Well, my abs are burning because I have decided to begin a very strict exercise plan for myself, which so far consists simply of me doing as many stomach crunches at one time as my poor belly can handle, once in the morning and once at night. I do this in the hopes to have abs of steal (wait, I’m at EBS, I should have belly and thighs of brass [bronze]) somewhere down the road. Hey, I can dream, right?
So on this note I shall go and do some bible studies – I have most of the one for last week done, and none for this week, so I have my work cut out for me.
I leave you with this one word of advice: always know where your towel is (Douglas Adams). I say this because I don’t know the location of one of my towels. Let me rephrase this: I know where my towel is, and I want it back! So I change my advice to a new revised quote of my own: never lend your towel to someone who will inevitably forget to return it anytime in the near future. On this note, goodnight!
<3Jen
Ps.
Toilets cleaned this week – 27
Things I have been called since coming to European Bible School:
1. Jehovah's Witness
2. Norwegian
3. Danish
4. Patrick's Wife
5. Charismatic
6. Male
7. Sarah
8. Maria (Julie Andrews) from The Sound of Music
9. Julie’s sister
Favourite Smells: grass; dirt; dead leaves.
I really shouldn’t be doing this right now, I should be catching up on writing bible studies (I’m two behind, oops) or sleeping, or some other equally silly pass time, but really, how dull is that? Today (as I write , it still...) is Friday and I shall be having class, cleaning and then I’ll go in search of adventure, most likely a solo one, since I am finding myself short on friends lately. Not that I don’t have friends, but they are all mostly preoccupied with other people, so I tend to one-woman it around the place, which suits me just fine.
Thursday night I frolicked about Drammen with Marcus and went to McDonalds, which felt completely wrong, since the interior was unlike that of any McDonalds I have ever darkened the doors of. It was all decked out, complete with chandeliers and mirrored walls. I felt silly chowing down on a McChicken (first once-dead thing I have eaten since coming to EBS, wow!) and fries in such an environment, but it was an interesting experience, and I enjoyed it.
Thursday, I had talk-time. First, let me explain the concept: one day every week, I am scheduled, rain or shine, to sit down with a particular staff member (her name is Lindsay, she is 22 and the wife of one of the teachers of my evangelism course; she is also pregnant and expecting in December) and talk about my life, how things are going, and whatever else might come to mind. At first the very idea of this pretty much turned my stomach and I did everything I could to get out of it, but lately I have had a change of heart. I actually have begun to appreciate it. This is partly because in the beginning, Lindsay shared with me that she thought the idea was ridiculous herself, and so we agreed not to make it any worse than it had to be, and also not to probe into each others lives and follow the general guidelines of “talk-time” and make it like a visit to your neighbourhood shrink. It is also largely based on the fact that I get sick of talking to the same people all week and I run out of new topics to broach with the people I commonly associate with (which is all the students), so having a specific time to talk to someone else gives me an opportunity to bring things up that have been bugging me about a class, or something that has struck my fancy, or, if nothing is on my mind, then at times we don’t speak at all, or just tell stories (mostly she tells stories and I listen). Drinking tea is a nice pastime, and fills up the silence. She has introduced me to a glorious new type of tea, the name of which is Good Earth, and it tastes like heaven in a teacup. So I am happy to say that I now, much to my surprise, actually enjoy talk time. Hurray!
Well, my abs are burning because I have decided to begin a very strict exercise plan for myself, which so far consists simply of me doing as many stomach crunches at one time as my poor belly can handle, once in the morning and once at night. I do this in the hopes to have abs of steal (wait, I’m at EBS, I should have belly and thighs of brass [bronze]) somewhere down the road. Hey, I can dream, right?
So on this note I shall go and do some bible studies – I have most of the one for last week done, and none for this week, so I have my work cut out for me.
I leave you with this one word of advice: always know where your towel is (Douglas Adams). I say this because I don’t know the location of one of my towels. Let me rephrase this: I know where my towel is, and I want it back! So I change my advice to a new revised quote of my own: never lend your towel to someone who will inevitably forget to return it anytime in the near future. On this note, goodnight!
