Norway Update and Continuation of Things I've Learned/Observed

Oh Norway life. It has been a while since I have taken the time to write.  I've been pretty busy with class and planning our trip to London/Ireland that is coming up in less than a week :) We have a very detailed itinerary, and I've thoroughly enjoyed doing all the research.  We have a few day trips planned from London and Dublin. From London we plan on also going to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and the city of Bath (to see the Roman Baths). We will also be venturing away from Dublin to the City of Cork (where some of Kevin's Heritage is from) and where the Blarney Castle is located, and then to the Cliffs of Moher. We are just beyond excited. I plan on taking many pictures. We will be leaving on Sunday and will be gone from the 13th until the 22nd.

Kevin has been traveling a lot, still working on the same boat on the west coast. He worked there all last week and is there again this week to run some tests and finish up the project.  Then we will go on vacation, he definitely deserves one. He was able to come home this past weekend and Monday, so that was nice. The upside is that every time Kevin goes out of town I end up with a new bottle of a wine, ha. I am very proud of him, and it great he has been able to do a project from start to finish. This was one of the goals set by his boss.

We have had some fun and relaxing weekends, gotten to go out a few times with some friends. We have hosted some people over at our apartment and have gotten to try quite a few new beers (which Kevin has enjoyed). We went to a night that was called "Jungle Fever" at Kare Maloney. This was put on by "The Routine" (a guy Kevin works with). He has vinyl records and there was some fun dancing. I got to practice my new Norwegian skills, and as I already knew I'm much better at talking then I am listening and interpreting. I just try my best to pick out words, or see if they can talk a little slower so I can pick them out. I thought I could talk fast in English...so not true.

There are few people in Kongsberg this week that are from the New Orleans office that work with Kevin. We were able to go to eat out in Kongsberg with all of them on Monday, he was excited. We went to a place called Restaurant Opsahlgården. Mind you this was the first time I've eaten anywhere other than our Kongsberg apartment kitchen in over 6 weeks. So this was a big deal :) Kevin ordered Reindeer (along with almost everyone else), and I of course went the safe route--tenderloin. They were both good. I did have a bite of Kevin's--my best description was "chewy". Reindeer seems to be very popular here. We had some interesting sauces served with the meat, but I can't remember their names (Pictures Below). We are hoping that most are still in town on Friday when Kevin gets back so we can go out again with them before they head back to the states.

Reindeer meat, Carrot Puree,  vegetables, and potatoes

One of our new favorite beers

Tenderloin with a pepper sauce, vegetables, and potatoes

And to keep you updated we were told some misguided information about our tax numbers....so we have still no bank account and I have no cell phone with a Norwegian number. I am still only available through iMessage by using old number or gmail address. We had to make an emergency trip to Drammen on Tuesday morning before Kevin left to get our correct number, so now it should only be a few more weeks hopefully :) I have found it is possible to have no phone in a foreign country(ha), though it would be useful to have at times.  Wifi has been beyond helpful so I can iMessage and Facetime. I've had to run into a grocery store because I needed to text Kevin about how to find something. This makes it easier, and kind of humorous.

My Norwegian class is still going wonderful. I have loved throwing myself into something. Kevin and I have been discussing, and I think I may continue it for a couple more months. A handful of people in my class were told we have the option of skipping the next class (about 7 weeks of work) to go to a higher class if we wanted starting in May. It would definitely be a challenge, we haven't made up our mind yet. I'll keep y'all updated on what I decide. On pretty days I study outside, which I love. There are lots of benches close to the river so I usually park myself there. And running has become one of our favorite things to do in the afternoon, the river is easily accessible so we usually run by it.  Kevin and I have also found some great new places to bike, so we do that on the weekends usually. There is an information get together for the city of Kongsberg for new people that have come to the area when we get back from vacation. It is for all new residents to learn what is available to you here in Kongsberg. Apparently, we will find out about leisure activities in the area that we can get involved in. We plan on attending. I hope to find some sports/hobbies to get involved in, and learn about some volunteering opportunities. Enjoy the Pics, videos, and my continuation list below :)

Our favorite path to run

Hanging out by the River (that is the Kongsberg Church in the distance)

 My view from the bench where I study

Continuation of things I've learned/observed so far:

12. Oranges from Spania are by far the best oranges from the grocery store and hands down the best oranges I've ever had. 

