Some sunny night . . .

Okay brief update -

BERGEN = VERYVERYGOOD pretty enough city, bought facepaints for Halloween :D Global Concerns enjoyable enough, the input of the local Norwegian high school students staggered me - a perfect mix of perfect english hiding beneath a silent face of heavy make up. Discussions were good - environmentalism & socialist govt. = action? at last? Coming here has turned me into such a community idealist bahhumbug

Halloween was crazy, running around the house lending out costume and painting faces - much more patient then little children, if more demanding in the precise colour of their zombieness

Party was good, taken home by Eivind (owe big time) we had to hide in ditches several times on the way back as not in the condition for standing still whilst the cars went past. Cheap tacky wine out of carton is not really made for slow drinking, a down or die situation unfortunately. But danced with Mario :) fun times

Bonfire night last night, the downside of riding around with Jesper and Lee in the tractor was the hour spent unsticking it from the mud when we got caught in the marsh :P fantastic fire though, was pulled by Jesper from Opera Choir rehearsals "Its their national day Kora!" to throw the guy on the fire with me fellow Brittanias :D WILL happen next year, sang IRA songs round the fire in commemoration of the dear failed terrorist

Anyhoo, 2.00 this afternoon = OPERA TIME!!!

In Lillesand till Thursday, singing with the wee Norwegian Eurovision sensation Alexander Rybak himself - ah the life I lead :D - but the 8hour bus trip from hell will be followed by many days of rehearsing (in and with Norwegian instructions, yay not difficult at all) However, am in charge of money for the trip and buying food to cook in our two cabins :D guitar is coming with, shall be much fun, so adiós until the fat lady sings . . .

Bergen Time

RIGHT!! Bed linen in the bag, time to go to civilisation :)

Advisor Dinner yesterday with Fred, very fun - pizza & cake & spanish guitar & herborg = :D

Gulating Presentation, the idea was very interesting, if the speaker not so much, visiting the site today (medieval viking parliament/assembly thing) Watch RainMan - AMAZING FILM :D Jakub failed to fix my microphone problem, but at least he now has a vaguely interesting project for the weekend, reprogramming my laptop wootwoot. Back tomorrow afternoon, so var so god!! 4 day weekend has begun :D

Long Tuesday later

Nice enough day, was thrown my Marius turning up in flippers

to the pool at 6.05am, quite surreal.

Woodland Maintenance distinctly woody, discussed weekend cake

making for 2hrs approx (never give Sasha choice, especially regarding patisserie)

Childrens Theatre really good, communication definitely improving (shout everything in German plus anything I know in Norwegian and the message gets across :P ) complete with Hoody Red Riding Hood, watch out Flekke :)

Nice British Tea, Chocolate and a Moan with me northern co-year, TSK, finally finished Theatre Summary and have made Birthday card for wee bro :D some messages had to be censored, but will print out photos tomorrow - ooh, an last day tomorrow (!) long weekend looks so appealing right now :D

500K today, gone tomorrow

Well, I thought it was 50k when I picked it up of the floor.

After being told I had acquired the sum of £50 felt it best

not to blow it on alcohol/room dinner (on roomies advice)

Found its happy (now -er) Turkish owner, lovely warm

fuzzy feeling now (though could be lack of sleep :P)

Global Concerns Meeting entertained me muchly

- particularly enjoyed the "NO negotiations" touch, forgot we

attended a military establishment :P hope operation right students

on right bus goes smoothly for them

Fantastic sheepskin coat surfaced at SAFUGE clothingsale, chivalrously conceded it to Eivind who actually fitted it :( sigh. TSKed and spread my english linguistics around the second year's EE drafts. Ooh, and Mitch & Eivind performed a puppet show with cookie monster and Doug the Beaver through the second story window. Balanced on the fire escape ladder :) the fun we have, now must sleep if will wake up for swimming tomorrow . . .

With one hour more free time . . .

