A Veegie Tale
In the last month, a lot of people at Augustana who have recently returned from a study abroad experience have expressed in a number of ways their affinity and appreciation for the American culture and its comforts. I happen to be of the same mindset, but on the other side, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things that I happen to miss about Norway and, in particular, Oslo. Then maybe I will get the peace of mind from my homesickness long enough to do my homework for the day.
- The Ocean
South Dakota is notoriously landlocked, which for a guy who's lived his entire life only a few minutes from the ocean tends to lend itself to claustrophobia. The ocean also represents so many other qualities I couldn't live without for longer amounts of time, like the philosophical substance of it, the smell of salt water, seagulls, islands with picnic and swimming opportunities, beaches, watersports, the feeling of waves, and the sound of the water.
- The big city
- To most other nationality, Oslo has a small town feel even though it's got 700,000 people living there. I miss the subway, ironically, and I miss not being dependant on a car to get from A to B (or C for that matter). The freedom of complete movement comes with a city totally interconnected through a public transportation grid, or a more condensed area.
- The movie theatres
I know, I know. US movie theatres have seats that recline and free seating order, more buttery popcorn and more fountain drinks to choose from. But take Oslo's Colosseum Kino, the world's largest THX movie theatre, which seats 1,158 people (a staggering 2,100 before the fire of 1963), for example. Now, that's a movie theatre! Fully electronic ticketing systems (purchase online, print the tickets at home or at the theatre), overly stocked candy stores and kiosks (with Norwegian chokolate, hey), and the subway taking you to the front door whenever needed, that has any of SD's movie theatre experiences beat. Gotta love the reclinable seats here, though.
- Norwegian culture and language
Sure, Norwegian has fewer words and phrases for expressing exactly what you mean, but at least it sounds cool and demands more tongue artistry of the speaker. Norwegians, while maybe shy and even arrogant and rude to begin with, open up like a Pandora's box of joy when they feel comfortable enough. Norwegians in general play few mind games, calling it as they see it is a fundamental Norwegian trait. No BS, as you would say. That's refreshing. Drinking culture is a chapter by itself, with their vorspiels, nachspiels, and general drunken craziness way into the wee hours of the morning. Vikings party hard by nature.
- Exotic Foods
- And with this, I'm not just meaning that I miss kjøttkaker (meat cakes), mackerel in tomato sauce, liver patè spread on bread, Pizza Grandiosa, or even my beloved chili nuts. I mean all the truly exotic foods you can find in Oslo. On top of my long list is the indian food (best: The Zaika Restaurant), closely followed
by thai (best: Jaja's Restaurant), and of course, Turkish kebabs in pita bread (best: Vinny's Kebabs and Bislett Kebab House). My mouth is literally watering right now, that's how much I miss all that stuff. It's a given though, that no country does Tex-Mex food (of course) as well as the US.
- Tiny Grocery Stores
Yes. I love Wal*Mart. And I always will. But, this must be said, Wal*Marts have no personality. Now, in Norway grocery stores are still only about food, and thus significantly smaller in size. They have a much smaller selection for each food type, but this is something Norwegians are fine with - the choice happens to be between cheap and regular priced items of the same (approximate) quality, and hence less time is spent choosing between millions of brands for each bread you're buying. The country has only a few chains of grocery stores (Rema 1000, Rimi, COOP, Bunnpris, and a few more), but given the country's size, this suffices plenty. With small stores, and this is what I kind of miss, you can go right in and come right out in a matter of minutes, still having bought what you wanted, and without walking forever from the soaps to the vegetables. Grocery shopping isn't really a pastime in Norway, that's all.
No worries, I'll probably think of more later. And I'll give you the equally long list of things I think are better in the US of A, as well.
That helped a little.
