Swimming the in sea...yes in Norway!

I think the light is finally getting to me. The past few days I have been having trouble going to bed and falling asleep. I’ve been getting only 5-6hours of sleep which is definitely not enough for me. Hopefully I will be able to fall asleep better soon.

This week has mainly consisted of work. Other than that, I climbed Ulriken again and have been reading outside in the sun. It has warmed up quite a bit since I have been here. I only need a light jacket in the mornings and by the afternoon I find myself in shorts and a t-shirt. The nights are beautiful and a perfect time to be out.

Last night I went with a group to play beach volleyball. It was nice to get out and play. After a few hours we decided to go swimming…more they decided to go swimming and I went along with it. However, I was a bit skeptical because it was 9:30pm, and although it’s been warmer during the days, I wasn’t sure the sea had warmed up enough for me. After standing on a rock above the water for about 5 minutes contemplating if I wanted to jump in and freeze, I decided that I couldn’t be the only person who hadn’t gone in the water. I stood on the edge of the rock, they counted to three, and I actually jumped. I hit the water and the wind was knocked out of me, not from force, but from pure cold. Actually, the water wasn’t as cold as I expected, but my chest constricted from the cold so breathing took more effort. I only stayed in long enough to have them take a picture of me and swim to the ladder. Surprisingly, getting out of the water wasn’t too cold. The temperature was probably 70 degrees outside so it was much nicer than the 55 degree water. The water was refreshing and I definitely plan on swimming in the ocean again, but maybe I will wait for it to warm up a bit more.

Every Friday our the department of Psychology has a wine raffle at lunch. Everyone puts in 20kroner = about $4 and we draw names. The last two names each win a bottle of wine. The last person takes the raffle money and buys wine for the next week. I have only played twice, but this week I won. I won an Italian Chardonnay. Mom and Dad we can share it when you get here. However, I was the last name chosen so I'm in charge of buying next week. I'm guessing that will be an adventure.

I’m off to Stavanger this weekend to visit Kristine. We are hiking Pulpit Rock or Preikestolen in Norwegian. From the pictures I have seen it has amazing views. I will post pictures as soon as Chaz's package arrives in the mail with my camera cord. If not hopefully I can borrow one or buy one.

Ha det, Allison

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