Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Since the last time I’ve posted some big changes have happened: I have moved permanently out of Oslo and Norway, where I have lived for the past four months as an exchange student at the Norwegian School of Management. I have returned to Switzerland, and I’m spending winter vacation with my boyfriend at his place in rural German-speaking Switzerland. I’ve ordered a new pair of glasses!

I’ve also  spent a day in Winterthur, where I visited a potential workplace. (I’m looking to work there as a student consultant starting in January, where I’ll be writing instruction manuals for division operators and engineers.) I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll actually get to work this time.

Currently, however, I’m writing from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, which is probably the most American city I’ve seen in Europe. Now I know why they call it Mainhattan. The skyscrapers are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before here on the Old Continent. They really remind me of “home.”

After two days of shopping and unhealthy portions of good food, we head back to Grüeziland tomorrow.

I’m going to miss our cozy little room up in the attic though…it was very romantic!

It’s the Final Countdown!

A week and a day before I leave Norway and return to Switzerland…

Why is it that it’s always the first and the last few days of an experience that leaves the deepest impression? Everything in the middle seems to pass like a blur…save a couple of still moments.

What I remember most vividly about AFS Norway were those magical days in Torpo before we all met our host families, and the days around Sankt Hans right before my departure derfra.

The same with Franklin College Switzerland: I remember the invitation dinner, the trip to Valle Verzasca, getting settled in with Kyle and Ryan, and climbing through the Girasole building window into Acacia, Quinn, and Kayla’s room. And then I remember one day it was raining, and everyone was outside, getting wet. And I proposed taking a shower together to Pauli, who enthusiastically responded “Let’s do it!” (And that’s how we became best friends.) That was the beginning.

And I remember the end: the summer days when I would hurry downtown to the floating lido with Andrea and Leah right after class, hoping to catch some sun before it set.

I feel like people enter and leave my life in phases, and right now I’m living in the phase of Kringsjå people. But next week I leave them and enter the René phase, and in a month I’ll return to the Pauli, Emma, Franklin phase.

Anyway, that was a longer tangent than I had intended on going on.

Today, Elise, Bé and I went downtown to the Rådhus (city hall) to do some Christmas shopping. They cleared up a big section next to the city hall and turned it into a Christmas market. (It was actually in the exact same place as Oslo Gay Pride Week in 2009, when I went with Xenia and Yuri.) I had some authentic Dutch waffles, reindeer soup, and bratwurst with elk and deer. (The reindeer soup was my favorite, at a costly 35 NOK a cup.)
There was also a large tent which sold a lot of Sámi things: hats, shoes, mittens, etc. We had fun trying them on!

I finally found an appropriate gift for Joakim and kjæreste Ingrid. I hope they’ll like it. I also bought some soap for meself. (I have somewhat of a soap fixation…I don’t know where I got it from but discovering Lush managed to exacerbate it like “whoa.”) However, there’s still a couple more things to do/buy before I can cross off everyone on my Christmas gift list.

These couple of days have been relaxing. Now that everything is done except one last exam, I’ve been taking it rolig and striving to keep a balance between being lazy and being productive.

Featured Picture courtesy of Elise W.—Top: Me, Tilo (DEU), Dáwid (POL), Johnny (DEU); Bottom: Suzi (DEU), Daniela (DEU), Dominika (POL), Marta (POL), Elise (USA), Nataša (SVK); Not pictured: Korneel (BEL), Bé (BEL), Marek (SVK), Grace (CHN)

Riktig God Jul og Godt Nytt År

Okay, in the midst of all this dillydallying around I’ve been negligent on blogging about the holidays.
Firstly, let me just say that I have never spent so much money on Christmas shopping before! And I didn’t even buy that much stuff! But it was very worth it. To experience a traditional Christmas, nevermind a traditional Norwegian Christmas, with these people who I’m beginning to love very much–that’s a privilege I’m not sure I’ll be able to experience again. I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

It was koselig, but pretty formal, actually: spent most of julaften dressed in fine clothes, went to church and sang some songs (some of which I actually know, for a change), came back, drank a small assortment of alcohols and ate ribbe. (It reminds me of Peking Duck, 想起来就馋!) And I got some very nice things, including a silver axe necklace from Mamma and Pappa. Og første juledagen var vi invitert hos Jan-Åge og Mette til mer god mat.

Oh crap, that reminds me: food is so good. Ribbe, turkey, pinekjøtt, covered barn girls (don’t get perverted, it’s a whipped cream dessert), it’s like a week of Thanksgiving meals. I kveld hadde vi fiskesuppe og hvitvin med brød som Pappa har lagt selv. Det var deilig. I honestly think the hardest thing about returning to the US now would be having to go back to Mom’s cooking again. I’ve been culinarily spoiled rotten these four and a half months.

Så imorra skal jeg til Drammen å feire nyttårsaften hos Yanzi. Jeg gleder meg veldig, fordi når jeg snakker med henne, føles det som om jeg snakker med en god gammel venn. Vi har bare kjent hverandre i litt mindre enn fem måneder, men det føles som om vi har vært gode venner i mange år. 我感觉跟她说话特别痛快，真的好像跟家里人说话一样；不用小心挑字儿，也不用怕把话说出来。虽然湾区的华人不少，我从来都没有跟人那么轻松的用中文勾通过。知道为什么吗？我现在明白了：因为我们两个说相似的口音。谁能想到口音会那么重要哪？但我发现，虽然我们都说国语，我们有不同的文化。我们用不同的俚语，开不同的玩笑，甚至骂人的字儿都不一样。中国是个大国家，人超亿；竟然能碰到一个这样的同志，那算挺了不起的啦！