Labels: Everyday, Lists, Pictures, Rants
Short and Somewhat Sour
To begin with, I have to admit a defeat of mine. I might have (okay, you know this, because you have it right here on the blog, so I won't pretend it just 'might' have happened) audaciously claimed that I would write one blog post for every day of this very month. And I failed writing more than three, hahaha.. Oh, I don't care. That was an unrealistic goal, and would've made for an incredibly boring reading for you, the reader.. So, in effect, I actually did us all a favor by being lazy (or busy, or both). See how I just gave it a positive spin? :P
What's up with me nowadays? That is a hard one to answer. I am conflicted, like the rest of humanity, and I have so much going on on various fronts I have no idea how to make it all mesh with my schedule and succeed in everyday life at the same time. My cousin was born a few weeks back, and I still haven't found the time to come see the baby. I have two finals (not just one like everyone else in my class, because I didn't take the last one in March) that I need to study (a whole lot) for. I need to work 3-4 times a week, mostly 7 hours shifts, and at the same time find the time to study. I have to get in touch with
Hawai'i Pacific University very soon, because I intend to attend summer school there beginning in the end of June. I need to pay bills, buy groceries, update Facebook and Blogger, schedule doctor's and dentist's appointments, send 2 packages to the US, and I have to do laundry and keep in touch with my amazing sunshine, Alicia. Getting my gym membership, school attendance, and finding time to being social is just an added nuisance on the list of stuff I have to do before the beginning of June.
So, that was a pretty stupid question for you to ask, huh? Now you got my whole present-day status, and I don't mean the one tiny sentence you get to squeeze in on Facebook from time to time. You just got the big lowdown, haha..
Anyways.. I wasn't planning on writing this much, but it just pours out of me when I get started. Now I'll finish this with a picture special, from
May 17th.
That do you like? :P
.
Labels: Everyday, Minor Updates, Personal Issues, Pictures
Signing Off, America
I never thought I would be one of the people to say this, but life never goes according to plan. When I first arrived in the US on August 19th of last year, to live in the US for the second time in my life, I was absolutely sure it would be years upon years before I would ever call Norway my formal home again. I arrived in Sioux Falls after ten days in Arizona, and was suddenly struck by the contrasts this country has to offer. And this time, contrasts would turn out to be a bad thing. South Dakota, a fairly unpopulated farm and prairie state, would in fact end up being so different from my beloved Arizona, that living here longer than I have is inconceivable. I pondered the options long and well, but eventually reached the conclusion that Norway is where I belong, at least for the time being. I decided to return home, and now I have only hours till my plane leaves. I will, as odd as it may sound, miss certain aspects of being here though, and some I have mentioned below.
My trip to Arizona and Las Vegas. I've been to
both places many times before, but I always enjoy going there.
Our trip to the Black Hills. The Black Hills are a region of western South Dakota, where Donn took the whole group of newly arrived international students back in September. We went to see Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument, as well as hiking to the top of the lookout spot Harney Peak and one of the Black Hills. The trip was a truly social one, where I got to know both Victor, Kei and Markus better.
My trip to Chicago. I went there to
attend an ANSA meeting, which I was a contact person for this year. We went sightseeing in the city, had meetings, ate out every evening, went to an authentic jazz club, and basically had fun in my second most favorite American city. It was just a weekend, but truly felt longer.
Trip to New York in October. Victor and I, Marianne, and the three Norwegian soccer girls here went to
the Big Apple, and spent 5 full days sightseeing everything there was to see. Victor and I took off on our own, and found some pretty neat local places and sights away from the tourist crowds. The trip was my second one to NY, but this time I really got to see and experience the city. The company was fun, and we all enjoyed the stuff we saw and did.
Thanksgiving in Arizona. I love
this season, and of course I love my host family. A good combination. We had the authentic meal, and the whole feeling of being back in their family again, which was great. And the best way of celebrating Thanksgiving.
Going home to Norway for Christmas. I went back to see my mom, dad, brother, and friends, something I never did while in Arizona. A good change of pace, and fun to see all the people again. And of course, great to celebrate Christmas and New Years with my family. I might not have gotten a hold of Thomas, but in return I had many fun days with Julie while I was home.
Roadtrip to Iowa. This last semester has been pretty much uneventful, but this was
pretty fun. Not so much because of where we went, but because I got to drive the whole way there, more than 600 miles in all. I got my driver's license shortly after.
