Today marks the three month anniversary of my arrival in Norway, yesterday was the three month anniversary of my departure from Australia. I can definitely say that nothing would have prepared me for the adventure that my exchange has been. It has certainly been harder than I ever expected but I now know that expectations are something you just have to let go of.

As I’m writing this I’m sitting in class, my teacher is stuck in traffic. I can still remember my first couple of days and school and just how terrified I was of it. On my first day I was excited but as the day progressed it became crystal clear just how different it was and I have never felt such a sense of dread as I did whilst walking to school for my second day. If my hosts sister hadn’t been with me I don’t think I would’ve made it to the school. It’s funny how, with time, everything has changed. I honestly love school now. I love how practical the content of the classes are, I love how teachers can give you a 30 minute early mark if they have nothing left to teach and I love the mutual respect between teachers and students that is almost a polar opposite to the almost fear-based respect I have witnessed in Australia where students do the right thing to avoid detention or getting into trouble. Here it is done because they have true respect for the teacher, this might be confusing but believe me when I say that the difference is obvious when you are experiencing it.

Over the last 3 months I’ve also found a love of cross-country skiing (downhill skiing is still yet to win me over). Funnily enough it is something the majority of teenagers hate, based off the act that they had to do it so much when they were young. The reasons I enjoy it are simple, it is a form of exercise that you get to do whilst seeing a truly spectacular landscape, the uphills are very satisfying to conquer and nothing beats the feeling of zooming down the hill with no real control and nothing directing you other than the ski tracks. It was difficult to start off with and I have countless photos of my knees covered with bruises after many, many falls. I still fall a lot but I’m also a lot better at getting back up again (both metaphorically and physically). Unfortunately, Spring has finally started in Norway so it will be a while before I can have another go at it but it has definitely been a highlight for me. It is something that makes me feel very ‘Norwegian’ even I my ability is a probably a disgrace to Norwegians everywhere.

I’m very lucky to be able to say that I have also been able to join two different clubs or groups: Strommen og Skjetten Skolekorps and Skjetten Baskateball. I know I have mentioned them both before in previous blog posts but I feel as though without them these last three months would have been a whole lot harder. These clubs have given me a place to go on the weekends or afternoons and meant that I had something to do. I’ve also been able to meet more people, something I’m very grateful for considering my school class consists of only 16 people. The first training and the first rehearsal was hard, like most of the ‘first’s of things I have done in Norway. It was terrifying to go into an environment where you don’t know anyone, add to that I’d had limited proper experience with basketball and hadn’t played the sax in around two months when I went to the first rehearsal/training. But now the ‘first’s were long ago, in some cases an almost distant memory. I will admit there are some situation where I’m sort of reminded just how unfamiliar this all is but in most it all just feels normal.

I can proudly say my Norwegian is improving. It is sometimes hard to notice but I realised today, as I was reading a chapter from the textbook, that I no longer required to pull my phone out to take a picture and use Google Translate to translate the entire page rather I only needed to translate the occasional word. This is a pretty big deal for me as I have previously spent hours and hours on end (no exaggeration by the way) trying to get some meaning from the seemingly random words before giving in and using the Google Translate app (that has been very handy though- I strongly recommend using it at least to start with). This last week of school we have been looking at ethical problems in my health class and today we were being assessed on our ability to discuss various decisions in a group environment. This situation terrified me to be honest and for the first 2 decisions discussed I didn’t raise my hand. I understood what decision was being discussed and I also knew how to voice my thoughts in Norwegian but I couldn’t be sure that what I was saying hadn’t been said by the person before me in a slightly different manner. By the third discussion point I had figured out a system: If I raise my hand first then I am guaranteed to not repeat something that has already been said. That was how I ended up debating which ethical principle should be used in a situation when one is asked to lie to protect another. I’m also finding that I can communicate with people in pure Norwegian, something that has taken a while. I am in the very fortunate situation where Norwegians speak very good English so if I don’t understand they often try to translate for me. In the last week in particular I have noticed that I’ve been having discussions with my teacher without her having to explain any words. I may not understand every single word used but, based on context and what I can understand, I can usually put together a pretty decent answer.

I’m not sure how to feel about my first three months being over. I’m definitely excited and happy but at the same time it is another reminder of just how long this year will be. I’m loving it but there are definitely times where I want nothing more than to be with my family and friends, in a situation where no translation is required. Still, that is the challenge of exchange and I know that by the end of this all I’ll be grateful for having to push through the hard times. I know it has only been 3 months but, as cheesy as it sounds, I feel like a completely different person to who I was. The things I used to stress about seem miniscule and I feel as though before I had no idea just how disconnected Australia really was from the rest of the world. Needless to say there is no going back now.

I’m going to finish with a quote from Roald Dahl that, in my opinion, sort of represents the way I have been trying to go through my exchange. I have always loved Roald Dahl and, in case you weren’t aware, his mother was Norwegian and he spent a considerable amount of time here in his youth (the first time I had heard of Norway was actually in his autobiography).

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”

Until next time,

Alicia