Rotary Group Study Exchange

Drøbak Rotary Club

2009-06-04T09:01:00.028-05:00

We're now in our sixth and final visit: Drøbak. Astrid Urbye is one of our hosts, and she put together a great slide show chronicling our team's second day in this very charming town. We loved it so much that we asked her to provide this blog's first guest post.

Enjoy.

GSE Team in Drøbak Visiting Universitetet i Ås UMB

They were met and escorted by Professor Olaf Heljord.

Waiting awhile for the technical equipment to work.

Finally the problem was solved and Professor Birger Solberg could talk about "Climatic Changes: Can forestry repair the damage that's been done?"

Time for lunch: lovely sandwiches, coffee, and tea.

Professor Petter Heyerdahl spoke enthusiastically about "The End of Gasoline Cars, What Will Be the Replacement?" And then it was time to leave.

Then it's time for the Rotary meeting in the restaurant Kumlegaarden.

Astrid and the charming guests outside the restaurant.

The team was a bit excited before Mary Ann began the presentation in Norwegian!

They were all speaking Norwegian!

Jessica and Kimberly gave a beautiful violin concert.

Members of Drøbak Rotary listened and enjoyed every minute!

Kimberly was begged to play one more time, and she gave us "Gabriel's Oboe." Beautiful!

And everybody wanted to talk and get to know the charming team members!

Then it was time for a meal in Kumlegaarden's nice atmosephere. Astrid seems surprised to be in front of the camera and not behind like she's used to!

President Jan Eddie made a thank you speech.

The End -- what now? The girls wondered: "Maybe we can find a nice bar or cafe? Maybe with some younger people???"

We decided to take a walk through the park (though the photo is from May 17).

And finally Bergen was back in her room and could check email and get in touch with her friends!

Free admission

2009-06-04T08:32:00.007-05:00

Public buildings in Norway are encouraged to set aside 2% of their budget for art.

Check out this mural from the Pediatric Wing of the Akershus University Hospital in Lørenskog. A little creepy, no?

Oppegård Rotary Club

2009-06-03T16:49:00.006-05:00

We had a short visit in Oppegård last week, but it was full of great experiences. Here's a short list:

1. Saw viking ships (real ones)
2. Visited Roald Amundsen's home and even stood on his boat
3. Wandered around the Folke Museum
4. Tasted Kullinaris - ice cream produced at a local factory. It was mighty tasty.
5. Had a blast at the Rotary Meeting

Rockstar Vikings!

I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.

On Fram - Mr. Amundsen's boat

Stave Church in the Folke Museum

I heart hearts!

2009-06-03T16:38:00.003-05:00

In Norway there are hearts everywhere: blankets, cutting boards, floor mats, wall hooks, etc...

I asked a jeweler I met with why there are so many hearts around. He said it's because Norwegians are big lovers. I will say that the Norwegians I've met have big, beautiful, open hearts!

I love it. I want hearts all over my house. I want jewelry with hearts. Hearts hearts hearts. I want hearts.

Foreigners! Get in the boat!

2009-06-03T09:08:00.008-05:00

Our last trip to Fredrickstad was a welcome respite after several weeks of heavy programming. Melissa, Kimberly, Bergen and I were placed with John Jones, a Norwegian-British architect who loves his boat and the Fredrickstad Football team. We got to stay in his summer house in Kirkeoy, the largest of the Hvaler islands.

He uses his boat as his car, and so we zipped around to our Rotary events on the mainland and to the Swedish Islands on his beautiful boat.

In the afternoons, we made our own fun. Here's what we did without our own internet, phones or transportation.

Will play for food

2009-05-30T15:12:00.001-05:00

We've been playing for our dinner in Norway.

Jessica and I've been bringing our violins to each dinner for sing alongs with the Rotarians. If we're lucky, there'll be a keyboard/piano or guitar for Bergen, too. As a three-week old band, we prefer to take requests, and our repertoire is now pretty eclectic. Some of our top hits: Auld Lang Syne, She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, You Raise Me Up, Greensleeves, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission, My Favorite Things, and Edelweiss.