LOST evenings and coffee shop nights. From one of the first weeks we were here, Victor and I started the tradition of meeting in the East tv-room (actually 5 monthes before I even lived there) to watch Lost every Wednesday. Being a social and fun break from our everyday lives, Marianne and I carried it on after Victor left in December. Coffee shop nights were started sometime in the beginning of this semester, and have also become a fun Thursday getaway with Kristin, Ashley, Ambie, Jennapher, Denise, Jenni, Maren, and the rest of the gang.
The hospital volunteering. Ever since
I started working in the ER, I have finally found something I love doing, and gotten myself back on track again. It's been very interesting, and I truly got a lot from wandering around in my blue scrubs, observing all the special cases, finally getting to help people.
A few hours ago I was wandering happily across campus, joyfully listening to the Jason Mraz tunes in my head and just feeling the very relaxation I have lacked since.. well, since after spring break. Then it suddenly struck me. The campus, usually filled with people walking hurriedly back and forth from their classes, to lunch, or to hang with friends, was now suddenly eerily empty. I found myself being the only one walking anywhere, a fact that just then sank in. The day I have been wishing for since January has somehow managed to sneak up on me, and I can't say I was prepared even though I wanted it to come as badly as I did. Throughout the past few days people have been showing actual sadness over me leaving, something that made me sad to. I did, after all, have friends here, and for a moment I pondered how bad it really was, this place. I will still rush onto the airplane today, practically running to make sure I don't get left behind in this town, but this time I do so with a greater deal of melancholy. I truly wish the people whose paths have crossed mine a fantastic, accomplished life, and all the best, even though reality has it that I probably will see very few of them ever again.
275 days is a long time anywhere. And now I have concluded mine, with its many ups and downs. I'm ready to come home now, with whatever that might bring.
That was it for now, America.
I'm off.
Labels: Era Summaries, Major Updates, Pictures
Because Nothing's Ever Easy
This pic's from my surgical obervation the other day, where I got to join a couple of surgeons as they performed a pretty darn difficult procedure on a woman with cancer in her pelvic region.
A pelvic exoneration, they called it, and it includes taking out the lower colon, rectum, or bladder (depending on where the cancer has spread) along with the vulva, uterus, vagina, and cervix. The result in the woman was, after about 7 hours, a gaping hole about 20 times 20 centimeters across, and so deep the surgeon could pour about a liter of water in there to rinse it out and not flood it. Fascinating, truly. And absolutely a worthwhile experience. The thing about this surgery is, though, that only 10% of the people with last stage cancer is found eligible, and it has about a 25% five year survival rate... Cancer is devislish stuff, and that is probably why I can't see myself working with that as a doctor.
Next, I've decided this blog is a little too public. Life is never easy, and when
my life becomes diffucult, the difficulties become personal. I can talk about generalities, even some pretty personal stuff, but I make it a rule to never talk about specific people on here. And specific people, more like a handful, really get to me sometimes, for better and worse, and that is something I feel I need to get out too. So, for my therapeutic reckoning, and probably your relief, I will conduct the
most personal ramblings elsewhere.
Labels: Episode Accounts, Medical, Pictures
Bright Prospects
Sometimes I guess taking too long to decide something actually hurts more than it can ever be helpful, in that overthinking and overanalyzing things tends to crush the options before they get a chance to truly show their true colors. For the people I haven't already told; the jury has reconvened and the verdict is in.
I am moving back to Norway, and staying there for what now seems like the rest of my twenties, maybe longer.The 'roots', mentioned in the previous post, as well as factors such as cost, comfort, psychological stability, peace of mind, love of Norway, the security of being 'home', Norwegian food, language and people, Oslo, and of course the freedom that comes with having citizenship in the country where you live and have always lived all had a part in my decision. Hawai'i and Kansas will either have to wait till another time or join the ranks of the "would-have-been"s, because for now I'm coming home. Thanks go out to Julie, my dad and brother for helping me keep my priorities straight.
In related, happy news is the event of me finally
getting my driver's license! It cost me a total of $2, which is 14 kroner, and was conceived this Tuesday, after a somewhat nervous (not all that nervous when I learned it took 10 minutes, but hey) driving test at 8:30 am. And yes, I did put a different picture in the drivers license pic to the right, because the real one.. well, not so much.
