Cooking, and Baking, and Decorating!

I've finally finished with the food preparations that have to be done in advance! And yes, it really is after 4 AM. The last sheet of my homemade gingerbread cookies just went in the oven. I made pigs, men, women, stars, and hedgehogs this year. Oh, and one special heart shaped one for my horsie boy of course. This year we also made potato casserole, rutabaga casserole, and "sillsallad" (a blend of pickled beets, dill pickles, potatoes, carrots, onions, and herring) from scratch. Tomorrow we will then make the stew with moose meat, brussel sprouts, and fruit soup for dessert.

As far as decorations go, we still need to trim the tree. We chopped our own tree this year from a little patch of pines that have been growing down on the field by our guest cabin. It's been in the bathroom thawing out for a few hours and now we are going to put it up, light it, and hang decorations. We also have a nifty straw goat out on the front porch that we bought from a friend who makes them. These straw billy goats are an old Scandinavian tradition, but I've never seen one so big before! I promise to take some pictures of it and post them later.

Tomorrow will be a calm day, at least I hope. We probably won't get to bed before 6, so I hope to sleep in a bit before heading to the barn and such. Then depending on the weather we might go light candles on the graves in Helsinki or we might visit one of the local churches for the Christmas service. It's tradition, what can I say. In the evening my uncle Anders is supposed to come over for dinner, so it'll just be the three of us and the cats. A calm family Christmas in other words. Then it's a day of leftovers after that, and on Saturday we are having our Lutefisk party which I think will be fun.


Training log:
21.12: 7km run (40min)
22.12: -
23.12: -
24.12: 5km run + Ride
25.12: 5 km run (intervals) + Ride

More entertainment for the snowed-in

If you are, like me, in the process of slowly being snowed-in to your home and need something to do while you wait out the worst of the blizzard, here are some more funny blogs to check out. Stay safe and warm everyone, and have a lovely holiday season!

For those who just love to laugh at other peoples' eternal shame in the form of their totally failed tattoos.
Tattoo Failure

A wonderful blog with collections of various oddities from around the world.
Oddee.com

And you thought your family was the only one with issues...
Awkward Family Photos

Not strictly a funny one, but a must-see for all peanut butter lovers out there.
Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Training Log:
17.12: 30 mins bike
18.12: Gym session (2km walking machine, 4km treadmill running, 50 sit-ups)
19.12: 15km long run (1h32m) + 1 h ride
20.12: Rest
21.12: 7km run + 1h ride

Laugh with me

As we say in Swedish, "ett gott skratt förlänger livet" or, a good laugh will extend your life. I wanted to break out of the journal format for a change and share some things that are just for fun. Here are some amusing websites that I go to when I want to laugh or need some entertainment. Perfect for those slow mornings or chilly days when you just don't feel like doing much besides sitting in front of the computer with a full mug of coffee/tea/beverage of your choice. And if you have more to add to the list please feel free to post links in the comments section!




The icanhascheezburger people, aka the inventors of the LOLcat phenomenon, are always good for a laugh. Besides cats they also do LOLdogs, Failblog, Engrish, and more!




Ever try googling something and before you're done typing in what you want google starts suggesting possible searches? Sometimes this advice is helpful, and sometimes it's just plain weird. Autocomplete me shows off the most twisted of these google search results.



The famous Cake Wrecks, where we get to see when so-called "professionally" decorated cakes go horribly wrong. Sometimes they also feature good cakes with a huge wow-factor.

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If you haven't heard of the webseries The Guild yet you are missing out on something extremely funny. It's basically an online TV series about the crazy adventures of a group of online RPG addicts. Makes you laugh even if you aren't a die hard WoW player.

Watch The Guild


"Tonight, at Thanksgiving dinner, my uncle passed his four year old daughter some turkey. She refused it, and grabbed a bowl of fruit. He asked her, "aren't you a carnivore?" She responded, "no! I'm a fruity-whore!" MLIA."
My Life Is Average

MLIA, or My Life Is Average is a site where people can send in funny things that happen to them in every-day life. Some stories are funny, and some downright hilarious. There are also more sites which follow this kind of idea. Among them the ever popular FML, aka Fuck My Life, which tends to be more depressing than funny most of the time. Then there's also My Life is Great, which caters to more positive stories.


That's all that I have for now, enough funny for one day? I'll probably do another one of these posts to share even more of the wonders of internet entertainment. Proving that you really could spend all your life in front of the computer screen if you wanted to. Doesn't mean that you should though, now does it? ;-)

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Went running in the daylight today, what an exotic experience! I automatically ran faster when I could see properly where I was going. Even with a headlamp it's still more difficult to run in the dark than in the light. I did some intervals and hill repeats at the end today. Felt good in general, a little bit of soreness in my left calf after rolling my ankle on a small rock. Did stretches and took a hot shower afterwards, hopefully this won't turn out to be a real problem.

