All Aboard the Copen-Wagon!

The View Down a Canal

It was a rather short trip to Copenhagen. On Friday afternoon, we boarded The Crown of Scandinavia - bound for a 6-hour journey in Copenhagen. The boat came complete with a pool, sauna, karaoke bar, club, family restaurants, and duty free stores. We didn't make it to the pool, sauna, or family restaurants. But I did sing karaoke while successfully rocking my new Norwegian Sweater.

Anyways, as we got off in Copenhagen, we decided the best thing to do was to walk across the city, stopping at various sites along the way. So for six hours, we walked through the freezing wind. But the sun was out, I ate a Danish, and we really got to see a lot of the city. We saw the palace, the Little Mermaid statue, Christiania (A kind of old hippie area that used to be solely bartering), and the outsides of a lot of museums. Cool!

So even though I didn't get to spend a full day in Copenhagen, the trip was a lot of fun. Tequila's a bad idea. Copenhagen's beautiful.

The Little Mermaid Statue

A Cool Canal - weird that the area that doesn't get sunlight is the melted part...

Oslo from Afar

1000 Naked People Later...

Vigelandsparken - "Naked People Park"

A wise old man once said something I didn't pay attention to, but my roommate Chris said of Norway, "It's unreal!!!". And as I've booked trips and looked at what I've done, I've noticed just how unreal this really is. This weekend, I'm hanging out in Oslo and going to a few 'start of the semester' parties. Next weekend I'm going on a cruise to Copenhagen for two days through the University of Oslo international programming. The following weekend I'm going to Stockholm, Sweden from Thursday to Sunday. And the weekend after that, I'm going to Tromsø, very Northern Norway, to dogsled and see the Northern Lights. And I'm working on booking trips to Amsterdam, Rome, and possibly Helsinki for the rest of the semester.

In addition to some great planned events, I've also had a great couple days getting into a sort of routine. I had two of my 4 classes (I only have class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays), bought a guitar, bought a Norwegian sweater, bought a Norwegian cardigan, cooked Norwegian salmon filleted right in front of me, had a job interview with the disabled students department at the university, and bought a mustache mug. I toured the Oslo opera house, visited an awesome sculpture garden, joined a choir (we sang songs in English, Latin, and Swedish?), and just explored.


I was talking to my friend Lily today (She's in Cairo, on her way to South Africa for the semester), and I thought about how this entire experience is constant exploring. It's nuts how new everything is. I never would've known that Norwegian police drive Volvos. I never would have known that Oslo's main public park is full of statues with nearly 1,000 naked bodies. Or that they make spookniforks!

Unreal.

Sweet Aviator Mirrors

Translation: "Never Trust a Man Without a Mustache"

I don't think the sculptures were sacred or anything.

- Jonathan

Welcome to OsBRO

It's kinda funny. The album I've been listening to a lot lately (Teen Dream by Beach House) has a fantastic song called "Norway" on it. The song itself isn't really about Norway at all, but it's a really pretty song that, in feel, beautifully captures the landscape of the snow-covered, ice-embossed, festive city of Oslo.

I've been exploring daily, crossing off tasks on my incredibly long list of to-dos: register with the police, apply for a Norwegian ID number, get a Student Card, purchase a gym membership, sign up for a student public transit pass, register for classes, find a coffee pot, meet the hundreds of international students in a student body of thousands, etc. But as I've check off each task, I've begun to realize how much I'm settling in and embracing the people and places of Oslo. I feel like I've been here for weeks, and that while I still have no idea what people are saying or what signs say, I do know how to get where I need to go fluently. And even though I feel very alone sometimes, I have so many people to talk to and meet - something I haven't experienced since freshman year at Temple. And even then, I had an awesome family in Philadelphia to help me adjust. So while some aspects feel familiar, others are completely new in ways that I could never have expected.

Anyways, other than logistical check-list achievements, I feel like I should just tell you a little bit about what I've been doing/eating. For starters, I had a delicious bowl of fish soup and a cup of coffee for 70 NOK (approx. $14.00) the other day at a coffee shop right after getting lost and running into the gorgeous Oslo port during the sun set (3:15 PM). Last night, I decided to draw the only animal I know how on my curtain (a white sheet) to liven things up! And today, after getting my residency permit and passport validated, I stopped into an old army store with my roommate Chris and a few other friends and I bought a really a cool silver Norwegian pin from WWII. I also bought mittens.

Also, I feel like I should forward some contact info. If you don't know, I have my regular phone available for texting, so feel free to shoot me a text anytime at (513) 373-0775.