<3Jen
Ps.
Toilets cleaned this week – 27
Things I have been called since coming to European Bible School:
1. Jehovah's Witness
2. Norwegian
3. Danish
4. Patrick's Wife
5. Charismatic
6. Male
7. Sarah
8. Maria (Julie Andrews) from The Sound of Music
9. Julie’s sister
Favourite Smells: grass; dirt; dead leaves.
10/01/2007
The Life and Times of My Laundry
First off, I must give credit where credit is due. Part of the reason I have decided to devote an entire blog entry to such a mundane activity as laundry was because I recently read the blog of my dear friend Brandon (www.brandoninnepal.blogspot.com), and in it he described the long and ridiculous process he is forced to go through in order to have clean clothes whilst he is in Nepal, so I felt it was necessary for me to share with you all the wonders of laundry here.
It all begins in the washer. These washers are tiny, yet have twice as many settings as a normal North American washing machine. And if you put in more than a certain amount of clothes, the machine will simply give up the ghost and die. So you must weigh your laundry (over exaggeration)and make sure you feed it the proper amount so that it will love you and give you clean clothing. The next thing about these machines is that one load takes 2 hours to wash, and therefore you must begin your laundry at a decent time of day, in order to still be awake when it is done. Lastly, dryers only exist at the boy’s dorm (twenty minute walk down a huge hill), so we use nifty drying wracks. Oh, and then there is the great part where each tiny load of laundry costs 5NKR, which is fairly inexpensive, but when you have to do 50 ity bity loads, it adds up. Luckily, I have enough socks and underwear to go 2 weeks without doing a wash, so I’m all set.
However, for the experience (when we have extra time), sometimes Sarah and I simply use the bathtub for our laundry, and then we get to do fun things, like make a laundry rainbow. I thought it was a pretty neat idea.
So, that’s the story of laundry. The end.
It all begins in the washer. These washers are tiny, yet have twice as many settings as a normal North American washing machine. And if you put in more than a certain amount of clothes, the machine will simply give up the ghost and die. So you must weigh your laundry (over exaggeration)and make sure you feed it the proper amount so that it will love you and give you clean clothing. The next thing about these machines is that one load takes 2 hours to wash, and therefore you must begin your laundry at a decent time of day, in order to still be awake when it is done. Lastly, dryers only exist at the boy’s dorm (twenty minute walk down a huge hill), so we use nifty drying wracks. Oh, and then there is the great part where each tiny load of laundry costs 5NKR, which is fairly inexpensive, but when you have to do 50 ity bity loads, it adds up. Luckily, I have enough socks and underwear to go 2 weeks without doing a wash, so I’m all set.
However, for the experience (when we have extra time), sometimes Sarah and I simply use the bathtub for our laundry, and then we get to do fun things, like make a laundry rainbow. I thought it was a pretty neat idea.
So, that’s the story of laundry. The end.
9/25/2007
Weekend Events
Hei hei! I have come to the realization that I really need to have a better system for keeping up with blog posts, so what I am thinking is I will post once a week, about the events of the week, and any more backtracking that needs to be done (I have some more stories I need to put up) I shall try and do in the next week before I post about this week we are in currently. I’m not sure how clear all that was, or whether it really matters for me to explain it all, but I did, because I felt like it.
Moving right along! Last week was a good week, but I was rather lazy I must admit. Thursday was a bit of a break for me from life in general because I accidently got left behind from outreach, so I stayed at the dorm, did some laundry, and then went for a nice long walk. There is a big beautiful church about a 45 minute walk from the school, with a big graveyard, so I walked there and sat for a while, and caught some glimpses of the sunset. While I really like mountains, they do have the downside of obstructing one’s view of the sunrises and sunsets. Friday was a quite day also; only too classes in the morning, then cleaning duties, and then freedom! In the afternoon I went for a walk and climbed a hill that would be classified as a mountain in Nova Scotia with Andrés, and then walked down for worship at the church (I need to take some pictures at church sometime), and afterwards had a very cold walk up the hill... but it was a nice relaxing day. Saturday morning I awoke still with a horrendous headache from the day before, and so I opted out of church and drank 5 cups of tea instead. In the afternoon, we went for another walk (I certainly do walk enough here, good grief) and then had some good times playing with the electric fence.
