Back in Skotselv....

This is sort of a good thing and sort of not-so-good... it's good because I like having a shower to myself, my own room with my own bed and not a mattress in the corner of a classroom full of girls who complain when I snore (oops, sorry ladies), and because it's nice to be "home". It's not so good becayse I liked being with new and different people, and I liked the food better there than I do here (don't tell Tatiana!), I liked having a pool all to myself :) and because I enjoyed hearing different messages from different people, and gleaning ideas from people. It was a nice change of pace.

(For those of you who do not have Facebook, here is some photographical evidence from the weekend.)

Dan Vis

Erin (such a cute lil nerd)

Special Music

Sabbath School Discussion

Building the girl's stayed in (mine was bottom window next to the door)

Pretty lake below Tyrifjord

Inspiration Weekend 2008

So the other weekend when I sang in church, Erin tricked me into agreeing to sing this weekend for Inspiration Weekend at Tyrifjord Academy. So here I am.

The speaker for the weekend is Dan Vis from the US of A, and the topic is "Think 20/20" - basically learning to change our thinking on how to reach out to those around us... he's a fairly decent speaker, slightly too focused on the US perhaps, but interesting.

Along with singing, I also have the duty of lifeguarding the little pool here in the mornings - from 6 to 7am - which, despite the early hour, makes me happy, as it has been forever since I have gotten near a pool.

Tyrifjord is a beautiful location; the school is on a lake, however, not an actual fjord, but it's breathtaking nonetheless. The weather could be nicer, but you can't have everything.

There are people here from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and I don't remember where else, along with our very culturaly diverse students from EBS. It's pretty cool. I had a German lesson today. :)

Been here since late yesterday afternoon, and leaving Sunday evening. I am hoping the whole weekend is a really good experiance.

<3Jen

... A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

"Wacky Week"

This week at EBS, we had "Wacky Week", aka Spirit Week.

For those who participated, it was a (mostly) fun time.

:)

ill

Special Music & Kickboxing

This morning at breakfast as I was sitting there munching on granola and listening to German across the table, Faroese on my right hand, and the Norwegians and Mexicans argue about who was more tired on my left, I had time to think, and reflect.

I was thinking about the time I have spent here in Norway thus far. The people I have met, the things I have learned, the experiences I have had. I feel as though I am truly “broadening my horizons” (to use the most cliché phrase ever coined).

Today another person who I have had the privilege to meet here, and who has made an impact on my life, is leaving. So far, there has been a few of these, and it saddens me to see another go. Andrés (from Spain) is leaving today to go to Denmark. He was here as an agriculture student, as well as being a co-leader for the Tanzania mission trip. He has been a very good friend to me, and he will be missed. Thank goodness for the invention of email, or I would no longer be in contact with many of the people who have come and gone in my life over the years... it’s sad, really.

On Sabbath, I have one of the English Sabbath school classes, as well as special music with Marcus. It should be a full day, and a full week preparing for it. I’m pretty happy though, as the Sabbath school lesson is about Ethnicity and Discipleship, so it should be fairly interesting.
Today I spent 3 and ½ hours doing paperwork for Marta, and I didn’t even get finished. It was miserable. Not that I don’t like paperwork, it’s just this was so ridiculously disorganized and confusing; I was going somewhat crazy after the first 2 hours. But I’ll finish it up tomorrow and all will be well and good in the world again.

Easter Break is coming up next month, and I am looking at the possibilities of going somewhere interesting for the week. The problem with wanting to go everywhere, however, is picking a place to go first! But Sarah and I have been perusing plane tickets and I’m sure we will come up with something grand and glorious, and honestly, I can’t wait. If only we could go somewhere warm, and tropical...

The front door of my dorm was frozen shut this morning and I spent a full three minutes using my brute strength to get it open. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that my brute strength isn’t overly brute-like. I’ll work on that later. Erin is going to start kickboxing classes on Friday afternoons, so that should help me in my quest of one day becoming big, burly and brawn. I can only hope.

Other than that, life is as usual, and I like it, most of the time. Yesterday Sarah and I finally watched Gandhi (I’ve been waiting since last summer) and loved every blessed moment of it. Ben Kingsley has always been one of my hero’s, so seeing two of my hero’s morphed into one was sort of like a dream come true for me, I won’t lie.

I wish you all a good night, or good morning, or just a general good day, depending on what time zone you are currently reading from, and drive safely.

<3Jen