Training Log:
15.12: 1 km swim + 40 mins ride + 5km run (29mins)
16.12: 30 mins bike + 50 mins ride + 5km run (26m20s) + intervals (4x50, 4 hill repeats)
17.12: 30 mins bike + walk?

Old friends are good friends

Today was a really good day. I headed in to town (aka Ekenäs) with my dad to run some errands while he had some math lessons. I took the opportunity to meet up with a friend for a chat session at a café and then a trip to the local swimming pool. That was nice, I haven't been swimming in a while since I never seemed to have time the last few weeks in Tromsø. It was also great to sit in a real Finnish sauna for the first time in ages! Finally a sauna which is truly hot and you're allowed to throw water on the rocks!

After that I headed to the store and picked up a few things. The latest issue of the Swedish edition of Runner's World magazine, some oat milk, and some Tartex vegetarian pate. Because as much as I've been enjoying being back home and eating cheese again my skin hasn't. So back to my semi-vegan diet I go. Eggs still seem to be ok, but milk products are out.

Then a quick trip to the barn for a late-night ride. I love riding at 9PM when it's only me and the barn owner who are still there. I'm currently starting Mac up again gently after the vaccination induced break. Bareback riding for about 40 mins, he was stiff and heavy on the reins but got better towards the end. We are supposed to have a riding lesson on Sunday so a lot of work needs to be done before then!

Now a few hours relaxation before I head out with my dad to cap off the day with another late run. Just 5km this time, shouldn't be too bad.

I've also come to the conclusion that the world works in strange ways. I've suddenly been getting e-mails from all of these people that I haven't heard anything from in ages. It seems like it's a good time to reconnect with old friends. I also need to schedule in as many meet-ups with friends as I can before I go back to Norway in January!


Training log:
15.12: Swimming 1km + Ride 40 mins + 5km run
16.12 30 min bike + 50 min ride + 5km run (intervals)
17.12 30 min bike + 1h ride

Night Owls Running

You know that you are a little bit crazy when you head out for a 10km long run at 2AM in blustery winter conditions and the thermometer showing -8C. At least my dad is equally crazy since he came along and ran with me, it really wouldn't have been nice to do alone. Took it very easy, calm pace, just trying to get readjusted to running in snow again after a slight break. All in all a very nice run, I wasn't too tired afterwards and no soreness anywhere. Seems like I also dressed appropriately, since I was a little cold when I started but perfectly comfortable at the end. Next time I schedule a long run though I will try to do it in daylight. However, it was kind of a fun feeling that we started our run before our neighbor got up, ran past for the first time when she was up and getting ready, and returned from the final loop when she had left and the house was dark and quiet again. We also heard the newspapers being delivered as we walked back up the hill after our run.

Training log:
13.12: 10km (1h)
14.12: 25 min walk
15.12: 5km run + Riding 30 min

Holiday Spirit

It's been a few days since my last post. I've been busy preparing the house and food for our traditional yearly Thanksgiving feast. It's a bit late this year since I've been in Norway but that actually benefited us also. All of the cleaning that we've now done is also Christmas cleaning, so now all we have to do is decorate!

Dinner was fantastic, with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, brussel sprouts, gravy, and of course pumpkin pie! The turkey was local and came from a farm where the birds were happy and fed only with the farm's own feed. Most of the ingredients to the food were either our own products or things that we've bought locally. We also broke out the first bottle of our very own apple wine in honor of the party. We used wine yeast this year and the result is lovely. Nice bubbles and a wonderful smooth flavor. Good food and great company, what more can you ask for?

Then today we headed in to town to visit the old fashioned Christmas market in Ekenäs. It was very pleasant as always and we bought a few small useful things. Among them som organic olive oil soap and a traditional bundle of oat stalks with grains (kärve in Swedish, I will take pictures). We then got back in the car and headed out of town on a small twisty road to an organic farm called "Mörby" that was having a small Christmas market of their own. Mörby produces organic meat, some vegetables, and various flours and grains. We bought a pretty wreath, some gifts, and some wheat flour for holiday baking. They were also serving a lovely soup with moose meat that we just had to try, delicious!

The weather was just about perfect, -1 C with just a light snowfall to give a holiday atmosphere. It was also an unusually bright day and we even got to see a colorful sunset as we drove home. I'm all ready for the holidays now, I found my holiday spirit!