Our schedules are open for Chicago bookings in the second week in June.

Here's Jessica fiddlin' around.

In Oppegaard, we finally find a cow bell for Melissa.

Bergen and I cover some Dolly Parton. I had to travel all the way to Norway to discover that not only can Bergen play multiple instruments, she has a beautiful voice.

Norwegian Theatre

2009-05-28T03:36:00.002-05:00

On my hunt for new Nordic plays (and general appreciation for Norwegian theatre), I've had the opportunity to meet with several theatres as well as see a handful of productions. Every theatre person I speak with here in Norway says I need to speak with Det Åpne Teater . I just heard from my last host family in Drøbak that they have been able to arrange a meeting. Hooray! Det Åpne Teater produced a storytelling festival last week that I was hoping to see. I made it to see Ben Haggarty (a British storyteller) who is known world-wide.

Another news-worthy theatre company, Brageteater located in Drammen, is the talk of the town for earning a grant from the EU for 2 million Euro. Brageteater, along with 14 other European theatre companies, will develop and exchange theatre for youth. With the help of Kjell and Morten from Lørenskog Rotary Klub, they pulled some strings to get me into a private showing of When the Trains Go By - a one act in English about rape, responsiblity, and when there is no excuse for cruel behavior. Sorry that many of these links are to Norwegian websites. I thought if you can't read Norwegian, it will at least give you an idea of what's going on.

Last night, my Oppegård host mother, Bente, took me to see The Jungle Book at Det Norske Teatret - one of Norway's biggest and best theatres with a focus on NyNorsk. The Jungle Book (Kipling's version) was adapted by a Norwegian and set to hip-hop and rock music. Mowgli, was played by Adil, one of the recent winners of Norway's So You Think You Can Dance. He certainly rocked it. See a trailer for Jungel Boka here. It's pretty rad.

This week I'll see The King is Coming in Fredrikstad, and next week the Norwegian version of Mamma Mia. Can't wait!

Troll sighting

2009-05-27T14:32:00.003-05:00

One of my co-workers told me to be on troll watch while in Norway, and I finally found some!

They were a little taller than what I expected and a whole lot cuter.

Meet the Kolbotn Trolls, a team of players in Oppegaard's youth soccer league. (My Norwegian younger brother, Teddy, is in the middle.)

We watched the Trolls obliterate the team from Langhus tonight. And I do mean obliterate; final score: 17-1. A little more suspense might have been nice, but we'll take it!

Manners

2009-05-27T08:51:00.007-05:00

BBQ dinner my first night in Oppegaard: poelse (hot dogs) and lompe (potato tortillas). Some spicy mustard, red wine, along with a perfect Norwegian evening and lovely new family = Perfection.

Takk to the Lunds: Christian, Wenche, and Teodor!

(By the way, does anyone know where I can find potato tortillas in Chicago? Please tell me I don't need to bring them back in my suitcase. Trust me, there's no room.)

The very first thing I learned to say in Norwegian was takk. I say thank you a countless number of times a day, and takk always feels too short. Too flippant.

When the Lillestrom Rotary Club took us into Oslo for May 17? Thanks.
When the District Governor and his wife guided us on an amazing trip across Norway and into the mountains surrounding Bergen? Oh, thanks, that was cool.

I've been looking for a new word or phrase to express my appreciation because takk isn't enough. I need more modifiers! I want the Norwegian equivalent of "Thank you so very very much." My host families have suggested tusen takk (translation: a thousand thanks) or even tusen tusen takk to mollify my need for overly-dramatic expression.

I guess that's better. Maybe tusen takk still feels inadequate because I'm thinking too literally, and "a thousand thanks" sounds slightly silly in English. Or maybe it's because the other girls and I will try to one-up each other with million takk (a million thanks) or milliard takk (a billion thanks).

Yeah, it's probably the latter.

One more thing. One of the first words I asked to learn was vaer saa snill (please), but I just noticed that I rarely hear Norwegians use it. I asked Christian about it, and he said that you can be polite in Norway without saying "please" all the time. In fact, when they travel to the United States, they need to remind themselves to say "please" more often.