SAT EVENING:

Party Africa had good cake :) then swimming pool with the TeamBrit (josie & ingilin the adopted) og sasha, ruined some poor lovers tryst in the hot pool by banging on the windows to be let in :P ahwell. Decided against participation in the naked party, opted for more cake making (vielen dank the above, very tasty)

LateNight films okay, Music & Lyrics uneventful, Czech Republic made nice appearance in the Illusionist (The Prestige still tops it, did NOT see that plot twist coming)

SUN MORNING:

Played with the layout on the dear blog :) ran to Flekke, tried and failed to eat semi-boiled egg with hands in genteel fashion, abused Kula into waking up and observed that Spanish is still there looking at me. Constructive morning :D will watch Big Bang Theory when Jakub gets back and further waste my valuable hours of daylight saving . . .

Happy Zambian Independance Day!

I was banned from playing Rule Britannia

And wearing the British Flag

Or dressing up as Queen Victoria

SOOOOO best alternative was to join the ex-colonists

instead of abuse them, Zambian dinner tonight! :D

but first, its Spanish o'clock . . .

Hypothermia - not fun

I have never never appreciated heat so much in my life.

Or cooked food.

Or dry feet.

Or sleep.

Or dry clothes.

Or adequate circulation.

Especially in my hands.

My poor hands :( and toes.

Writing this tucked up in bed, need to stop shivering. REAL SOON

And get back my regular heartbeat :(

Bushcraft :O

Right! Katie has

• Andreas's bag
• BIG sharp knife
• Badly wound 25 metres rope
• 2kilos of chocolate with Bjorner
• Knee Pads from Matti
• Plastic Bags to keep feet dry
• A spoon
• An icecream tub full of tea and sugar
• Nearly her recommended dosage of sleep for the weekend

WE ARE SET!!! ArmyPBLherewecome!! Now time to pack :P

Colder colder . . .

Will hit round 0 degrees on thursday - do not give in!!

Must not wear 3 jumpers in September!!!

Long week but fantastic first year show :D and a painful

walk back from the cabin party in bare feet, note to drunken

self, listen to Jakub - and wear shoes. And go to bed, much less

of a hazard to others . . .

Refreshing 6.15 swim, and finished Philosophy and English to boot,

determined to have good study technique in place by the week after

PBL. On being responsible, must also practise before Theatre Show tomorrow

*Katie gets back in her box* mimetime :D

Week is over :)

Friday - and the sun is out!! And the windows are open, and the africans are being loud and making pasta, and Jesper is playing Andy McKee on the steel string in the next room . . . more music making tonight in the boathouse, life is goooooooooood :)

Busy, busy, busy . . .

Rediscovered why I do not like dealing with people - they are loud, do not listen to each other and all want to do everything in the first year show :S breathe Katie, more rehearsals today and tonight . . . Spanish and Philosophy must be attended to first . . . and sleep . . .

- Roxanne!!!

So Jakub and Matti say they know how to dance . . . 2/3 hours later Katie is waltzing round the Hoegh!! Badly yes, tangoing maybe a bit better - and now I should be reading the Awakening, ho hum, KATIE WANTS TO DANCE!!

Sunny Sunday

All rejoice! We had SUNSHINE and blue skies and all manner of un-Norwegian things :)

First jump in Fjord, may be the most effective way I have found for waking up in the morning . . .

but I digress, starting with yesterday.

3km run at Eikkefjord was very wet but fun, probably as I could actually run the whole thing this

time :) Baked Sweden House Bread and promptly ate most of it, but the main event had to be the

Second Year show - fantastic, especially the Facebook Sketch "Hi, I'm Motaz from New Zealand and I want to be a Hobbit when I grow up" class :D now gotta make the 1st year show even better, have 2 weeks . . .

Kicking around the idea of going to London November break, will have to see what the 'rents think, small group of us should be fun :)

Philosophy Essay calls, chau mi amigos! (on the subject, Spanish Homework? Yes Katie, do. Now)

In the wee small hours . . .

