Kringsjå 24 Spring 2011

Final day in Oslo

Normally I love writing. Normally my fingers cannot keep up with the thoughts I want to write down. Normally this is easy. So, why is this any different?

Well, the answer is simple. I don’t want to write this at all. I don’t want to say goodbye. However, no matter how hard it will be to write this, the thought of not doing it is worse.

Where to begin? I don’t want to leave any gaps, because Simon may fall through them. Just kidding, as usual. I make these jokes (most of the time bad) because it is more fun to laugh than cry.

But just because tears may not roll down my cheeks, I still do feel a joyful sadness of leaving. Not the sadness of leaving Oslo. Sure it is beautiful, especially now in the summer, but it would not be the same without the people here. And again, not the Norwegians (exception to Halstein and half of Adrian), but for the most part international students.

You have shared with me your culture, your language, and your friendship. I will never forget the times we had together. Everything from kitchen parties, Norwegian class, Sognsvann, Café Blitz, to just simply sitting around talking. I will look back years from now, and think, this was one of the best experiences of my life.

I remember all the struggles we had to overcome such as deciding which countries to travel to, or which bar to go out to, or what Irene and Fran should make for dinner. However, these tough decisions only made us stronger and closer.

Unfortunately, as our new family grew, our dwindling clocks did the same. So, we can look at this in two ways. See this as an expiring friendship contract, or continue to keep these powerful bonds between us. I would like to choose the later.

Finally, I can truly say, that this cultural explosion has made me a better person. And for that, I cannot thank you guys and girls enough.

Thank you and goodnight.

I’m thinking in 2’s

My 2 favorite places in Oslo: Sognsvann Lake and the bakery underneath the Forskningsparken T-bane station.

Sognsvann Lake is this beautiful lake minutes away from where I live. It is so peaceful and aesthetic. It is surrounded by snowy white mountains, and day by day, melting snow reveals a beautiful green paradise.

I’ve had so many great moments out at the lake. For example, our mini campfire in the beginning of the semester, where we all sat around the fire and grilled hot dogs on sticks or the numerous times we went out at night to look for the Northern Lights. We didn’t always see it, but we always had fun. Oh no, I’m getting nostalgic already and I still have two months left.

As spring continues to fight its way into Norway, I think a lot of us here are ready for it. I can’t wait to go out to the lake and barbeque hot dogs and hamburgers, or just soak up the sun (I don’t do much exercise besides eating).

The bakery underneath the Forskningsparken T-bane station is probably the best kept secret in Oslo. At only 30 NOK, roughly $5, you can get this huge spiced pulled chicken sandwich with this delicious Norwegian dressing, similar to Thousand Island. It gets better, at 20 NOK, you can get this circular filled bread, stuffed with either, spiced potatoes and peas, spinach and cheese, or tuna. It’s really incredible.

And the people there are so nice. They have always greeted me with a smile, even though they have to put up with my terribly spoken Norwegian, English (which I’m probably just as bad at), or me just pointing at what I want. On the bright side, my miscommunication minor requirements will be a peice (sic) of cake when I get back to UMD.

I want everyone who reads this Blog post to please try something from this bakery. Even if you’re in the States, I’ll try to mail it to you.

Northern lights

Tallinn skyline

European conquest #2: Riga and Tallinn

The wolf pack (BB, Simon, Kevin, David). First stop Riga, Latvia. Getting off the plane looked kind of like getting on it. It was cold and there was snow everywhere. But once we started heading into the city, it looked much different.

We stayed at an Australian run hostel called Friendly Franks, located in the old part of the city. This place was definitely Australian; all the TV’s were showing a strange game similar to baseball, but instead of hitting it normally in the air, the batter must hit it off a bounce. I think the game was called “croquet.”

We were greeted by a very friendly Frank (just kidding). It was a very helpful Latvian girl, who gave us a free, cold, half-liter Zelta (Latvian beer) right when we walked in. After a couple drinks, we ventured off into the city.

The old part of the city looks really cool. It had a ton of old brick buildings and statues. Throughout the two days, we saw the president’s castle, the opera house, and the old Soviet Russian markets. For lunch those days, we went to a traditional Latvian restaurant. We got fried breaded chicken, sausages wrapped in bacon, rice with vegetables and a large beer (it’s the only way to stay warm).

That night was… interesting. See Kevin for more information. We also found out that Simon is really boring. See Simon for more information.

Tallinn, the place of Skype and free public Wi-Fi! After being first in Riga, I expected Tallinn to look similar, but it was not. The city had a very modern feel, and larger buildings. We stayed in a hostel called “The Dancing Eesti.” Eesti, which I learned, is the Estonian pronunciation of Estonian.

