After activating my cell number here for only about a week,
I lost my phone. Yep, slipped out of my
pocket somewhere in Oslo. The phone I brought
with me from the states, which was the perfect plan. I have (excuse me, “had”, sob) an Android
phone that used a SIM card, so I brought said phone with me across the Atlantic
to use with a Norwegian SIM card. Easy, swapping
out a little piece of plastic with data instead of having to buy a (very
expensive) phone to use while here.
Well, it was the perfect plan to say again. I checked two police stations and the transit
office for their lost and found sections, and sent a letter to the caretaker of
my student village, but no luck. I’ll be
picking up a phone tomorrow afternoon and a new one once I get back home
too. Fortunately I held on to the American
SIM card so I can maintain my number, and I’m due for an upgrade as well.
My second trial of the week was laundry. I won’t elaborate as much on this one, I’ll
leave it to a few choice words: never assume with technology, 40 NOK to wash
and dry (about $8 total), and walking farther than I need to for clean clothes.
Anyways, on to the positive!
I am in the happiest country right?
My fun by day as follows:
Tuesday: Went to the National Gallery which has some
great art. You’ll recognize some famous
ones below.
Wednesday: Lots of socializing after my phone debacle! I had coffee at one of the many cafes on
campus with a group of friends and then went to Gronland (a diverse
neighborhood in eastern Oslo) with them for some shopping. I picked up the exciting purchases of laundry
detergent (an omen) and a spatula. There’s
a great grocery store and thrift store in Gronland, which I didn’t buy anything
from this day but returned to both today (Monday).
Next, when I returned home, my roomie Luca said he was
having some friends over for dinner and I joined in on some lovely
conversations with future lawyers, and Molly, the lone chemist at the
table. Right around when dinner ended,
my final flat mate arrived to move back in after vacationing. Her name is Nini and she’s from Georgia, the
country not state. She shared wisdom of
the magical attic upstairs where residents drop off things they don’t need or
want anymore. We went up as a united
roomie group, all six of us, and raided through this haven of stuff. Free swag was gathered by each of us, and I
walked away with a drape, rug, and duvet cover.
Quality night.
Thursday: The
highlight of this day was bowling with the HECUA group (my professor, student assistant,
and classmates). Bowling proved to be
the most expensive thing in Norway I’ve heard of… $300 for two lanes for 90
minutes. That’s the equivalent of really
good therapy! Fun didn’t come cheap this
time especially, at least I got a strike!
Friday: MY
FIRST SHIFT BARTENDING!!! It was so
great. I alternated working up front to
check IDs and served behind the bar from 10:30pm to 2:30am at the student pub
in the Humanities building on campus called Uglebo, which means “owl stay” in
English. The pub is very cool, and owls
of course are featured all over. It’s got
a laid back, rock vibe to it with board games, and has lots of beers, wine, and
other drinks on the menu (no hard alcohol, that’s for the non-school bars and
is highly managed by the government).
Since it was opening night, the place was packed full when I got there
and people stayed til closing. My shift was
positively hectic and awesome. All my
fellow volunteers were welcoming and friendly, and we had a bar staff after party
in Uglebo to ourselves for hours. I didn’t
get home til around six in the morning.
Night well worth everything.
Saturday: I’ve
been typing a lot, so I’m going to start condensing. Woke up at noon after the great shift and fun
that followed at Uglebo. Had another big
dinner with Luca’s friends. Hosted a
pre-party to go to a party at the student pub in my village. Got to party too late to get in. Group still wanted to have fun, acted quickly
since the metro (train system) stops running at 12:30am. Heidi recommended “Fridays” which meant TGI
Fridays… and it was such a good time.
Over here in Norway TGI Fridays turns into a poppin’ (yes, poppin’) club
after dinner service ends and is open til 3am.
We got there and had a blast.
Good mix of music, fun atmosphere, and a great group of people. Stayed til closing, got on the last night
buses we needed and I fell asleep at 4:30am.
Norway is turning me into a night owl (pun intended shout out to Uglebo).
Sunday: Was in
need of a lazy day, so I watched Sherlock most of the afternoon. Had my friend Maggie over for dinner and
after she left, the super six (my flat mates and I) had a cleaning party. Scrubbed down our flat together with some
wine and tunes and now the place looks great.
It wasn’t too dirty to begin with, but its current state is marvelous.
This concludes my very packed week in Oslo. Special acknowledgement goes to all the
people I Skyped as well, most notably Cora who is in Hong Kong! I have dear friends at home, studying abroad
themselves, and those I’ve made here.
Three more months to make more and keep in touch with those listed, on
to more adventures!
Emulating van Gogh
Woe is him, and me
Edvard Munch room, can you spot The Scream?
Art of ages ago
The Royal Palace in the distance
Latte made with love
My kind of therapy
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