2009-05-26T08:02:00.014-05:00

We are at our 4th homestay now in the town of Kolbotn. We are basically in the suburbs on Olso, but these burbs are different than the ones I am used to. People can live 10 minutes out of the city, on a farm or in town, with the forest in the backyard and a view of the Oslofjord from their balconies. The love for nature runs deep here.

I learned a lot of interesting things about Norway. These are 3 highlights for me.

1) Trip to Bergen. If you ever come to Norway, take the Norway in a Nutshell tour. It's a boat/train/bus tour through the snowy mountains, through the fjords and into Bergen. It is spectacular.

2) Oslo Opera House. It's built of Italian marble and looks like a glacier. It is stunning inside and out.

3) Canoeing in the forests outside of Oslo. Norwegians are so serious about the environment that they allow you to canoe in their fresh water reserves and as well as camp for free anywhere along the water. No one litters and the Rotarians even chopped more wood for the next group. Is this heaven?

Fit to Be Outdoors

2009-05-25T14:26:00.005-05:00

It's official. I'm having withdrawal from Mexican food after two weeks of fish, potatoes, and cake. Get me a burrito, stat.

In other news, all I had heard about Norwegians and their love of the outdoors before this trip has proven to be true. I just got back from a walk with my new host parents in Oppegard. Marianne (laced up in MBT shoes....husband Bjorn in MBTs too) said it would probably be a "short walk because our backs might hurt from the shoes". An hour and fifteen minutes later, we arrived home.

Everyone has a path into the forest behind their homes. In Lorenskog I asked their environmental staff what environmental issues the citizens in their community care about. Their answer was having forest to walk in nearby, parks, and green space. In the U.S. everyone is concerned about the INSIDE of their house....decorating it, having sufficient storage space and closets, getting new furniture, etc. People want a yard, but it's not natural, just a small monoculture of grass. The Norwegian houses I've stayed in are beautiful (wood everywhere!) but perhaps a bit small by American standards. The decks are often comparable in size to the surface footprint of the house. In Lorenskog, Jarle and Sissel's deck wrapped all the way around their house.....you can only see a part of it in this photo from our delicious lunch the other day:

I've had some great runs in Norway. In Valer I ran in the forest and on a dirt road behind my hosts the Bergstroms' house. I wish I would have brought my camera to document my personal Valer 5K. This photo, taken nearby their house, doesn't do it justice:

This past Saturday we went canoeing with a few of our hosts from Lorenskog. Although Bergen, Kimberly, and I could not canoe in a straight line, we were champs at getting the canoe in and out of the water and the day-long trip was absolutely wonderful. Although I love Chicago, it is going to be difficult to return home and not have such opportunities to enjoy nature up close.

More about Bergen...the city

2009-05-24T07:51:00.014-05:00

Our Norway in a Nutshell Tour started with a train. Then we had another train, a boat, a bus, and one more train...then we were in Bergen.

On the second train, we stopped for a few photo ops at this waterfall:

The boat ride took us through a gorgeous fjord:

In Bergen, we took a walking tour of the old part of town:

Of course I tried to take as many pictures with my name in them as possible:

I know that all of us had an amazing time exploring the city. It's a pretty special place, and not just because I share its name.

Lillestrøm and Lørenskog Rotary Clubs

2009-05-21T15:35:00.005-05:00

Last week we had the pleasure of joining a joint Rotary meeting with Lørenskog and Lillestrøm Rotary Clubs. There was plenty of cake and coffee to go around. They were very impressed with our Norwegian... so much so that the rest of the meeting was conducted in said language. After our presentation, we heard from a Norwegian man who was involved in the development of Resusci - Annie. The newest model fits in a box and can be taken home by anyone. Fun for the whole family. When was the last time you brushed up on mouth to mouth?

Here is some proof:

Thanks to Lillestrøm for the fabulous visit. We're sure that our time with Lørenskog will be just as wonderful!