More good news, for me that is, seeing as the weather in Sioux Falls has taken a record turn. Starting last week, and still going even stronger, are the sunny, 80 degree days that have settled on our campus. 80 degrees is something like 27 degrees Celsius, so this is truly great. And now we're on the second break of the month, Easter break for 4 days, so this is working out perfectly. Summer's found its way to SooFoo, and I'm not complaining. This is sweet!
Dedicating the rest of the post to pics I felt like sharing. Have a happy Easter!!
A 'Victor style' picture of some of the newfound summer fun.
What a throwing arm!
You know you love the fluffy squirrels. You know you do.
Welcome back to the birds. Welcome to summer.
Either I fell, or trying to be artistic. Probably the latter.
The AZ familiy sent me this dog as part of my birthday present back in February. Notice the heart inscription.Labels: News, Pictures
My Deep Roots and Other Great Analogies
Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know [...]
Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I've got to go home
Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home
And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
That this is not your dream
But you always believed in me
- "Home" by Michael Buble.
As always, there are people who know how to put things a million times better than we can, and this time I found my issue themed so well in a song.
I talked to my dad the other day, and during our conversation I told him about my indecision,
my conundrum, regarding next year's plans, and as always he wasn't of much help. It's not that he didn't try, of course, and the past few years I think I have noticed somewhat of a growth in him as well. He's grown more understanding in many ways, and actually seems to have grown right in to the patient, understanding dad-role my brother and I have always hoped would come. We had our little talk on the phone, and when I mentioned that I wasn't sure what choice, path or whatever other kind of clichee road I would choose, the aforementioned unhelpfulness became truly apparent. Deriving energy from some mysterious parent place (maybe there's a manual), he calmly told me that he would support and stand by me a hundred percent no matter what my choice is, and that he was proud of me for doing all that I have done so far anyways, that he would be immensely proud of me even if I had chosen to become a street sweeper or say, garbage man. Oh, incredibly nice, somewhat comforting, but not what I need. What I need now is for someone to take my hand and step in front of me, and lead me through the maze of doubts, fears and confusions. I am the only one who can make the call, I guess, and the road to a decision is cluttered with many thoughts, feelings and advice. My dad would love to have me back, he said, but what he found more important is what I think would be best for me..
I am on my own on this one. I must make some major, life altering decisions by myself, decisions that will impact my life and future happiness. Is that what's at stake? Sure, to my dad small decisions like ham or cheese on my shcool lunch were fine, but when it comes to the big ones I'm pretty much on my own. Not exactly what I call a picnic.
My dad seems to have developed his analogical side a bit, and used it to make an important point. He warned me of the pitfalls of taking too long to decide, in fact, he emphasized that I shouldn't let the trains of my life leave the station if there was a chance I wanted to be on one of them. I agreed, telling him that I am planning on buying tickets to all the various trains (applying to the different schools, etc, for those not following), and that I would get on the right one when I know which one it is. Now, I am procrastinatory about this decision, probably out of fear of making the wrong one and the implications of such a move, but hopefully I will know before the trains start up their engines.
Relating back to the song lyrics above, I need to emphasize the apparent importance of my roots in my life. My roots are, like many people's, my friends and family, and most of my roots are naturally back in Norway. Just like a tree cut down and shipped overseas, I imagine that I cannot live without my deep roots and that I am faced with two choices; growing new ones (which takes years and might not be possible because of the difference of the soil) or returning to my old and well grounded ones. I do indeed feel amputated without my roots, and now the question has become if I'm ready to endure this indefinetely until some new roots grow out (and the old ones wither and die).
I am at a fork in the road, one certain trail has divided into exactly four other ones, and I am stuck at the junction. I'd like time to stop, and for me to be able to put off making the decision forever, but I guess freezing time's just not in my imaginary backpack of skills. Sadly enough. Time, darn it, keeps rolling, and the hour of determination draws near. But, I will be ready. I will have an answer.
It's just my life we're talking about, after all.