13. Norwegians seem to be very patient drivers. They always yield to pedestrians/cyclists, and I watch them take turns crossing a bridge every day. I have yet to hear honking, yelling, or notice any impatience what so ever. I need to start taking some notes. 

14. Most dogs have long hair here. I'm hoping it is a winter thing to keep them warm...haha. It doesn't matter what size or what kind of dog they are, lonnnng hair. It is interesting, hopefully there is a dog barber in town this Spring. Speaking of that--Kevin has yet to find a hair salon, it is getting shaggy. I may have to start watching youtube to learn how to cut men's hair ;) He actually encourages the idea, ha.

15. Having a car is not a necessity in Kongsberg. There are side walks, convenient places for people to walk/ride bikes everywhere. And if we really need to go somewhere far there is always buses and trains. Public transportation is great here.  I have really enjoyed it...Makes you stop and look around more. 

16. Instead of saying haha or lol in a text, the most common response is hehe. (Kevin has shared this with me). I don't know why but we find that funny. 

17. Life here is a slower pace. My overall consensus is that people are more relaxed.  I don't notice people rushing around stores or becoming impatient if they are waiting in line or if you accidentally get in their way. Kevin has observed that people don't put work as the number one priority, other things are more important. They enjoy their time at home and outdoors. My teacher calls it "rolig" here, which means calm. 

18. It seems that it is RARE for STEALING to occur. Kevin and I seem to be the other people that lock our bikes up at all times. At the sports clubs we visited, people did not have things in lockers. Shoes, purses, bags, jackets were all hanging on hooks out in the open in a designated area. It must not be very common. Must be nice not to feel paranoid, ha. 

19. Never Eat tacos before hiking a mountain or before any strenuous physical activity.

20. Kevin and I apparently have easy names to remember. I have been told multiple times that Rachel is easy to remember or they love my name because of the American TV show Friends.  Kevin has been told his is easy because of Home Alone. One guy could not remember the name of the movie so he said, "You know" and put his hands on his cheek and screamed. That was amusing. 

21. Instead of random rain there can be random snow, which i actually find to be prettier...especially when you wake up in the morning to it. 

22. This may be the only place on earth where you can catch (multiple) elderly individuals using a ski pole in place of a cane (shout out to my therapy friends). The first time I saw this I could not stop staring, too funny. 

23. One piece of bread is all you need for a sufficient sandwich. Open faced is how they usually roll here.
24. I learned in class that kids are not allowed to bring potato chips to school. They have to bring their lunch and can only buy milk and fruit from school. It is usual that kids can have treats on Saturday, such as chips, ice cream, or coke.
25.  Some form of meat/fish and potatoes is what is most common for Norwegian dinner. They usually only eat something hot for dinner. 

26. Grocery Store check outs are fast and efficient. You bag your own groceries, you only get a bag if you need one, and if you do need one you get ONLY what you need. There is a belt that is divided so once you are completed they pull the divider and the next person's things start coming on the other side. You have a small amount of time to collect your things before the 2nd person behind you in line purchases are coming. They are friendly. It is rare that people are buying large amounts of food at one time. Or so it seems.
27. Receiving real letters in the mail when you live in a foreign country can totally make your day.
28. The police here do not carry around "pistols" as my teacher put it. She said people have respect for policemen. To be honest, it is rare that I even see them. Even at the large events we have been at....I have maybe seen them once or twice since I've been here.
29. Kevin and I discovered Gulost--a Norwegian cheese that we love. 

To be continued...