Working Lunch

2009-05-20T16:48:00.006-05:00

While in Bergen, we rode a funicular cable car up to Floeyen and grabbed lunch.

Bergen ordered Norwegian prawns. The rest of us ordered the exact same thing.

And if Bergen ever decided to jump off a cliff, we would all jump, too.

Anyways, here's the before:

Four bowls full of peachy-orange prawns arrived, and we got to work tugging, shucking, and twisting the shells off of our lunch.

It was delicious.

And from the perspective of a Norwegian prawn, completely woeful and tragic.

Heard later while heading back down into Bergen...

B: Guys, I think there's some shrimp underneath my fingernail.
M: Save it for a snack later.

I Heart Bergen

2009-05-20T16:02:00.009-05:00

Bergen is beautiful.

The town isn't half bad either.

Early Tuesday morning, we set off on the Norway in a Nutshell tour with District 2260 Governor Aage Bjor and his wife, Astrid. It was an incredible journey: in a single day, we traveled across Norway by two trains, one boat, one bus, and yet another train.

We could devote an entire blog to praising the Norwegian landscape, but it defies description. I will even go so far as to say that I have yet to see a single photograph -- professional or not -- that does it justice. Still, what's the fun of being in the most beautiful place in the world if you can't rub it in with a few pictures from time to time?

And everything we heard about Bergen is true. It is an altogether charming town. With its buildings painted in various pastel hues, winding streets, and fisherman's wharf, it reminded all of us of a different American city.

Tusen takk, Governor Bjor, for a fantastic trip.

Beans vs Farmers Part II

2009-05-18T14:50:00.002-05:00

Today Melissa learned that in addition to bønner (beans) and bønder (farmers - pronounced almost identically to beans), the Norwegian word for "prayers" is bønner. Yes, that's right. The exact same spelling as beans. Pronounced exactly the same.

Also, I just realized that in my previous post, I used the Swedish ö instead of the Norwegian ø. Please forgive me.

Norway Blinded Me With Science

2009-05-18T09:42:00.009-05:00

So here I finally appear on this blog. I have been the “electronic slacker” of this trip……no blog entries, and I haven’t uploaded my pictures to Flickr yet (and I’m behind on Facebook uploads). By the time I check my e-mail and video chat with my boyfriend, I’m sick of being on the computer. Meh.

So…..we all have different talents. Kimberly and Jessica continue to impress our hosts with their musical skills on the violin, and Bergen plays the piano and speaks the language well (and has the same name as a city in Norway—how does anyone compete with that?). I’m feeling a distinct lack of elegance lately. So what do I bring to the table? Being a science geek! Asking lots of questions! Acting goofy (see earlier trampoline pic)! Yessssss.

This past week has been science-filled. Even our general outings can be turned into vocational visits for me. At the paper mill I learned that the Norwegian government had paid for 90% of an energy efficiency upgrade (I wonder if they have an interest in investing in some upgrades in a certain condo building in Chicago??? Hmmm.

We toured a laboratory and I learned that they anticipate a greater demand for different chemical analyses as the REACH chemical screening program is implemented in Europe. At a local university, a professor told us that oil production in Norway has peaked and not everyone may be “mentally prepared” for what the future brings given that oil profits are so central to the country’s economy.

The U.S. imports and consumes a lot of oil, mostly from Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia. We have a consumption problem, when it comes to oil as well as many other natural resources. Norway, on the other hand, is a huge producer of oil, but exports most of it. Norwegians are concerned about climate change and the environment and have a lower footprint than Americans do in terms of their way of life, but the country exports a not-so-environmentally-friendly commodity. Quite a dilemma. The future of Norway’s economy is uncertain. However, profits from oil are being invested in renewable energy and other “green” initiatives, and I have confidence that Norway will figure something out.