So now a little bit of relaxing after dinner and then I'm heading out for a 10k jog in the snow! My exercising has fallen a little by the wayside lately due to all the party preparations, bad me! The winter weather is approaching with speed, snow and colder temperatures are expected to reach us tomorrow. It seems like we have a good chance for a white Christmas this year.

Exercise Log:
11.12: -
12.12: -
13.12: 10 km long run

Winter Running A-Z

If you live in a temperate climate it's undeniable that spring and autumn are the best times of the year for running. The temperature is just right and so is the lighting. Come spring most of us are eager to start training again, maybe motivated by getting in shape for beach season. Autumn on the other hand is the time of year when most of the marathons and other big races are run. That leaves us with summer and winter. Summer is a decent enough season for running, even if the heat can sometimes be a bit much and might demand late-evening or early-morning runs. Winter however, is something else entirely.

If you are determined to keep running through the winter you have two options. Either move your training inside to the treadmill (boring!) or stick it out and keep running outside. This can be difficult since the winter season tends to be cold, windy, dark, rainy, or snowy depending on where you live. Winter running adds all sorts of new technical challenges to running, and that's before you even take lack of motivation into account.

So what can you do to make winter running easier or even just possible? Here are some of the things I've figured out from personal experience running in Tromsø and southern Finland in the wintertime.

1. Dress appropriately
This comes down to trial and error to know exactly which clothes to pick. Don't dress too warm but not too thinly either. It all comes down to layers, lots of breathable layers with fabric that has sweat-wicking properties. That way your clothes won't absorb sweat and chill you down.

2. Be visible
Always, and I mean ALWAYS wear reflective gear when you are out running in the winter. The darkness and weather conditions decrease visibility and you want to make sure that you are noticeable to cars. It might be good to invest in a nice reflective vest even if your running shoes/tights/jacket have reflective strips on them. A headlamp is another good way to make yourself more visible as well as improve your own running experience.

3. Warmup properly
Even if you are feeling eager to run fast in the beginning, pace yourself. The risk of injury is much higher when your muscles are cold and it takes them longer to warm up when the air temperatures are lower.

4. Watch out on the snow and ice
If you live in a place where you get snow and ice in the winter this is an important factor in winter running. However, don't let this stop you from heading out for a run! You can run perfectly well on snow and even ice if you have the right gear and the proper techniques. First off good shoes, and maybe some extra winter spikes to go on them. Second, take shorter strides but still move confidently. Surprisingly enough I have found that it is easier to run without slipping on ice than it is to walk. Must be something about the speed and its effect on friction.

5. Just get out there!
And last but not least, don't get stuck laying on that sofa, but get out there and run! There's nothing quite like running to boost your mood and lift that winter depression! It might feel difficult getting started but just think how great you'll feel when you are done. It's definitely worth it.

Winter Running Gear Wishlist

Some stuff I'd love to add to my winter running arsenal. I've got shoes, jacket, gloves etc. but these are some nifty products that I'd love to test out. Found via Runners World and on my own browsing the web.

I'd like to get some kind of a traction device for my running shoes. So far my trusty Asics have served me well, but just in case the footing gets bad I'd like to have a backup. I'd really love to have a pair of STABILicers but I probably can't afford them and will opt for something simpler like the YakTrax instead.

I already have a reflex vest but it's kind of baggy and tends to flap around and get in the way. I found this awesome reflective harness that I'd love to have instead, and it isn't even all that expensive. Then I could give my dad my old vest so that he could wear it when he goes for his crazy 3AM runs.


Training planned

11.12: Biking 30 min (8k) + 5k run (interval & hill work)
12.12: Biking 30 min (8k)
13.12: 10k long run + Biking 30 min (8k)

Breakfast: Musli with soy granules, banana, oat milk, tea
Lunch: Janssons' frestelse (potato & anchovy casserole)
Snack(s): Apple, tomato
Dinner: -

UFOs in Norway + 7 k Run 9.12.2009

I was greeted this morning as I turned my computer on by a friend from Tromsø asking me if I was scared. I wasn't sure what he was talking about until I started checking the news from Norway. Apparently there was a strange spiral formed light phenomenon visible in the Norwegian sky yesterday morning around 8AM. Scientists aren't sure what to make of this funny light, and of course the theories range from comets, to rockets, to alien UFOs. Even if the little green men aren't coming to get us quite yet it's still a pretty spooky and interesting event. I'm not sure what to think of it myself, although now I wish I had been there to see it myself. If you want to read more about it check out the article about it over at the Huffington Post.



UPDATE: Apparently the Russian government has now admitted that the mysterious light was in fact the result of a failed rocket launch according to the Tromsø newspaper.

