I'M NOT DEAD I PROMISE. And I am still 100% dedicated to this blog. Life has just been a little crazy lately, traveling and what not. I recently got back from a short cruise to Copenhagen. My friend won two free tickets, so we couldn't complain that it was 17 hours there, 5 hours on … Continue reading An Update
Tag: expat
Quirky Cultural Differences #5: Norway
This one is long overdue. No one believes in top sheets here. Ikea doesn't even sell them. You have a sheet over your mattress and a blanket, that's it. Girls in the changing rooms are 100% okay with nudity. In fact, most people don't realize that most North American girls think that's weird (we all … Continue reading Quirky Cultural Differences #5: Norway
The Norwegian Weekend of Festivals
Never before have I heard of one place having so many festivals in one month as Oslo is this September. The busiest weekend I would have to say was the one that just passed, of the 12th and 13th. "But Amanda," you protest, "the 12th and 13th were a Friday and Saturday, what about Sunday?" … Continue reading The Norwegian Weekend of Festivals
Quirky Cultural Differences #4: Norway
Professors don't only use slides/whiteboards, but it is still very common to see chalkboards in the classes. Instead of an eraser for said chalkboard, the professors use a wet sponge. Girls lift weights just as much as the guys in the gym. In humanities classes in particular, it is common that the student must first … Continue reading Quirky Cultural Differences #4: Norway
Quirky Cultural Differences #3: Norway
Some of these aren't so quirky anymore, but I like the title. Professors and people of higher stations prefer to be called by their first names more than more formal titles of respect. Student organizations/unions aren't always school specific. People often travel alone. The public bathroom at the McDonald's had a small room with a … Continue reading Quirky Cultural Differences #3: Norway
The Mela Festival and Why I Love Oslo
Mela - Sanskrit; gathering, to meet.
Of Balance and Comfort Zones
So yes, moving to a new country on a new continent, where I know absolutely no one and I don't speak the native language, that is, in fact, difficult for me.
Quirky Cultural Differences #2: Norway
I have seen at least four people here cross-country skiing. In August. With the poles, and wheels attached to their skis. (To Europeans: this seems entirely ridiculous to North Americans.) Dorms on campus are uncommon (although not unheard of). Museums consider winter to start in September. A line of people, as in for a ride … Continue reading Quirky Cultural Differences #2: Norway
Quirky Cultural Differences #1: Norway
Each stall of the airport bathroom had it's own toilet, sink, and hand dryer in it. There is a sink in my bedroom and the section of wall it's on is tiled. The communal doors (to my building, to my hall) lock from both sides, and to open them from the inside you have to … Continue reading Quirky Cultural Differences #1: Norway
Of Packing, Partings, Planes, and Poor Planning
"I'm not sure what I'll do, but - well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale." - F. Scott Fitzgerald I said previously that I would chronicle my upcoming exchange to Oslo, Norway on this blog, and, … Continue reading Of Packing, Partings, Planes, and Poor Planning
dream.think.work. 