For dinner we went to an Estonian restaurant recommended by the person working at the hostel. It was one of the best dinners I’ve had so far in Europe. We started off with a tomato and cheese soup and a glass of Saku (Estonian beer). For the main course, I had chicken with risotto. I forgot what Kevin got, but it was a delicious meat dish. Simon and BB got the duck, which was incredible. Yes, we served each other. That’s what wolves do. We also learned “cheers” in Estonian, which is “terviseks” pronounced, “terrible sex” (the running joke in Estonia).

The next day, we went to the Estonian history museum. The museum was great and really interesting, but the best part was seeing abandoned Soviet statues of Lenin and Stalin, which were thrown down behind the building.

For some reason Simon wanted to go to McDonalds, I don’t know why. See Simon for more information. I’m sorry the music had to stop, while we were out, but DJ BB is back! See BB for more information.

In all seriousness, I had an absolutely great time. I completely recommend seeing the hidden gems of Europe.

Pack out!

From Rundetårn

European conquest #1: Copenhagen

Out in front of me is an ocean. An ocean of clear blue water, gentle waves and dolphins playing water polo against sea lions. I am sitting on the sand wearing only a bathing suit, no long underwear, no wool socks and no thermal. To my left, guys and girls are playing beach volleyball. To my right is a small circular bar serving fruit and drinks.

I open my eyes… I’ve just slipped on the ice, again.

Hey Blog. It has been awhile since we’ve last talked. I apologize for that.

Copenhagen! It’s in Denmark, which is right above Germany. Two weekends ago, I went to Copenhagen to visit Bo, Jon and Sven, former exchange students at Maryland. I arrived by bus (almost an 8 hr. ride) early Friday morning. That day, Bo and I walked around almost the entire central part of the city. I saw the famous little Mermaid, which is in fact very little, the queen’s palace, nyhavn and the opera house. The cool thing about Copenhagen is that it doesn’t feel like a city, but yet a big town. There are no skyscrapers or ultra futuristic buildings.

For lunch, Bo took me to a traditional Danish restaurant. It was delicious, Danish meatballs with red cabbage and salad, a Carlsberg beer, and schnapps. Writing that last sentence on an empty stomach gave me writer’s block.

A bowl of cereal later…

American dinner night, featuring shepherd’s pie, cooked broccoli and zucchini, and salad. Before last night I had no idea what shepherd’s pie was. But basically, it is a layered casserole dish. On the bottom are beef and vegetables, and above it is mashed potatoes. It turned out great. Hats off to Kevin for making everything. I want to make something for everyone, but the only dishes that come to mind are Japanese ones, not American. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Toga party tonight. Luckily it’s in my building, so I don’t have to go outside.

Thank you Bo for letting me stay at your place and hopefully I will see you soon in Oslo.

Result of no wireless in the kitchen

Laura: Hallo David. Wie geht es dir?

David: I’m good. You?

Laura: Danke, mir geht es sehr gut! Was hast du heute gemacht?

David: I went cross-country skiing earlier and fell really hard on my ass. What about you?

Laura: Ich bin heute auch Langlauf-Ski gelaufen und ich bin ebenfalls hingefallen.

David: Did you hurt yourself?

Laura: Nein, zum Glueck nicht! Aber die anderen mussten auf mich warten, weil ich meinen Skistock verloren habe. Ich brauche mehr Uebung!

David: I need more practice too. Maybe I will go out tomorrow. Do you have classes tomorrow?

Laura: Ja, ich habe morgen eine Vorlesung, aber ich weiss noch nicht um wie viel Uhr. Vielleicht gehen wir ja gemeinsam Langlauf-Ski laufen. Ich bin aber wirklich sehr schlecht! Gehst du heute zum Jazz-Klub?

David: I was only going to go if Fran went. You going Fran?

Fran: Mmm, no se. En realidad tenia ganas de ir pero me parece que anoche tome’ demaciado. Quizas es mejor si me quedo en casa. Que te parece?

Laura: Mir geht es aehnlich wie Fran! Ich habe gestern zu viel getrunken und sollte heute lieber zu Hause bleiben! Ausserdem habe ich Uni! Wir sollten einen ruhigen (!!!) Kringsja-Kitchen-Abend verbringen! Oh, Irene, dass riecht ja herrlich! Was kochst du?

David: That smells great. Can I try?

Irene: Certo che e’ buono!! E’ un ragu’ italiano!! Come sapete… siamo i migliori cuochi al mondo!!

David and Laura: Yes, you are/ Ja, das stimmt.

Vigeland Park

Back to front

I will start at the end, and then work backwards.

I am sitting in a padded chair inside the emergency dentist office at 7:05 p.m. 15 minutes go by, and then 30. It’s now 7:35. I don’t know if the wait is a good thing or bad thing. Finally, Kevin walks through the doors. His lower lip looks worse than before. It’s now twice the size and the small cut is now white and bright pink. At least now the severed part of his front tooth is back in its original spot… and out of the cup of milk it traveled in.