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Running News

My 7 km run went really well. Went running around 1AM with my dad. Started by doing 5k with my dad, then ran an extra 2k loop to come up to the full 7. Ran in pretty much exactly 38 minutes, not too bad. I felt really good the whole time and feel confident that I could have gone much faster if needed. My legs felt good, no stiffness or soreness at all, and the left knee was also problem-free. Breathing was good and under control the whole time also, not breathless after the big hills or anything. Looking forward to my next run on Friday, I think I'll make an effort to do some extra hill work and intervals.

Training planned

10.12: Aerobics 30 min + Biking 30 min (8k)
11.12: Biking 30 min (8k) + 5k run (interval & hill work)

Breakfast: Musli with soy granules, banana, oat milk, tea
Lunch: Spaghetti with a sauce of fresh greens (mizuna, chard), tomatoes & mushrooms
Snack(s): Apple, dark chocolate
Dinner: Sandwich, pickled beets & blackcurrant juice

Mørketidsløpet, or How I train for a winter halfmarathon

I haven't used my blog in ages, mainly due to lack of time and motivation. That doesn't mean that there hasn't been lots going on. My time in Norway so far has been a blast. I've met so many great people, made a ton of new friends. I've had interesting lectures, boring lectures, and stressful exams. I've gone on a crazy road trip from hell which I could write more about but I don't think I will. There's been wild parties as well as calm social gatherings. So many good times and fond memories.

But for now I am back home on the tiny little island located in the Finnish archipelago. One month of Christmas break, fantastic! No more cramming for exams, no more scraping by on a tiny little student food budget. I get to spend time with my dad, my adorable kitty cats as well as my horse. I get to sleep as late as I like and read whatever strikes my fancy. Oh, but I won't just be lazing about on the sofa with a good book, so don't worry about that.

No, I am determined to start polishing my running form for the upcoming Polar Night Halfmarathon or Mørketidsløpet in Norwegian. This is a halfmarathon that is run in Tromsø in the dead of winter during the darkest part of the year. The race takes place on the 9th of January at 3 PM and I am now officially signed up and paid for. Exciting!

So I figured to keep my dedication high and my training organized I would try to use this blog as my training log for the time being. I am notoriously bad at keeping up with a normal journal or even a blog, but for some reason I am very good at jotting down my training notes. So I figured maybe this would be the best of both worlds.

So this is what I have done so far, running as well as any kind of exercise with further updates coming daily (I hope):

5.12: Riding 50 min + 30 min (8km) biking to and from barn
6.12: Biking 30 min (8k) + 5 k run (27m30s)
7.12: 5k run (27min)
8.12: Riding 1 h + biking 30 min (8k)
9.12: 7k run (38min) + 15 min chopping wood

I'm also keeping track of my diet for the sake of logging calorie consumption as well as vitamin and nutrient intake. I won't backtrack in time on that one since I'm bad at remembering, but here's what I've had today at least.

Breakfast: Musli with soy granules, banana, and oat milk
Lunch: Salmon with shrimp sauce, rice, and vegetables
Snack: Sandwich, apple, tomato, some dark chocolate
Dinner: Rye bread sandwich, blackcurrant juice

Links/Resources: Polar Night Half Marathon

A Week and a Half Recap

It’s been a while since my last update, so I’m just going to summarize quickly. Here’s a list of what I’ve been doing for the past week and a half in a nutshell.

- Following the hike on Friday the 4th I went on another hike with the Buddy Tromsø group on Sunday the 6th. We climbed the cable car mountain called Fløya/Fjellheisen. The climb was fairly steep but nothing compared to the six hour ordeal on Friday. It only took us a little over an hour to get to the top and about the same on the way down. It’s a nice view, I took lots of pictures of the city from above, and we even got to oooh and aaah over a group of brave paragliders who were showing off their skills.

The week was filled with just enough events to keep me busy without being too jam-packed.

- I’ve been getting back into the jogging again with a vengeance now that my cold finally cleared up. The hills are still brutal but my times are improving so I’m pleased. I still haven’t been brave enough to go to any of the Tromsø Jogging Club training sessions, but I will eventually.

- The Buddy program organized a movie night on Tuesday the 8th which I decided to attend since I skipped the last one. The movie was Slumdog Millionaire which I’ve seen before and knew that I’d like. They had some technical glitches, and the subtitles were only in Norwegian, but it was fun anyway.

- Wednesday we had a taco & chicken wings potluck party at my place. We made an attempt at making frybread but we weren’t very successful. We ended up with something that was closer to deep friend biscuits. At least Josh was prepared and brought along flour tortillas as a backup. The tacos were delicious, another fun and (mostly) successful potluck.