The U.S. has even more figuring out to do. I gave a presentation on climate change today at NILU (Norwegian Institute for Air Research). I didn’t know that I was going to give a presentation there until a few days ago, but no matter, I have improv skills. They even gave me an honorary PhD (don’t look at this, EPA ethics people…..I told them repeatedly that I was there unofficially!!):

I didn’t get a lot of questions (I expected more given the past performance of the

U.S.

regarding greenhouse gas emissions). I was told that this “shyness” is typically Norwegian. Apparently the culture isn’t wearing off on me completely—I’m going to go now, get off this darn computer, and dream up some more questions……

Syttende Mai

2009-05-17T13:09:00.007-05:00

Here we are in Oslo on Norway's National Day.

We spent most of the morning in front of the Royal Palace, watching the parades go by. The day is strikingly non-military in nature; it is, in fact, a day for children.

And maybe a flag or two.

I loved seeing many of the Norwegians dressed in their traditional bunads, costumes that reflect their area of origin. They were gorgeously made, but with perfect weather like we had today, many of the Norwegians probably got a bit warm.

Tusen takk to our Rotary hosts, Erik Hernes and Roy Soebakken, for guiding us through Oslo on this very special day.

Beans vs Farmers

2009-05-15T16:27:00.002-05:00

Melissa has warned us that after week 2 she will be going through refried bean withdrawal. She even learned how to say "I need beans" in Norwegian: Jeg trenger bönner. Seems easy, right? Not quite. It turns out that beans/bönner is almost identical in pronunciation to the word for farmers/bönder. Yeah. And it's almost impossible for any of us to hear the difference. For now, we're fine with saying whatever comes out. At least it's Norwegian.

bönner bönder bönner bönder bönner

My goal is to get this one down before the end of the trip.

Alexander Rybak

2009-05-15T15:15:00.004-05:00

"Why is he wearing a green sequined body stocking? With lavender boots?"
"This is like a bad worship band in holographic suits."
"Women do not find this attractive."

We just discovered the Eurovision Song Contest.

We've been watching the semi-finals this week with our host families, and it is simply amazing. Jessica and I may have been a little too harsh (see quotes above) -- our host father asked us if we were holding a Slaughter Eurovision Party for two -- but I promise we were actually quite reasonable judges. See here, here, and here.

But the real reason for this post is because Norway is in the finals, and it has the best song. You heard it here first: Norway will win this Saturday night. The fact that I'm in Norway as I write this makes no difference. I would say this if I were group study exchanging in Sweden.

Catchy tune? Super-cute singer who ALSO rocks out on the violin? Check and check.

Click here to watch "Fairytale."

We are very clever at eating: Day of 1000 meals

2009-05-14T16:53:00.005-05:00

We moved to new families and a new club in Lillestroem today. After breakfast with our Vaaler families, we were picked up in the rain and wind and delivered to warm houses. When Melissa and I arrived at our new host family (at 11:00am) lunch was to be served shortly. We continued to eat all day. Here's a brief overview:

8:00 - 9:45 - Breakfast - bread with cheese, meat, eggs, coffee
11:00am - Lunch - bread (with the option of toast), meats, egg, cheese, etc...
4:30pm - Light Dinner - salmon, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sour cream, bread
5:00pm - 1st Dessert - apples from the farm, fresh whipped cream, brown sugar
5:15pm - 2nd Dessert - cheese like cake with crumb crust served with coffee
6:30pm - 3rd Dessert - awesomest of awesome marzipan cake at the Rotary meeting, served with coffee
6:45pm - 3 1/2 Dessert - second huge piece of marzipan cake served to us by Knut (Mary Ann's host)
9:00pm - midnight - Snack - nettle soup (that's how we translated, not sure if that's correct), bread, cheese (Jarlsberg & Brie), crackers, meats, fruit, and wine

"Clever" is the term we are hearing a lot lately. We are clever during our presentation. We are clever for learning Norwegian. Apparently, we are also clever at eating.

Many thanks to our most gracious new hosts who have welcomed us into their homes without even knowing us (except for the detailed research they all claimed to have done before we arrived).