Then arrived the day of Sun. This day brought a wonderful new thing to my life – Polish Perogies! When I finally got up, showered etc., I began the process by peeling about a million potatoes. Sarah joined me a short while later and began on the onions, which induced many lachrymose moments for those of us who were within a ten mile radius of them. Then at last Agnes came back (the leader of this whole thing, as she is the Polish one) and we had some direction. We also recruited Rob and Andrés over the course of the day, so eventually, after about 4 hours of preparation, we were finally able to reap the benefits of our labour. I pity anyone who thinks frozen, store-bought perogies are the real thing, because after having tasted an authentic Polish one, I don’t know if I could ever go back to those masquerading ones.
Also on Sunday, our evangelism series in Drammen began! It all ran rather smoothly, and we had several guests show up. These meetings occur on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, and run for about an hour. I don’t have to preach for any of them, which works out fine for me, as I have a tendency to become ridiculously nervous when I am up front. Rob had the first one, and my roommate is preaching on Tuesday. Sarah has a topic to present as well; Marcus and I got out of it somehow. Works for me.
Time for me to go be busy now... ♥
Moving right along! Last week was a good week, but I was rather lazy I must admit. Thursday was a bit of a break for me from life in general because I accidently got left behind from outreach, so I stayed at the dorm, did some laundry, and then went for a nice long walk. There is a big beautiful church about a 45 minute walk from the school, with a big graveyard, so I walked there and sat for a while, and caught some glimpses of the sunset. While I really like mountains, they do have the downside of obstructing one’s view of the sunrises and sunsets. Friday was a quite day also; only too classes in the morning, then cleaning duties, and then freedom! In the afternoon I went for a walk and climbed a hill that would be classified as a mountain in Nova Scotia with Andrés, and then walked down for worship at the church (I need to take some pictures at church sometime), and afterwards had a very cold walk up the hill... but it was a nice relaxing day. Saturday morning I awoke still with a horrendous headache from the day before, and so I opted out of church and drank 5 cups of tea instead. In the afternoon, we went for another walk (I certainly do walk enough here, good grief) and then had some good times playing with the electric fence.
Then arrived the day of Sun. This day brought a wonderful new thing to my life – Polish Perogies! When I finally got up, showered etc., I began the process by peeling about a million potatoes. Sarah joined me a short while later and began on the onions, which induced many lachrymose moments for those of us who were within a ten mile radius of them. Then at last Agnes came back (the leader of this whole thing, as she is the Polish one) and we had some direction. We also recruited Rob and Andrés over the course of the day, so eventually, after about 4 hours of preparation, we were finally able to reap the benefits of our labour. I pity anyone who thinks frozen, store-bought perogies are the real thing, because after having tasted an authentic Polish one, I don’t know if I could ever go back to those masquerading ones.
Also on Sunday, our evangelism series in Drammen began! It all ran rather smoothly, and we had several guests show up. These meetings occur on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights, and run for about an hour. I don’t have to preach for any of them, which works out fine for me, as I have a tendency to become ridiculously nervous when I am up front. Rob had the first one, and my roommate is preaching on Tuesday. Sarah has a topic to present as well; Marcus and I got out of it somehow. Works for me.
Time for me to go be busy now... ♥
9/20/2007
Vast Amounts of Reading Shall Insue... Prepare Thyself
Good news everyone: I have recently regained my passion for life and will to live! This is excellent for me at least because it means I am no longer wallowing in a vat of self-pity and despair, and gives me a chance to “expand my horizons” by delving deeper into my own mind, the mind of those around me, life, the universe, and everything. So I feel better, and also inspired to write. Finally! I realized I have become far to lax in my postings here, so I shall try to rectify this by uploading as many things as possible in one sudden onslaught, so prepare yourself for some heavy reading/picture viewing. One more thing pertaining to my rejuvenated outlook on life, and that is that I own this to certain people who like to pick me up and shake me (not literally, necessarily) and cause me to get back on my feet and take a tentative leap back into the land of the living. As you can imagine I am highly indebted to these people, and so I express my deep appreciation for them, although they aren’t aware of who they are (or are they?).