- On Friday I went on a shopping trip with my friend Grace. We had been invited to a housewarming party on Saturday and we needed some clothes, drinks etc. We took the opportunity to explore the mall close to the airport. There are lots of good stores, and while everything is still expensive, the clothes at H&M and Lindex aren’t too much pricier than they would be back in Finland.

Tromsdalstinden & Free Waffle Day

A blog post concerning the first International Student Coffee Hour aka Free Waffle Day as well as a hike to a 1238m (4 062 foot) mountain near the city called Tromsdalstinden. Apparently it's a Tromsø rite of passage to climb this particular mountain.

My story begins on Friday. After an early morning lecture in Sustainable Energy, 9-11 AM, I met up with Adam and headed back to the main campus from Prestvannet. We went to Cafe Bodega for free waffles and even managed to get there in time to vote in the International Student Union elections. My friend Grace was elected as Vice President, congratulations Grace!

After wolfing down my two free waffles, Bodega claims that they make the best waffles in town and it's no lie, Adam and I headed off to Tromsdalstinden. Tromsdalstinden is the tallest mountain in close vicinity to the city. We took bus 20 over the bridge and got off close to the Arctic Cathedral. From there we walked along a road until the pavement ended and a dirt road began.

Eventually we left the road and took a path that led into the forest. There was a small bridge over a river and then the path really began to veer sharply upwards. From then on it was laborious walking, not quite climbing, until we got past the tree line. At that point the landscape started to open up and the view was just gorgeous.

We followed the path as long as it was visible and then started looking for the red painted rocks which marked the easiest route to the top. At one point we both stopped and looked up at the face of the mountain in sheer awe. It wasn't easy climbing but we finally made it to the top. Once up we took lots of pictures, ate the food that we had brought along and signed the book to prove that we had been there. There were some other people up there as well and one guy even offered to take a picture of us on the very top of a large cairn that they had built at the top. All in all a very cool experience.

Climbing down was in many ways more intimidating than going up. However, everything went well and we made it up the mountain and down again in about 6 hours as predicted. I’m totally hooked to this mountain climbing thing now, it’s going to become a regular weekend habit I have a feeling.

Tired but happy I headed home, uploaded my pictures to my computer and then collapsed into bed.

The bed arrives and other random notes

Check this out, I'm quite the blogging fiend lately! Another short update with a mix of different topics.

I was woken up at 9 AM today by someone banging loudly on my door. I got up and answered the door and found a Norwegian handyman standing there with a mattress, finally my bed arrives! He came in and in about 15 minutes my sofa bed was taken apart, hauled out, and the new bed stood fully assembled. He even commented that the sofa bed must have been uncomfortable to sleep on. I just nodded and said, you bet. So without further ado, here's my new bed!



As far as the random notes go, I'm just going to write up a short list because that seems simplest.

-I've discovered the only product that is actually cheaper in Norway than in Finland, Renu contact lens solution! It came as a surprise to me when the big bottle only cost me approx. 11 Euros, back home it's a whopping 13.

-The Tromsø Buddy meetup on Sunday was fun. I met my buddies, chatted for a bit, and even snagged some free pizza. Grace and I headed home early because she had class the next day and I was just generally tired, but it was certainly worth going.

-Potluck yesterday at Josh's place. We had shepherd's pie, boiled carrots, pizza, and corn chips, with ice cream for dessert. I do enjoy the potluck evenings, so much fun and lots of good food!

-I purchased the Physics book for my course on Sustainable Energy yesterday and started doing the reading. The book is surprisingly good, makes up for the somewhat intense lectures.

Flickr Update

I wanted to post a quick note here to let you all know that I have now uploaded more of my photos to the Flickr set dedicated to my Tromsø photos. Check them out!

Life in Tromsø

The Laundry Party and Døgnvill

Here's another update to my continuing series on the strange but fun happenings in Tromsø, Norway. This is another multiple day summary post, because I'm lazy like that.

I'm going to breeze over Monday-Thursday because they were on the whole uneventful. On Wednesday I had my first lecture in Sustainable Energy. The course isn't anywhere near as interesting as I had hoped but I guess that's how it goes. It's much more about theoretical energy physics rather than personal research projects like I had hoped.

Things really got started on Friday when I had my first volunteer shift at the Døgnvill music festival. The tickets were crazy expensive so I volunteered to get in for free. I ended up working the cotton candy and popcorn booth, it was sticky, salty, and sweet! I had a lot of fun though and the girls that I worked with were all really nice. It was just girls in our group so we started calling ourselves The Sugar Babes.

On Friday the music was calmer and the whole mood was more family oriented. Alexander Rybak, the 2009 winner of the Eurovision song contest opened the event and he was a big hit with all the girls. He even walked past our tent and we all screamed when he gave us that charming smile of his.

