Arrival in Norway!

Well, today is Day 3 in Norway! The school doesn't start until Monday, so I've had some good time to adjust to the time difference, rest, explore, and get set up here in my room. When I arrived on Thursday morning, I was exhausted after nearly 24 hours of travel (Fresno to LA to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Kristiansand) and only 1 hour of sleep the night before I left. I was able to sleep some on the plane, but plane sleep just isn't the same! Despite my exhaustion, I was awake enough to realize that Norway is beautiful! Right now I'm looking out my window at a bright yellow full moon shining over the sea reflecting its glimmering light. Wow! Day or night, overcast or sunny, the view from the balcony outside my room is incredible. It's exactly like what I might imagine Norway to look like, if that means anything. Lots of red houses on the shore, fishing boats, little green islands, and even a lighthouse. They say on a clear day, you can see Denmark across the sea.

I went for a run yesterday afternoon, and this island is perfect for running! It's mainly residential, so there aren't any busy city streets, and there isn't much traffic. The roads are narrow, windy & hilly, which keeps things interesting and adds variety (as opposed to the straight, flat streets of Fresno). It's still pretty cold here (no one can tell me the temperature in Farenheit, but I'd guess about 50-55 degrees), which I think is perfect weather for running. So it is a blessing that it won't be difficult for me to keep up my running habit while I'm here.

And it's a good thing, too, because the food by itself sure isn't going to benefit my waistline! Today for dinner I had pancakes rolled up with blueberry jam and little pieces of bacon--a nice high calorie meal :-) That is the traditional way to eat pancakes in West Norway, they say. Once the school starts, we will be eating 4 meals a day (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Supper), and 3 of those meals are bread. Bread & cheese, bread & jam, bread & meat, bread & bacon, bread & Nugatti (a spread similiar to Nutella, but much better, I've been told). I try to eat salad whenever it's offered, since it is pretty much the only fruit/vegetable we have (so far, anyway). But it's not that exciting compared to the wonderful salads at home. So if someone wants to send me a Fugazzi's Apple & Pecan salad by mail... haha :-)

The last thing to share (for now) is how great it is to have a wireless connection! I can sit here in my room and have constant access to the Internet. So this is a big benefit for communication, especially since I'm not using my phone while I'm here. Of course there is email (you can email me from this page), but you can also reach me through MSN Messenger (lisajeanfree@hotmail.com) and through AOL Instant Messenger (screen name: ayes4jesus).

So I think that's it for today. Enjoy the pictures and have a Happy Easter!