Okay, so this is the part where we do some heavy backtracking. I have had several interesting experiences since coming to this grand land that I have not shared, and I feel the worse for not taking the time to talk about them. I think I may have hurt their feelings, so it is at this time that I shall attempt to make them feeling better. No, I’m just playing with you, I don’t care about their feelings at all; I care about YOURS! I don’t want “my readers” (I was recently informed I actually have some) to feel neglected, so here we go. Prepare for launching... I shall start with the most recent and go backwards.
Okay, so this is the part where we do some heavy backtracking. I have had several interesting experiences since coming to this grand land that I have not shared, and I feel the worse for not taking the time to talk about them. I think I may have hurt their feelings, so it is at this time that I shall attempt to make them feeling better. No, I’m just playing with you, I don’t care about their feelings at all; I care about YOURS! I don’t want “my readers” (I was recently informed I actually have some) to feel neglected, so here we go. Prepare for launching... I shall start with the most recent and go backwards.
Potato Picking 101
Much of my time in the past couple weeks has been spent doing the lovely task of picking potatoes. Yep, red ones. It has been a good experience, all that bending, and getting dirt beneath my nails. I actually love this job – I get to smell dirt all day and talk to people, due to the fact that it is a pretty much mindless task so you are free to gab as much as you like, or at least as much as the person you are conversating with can handle. On Mondays and Wednesdays we have “practical education” for 4 hours in the afternoons, and I have spent 16 hours in the past 2 weeks out in the field. Sadly they are all out at this point, and the work crews are switching, so sadly my potato picking days have come to an end. But I am grateful for this experience, for it has brought me closer to some people here that I otherwise don’t have alot of opportunities to speak with, and it is nice to be eating potatoes and be able to say “hey! I recognize that one!” at least, that is how it is for me.
Here we have some pictures of Rob driving the tractor. Notice the device that wreaks havoc upon the happy little potato mounds and sends them flying hither and thither across the field. I like it. I had the opportunity to drive the tractor, but considering my past driving history (that one time when I almost ran over the lawnmower with the Red Car) I figured everyone was safer if I simply observed from the sidelines.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Oh, this day of all days was one of the most entertaining times I have had since coming here (once you hear the story you will gain some insight into how little entertainment I have here). Once upon a time, there were two girls, namely Jen and Sarah, and a couple of Spaniards, namely Andres and Alvaro, and they were bored. They had discovered that sitting in the living room of the boy’s dorm watching other people play ping pong was really quite dull, so they began to come up with ideas of ways to amuse themselves. After shooting down several less-then-appealing proposals, Alvaro and Jen came to the conclusion that the best idea would be to go on a cow chase. So the Spaniards gathered their cameras and Sarah and Jen gathered their wits, and they went in search of some cows. I cannot say the cows were willing; our heroes had to hike across a large field in order to find them, but find them they did! So Jen hopped the electric fence and ran at those cows, causing them to look at her dazedly at first, but then run with terror from her. As she frolicked with the cows the other three took pictures, and made friends with the cows themselves. Jen came out mostly unscathed, save one shoe that made its unfortunate way into a rather fresh cow pie. And here we have photographic evidence of this day, brought to you by Sarah.
So, for now I shall have to leave this as-is, but I think there is plenty to keep a reader occupied. I'll post more past adventures later.
Jen<3
9/12/2007
Mission Trip Destinations!
Yesterday, September 12, 2007, they finally posted the lists telling the students where they were going for the mission trip the end of October. The results for the Canadians were as follows:
Jen & Marcus --> Tanzania!
Sarah & Rob --> Honduras!
I'm pretty happy about it. I can get my bongo drum!
Jen & Marcus --> Tanzania!
Sarah & Rob --> Honduras!