After my shift I headed out with one of the Sugar Babes named Rose. She was really friendly and invited me back to her place for some red wine. She wanted me to come out on the town with her but I ended up heading back to Ørndalen for the infamous Laundry Party instead since I'd already promised friends that I'd be there.

The Laundry Party is basically a party held in our common house which also doubles as the laundry house. It was a pretty decent party, everyone was there and I hung out with Josh, Grace, Adam, Jamie, Amanda and many more. I also acquired a stalker, a Norwegian guy who I always seem to meet when he's had way too much to drink. Actually, it's sad, but I've never met this guy when he was sober. On Friday he polished off an entire bottle of vodka on his own and then he followed different girls around, leaning right up in their faces and talking. He even got me pinned up against a wall at one point. Thank goodness for male friends who can help you out in a pinch! I left the laundry party around 2 AM before the police showed up to tell people to quiet down.

On Saturday I worked the late shift at Døgnvill from 6 PM until midnight. Out of all the bands I heard I liked Katzenjammer and Dumdum Boys the best. The headliner was, shock and surprise, Snoop Dog! I'm no Snoop Dog fan but it was kind of surreal and definitely worth it to hear him play at a festival in northern Norway.

After my shift ended and I got all the cotton candy out of my hair I headed downtown to the festival after party at Driv. They had three bands playing and a DJ on the bottom floor. I met a guy in line who started talking to me in Norwegian, then in English when I couldn't make out his dialect. His name was Knut and he spoke excellent English and was really friendly so I decided to hang out with him for a while. I was planning on hanging with my friends but I couldn't find them anywhere so I stayed with Knut instead.

We danced a bit and got some drinks and listened to an excellent cover band called Kissing Miss Lissy. They played songs by Deep Purple, Kiss, and other similar bands. Driv closed at 3AM and I headed out with Knut to an after-party-after-party at his cousins house. Turned out that the cousin went to bed before we got there so Knut offered to walk me home instead. The last bus back to Ørndalen left at 3:30 and the next one wasn't until 7:30. I warned Knut about the hike back to my place (it's 11 km!) but he came along like a gentleman and walked me all the way home. It gave us the chance to talk and by the time we got back we were exhausted but knew eachother a lot better. He ended up taking a taxi back to his hotel. He lives outside the city but comes to Tromsø on the weekends. We exchanged numbers so we'll have to see what happens!

Damn this has been such a fantastic weekend so far and it isn't even over yet! I should go get some more sleep but I think it's going to be almost impossible at this point. *big grin*

Pierogi Party and the Black Kilt Man

Time for an all-encompassing weekend update. It's been a busy one, and I have lots of craziness to report this time. Especially the tale of the infamous "Black Kilt Man".

Our English speaking potluck parties continue following a letter 'P' theme. Last time it was pizza, this time we did pierogies. Many thanks to Adam and Jamie who did most of the cooking. The homemade pierogies were definitely a success, super simple yet delicious.

The pierogi party was just a warm up for a fun filled evening at Driv. For those of you who don't know, Driv is the local student bar and hangout in Trosmø. It's a pretty amazing place, basically it's an old fishing house out on a dock by the harbor. There's four floors and three "stages" in the building which feature DJ's and sometimes live music as well. It's cozy, but usually crowded, and the candles + drunk students seem to scream fire hazard to me.

After a quick pre-party at 11A Grace and I headed downtown, with a couple of pit stops. First to check out the science party that was going on at campus, and then an accidental bus tour of the island when we jumped on #34 instead of #20. 34 was the party bus that night, we rode into town with a bunch of drunk French students singing Polish drinking songs. Memorable.

There was a so-called "traffic light party" going on at Driv. One of those events where you dress according to your relationship status. Green=single, red=taken, yellow=uncertain. We all avoided the colour theme but had a great time anyway. There were lots of international students there and we hung out for a while and danced a bit. The dance floor at Driv is small but has great lighting and even a fog machine. The music on the other hand is the same pop/techno that you'd find anywhere in Finland. We made it an early night and took a taxi back to Ørndalen around 1:30 since it was cold and rainy and we didn't feel like waiting for the bus.

The next day Josh, Grace and I headed to Old Bodega for a British Pub Night that we had seen advertised. Turned out that it was just us, the Bodega volunteers, and a few of the members of Den Norske Mannskor. Seems like the Norwegian men's choir have the same crazy party animal reputation as they do in Finland. We met a guy in a black kilt who made Grace and I very nervous. Not only did he stare at me and label me "prey" but he talked at length about how the Norwegian vikings liked to pillage, rape, and keep warm in the winter with kidnapped British women. Grace and I spent the rest of the evening avoiding Black-Kilt-Man-Wannabe-Viking and we stuck close to Josh and our other male friends just in case. There were some other nice people at the British pub though and we even got a free Smirnoff Ice out of it all.