But if you'd like to mail me a letter or call me in Norway, below is my address and phone number:


Sogn Student Village
ROLF E. Stenersens
Alle 46, Rm. 201
0858 Oslo

Norwegian Phone Number: (47) 96 71 85 06

So far, even though I've had a ton of things to do, I've had a lot of freedom to explore and get to know my roommates and other International students. I've met people from all over the world including The Netherlands, Germany, France, Prague, Italy, Morocco, Brazil, Suriname, Latvia, Norway, and Canada. It's been interesting to talk about how the rest of the world views Americans, what American culture items go global (Ugly Betty?), and how different governments function. If nothing else, this semester will be a learning experience like none I've ever had.

Also, if you'd like, you can check out "Norway" by Beach House here.

The Library Main Entrance

The Main Cafeteria

- Jonathan

A Few Days In. A Few Falls On The Ice Builds Character.

Sogn Student Village Entrance

First impressions:

1. It's cold.

2. Public Transit is awesome.

3. Oslo looks like what I'd imagine the North Pole to look like - covered in snow, quaint, peaceful, and festive.

4. My living situation is going really well - nice room, good people. (A video of the room to come soon.)

5. I don't know how I'm going to eat. And drink. Crazy expensive.

6. It's very cold.

Beyond first impressions, I've had a pretty awesome time so far. Yesterday, I went with two of my roommates, Lotte (The Netherlands) and Chris (Canada), to the immigrant section of the city to check out a second hand market outside, and then went to Oslo Central Station to hop on the free IKEA shuttle and then to walk around a bit. Other than covered in ice, the city is great, and looks to offer a lot.

Outdoor Market - Under The Bridge

Belt Buckles - For Looking Fly


Oslo Central Station

More to come in the next few days,

Jonathan

Thursday Morning, 2:30 AM, 12ish hours until departure.

   Well, sometimes life goes as planned.  Sometimes it's a straight line that moves consistently and comfortably.  Other times, it zags.  Curves.  Goes up, down, does a loop.  Last night, my Bubbie died unexpectedly - replacing being excited and spending final hours with my family with feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and emotional.  Yet here I am.  In my living room.  Bags packed.  Clothes out for tomorrow morning.  Papers in order.  Thinking about what Bubbie would want.  Thinking about the journey I'm about to embark on.  Thinking about the many hours of thinking I have ahead of me.

    I wonder how these next few months will transform me as a person.  What will be the key things that I truly grow from.  What will incite that passion, drive, desire inside.  I also wonder what I'll truly begin to miss, appreciate, and crave from my life here.  What will I miss the most?  It's easy to say the food.  Or maybe it'll be the live music concerts.  Or maybe my family.  My stability.  My home.  Or maybe I'll miss nothing and just appreciate.  Just add to ME, gaining new perspectives and new lenses.

    Someone told me the other day that they admire me for my ability to jump without looking.  Which is exactly what this trip to Norway is.  I'm not sure if what I'm doing is by any means rational.  But I know I'm going to jump right in and turn opportunity into growth and knowledge.  I'll miss home.  I'll miss love.  I'll miss Bubbie.  I'll miss food, music, stability.  But I'll find new things to embrace.  New things to grasp.  New things to crave.  And I think Bubbie would be proud of me.  I think Bubbie is proud of me.  I think I'm proud of myself. 

 

I love you Bubbie.  I'll miss you always.  XOXO,

Jonathan

Monday January 4th, 2010. 3 Days until Departure.

"Are you excited?" They ask. Shoulder shrug. Smile. Back to shoulder shrug. "Yeah, man. Nah, man. Not sure what to be excited for." I'm going to a country that's got a high of 4 degrees the day I'm arriving with 5 hours of daylight. I've never met any Norwegians, nor do I know how to pronounce the places people have told me to go. I have no clue what the people will be like - will I stand out? Will I look normal? Are sweats okay (They goddamn better be)? Can I hug people when slightly inebriated? What are the new rules? How does society work? How does being American affect how people will see me? How does being Jewish affect how people will see me? How will I do alone across the world with limited abilities to stay in touch with the people I love? "Are you excited?" "Nah, just stressed out. Stop asking questions. I've got enough of my own."

But in another reality, I'm very excited to go. To experience something new. To establish myself somewhere else. To make that Faux Pax of hugging someone who doesn't want to be hugged. To pack my bags, arrive somewhere, and figure out how to get where I need to go. To take Norwegian society classes and compare it to everything I've ever known. And to eventually come back home having grown as a person with good stories to share with good people.

- Jonathan