So much more awake now then was in Snikkerbauer :) all the sugar in the apple cakes perhaps?

Thankgod Monty Pythons Flying Circus is living in a box set downstairs, skipped the Edukators for Pither's Cycling Tour of Great Britain :D Good times, but more importantly my later night film viewing, V for Vendetta?!? Why do I need to be introduced by Nordics to such a fantastic film, where has Guy Fawkes been all my life??

World Today failed to impress, about the Berlin Wall so plenty of potential, but an hour of lecturing can bore even the most hardcore of debating fans. Shame, though not as much as the enormous pile of reading material I now possess, must get through the Awakening before Monday, even if an attractive Descartes is lying temptingly on top of Philosophy Textbook . . . No!! Bad Katie!! Kate Chopin Time!

Winding down with Latin music in the Tea room, post therapeutic clean of the dayroom, calming to take all inner anger out against the burned stuff on the table, highly recommended. But alas, the hour is indeed late and must wake up for the run tomorrow morning, preferably in time for brunch, but can never guarantee that much commitment . . .

THE POWER IS BACK!! AND THE INTERNET!!

Huzahh!! Can finally return to my shiny new blog :)

There are upsides to an absence of electricity, last night being possibly the most sociable night yet on campus - a dayroom full of people eating our evening snacks :O Missed out on the bonfire and general outside rowdiness to play group guitar by candlelight - there should so be an environmental drive for a powerless hour one night a week! People are forced to leave their rooms! And make conversation!

Well todays events; classes long and breaks not long enough, but good EACs today. Political Circle found "fruitful" (thankyou Summer) ground in 9/11, the US, democracy etc. with good (albeit vocal) first year turnout, have Machiavelli to look forward to next week. Group Drumming South American style in PAM, and ideas are starting to be kicked around with regards to the European Show in December, I feel a Beatles Bands needs forming . . .

Run to Dinner and Theatre Class now, so must continues this at a more unearthly hour . . .

Hello Blog

Greetings :) of the Norwegian variety

For today is my 15th day at Red Cross Nordic United World College!

By means of introduction, my name is Katie, and my homeland is Wales UK, but for the next 2 years my new home will be here in the back of beyond, Flekke, Norway. Complete with 200 hundred other crazy kids who have left their various continents and climes to accumulate around a beautiful fjord and a not so beautiful weather forecast of rain, rain and rain.

Leaving home for another country is a big deal, at least in my book, and I think experience is now my new buzz word - the last 2 weeks have been jampacked with a thousand and one new things. New people to meet, to live with, go to/sleep through classes with; and so so so many new things to learn; how do I hitchhike to Dale? How do I use Kroner? And why is it so hard to say the number 4 in Czech (čtyři for the record - it sounds like strcheeecheee when I say it, nearly there Jakub!)

I'm writing this in Sweden House Tea Room, listening to Herborg playing her songs on my Hudson - WHICH IS FANTASTIC - and brings to mind that more about me should be introduced :) Music is my major passion, which is why I'm letting her handle my baby - listening, playing, singing, the whole shebang :) Following closely is politics, reading, talking, and listening -an activity that should never be overlooked in importance - because I suppose what I love to do most is learn. Things interest me; ideas (mine and especially other's) images, actions and words. Knowing drives me, and sharing and comparing what comes my way in the world. If writing everything I encounter in my time here helps me with this, then I'm not wasting time that should be concerned with my Spanish Vocab for tomorrow :) Which I really should start soon . . .

Don't get the idea that these posts will be serious or deep - frank accounts of all the crazy stuff I get up to - I think so! :D If deep philosopy becomes a product - great! Another IB subject I have a chance of not failing :) This is only the start so lets see how it rolls -

and so - Ahoj! Tchus! Hwyl! And all that jazz . . .