Sustainability and Norway

---

I know there is a lot to update everyone on, so I'll do my best to leave nothing out. The most adventure-packed aspects of my trip happened in Norway, even though I have told people that Oslo is not my favorite city thus far. Ali - you need to show Mom the pictures from Bergen so she understands what I'm talking about when I say it's one of the most gorgeous cities I have ever visited. There is a "fish market" in the city center that is basically a flea market with bands of accordions and old-school fisherman sitting around in their boats smoking pipes. It's so blast-from-the-past, it's almost frightening. Our tour leaders, Annette and Deborah, took us to the top of a mountain in Bergen and I got some great pictures of the view from the top.

We also went to an aquarium and I didn't get any pictures or videos, but we went underneath after we saw the seal trainers and got to be face-to-face with the seals through some panoramic windows. I was sitting on a window seat by one of the big windows and one of the seals came over and pressed its nose right next to my face. So, I put my hand up to play with him and he started wriggling around like he was excited, and with his nose pressed up to the window the entire time, he followed my finger everywhere I moved it. It was almost as neat as if I was actually in the water with them. He got bored after about two minutes, but I still maintain that I made a friend that day. We also watched the penguin feeding time, and I had no idea they swallow fish whole. It was amazing to see the trainer work with them.

There was one other Vandy kid in my program, Justin, and I got us lost in Bergen one day. It turned out to work in our favor, though, because we wound up next to a college campus and found out that since it was their last day of exams, everyone was going to a party in a bomb shelter nearby. All 17 of the kids in my program headed out to this bomb shelter party that was literally an underground cave with a DJ and everything. It was the most authentic fun I could have imagined. Who else can tell that kind of story? Side note: Scandinavian people have no rhythm and cannot dance well at all, but it's more fun that way because I could do the stupidest dance moves in the world and still not embarrass myself as badly as the natives.

The Oslo stories are short, even though we spent 4 nights there. The first night, Mercer decided she wanted to go to a karaoke bar so we followed her into the Oslo night to the nearest karaoke bar. The guys were singing N Sync and Ace of Base, and it was hilarious. Of course, I did not sing anything but I had a fantastic time as an observer. We met a big group of Norwegian kids that work on a local TV show that just got picked up for a second season, so they were out celebrating, and we joined together to make one massive karaoke party. The only fun cultural things we did there were seeing the Munch museum (highlight: the Scream painting which I had never heard of), the Nobel Peace Prize museum (which I skipped out on because the Munch museum was enough museum-ing for me for the day) and the Oslo opera house, which was neat to see with my friend Sarah because she's an architecture major and she pointed some technical things out to Mercer and me. The pedestrian street had a lot of really lazy mimes who take frequent smoking and cell phone breaks, and that was funny to observe as well. On our last day there, six of us played mini-golf that was right by our hotel and my group got help from this professional mini-golfer that was one hole ahead of us on the course. We ended up winning, I think in a large part due to his suggestions. You know I love mini-golf.

Things still to do in Copenhagen before I leave: canal tour, Carlsberg brewery, ice bar (like an ice hotel, but you can only stay here for 30 minutes and then you get kicked out), and sushitarian (eating sushi off naked women). I have two weeks to get it all done, so hopefully, I can make it happen. Then I'm off to Amsterdam to celebrate my 21st birthday with a bunch of strangers. Woo hoo!

Peace, Love, and CPH,
Jane

---