I'm pretty happy about it. I can get my bongo drum!
9/09/2007
A Matter of Opinion...
I am getting truly sick of having people believe that their opinion is the only opinion and the right opinion. I am sick of having people try to shove their own opinions down people's throats. While it is one thing (and a thing I highly appreciate and recommend) to voice your own opinion, it is an entirely different matter to try and force others around you to accept your way of thinking. I think it is good to share opinions and get feedback, but not to try and make other people see the world how you see it. Each person has their own outlook on life, and thinks different things about each aspect of it, and that is perfectly fine with me. If someone doesn't agree with my opinion I am not about to try to push them into agreeing with me, in fact it would bother me deeply if they agreed with me simply to avoid controversy. But then, I suppose this is all just a matter of opinion...
9/07/2007
Outreach
This week was our first week of having to do outreach. I was paired with this guy named Patrick, and he was stoked and I was a little nervous. Usually going around knocking on doors of houses belonging to complete strangers isn’t that bad because I figure I’ll never see them again, but here it is slightly more intimidating due to the fact that I don’t speak the language. And while the majority of people in Norway speak English, it just so happened that Patrick and I were placed in an area mostly populated by retired people. Patrick speaks English and Spanish, and so far, I am only speaking English. So we went on our merry way. First house, door slammed in the face. Carrying on, we went to house after house, walking and walking. Altogether we got 6 surveys filled out, and actually got into a pretty interesting conversation with one woman - technically a Norwegian, but had been living in South Africa for 19 years or so – about religion and the typical attitude toward religious matters that we would find here in Norway. This country is very secular and people either feel very strongly against religion, or else they simply find it boring or that they don’t have time for it.
We went out again yesterday, and happened into a Muslim neighbourhood, centered around a Mosque. So we got to talk to talk to a lot of Muslims, which I thought was really cool, and we actually got the email addresses of a couple of them, and phone numbers for some as well, and at one house we asked them to give us Koran lessons, and they agreed! So hopefully by next week I’ll get to learn about the Koran on day a week. I am really looking forward to that. I’ve wanted to read it for a long time, so now I am given a perfect opportunity to learn about it from someone who actually believes in it, which I think is alot better than just reading it in my own time.
Also, I am preaching in Drammen in a few weeks. And I have to learn to speak with a translator translating simultaneously. I’m a little worried. But the sermons are pre-written, so I will be more comfortable with them because they are not my own material.
For now I’m done classes for the day – Fridays we only have 2 hours of class in the morning and then we get the rest of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off! I like that arrangement quite alot, I must declare.
Other than that, I am tired. Luckily, I now have the weekend and so far there are no epic mountain climbing excoursions planned, for which I am truly greatful. I mean as much as I enjoy climbing mountains, it can get a little tiresome.
<3
We went out again yesterday, and happened into a Muslim neighbourhood, centered around a Mosque. So we got to talk to talk to a lot of Muslims, which I thought was really cool, and we actually got the email addresses of a couple of them, and phone numbers for some as well, and at one house we asked them to give us Koran lessons, and they agreed! So hopefully by next week I’ll get to learn about the Koran on day a week. I am really looking forward to that. I’ve wanted to read it for a long time, so now I am given a perfect opportunity to learn about it from someone who actually believes in it, which I think is alot better than just reading it in my own time.
Also, I am preaching in Drammen in a few weeks. And I have to learn to speak with a translator translating simultaneously. I’m a little worried. But the sermons are pre-written, so I will be more comfortable with them because they are not my own material.
For now I’m done classes for the day – Fridays we only have 2 hours of class in the morning and then we get the rest of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off! I like that arrangement quite alot, I must declare.
Other than that, I am tired. Luckily, I now have the weekend and so far there are no epic mountain climbing excoursions planned, for which I am truly greatful. I mean as much as I enjoy climbing mountains, it can get a little tiresome.
<3
8/29/2007
Arrival
Greetings from the beautiful (and very rainy) land of Norway! Yes, indeed, we have all arrived safely, even Rob, who missed the plane and caught the next one, getting here at around 2am (that’s Norway time, ps.), but still missing his luggage. Quite sorely too, as we started work the next day and so he had no clothing suitable to wear for that... or anything else for that matter.