Labels: Philosophy, Pictures, Ponderings
ER Ups and Downs
So, what's working in the ER like, Christian? What's the use of working there if you're not getting any good experiences? Well, just so you know, there has been a number of fascinating stories unfolding in the emergency room with me as an assistant and observer, and you are now getting the front row seats to the action (as long as you are able to picture what I'm telling you, seeing as you probably don't have a hospital security card).
Today was the culmination of bittersweet shifts. The first 2 hours or so were pretty quiet, mostly people coming in with finger cuts, head aches, abdominal pain, or a sudden onset of a heavy period. But, then the traumas (not walk-ins, but ambulance cases) began to arrive. This is the cool stuff, so I had my gloves on before the paramedics pulled into the ER garage, moving swiftly to foresee any obstacles or needs of the EMTs. The first case was a woman in her 70s, diabetic and with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Her BP (blood pressure) was shooting through the roof, many times over 195/95 (normal is 120/80). No matter what the nurses did, they could not get her to either become alert or respond vocally to questions. The family was there, and told us everything we needed to know, and they ordered a battery of blood tests and
CT scans. Eerily for her, the nurses could not get the BP down to an acceptable level. This was still the case when I left 4 hours later.
The second trauma, a male in is late 70s, confused and scared, apparently senile, was placed in the neighboring room. He was complaining of back pains, and had previously received pretty intrusive surgery. He was a fragile, thin and small man, with round, questioning eyes, and every time the doctors or nurses spoke about him, by his bedside, they talked directly to the family and not him. This caused the elderly man to look even more confused, and I remember thinking to myself that he probably would have liked to be included in his own plans for care. The doctor, in a serious manner, asked the family if they wanted to have anything done to examine the origin of the back pain, like a
CT scan or to figure out if the same medical problem as before might have returned, hinting at that he didn't think it worth while. The family, after hearing the doctors reasons why not, and including the cost of the procedure in their decision, decided to decline the explorative treatment. I will never know how much of this the man understood, but as they were talking he kept looking confused back on forth on the doctor and family, and looked at all lost and bewildered. I got pretty sad, thinking of the fact that so many people end their lives not knowing their own names, and left the room to see if other traumas were interesting.
This is the jackpot of my day, this trauma. In through the double doors came a naked man on a gurney, lying face down, accompanied by paramedics and police officers. The placed him in on of the rooms, and covered him with a blanket after he turned around. Just past 20, much like me, and truly one for the psychiatry books. All we knew was that this man had set fire to his own house, and that he was in the ER for a checkup and treatment of possible smoke inhalation. Oh, fascinating case. He started out proclaiming to the room that "Jesus Christ will come in three years". Okay, fascinating, but not something you wouldn't hear from just any weird Christian. But it gets better. "I have complete records of what I've done from the moment of my birth until now, and it has all been thoughtfully planned out. I have progressed off the charts intellectually the past weeks, and have developed complete audio and visual photographic memories, as well as memorizing 99% of the Bible." He went on to telling the officers and us how he set fire to the house, apparently just to check the response time of the emergency services in the area, and how he sat down after lighting the fire, inside the house, carefully recounting every incident in his life, including the time he threw his cat into the wall as hard as he could. He broke two windows, to fuel the fire, and got out of there on the exact 30 minutes after lighting it, just to not pass out (and yes, he was naked when walking around lighting the fire). They called a psych consult, officially arrested him, and after a while sent him up to the 4th floor, where he apparently flooded his room and was sent to prison.
Last time a man in his fifties arrived from a car wreck, and he was in a pretty bad shape. Blood everywhere, legs broken so badly they were protruding the skin and poking out, and a very low BP. The surgeon took out a scalpel and made an incision right on his rib cage, and then shoved his fingers hard and quick into the wound to the lungs to make sure the passage was clear. Then they placed a tube in there, to drain off any blood in the lungs, before they intubated him and sent him off to the brand
new 64-slice CT-scanner, that I also got to witness. After this I assisted in the cleanup, mainly mopping pools of blood and removing all the stuff the people had thrown everywhere in the moment, and then the ER was ready for whatever fate had to throw at it.
Next weekend I'll be back there, and the ER never disappoints.
Labels: Episode Accounts, Medical, Pictures
College Conundrum
[This post has been recorded as audio. To listen to the post being read, click here.]
