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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Week 20: Summertime in Bergen, is it day or night?!

There is one thing I will never get used to during the summer in Bergen...leaving the bars at night to see blue skies.  What??? Didn't it just get dark out?

As the summer grows on us, so does the daylight.  Every day is brighter and brighter.  Lately, it doesn't even get dark as much as dusk.  Its amazing to have so much light, but it's very confusing.  I finally bought myself (ok, partially homemade) curtains for my apartment that block out the daylight.  You would think lots of light would be nice, but its throwing me off completely.  All of the sudden, it's 11:30 at night, but looks like it's maybe 8pm.  This means, my bedtime is getting later and later and I don't even notice it!  So, I have to consciously make it night and day.

BC (before curtains) I would wake up to the light, thinking I overslept and stressing that I was sleeping my day away only to look at my clock and see that it was 4am!! Now that I have curtains, my apartment is blacked out and I sleep and sleep until I open my curtains and make it daytime again!!


It's 11:30pm in downtown Bergen. There are still so many people out and you would never imagine it was almost midnight!!
















11:30pm in Downtown Bergen (please ignore the thumb).  You can see the reflection of the sunset in the windows.

Outside of the amazing light comes the people in the city.  During the wintertime, there are rarely people out.  Some walking to and from the bus, running through the streets trying to find shelter from the rain.  Now that summer is here, people are everywhere!! There is a new cruise ship every day and people wandering around town speaking different languages and taking in the beautiful sights.  Restaurants set up tables outside, there are new festivals every weekend (here is a picture of one music festival) and people are smiling.


The last week has brought continuous sunshine.  You can tell we've had a lot of sun when you look around and see that everyone is red with a sunburn and proud of it. The sunshine has brought heat, something I forgot about.  And in Norway, there is no need for air conditioning, so it is hot.  Hot at night when you're sleeping, hot in coffee shops and its like a sauna in the bars. Still, everyone smiles to have heat and sunshine!!  Even after spending a full day in the direct sunlight, Norwegians refuse to sit inside and out of the sun.  You must take advantage of it while it's here!!

What did I do this last week in the sun? Hiking almost every day I was in Bergen, sitting at the park, BBQing, and taking trips to visit family and friends.  I went to Sotra, an island near Bergen, to an International Camp my cousin was leading.  We grilled, played games and watched the kids swim in the freezing cold water.  I visited my Aunts house in Osteroy (about an hour from Bergen).  Her house is on the fjord and so beautiful.  We sat in the sun, ate, drank coffee and jumped in the fjord.  My fear of dark water meant it took me an extra 10 minutes to get the guts to jump in, but I did it.  It wasn't that cold with all the sun we've had and was actually very refreshing.

This was worth taking a picture of, because it didn't seem real.  But oh, it was real!!  



Me and the troll at Floyen!



The perfect picture of a Norwegian sunny day. Voss water, coffee, sunbathing and fjords!!  Perfection!


Feeling proud after jumping in the chilly fjord waters in Osteroy.


Now I'm starting to plan my visit back home to Colorado.  I'll be there for six weeks, celebrating my little sisters wedding, another little addition to the Bogetveit clan (my first Niece!), my friend's first baby boy, and lots of visits with friends and family.  And of course, a dentist appointment and hair appointment :)  It will be a fun filled 6 weeks that I'm sure will fly by.  I can't wait to see everyone that I have missed for the last 6 months!!



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Week 18: Babies, weddings and world travel?

I can't believe it! I've been in Norway for 18 weeks now, and I'm going to Colorado in 20 days!!! I did book my ticket back to Norway, but not until I have a good 6 weeks in Colorado!! That's right, I'm in Colorado from June 2nd until July 16th!! The last few weeks have been full of visits from family and friends, preparation for my time at home, wedding planning for my sister and planning (ok, thinking about) my future plans.

My sister and her friend came to Bergen for 10 days and it was amazing. Not only was it wonderful to see my sister after 5 months in Norway, but she brought with her sun (and a few items from home i've been missing). We had a great time visiting family, shopping, eating, drinking and enjoying the beautiful Bergen sunshine!

Me and my sis at the Bryggen!!

There are 17 cousins on my Norwegian side. One night, we had a get together and had 10 of the 17 cousins celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The 7 cousins who couldn't make it were either out of the country, too far away in Norway or too young to drink (under 6 years old). I see my cousins a lot, but it was so nice to see everyone all at once!!

 With my sisters departure came a new job for me...wedding planning for the upcoming wedding (only 34 days away). So, on the days I am not at the International School, I'm sitting on my laptop looking for bands, caterers, bachelorette party accessories and wedding favors.

Outside of the wedding planning and preparation, there are also the many babies my close family and friends are expecting in the near future. I am so excited for all of them, and to be Auntie Lizzie to more than just one special little boy. I was surprised by my own emotions and reactions to the pregnancy news. Am I old enough now that my close friends and family are getting married and becoming parents? It's a surreal feeling when you realize that you are an adult. It makes every decision I have to make much bigger.

Decisions, both exciting and unbelievably scary. I'm at the place in my life where I get to make these exciting life changing decisions. I don't have a wedding of my own or children I need to think about when making big life decisions. I have more opportunities available to me than the average person, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world. Who else has to decide...stay in Norway, move back to Colorado, move to Spain to teach English???

No decisions have been made yet, as I like to see where the wind takes me.  For now, I'm enjoying my time in Norway with friends and family and looking forward to my visit home, my new niece and celebration of my little sister's marriage.