Here are some pics:

First vocational visit

2009-05-14T10:05:00.005-05:00

One of the best parts of this exchange is our vocational visits. As Rotarians are fairly well-connected, we have the opportunity to meet with top people in our fields. Yesterday I met with Helge Dietrichson from Telenor, the Norwegian telecommunications company. This organization helped build Grameen Phone, part of the Grameen Bank, the most recognized microlender in the world. Telenor built the first cellular communications in Bangladesh, after the Grameen Bank approached them about this social need there. Grameen Bank saw this as way to empower the people with access to communications, as well as a way for women to start micro-businesses, selling minutes to neighbors in their communities. Dietrichson, who was in charge of the program abroad, was extremely generous with his time and information. Cell-phone banking and communications has been gaining close ties to micro-entrepreneurs, so I really appreciated the first-hand information. Also, Mohammad Yunus, the head of Grameen Bank, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, awarded in Norway. I have met him twice and have also enjoyed his simple, but brilliant ideas for reducing poverty. At my meeting with Helge, I heard wonderful information about how cell-phones and access to information have reached the far corners of rural Bangladesh. So I was surprised to hear that Yunus has a sour relationship with Telenor. Grameen Phone is the social entrepreneurship wing of Telenor, meaning a business wants to further social and environmental goals, while earning a profit. Telenor has clearly done this. In the developing world, access to cell phones means access to banking, bill paying, health-care, and other consumer products. Cell phones connect small rural areas with information that could not afford or access otherwise. The issue is that Telenor has been very profitable from the business venture in Bangladesh, and Yunus would like to see that revenue going into Bangladesh. He even used his Peace Prize acceptance speech as a platform to fight with Telenor. I think the important thing to realize is that profit and social gains are not mutually exclusive and both needs can be met with a good business model.

The opportunity to meet with someone so close to the international microlending field was really eye-opening and something I would not have been able to do on my own. Never would I have learned such inside information and about the growing pains in the field. I definitely feel that this meeting and the ones coming up will keep me fresh in my field and excited about new opportunities.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/04/news/international/yunos_telenor.fortune/index.htm

Turista Article En

2009-05-14T08:12:00.013-05:00

Things I love right now:

Reading about Norway. Great NYT article here.

Salt and pepper shakers. Norwegian design is perfect.

Driving this tractor. I might be less of a city girl than I think.

Shrimp sandwiches. Okay, so can we talk about how I have had these sandwiches for lunch every day this week? Not that there haven't been a lot of other delicious options; I think I'm just addicted to shrimp, lemon, bread, and mayonnaise. A perfectly balanced meal, thanks to that sliver of lettuce wedged in the corner.

Street signs. How dapper is this man? I can't get over that fedora. Or his strut.

Jessica snagging her tights on the polar bear's teeth. As we were rehearsing our music. Three minutes before we were supposed to present at the Vaaler Rotary Club. The funniest part is that both of our Vaaler host dads (who were listening to us) called for nail polish at the exact same time.

We arrived in Lillestroem this morning, and we're currently relaxing before our visit/presentation to the Lillestroem and Loerenskog Rotary Clubs. Stay tuned for updates on our recent vocational visits.

Vaaler Rotary Club

2009-05-13T07:22:00.016-05:00

Jeg har fortsatt paa meg den samme kjolen!

One of the drawbacks to this program is that you'll show up in all the photos wearing the same thing. Here we are in our uniforms, post-presentation with our Vaaler Dads. Notice the proud looks on their faces (and the relief on ours!). We just delivered our presentation in Norwegian, and it was, to quote one of the members, "90% understandable." I was shooting for anything greater than 0%.

It was a wonderful evening and a great first take for our presentation. Melissa had the slides perfectly coordinated and timed, Jessica and I played the Norwegian national anthem as well as two American folk songs, and I think we handled the Q and A quite well. Try answering "What are your hopes for the future and our world?" in less than a minute! We followed with a delicious buffet of "summer food" like cured meats and potato salad accompanied by beer and shots of akvavit.

Some other thoughts:
1. As our presentation began, we were temporarily blinded as all of our dads jumped up and started snapping photos. It was so sweet, like we were a group of preschoolers. Which I suppose, in a way, we were. I also loved watching their faces as we spoke -- nervousness mixed with that goofy grin parents get when their kids are doing something fairly unremarkable in the grand scheme of things but stupendously challenging for their limited skills. I mention this because it struck me how much of a family we've become in the last few days due to their kindness and boundless generosity. I will miss my Vaaler family a great deal.