After that we headed down to Driv for some live music. The Lame Ducks were playing, as well as a teenage female punk band called Cyaneed. I enjoyed the Lame Ducks but Cyaneed didn't impress me much. Grace and I discovered the Vikingfjord, a tasty but treacherous vodka cooler which cost 80 NOK!

The whole town seemed to be partying in the streets when we left Driv. We saw someone drop down and do push ups in front of oncoming traffic, and ended up meeting lots of random Norwegians since Josh aka the social butterfly kept walking up to people and chattering away. We finally rode home in a taxi and got in around 4. I went to bed and expected to sleep until at least noon...

Only to be woken at around 9 AM by small children shrieking in my front yard followed by some guy singing off and on in Norwegian and playing a guitar. So much for sleeping in, what a bizarre way to wake up after a late night on the town.

Sunday was a calm day, just taking it easy, watching movies and reading. I also went blueberry picking for about an hour, I think I got about 1 L which I froze for later use.

The weekend is finally coming to a close. No class tomorrow but there's plenty to do anyhow. Laundry, shopping, studying, and a meetup with the Tromsø jogging club. I'm looking forward to finding a jogging buddy, I only hope I can keep up them in those killer hills. I went for a 8 km jog on Saturday and just about died running up some of those hills along the ski trail. I have nothing but respect for the long distance runners here in Tromsø!

Driv

PDA's & The Big Fat Summary Post

In my last blog entry I wrote about day 2 & 3, before the introductory program had even begun. I haven't had the time (or the motivation) to post since then so now I'm going to summarize the events of the past week quickly before moving on.

The introductory program began on Wednesday and it continued on through the weekend before wrapping up on Monday with a tedious lecture on sources in the morning and a nice candlelit lunch at the student house in the afternoon. The highlights of the introductory program include making many new friends (most of them from Canada!), a nice sightseeing of Tromsø by bus, the fantastic Norwegian waffles at Cafe Bodega, a visit to the University museum, and the free Second Hand Market on Saturday.

I'm slowly finding my way around the city, I even invested in a monthly bus card to make traveling cheaper and easier. I've also taken the time to explore the island a bit on foot. On Saturday after the Second Hand Market I went hiking with my friend Adam from his apartment in Elverhøy to my place in Ørndalen. We followed the ski path most of the way, that's going to be a nice thing come winter. The path is incredibly well maintained and it's even lit by streetlamps at night. We saw lots of things on the way, the walk was about 6 km. Lakes, mountains, hockey rinks, ski ramps, soccer fields, and plenty of Norwegians out walking, jogging, and biking.

On Sunday I stayed home and relaxed while most of the other international students went on an excursion to a place called Grøtfjord. In hindsight the trip probably would have been fun. I went on my own little hike on Sunday to the summit at Ørndalen. It's steep but only about a 10 min walk. There's even a little book at the top that you get to sign when you've made it all the way up.

Other things of interest, we had a totally spontaneous pizza party at our place yesterday. Mike (my Canadian housemate) invited a bunch of people over and we made pizzas from scratch. A good time was had by all and the pizza crust was some of the best I have ever had. It was made by an American expat who's been traveling abroad for about 8 years. Apparently he worked at a bakery at some point during his travels, he even knew how to toss the dough up in the air like a pro!

Today I tried to go to my first lecture on Sustainable Energy only to discover that I didn't have a lecture today. Oops, well at least I know where the Physics campus is now.

On my way back from town I saw one of the cutest PDA's. I've already noticed that Norwegians seem to be much more open and warm than Finns are, Public Displays of Affection seem to be well accepted here. Today I was riding the bus and it stopped by the hospital to let passengers off. There was a doctor there in scrubs waiting for someone. It turned out that he was there to meet his girlfriend/wife. She had a dog with her, a cute spaniel that she carried in her arms off the bus. It was so cute to see how the guy first took a picture of the girl and the dog with his phone and then gave them each a kiss and a hug. Now that's the kind of guy that I'm looking for, someone who's just as happy to see me as he is to see the family pet.

I also stopped at the Horse (Horze) store in the Utsikten plaza and browsed for a bit. After walking around a bit I also discovered that the Stakkevollan swimming hall is only about a 10 mins walk from my house. That's going to come in handy during the dark months.

There we go, that's life here so far. More updates should come soon as I've got lots of plans for the weekend. Tomorrow should be my first lecture as well. For real this time!