Everything here is beautiful and the food is extremely healthy but also tasty, but it needs black pepper. Lucky for me, i just so happen to have brought my own supply. My bed is awesomely skinny but surprisingly comfortable, and I have proudly hung the Canadian flag above my bed. My roommate (I’ll post pictures at a later date), Natalia, is 27 years old and from Moldova. So far we get along good and she’s a really nice, amusing person. So that is a relief.
On Mondays and Wednesdays we have work in the afternoons, and so far I have been working with green beans. I did 8 hours last week and 4 hours so far this week, but I won’t be doing any today, so yay! Today we had our first test and I think I did pretty well since I actually studied for it.
The school is placed just out of the town of Skotselv, which is hardly a town, but I like it because I feel as though I belong here, just because of my last name, or something like it. The “town” has a gas station, a bank and a grocery store (BunnPris). It’s tiny yet awesome. It just needs a coffee shop and a Chinese restaurant and it would be complete.
Update: ROB GOT HIS LUGGAGE BACK ON AUGUST 28, 2007! HURRAY!
Everything here is beautiful and the food is extremely healthy but also tasty, but it needs black pepper. Lucky for me, i just so happen to have brought my own supply. My bed is awesomely skinny but surprisingly comfortable, and I have proudly hung the Canadian flag above my bed. My roommate (I’ll post pictures at a later date), Natalia, is 27 years old and from Moldova. So far we get along good and she’s a really nice, amusing person. So that is a relief.
On Mondays and Wednesdays we have work in the afternoons, and so far I have been working with green beans. I did 8 hours last week and 4 hours so far this week, but I won’t be doing any today, so yay! Today we had our first test and I think I did pretty well since I actually studied for it.
The school is placed just out of the town of Skotselv, which is hardly a town, but I like it because I feel as though I belong here, just because of my last name, or something like it. The “town” has a gas station, a bank and a grocery store (BunnPris). It’s tiny yet awesome. It just needs a coffee shop and a Chinese restaurant and it would be complete.
Update: ROB GOT HIS LUGGAGE BACK ON AUGUST 28, 2007! HURRAY!
In The Airport!
(Short Explaination: I wasn't able to access the internet during the trip, and then when I got here I was so busy and also I forgot my password, so this is just backtracking because I wrote some stuff whilst in transit, for those of you who care. Read on.)
So here I sit in the midst of the Heathrow International Airport, surrounded by people with accents or speaking a completely different language entirely. I have to say it makes me really happy, because I feel so COOL. Hahaha. Ahem. So first of all, in Halifax, for the first flight (5 and a half hours) they put me in first class because somehow someone else stole my seat...? It worked for me; peace and quiet and extra leg room. And don’t forget hot towels! That was the first thing. The flight was long, and I didn’t get any sleep, but it was fine and everything went well. We land in Gatwick, and from there problems began. First off, Rob is minus a suitcase, so we are hoping that shows up in the near future, considering it has everything he owns save his shoes and laptop. Next off, Rob gets on a shuttle without Sarah, Marcus, and myself, and we haven’t seen him since. So we are currently sitting at the gate waiting for him expectantly. Hopefully he makes it.
So far so good. I like this trip; it’s kinda stressful, but fun, and I’m so excited to be seeing new things and I can’t wait to actually get to the school and find out who my roommate is!
(Note: another thing that almost went wrong was that Sarah, Marcus and I were at the wrong gate for like an hour and we didn’t realize it until it was almost too late. So we booked it down the huge airport and got to the correct gate just in time to board. Rob caught the next flight, so in the end it all worked out!)
One more thing – I ♥ my laptop.