2. I had heard that Scandinavia has some of the strictest laws on driving under the influence, but it's quite another thing to see it in person. It's a strange and very cool thing to hear a group of adults asking each other "Are you driving home tonight?" in a mark of group accountability. Maximum legal blood alcohol content = 0.02%. According to one of our hosts, any higher and you'll be sobering up in jail for the next three weeks and paying fines up to 1 1/2 months of your salary. But penalties alone can't explain Norway's low rate of DUIs. Like my host dad said to me post-party: "It's not so bad getting caught by the police, you know. Imagine if you hit another driver or a biker or a pedestrian. Think about how that would affect the rest of your life." Yes, America, think indeed!

Thank you Vaaler Rotary Club for a great evening!

How to cure jet-lag in 48 hours

2009-05-11T16:18:00.017-05:00

Meet your host families:

Hear a Norwegian rock band:

Go to Sunday services at a beautiful church:

Visit a nature preserve...

...and a Norwegian farm:

Relax on the trampoline (look at that lake in the background -- heavenly!):

Observe how paper gets made...

And how fertilizer is stored, packed, and distributed:

Take a walk on your host family's farm at dusk (check out the light at 10 pm!):

Needless to say, it's been a full two days. A few other highlights:

1. Our hosts are prompt! I am...not. Many thanks to my patient host family as 9 am morning breakfasts commence at 9:06.

2. Teaching our hosts a few choice American slang. Like "hunky."

3. Practicing our Norwegian presentation with our host families. Which is tomorrow afternoon! Wish us luck!

We made it!

2009-05-10T09:32:00.005-05:00

We made it to Norway with no problems. We were bumped up to Economy Plus for extra leg room and all of our luggage arrived. We spend yesterday getting to know our hosts from the Valer Club. The area is mostly rural with little forests surrounding the farm land. Also, small bodies of water weave in and out of the land. Most of us ate moose for dinner and then we enjoyed a Norwegian rock concert in the town of Moss. Today, we visited Lutheran church built around 1100, where Kimberly and Jessica played during the service, then enjoyed brie sandwiches at a local garden. Yum!

I Play My Music in the Sun

2009-05-08T12:32:00.004-05:00

So this is what four weeks of my life looks like.

It's two hours before I need to be at O'Hare, and I'm still trying to figure out how I can zip up this suitcase. Four pairs of shoes isn't helping much. But I need them.

I'm also listening to our compilation of Chicago artists and music that we're bringing as a gift for our host families. What do you think of our mix? Did we leave anything off?

"Sweet Home Chicago" - David "Honeyboy" Edwards
"A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" - Andrew Bird
"Tonight, Tonight" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Be" - Common
"Stealin" - Devil in a Woodpile
"Sugar, We're Going Down" - Fall Out Boy
"Spotlight" - Jennifer Hudson
"Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land is Your Land)" - Sones de Mexico Ensemble
"Bring the Good Boys Home" - The 1900s
"Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" - Tony Bennett
"The Joker" - Steve Miller Band
"Heavy Metal Drummer" - Wilco
"25 or 6 to 4" - Chicago
"Got My Mojo Working" - Muddy Waters
"Through the Wire" - Kanye West
"Chicago" - Sufjan Stevens

District Conference

2009-05-04T23:38:00.008-05:00

We had a great week and District Rotary conference getting to know the inbound Norwegian team. They helped us with our Norwegian and we taught them a few more American jokes (they speak perfect English!). We are all looking forward to more fellowship and a possible deer bbq at Kjetil's on our free day in Oslo. Enjoy some pics of the teams working together.

Velkommen!

2009-04-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our blog! We are the 2008-2009 Outbound GSE team to Norway, District 2260. We have been preparing for our month-long adventure since November 2008 and we will be leaving Chicago very soon on May 8, 2009. We are very excited about the opportunity and hope to learn more about our host country and make some new Norwegian friends.