Hotel Central Elverum

I thought it was time to show Johana that Norway is a helluva lot more than just snow and freezing temperatures. Well it was a gamble actually, as we didn't make it there before mid-September (and also didn't really plan to visit more sites than my hometown Elverum (again..., she said)). The typical summer months being July and August, and with mid-September meaning we are heading at snowplough speed towards winter again. But we were lucky 777 ...

... the norwegian word for beer, so i will have to practice it...a lot. A funny thing happend at lunch while i tried to buy a norwegian waffle in the cafeteria. I went up to the lady and tried to swipe my debit card and something on the reader popped up that isn't supposed to pop up, and i just stared at her nervously. finally, i rememberd my phrase 'i don't speak norwegian!' and looked at her, and she began to laugh and informed me in norweigan ...

On Friday 22nd, Johana and I headed for my hometown Elverum in Norway, to celebrate a few days of Christmas with family and friends. It was Johana's first time in Norway, so I was keen on showing her the ridiculous amount of snow and insanely freezing temperatures we have to deal with up here in 60°55′N 11°42′E land. Having spent all winters until my 28th birthday (when I moved to the tropical UK) up ...

... by the beginning of last week, I just had a few small points to write and my analysis and voila! I won't be able to recap all that I have been up to, but I have really enjoyed myself. We've taken advantage of the sun going down at 3 PM and have learned how to be cozy in our rooms. We've made yummy food and enjoyed eating all of it! I went to a party and concert on Friday with Nat and ...

... I hope that I will wake up one day to find the ground blanketed in white, to slip and fall and play in the snow once more before I leave for home. It's hard to believe that in one week, our final research papers are due. This coming weekend is our last weekend in Hamar and two weeks from today, I will be on the plane headed back home. I remember in September when we were all getting to know each other and make these friendships that hold us together. Now I will be leaving ...

... could all be together, but Lauren was offered and accepted to go to Serbia for the weekend to experience dialogue in action down there (we lead cool lives). Though we were disappointed that we wouldn't be together, we decided to go ahead with Thanksgiving preparations anyway. So what happens when you have three college students (Nat was still on the train), in a foreign country to boot, who have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner before? That's right, we get on the internet to ...

... girls were also wearing their traditional Bunads from different areas in Norway. They were all very beautiful and I loved that they wore them. Wednesday and Thursday, I headed to Lillehammer with my class to visit the Nansen Dialogue Center. We participated in many different activities with mediation and dialogue being the key factors of each exercise. It was a lot of fun and a great break from Hamar. I haven't been to Lillhammer since September and it was completely ...

... Its over though. I got a good Norwegian grade and I can move on. After my exam, I had a fun conversation with three girls from my class and then I headed out to Elverum to NAMAS (Namibia Association of Norway) to meet the boss and find out what I am going to be doing for my field study. I don't know a whole lot yet, but I will write about it soon. We had Chinese for dinner at a cheap restaurant in Elverum and I had fried rice with shrimp and ham. It was fantastic! Once I arrived ...

Back in early 2000 or so, when I realized that a trip like this could easily be more than just a dream, I remember spending hours every week just studying maps, reading up on countries and plotting possible travel routes around the world. Man, I wanted to see it all, from Torres del Paine to Bagan, from Mount Kinabalu to the Milford Sound, from Cartagena to Halong Bay, from Istanbul to Fish River Canyon, from Utila to Karakoram Highway to name a few. One ...

I have been back in my hometown Elverum, Norway, for five days now, after 467 days on the run. The planned vacation in Spain with my parents didn't happen due to family matters. My dear Grandmother died when I was in Punta del Este. Hence I flew straight from Buenos Aires (via Rome and Barcelona) to Norway instead. To put it mildly, it felt very strange to once again wake up in my old bed. But on the other hand, considering the ...