So here I sit in the midst of the Heathrow International Airport, surrounded by people with accents or speaking a completely different language entirely. I have to say it makes me really happy, because I feel so COOL. Hahaha. Ahem. So first of all, in Halifax, for the first flight (5 and a half hours) they put me in first class because somehow someone else stole my seat...? It worked for me; peace and quiet and extra leg room. And don’t forget hot towels! That was the first thing. The flight was long, and I didn’t get any sleep, but it was fine and everything went well. We land in Gatwick, and from there problems began. First off, Rob is minus a suitcase, so we are hoping that shows up in the near future, considering it has everything he owns save his shoes and laptop. Next off, Rob gets on a shuttle without Sarah, Marcus, and myself, and we haven’t seen him since. So we are currently sitting at the gate waiting for him expectantly. Hopefully he makes it.
So far so good. I like this trip; it’s kinda stressful, but fun, and I’m so excited to be seeing new things and I can’t wait to actually get to the school and find out who my roommate is!
(Note: another thing that almost went wrong was that Sarah, Marcus and I were at the wrong gate for like an hour and we didn’t realize it until it was almost too late. So we booked it down the huge airport and got to the correct gate just in time to board. Rob caught the next flight, so in the end it all worked out!)
One more thing – I ♥ my laptop.
8/09/2007
The Day Draws Near!
Well well, what have we here? Jen has her very own blog! And she said this day would never come. However, she also said once she was never going to go to European Bible School in NORWAY, so I guess it is apparent she cannot be trusted.
Now, where was I?
Ah yes. So here I sit, at 4:44 on Thursday morning, realizing that in 4 days I shall be boarding a plan and flying off to Norway. This thought both terrifies me, excites me, and saddens me. No longer shall I be able to sit up till ungodly hours of the night glued to my computer screen, no longer shall I have the comfort of my family, the sanctuary of my own room, or the option of eating KD right out of the pot it's cooked in. I suppose I'll live.
So, for those of you who don't already know, I am going to Norway for a year, for school, along with 3 of my friends. The school has 26 students this year, and I shall be learning such things as Leadership and Evangelism, Organic Agriculture, Thereputic Massage, Culinary Arts, and hopefully some Norweigian while I'm at it. EBS is an English speaking school though, so it's not like being thrown into an entirely new culture and language and environment all at the same time. Thankfully.
Also, in October I'm going to be going to either Tanzania, Africa or Honduras for 2 months; I'll keep you posted on which one it shall be in the end.
So soon this blog shall be filled with tales of my travels and photographs to prove it. Jen is leaving the continent - can you hear the collective sigh of relief? I'd say it's about time she did something interesting.
One more thing before I stop this and go to bed: thank you to all who have been reminding me why I'm going, not letting me chicken out, filling me with anticipation towards the excursian, and generally helping keep a grip. Your patience is muchly appreciated.
To the rest of you, keep checking for updates of my journey.
Goodnight/morning.
Now, where was I?
Ah yes. So here I sit, at 4:44 on Thursday morning, realizing that in 4 days I shall be boarding a plan and flying off to Norway. This thought both terrifies me, excites me, and saddens me. No longer shall I be able to sit up till ungodly hours of the night glued to my computer screen, no longer shall I have the comfort of my family, the sanctuary of my own room, or the option of eating KD right out of the pot it's cooked in. I suppose I'll live.
So, for those of you who don't already know, I am going to Norway for a year, for school, along with 3 of my friends. The school has 26 students this year, and I shall be learning such things as Leadership and Evangelism, Organic Agriculture, Thereputic Massage, Culinary Arts, and hopefully some Norweigian while I'm at it. EBS is an English speaking school though, so it's not like being thrown into an entirely new culture and language and environment all at the same time. Thankfully.
Also, in October I'm going to be going to either Tanzania, Africa or Honduras for 2 months; I'll keep you posted on which one it shall be in the end.
So soon this blog shall be filled with tales of my travels and photographs to prove it. Jen is leaving the continent - can you hear the collective sigh of relief? I'd say it's about time she did something interesting.
One more thing before I stop this and go to bed: thank you to all who have been reminding me why I'm going, not letting me chicken out, filling me with anticipation towards the excursian, and generally helping keep a grip. Your patience is muchly appreciated.
To the rest of you, keep checking for updates of my journey.
Goodnight/morning.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
