AFS Midtårsopphold

On the 25th to the 27th of January we had our mid-year camp with AFS. It was basically to make sure everyone was still alive and well and hadn't frozen to death. But, it was also so all the exchange students could see everyone from our region again. There are about 15 exchange students that live in the same chapter and see each other all the time. Then, there are the rest of us. For instance, I am the only exchange student in Vestfold, my chapter, and the only exchange student at my my school. So this camp was the first time I was able to see the other exchange students since the last camp in September. Now, our next camp is at the end of June when we have to leave Norway.

All the exchange students in Region 2!

Friday January 25th was the first day of the camp. But first, we had to get to the camp which was basically in the middle of no where. It was at a camp site in Vegårshei. To get there I took the train. I didn't go to school that day because I had to wake up, pack, eat breakfast, pack lunch, and be on the train by 11:00. At 11 I took the train to Drammen. Then I waited in Drammen for an hour for the next train. The next train was to Vegårshei. On this train I met all the other exchange students. This was a 3 hour train ride so I had some time to talk with everyone :-)

It was nice to see everyone and have time to talks with them, but I was so sick of breathing train air. I had been traveling on a train for nearly 5 hours and I was sick of it. Norway has probably the freshest air in the world, but not on trains.

Once we got to Vegårshei the next step was waiting for the bus. And of course the bus did not have enough room for all of us. So while half of us were taken to the camp site, the other half had to wait at the deserted train station. I was in the half that was left waiting. Once all of us were at the camp site we chose our rooms am roommates. I was in a room with Chihiro (from Japan), Anna (from France) and Camille (from France).

Then I was assigned to make dinner with four other exchange students. It was called "Amerikansk Grytte", but it was definitely not American. Well at least I have never seen or eaten it before. After dinner we all just relaxed and talked with each other. Så koselig.

Chihiro from Japan, me, and Ester from Spain

Me and Clement from France

Stephanie from Venezuela and I modelling.

Amana from Brazil, me, and Anna from France

On Saturday we were told to be at breakfast at 9:00. We had bread, of course. What other food do Norwegians eat? Then we went and had a meeting about things we liked and disliked about Norway or things we had problems with. With the problem things we split up into groups and each group had to find a solution to 3 problems. Our group got three problems that are nearly impossible to fix: Norwegians use cell hones too much, the roads are slippery, and misunderstanding when people speak Norwegian to you.  Afterwards, we had lunch; which of course was bread. After lunch we talked with each other, and it was great because one of the exchange students took ice cream from the freezer and we all went to someones room and ate the entire container in less than 10 minutes. For dinner we had tacos, Norwegian tacos. After that, some people had meetings with the leaders to discuss how everything was going. Then we played a game where you have a post-it on your forehead with a name that someone else wrote, and you ask yes/no questions to try to guess what the name is.

We were supposed to go to sleep at midnight, but instead we had a little "dance party" and talked a lot, and some people jumped off a balcony into the snow. Then we talked some more and  I went to bed at 3:30ish, but I was one of the first people to go to sleep.

The nest morning we were supposed to be down at breakfast at 8:30, but most people didn't get there until 9 or 10. We then had to pack and clean the rooms. Then we played more games, talked more, and took a lot of pictures out in the snow.

Crazy exchange students who thought it was warm...

Then the bus came to take us back. But, when we got to the train station, the train was 40 minutes late. So someone played the guitar and we had a group singing session. Some of the exchange students are really good singers, then others are really, really bad. When we finally got on the train, the train was not big enough so we had kind of a mad dash for the seats and hoped that everyone got one. Then again, I had to get off and wait at the Drammen station, I didn't think it would be as long this time because of the train's delay, but the train from Drammen to Sandefjord was delayed because of the weather too, so I still waited for an hour. When I finally got home at about 10P.M. I was exhausted and went almost straight to sleep.

Norsk Presentasjonen

In Norwegian Class we were assigned to make a Norwegian presentation. It was about elements of nonfiction. Mine and my partner were assigned the task of a newspaper article. We had to explain the function of a newspaper article, how a newspaper article is usually set up and what are the main parts, and then we had to show an example.

I made the majority of the PowerPoint. Which I am still not sure if everything was spelled properly. Anyway, we had our presentation last Thursday. It was my first time having a presentation in Norwegian. I had a lot of notes because it is nearly impossible for me to memorize five minutes of what I should say about a topic that I maybe couldn't even speak for five minutes about in English.

I usually like oral presentations because it gives you a chance to present your idea and what you were thinking, not just what you were able to write down and say in a PowerPoint or an essay. But, that is in English.

But, for the presentation my partner and I got a 4! That is the equivalent to about an 83%, or a B!!! I was so excited! Who knew I was so good in Norwegian... :-)

SA - UKA

SA-Uka is a week that AFS has all the exchange students find a job and work. It was January 14th to January 18th. It is a volunteer week where we are supposed to see into the working life of Norway. It is supposed to open our eyes to a different part of the country.

I worked at Ivar Halvosens A/S. It is a bakery, a store (kind of like a deli), and a cafe. I worked in the cafe section. Everyone there was extremely nice. Before I had my work week I was talking with some people that go there a lot and a girl that worked there and the first thing they said was that everyone there is extremely nice. I had also heard that Halvorsens had the best coffee in the city.

On my first day at work I met Bente, the boss, and she showed me around the bakery, the store, the locker room, and where the employees eat lunch.. After I put on my hat and apron she took me to the cafe. At the cafe I met who I would be working with for the week: Hilde, Anne-Grethe, Phan, and Therese.

Everyday I started work at 9:00 A.M., that was great, I was able to sleep a little bit longer than I normally would for school. Then we closed everyday at 4:00 P.M. and I left for home at 4:45 P.M. I did almost the same thing everyday because in the cafe we always made food, made coffee, washed dishes, and cleaned up inside the kitchen and also the tables in the eating space. I washed a lot of dishes and cleaned a lot of tables. But, the best part about working at a cafe is that there is really good food you get to eat everyday for lunch and there is also really good coffee and cakes. For lunch on Monday I had an omelet and the rest of the week I ate a different sandwich from the cafe. I had three coffees almost everyday and from Wednesday to Friday Phan made me a cafe latte (my favorite drink). What is funny, is that when I came to Norway I did not like coffee at all, and now I am having at least one cup of coffee everyday. Now, after SA-week I have learned about all the different types of coffee and how to make some of them. Also, Hilde told me that I had to taste a different cake everyday I worked there. That was probably the best part about working there, Halvorsens has very good cake. On Monday I tasted the cheese cake, Tuesday was a nut cake, Wednesday was a marzipan cake, Thursday I tried a raspberry tart. Then on Friday I was told i had to try two cakes because it was my last day, I tasted chocolate cake and carrot cake. I think my favorites were the carrot cake and the raspberry tart. I also made a lot of food. I made sandwiches with ham and cheese, with carbonada, with vegetables, with chicken and tomato, and also with shrimp and egg. I was also in charge of making the salad everyday two with chicken and tomatoes and two with shrimp and egg. I also talked with the other employees. They told me a little history about Halvorsens A/S. Wilhelm Hedvard Halvorsen started his bakery in Sandefjord in 1879. It was called Langgaden, but when his son took over in 1914, the name changed. Today the business is Vestfold's (the county I live in) oldest bakery and Sandefjord's fifth oldest business.

I liked to work there very much. The people there were very nice, or as it would be directly translated from Norwegian "the people there are very cozy". And everything went well. On my last day working there they asked if I wanted to come in and work the next week too. Also, the told me if I come back I can get a job there. Maybe I will do that......

The people I worked with

The cafe

Making a coffee