To do list:
- Visit Sivertsens Kafe downtown, supposedly the only vegetarian restaurant in Tromsø
- Find some jogging buddies, I need some motivation to scale those hills on a daily basis
- Figure out where the nearest riding stable in the area is, I need another horse fix

Flickr Photos

Ok, my blog posting so far has been sporadic at best. I'd like to promise that it will get better, but knowing me and my blogging apathy, I'm not so sure. I do like taking pictures on the other hand, so I figured that even if I don't manage to write down a bunch of text about my adventures in Norway I could at least post some pictures. Without further ado here's the link to my Flickr photostream with a set called "Life in Tromsø". Enjoy!

Snowyowl88 at Flickr

Day 2 & 3

My second Tromsø update. These will become more frequent now that I have my own internet connection at my dorm and I don’t have to drag my computer to the library or to the campus to go online.

In my last update I wrote about the trip to Tromsø and our first night. Here’s a short summary about the first few days.

On my second day in Tromsø we did some sightseeing. First we went to the store and bought some food, which gave us the opportunity to complain about the outrageous norwegian prices. Then we traveled into the city center and did some exploring. We visited Polaria, the polar display center, and Emily really enjoyed the seal show. Personally I liked the film about Svalbard. Then we went to Åsgård so that my mom and Emily could check into the youth hostel where they had a room booked. After that we went to dinner at a really nice chinese place downtown called Tang. Good prices and excellent food, I’ll certainly be going there again. After that we went back to Ørndalen so that my mom and Emily could pick up their bags. We said goodbye and they headed to the hostel while I went to a BBQ party that was held for all of the new international students living in Ørndalen.

I quickly made friends with a Canadian boy named Josh and a British girl named Grace. We started calling ourselves the “English speaking club” since everyone else seemed to be grouping off and speaking Italian, French, Russian etc.

The next day (day 3) I headed downtown with Josh and Grace to do some shopping and eat pizza. The pizza at Dolly Dimple’s was expensive and not all that impressive. Probably the last restaurant visit for a while since I’ll be living on a strict budget until my student money comes in the middle of september.

To finish things off here are a few pictures of my dorm room in Ørndalen. I will take some outdoor shots ASAP.




1) My bed (read couch)
2) The view from my bedroom window, not bad eh?
3) An overview of my room in general
4) The corridor, my room is the first door to the right

First Tromsø Update

I finally made it to the library with my computer so now I have to chance to write up a blog post.

The trip to Norway was long and exhausting but exciting as well. I traveled to Tromsö with my mother and my little sister Emily. It was the first time any of us had ever been to Norway. We left on Saturday evening around 6 PM. First a train from Karis to Helsinki, then the night train (including sleeping car with beds, yay!) from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. From Rovaniemi we jumped on the Lapin Linjat bus to Tromsö. The bus took about 8 hours but the scenery was certainly worth it. We saw 18 reindeer wandering around, the bus had to swerve several times because the reindeer didn't move. At this point I dug out my camera and started to snap a few shots.

The bus to Tromsö wasn't particularly full, most of the passengers only rode a short distance and then got off. Only eight people and one dog traveled the whole way to Tromsö. The dog was incredibly well behaved and very sweet.



We stopped at Kilpisjärvi for a small break and that was when the scenery really started to become spectacular. It happened to be a cloudy day and the fog and clouds shrouded the mountains and made them seem even more impressive. After about six or seven hours in the bus we finally got tired of sitting and even the great scenery didn't help. When we caught sight of Tromsö we practically cheered.



Once in Tromsö we had to take a taxi to the airport so that I could sign the contract for my dorm and get my keys. Then we jumped in another taxi ride to my apartment. All in all, Tromsö is much bigger and more spread out than I ever would have imagined. And the student housing is out in the middle of nowhere, you need to ride a bus to get practically everywhere. It takes 10 mins to the store, 15 to the campus and about 30 to the city centre!

The first night we slept at my place, my mom and Emily slept on a mattress on the floor. The next night they had a room in a hostel in a place called Åsgård. It was an all right first night, except for the fact that I have just a couch in my room and no bed. Hopefully I will get that fixed soon since the wooden armrests really dig into my neck when I try to sleep.

That's about all that I have the energy to write for now. These posts will get better when I'm settled and have had a chance to process things a little better. Oh, and here's my address in case anyone wants it.

Linnea Nordström
Tunvegen 10/A10
9018 Tromsø
Norway



I'll also be posting more pictures as I have time to sort through them and pick out the good ones. For now here's some info on the ones in this blog:
1) Reindeer crossing the road in Finnish Lapland
2) The mountains just as we crossed into Norway
3) Driving up to Tromsö
4) The view from the street outside my dorm