I am partly to blame for this. Accident definitely, but this isn’t the first time I’ve almost killed someone on the soccer field. First, on sand in Spain, second on snow in Norway. Here’s what happened. Loose ball, Kevin the goalie dives for it. At the same time I try to kick the ball before he gets it. I miss the ball, slip/fall from the momentum, and then my shin plunges into Kevin’s face.

Yepp…

Pre-almost-killing-Kevin

Power to the Kringsjå

There is a saying here that, “Norwegians are born with skis of their feet.” It’s true. While I struggled to put one ski in front of the other, kids who looked 5 years old glided right past me. I bet their diapers are waterproof. Cross-country skiing (difficult for me in the beginning) is great. It’s the fun alternative to jogging. I have yet to go out with Instructor Jan (my roommate) but hopefully he gives me some pointers. (I wrote this paragraph a couple days ago and didn’t really want to delete it, so excuse the awkward placement)

It has been 13 days since I arrived in Oslo. And in all (except for the first) I’ve meet someone new, interesting and welcoming. You would think they would be Norwegians, but it hasn’t; they have been from all over the world. It reminds me of Dorchester, that same energy and acceptance.

That’s all I got right now. Too much is going on in that tiny head of mine! Jared please teach Mom and Dad how to download/use Skype. I want to see everyone.

Welcome to Oslo

All right, all right here we go

I think it’s only fitting that I start my first blog post from Oslo a little tipsy (a few beers, a shot of Mexican tequila, a sip of French wine, not too much).

Where do I start? First of all, I’m an idiot! It took me almost three days to configure the Internet just because I typed a capital I instead of a lowercase l (L) in my password. Well finally, I am up and running!

First running joke of the semester: Rodrigo from Brazil “the baby” (19) is the youngest of the exchange students thus far that we’ve met. He hears a sizable amount of “We should ask your mother first” jokes. But it’s all in good fun.

My roommate arrived last night. His name is Jan, a soft-spoken skier/snowboarder from the Czech Republic. My other suitemate is Francesco de Argentina, but studies in Italy. With him, came a big group of Italians who love to cook, drink and have fun. I’ve meet someone from almost every continent except for Australia, but hopefully we get a “kiwi,” someone from New Zealand, so we can talk to him or her about the TV show, “Flight of the Concords.”

The first day was tough. Kevin and I arrived to find a corridor empty and silent. We had no idea how to work the oven (still kind of don’t) and had nothing to eat. We had no sheets, no pillow. Poor Kevin used his towel as a pillow. However, it has gotten better, much better!

Shane and Diane, the other two University of Maryland students, arrived today so it is starting to feel a little bit more like a home away from home. We have yet to meet another American, but I’d be fine if we were the only ones.

The picture above is of a box of ginger bread cookies. I decided to get a box to welcome the incoming exchange students. On the top of the box, I taped a piece of notebook paper and wrote the word “welcome.” As students arrived, I had each of them write the word “welcome” in their home language. I felt it was a good way to represent where we are from. Hopefully, it will continue to grow to display all the nationalities here in building 24 (probably the best building here in Kringsja!).

P.S. I had nothing to do with the terrible drawing of Europe. (Fine it was me… I can’t draw).

Preflight Post

Last three dinners before I leave the states for six months: packaged sushi, hamburgers, hotdogs, and baked beans, and spaghetti with meatballs. I will miss my American Achilles heel, a grilled Hebrew National hotdog drenched in mustard and ketchup in between a potato roll bun, Mac and Cheese with an extra pack of the condensed orange powder Kraft calls cheese, and most of all, the burger. I’m not referring to the fried brownish slab McDonalds serves, but a juicy half-pound rare beef patty sandwiched with a fresh piece of tomato, lettuce, and American cheese. I don’t even eat this stuff very often, but the thought of not having it readily available at my fingertips makes me a little bit sad.

Besides food, there are so many people I will miss. As I was writing that last sentence the only image that came to mind was of my four Pomeranian dogs (not people), Misha, Boris, Vladi and Nadia. There is something about those little four-legged creatures I will miss so much. I don’t even know why; they bark all the time, sometimes pee or poop in the house, and try to hump my legs (I’m looking at you Misha). The people, yes.

I went out to lunch (not sure if it was a date or not) about a week ago with someone I recently met. For those of you who don’t know me very well, I don’t normally put myself out there. I tend to avoid people I am most interested in. But this particular instance was different; I went for it (I guess). Even though this girl may not ever want to text or call me again (not that it was a bad date, I think both of us had a great time), it felt good. Instead of sitting and watching something pass me by, I did something. Hopefully this is a new David, especially because I will be in a foreign environment. I hope to explore and take advantage of everything presented to me. And hopefully this blog will capture these moments. Not for family and friends, but also for myself.

I know the tone and theme of this first post is all over the place, but stay with me, it’s my first one!

Pre-departure song stuck in my head: The Strokes – I’ll Try Anything Once