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I had originally started writing this right after Canadian Thanksgiving so there could be some outdated opinions...

So much snow!

Anyway, it’s been nearly three months in! Wow, time flies. In these three months I’ve experienced summer, autumn and winter. Not even kidding you. The snow came last weekend, and what a shock that was to my system. I’ve been telling everyone here how much I hate snow because as all of us Vancouverites know, it’s chaos and a complete gong show in the city for us. Thankfully, it was much better managed here. I still can’t believe the “seasons” change so quickly here. I haven’t walked through so much fresh powder in a city-setting in so long..

Updates from the various parts of my life:

School: I had many doubts before the program started as to how it would all work out, if I would even meet any other like-minded people, and if the program would challenge me enough. In some areas, namely Immunology, it’s been a real challenge, but there are also some courses where I miss the quality of UBC’s lecturers. I know I’ll stop comparing soon, but after five years of serious high quality teaching it’s been a real tough adjustment to some classes here. Part of it is probably due to the lecturers all teaching in their second language, English, so I can sympathize. However, it still doesn't make it any easier and when grades are involved, I think I’m allowed to complain ;). The classes I take also have rotating teachers, so we never seem to get the same guy more than once or twice. Again, it just adds to the frustration sometimes.

My classmates are wonderful people I must say. Although we don't see eachother often it's nice to finally have a smaller ''class'' of people all studying relatively the same thing. I'm so used to like the 500-people big programs at home it's a refreshing change to be in one with under 40 people.

A Norwegian dinner. I'm making them turn Asian by posing like one.

Currently in the middle of writing two papers. One on snus, which is smokeless tobacco. It’s more common here in Norway and Sweden where users (usually) put a “teabag of tobacco” into their mouths and lodge it between the upper lip and gums. Sounds weird, but it’s what these people do.. I’ll admit and say I’ve tried it. The feeling is a bit different to smoking obviously. I’m totally going to send a box over to a certain someone soon. Anyway, the paper will focus on all the supposed negative effects it has on the body. There’s much controversy surrounding this, as many people have said ‘’there’s no proof it is bad for you.” I guess I’ll soon find out.

Locked down a Master’s Project! I’ll be studying prospective iron uptake genes in mycobacteria which causes Tuberculosis. I’m not too sure what exactly what I’ll be doing with these genes, but it should be a good learning experience and I’ll get to take nice pictures with the confocal microscope along with infecting live mice!

Social Life: Since the last time I posted I've been pretty active at Samfundet. I have no idea if I should be thankful for all the new people I've met through the KSG ‘gang’ that I've become a part of. These people are just, wow. Ha. I don’t even know where to begin. A lot of people have asked me why I’m even “working for free”, and I go because all the internal social events make up for it. They really try hard to make people meet, drink, have fun, drink, and drink some more. Further details will be spared for fear of angry Norwegians who apparently read this.

I think I’m slowly learning how to say NO to certain events and things. My body is no longer as strong as it was a year ago. The freakin’ hangovers suck. But again, it’s fun to be there. I love serving drunkards on a late Friday/Saturday. I have a sign that’s managed to stay at the bar now for over a month, “Jeg snakker ikke norsk”. I wear it when it gets busy and people start yelling at me in Norwegian.

Hopefully in January I’ll be able to take that Introductory Norwegian course so I can progress beyond the basic words in Norwegian and saying “I hope a pig eats you.”

nom nom nom

ISFiT: Unlike the heavy partying and drinking culture that surrounds KSG, ISFiT is an organization that I had my sights on the moment I heard about it. Again, it’s this massive international students festival that brings together 450 students from around the world. There are 17 workshops this year and I’m lucky enough to be planning the one revolving around Social Movements along with three other students. It’s been challenging at times with the content I’m dealing with. Coming from Canada the most recent social movement that I could even think of was the Quebec students walking out of school. Albeit a “success”, it’s hard to put that in comparison to what’s going on in Syria, and last year’s Arab Rising. Again, plenty of issues to look at and after spending two entire days reading hundreds of applications, the people coming are going to have a wealth of knowledge and first hand experiences in these movements that I hope to learn from.

We had a cabin trip/retreat last weekend with all of the other workshop leaders. I think there’s 68? of us. It was my first time in a cabin and lucky for us, it was during the snow(storm)! Away from the city life and surrounded by a group of other fantastic peers it was a weekend to remember. The views and surrounding areas to the cabin were truly breathtaking.

I can’t wait for February 2013! Should be a good one.

WHY SO PRETTY NORWAY?

Life in General: I’m healthy. I eat vitamins. I eat a lot of potatoes...and I mean a lot. I don’t even eat that much rice here! Shocking, I know. I’ve gained 2kg since coming here. I’m happily watching my life savings disappear. I’m finding a routine for myself now. It’s sort of scary when I wake up some days and “forget” that I’m in Norway. Like, the novelty of me being in a new culture and country at times just disappears. I guess that’s a sign of me being comfortable and accepting the life I now have here. It’s a good thing I guess? Again, very different from Australia.

I miss home only for the food..and friends/family I guess. There are days when I really want to just splurge on (sub-par) sushi here, but I know my wallet will hate me so I don’t.  I haven’t really been homesick thanks to Whatsapp and Skype. I’ve loved receiving the care packages. I just want freakin beef jerky. I’ll try to make the Americans going home for Christmas bring me back a few packages...

Waffles. A Norwegian staple food

Random Thoughts:

• I want to kidnap the babies/little kids running around the playground. Okay, I sound like a creep but they all have these oversized neon vests they wear whenever they're outdoors with their preschool or whatever they're with. It's hilarious and adorable to me.
• I thought I wouldn't be able to mimic a stereotypical Norwegian accent. I am now in the process of learning one. Give me a few more months, heh.
• There is no creativity into naming their cheeses here: White cheese. Brown cheese.
• There is also low creativity in people's first names here. I've met countless Ingrids, Magnuses, Sindres, Siris, Anders..es among others. To make it worse, everyone has an unpronounceable last name which is often 2-4 words long. It makes it very hard for me at times to remember people's names. I guess I'm used to the opposite...common surnames, more distinguished first names. 
• Cows are mandated by law to sleep on mattresses. 
• Their fruit ripen so damn quickly. I'm used to buying like a bundle (is that even the right word?) of bananas at home. Here, if I do that, by day 5 they'll be so brown and speckly the skin starts to break. Well, that's been my experience anyway.
• Professors take mobile calls in class. What the hell.
• The number of people who have smartphones here is significantly less than Vancouver. Boris, my blackberry, is slowly dying as well. :(
• Fish can come out of tubes that they then spread on bread. And liver. They love liver.
• I FOUND SOMEONE WHO'S CANTONESE.
• I snuck into the Vengaboys concert here. 
• They still love Gangnam Style and Carly Rae Jepsen. I don't. 
• My mother wanted the address and phone number of the cabin I was going to. I yelled at her and then hung up. 
• They don't exactly celebrate Halloween here. No one hands out candies here in Trondheim..and no one dressed up at all on the actual day of Halloween. Sad.
• Christmas parties are held in November, not December.
• Finally managed to stay out all night and took the first bus home. The bus driver was not impressed at how I looked.