I can't sleep. Well, I don't want to sleep, either, yet, but I've actually spent the past 20 minutes trying to take an interesting picture of myself, accidentally dropping the memory card into a crack between the keyboard stand and the desk, almost tearing out the keyboard stand from the same desk in order to get my memory card back, and finally managing to get it out of there with worryingly many scratches on it. If you think that's truly a waste of precious time, I don't think you know what I've been spending my past few hours on, namely getting some kind of script for a photo album or photoblog for the vast amount of pics I want to take every day but can't store or publish anywhere, yielding nothing more than a stupid Wordpress account and a lot of worthless downloaded "free trial" programs. I finished my one single diet cherry coke hours ago, and now I've suddenly gotten the incredibly farfetched idea that I want to write a novel. Of course, what else, right? Psychological deterioration is what I call that kind of rambling, and it can't be due to anything else than the sheer lack of sleep today. Now I will move on to the real matter at hand, the reason why I wrote this post at all; my college conundrum.
Who would have known searching for good colleges would be this hard? I mean, I have a basic idea of the kind of college I want to go to this fall, and its description isn't very limiting. It can't be Augustana. It's got have more than 5,000 students, and be in an intersting area. It needs to have a good pre-med program, and it needs to be well renowned in the research and biological fields. Its students should like both their fellow students and faculty, and it shouldn't be too cold there. Nothing else. So far, by the help of princetonreview.com and various education fairs in Oslo I've gotten down to the two best ones: University of Kansas and Hawai'i Pacific University. After some encouragement from Julie I decided to research the two further, deeper if you will, and I even made a nifty Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my findings, including a nice point ranking system. The research hinted at a few negative circumstances regarding the University of Kansas, including a clique-ish and frat dominated social life, isolated city and a feeling of being 'lost' in the enormous crowd of students at the institution. HPU thus emerged as the winner of my little college test, by almost 20%, which actually to some degree surprised me. I made some calls last night to the Hawai'i university, and re-started my application process there (I had halfway applied once before), just to ensure that this apparent catch doesn't become impossible on me.
Hawai'i. Hmmm.. I've been there, and loved it, mind you, but there must be something.. fishy about it. Hawai'i is the world's paradise, the world's favorite post card and fantasy, and now I'm actually thinking of going to college there. Where are the drawbacks? Where? Is everything actually as good as it seems, and will I enjoy it? Will it gain my career? I think so. It has an actual pre-med major, which very, very few schools actually have, and small classes with nice, approachable professors. The only real concern I have is the cost of it all. For a lifetime experience like this my monetary ceiling's pretty high, but I need to make sure I can afford it all. My next step will be to contact the school regarding the real costs, and then we'll see from there. Maybe I'll have to start the search all over again... Cross thine fingers. Do it, just do it.
Labels: College Stuff, Pictures
The Big 2-0
The dreaded day came and passed, and what's changed is merely my age. That's what I keep telling myself anyways, that all that changed was a number and that my level of responsibility and maturity is still totally dependent on my internal workings. My mental processes, the demands put upon me by society, and so on, will always be the most important factors in deciding my "real" age, if you will, and I still decide exactly
how old I am. Take my dad, for example. He turned 46 today, two days after my birthday, and in that occasion shared his philosophies about age. He explained how he as a teenager had thought of 46-year-olds as only one step away from the grave, and how he had perceived even his own parents as old when they crossed their mid-forties. Now, he continued, he was feeling totally different, he felt in good shape, and mentally he would have had no problem believing he was still 30. The future, though, was more uncertain. He's nearing 50, which he now knew to be an age of great vigor and even physical fitness, so that wasn't a major point of concern. The 60s were a little more uncertain, and the 70s he still thought of as pretty old. It's interesting how our perceptions change as we gain life experiences and wisdom, and we all seem to come to the conclusion after a while that age is merely an illusion. Which I find solace in, which makes me able to tell myself I'm still the 'reckless' teenager, still my parents' young, protected son. Anything else would still be too scary and overwhelming.
To the point of my post this time, the birthday celebration this Saturday. The day was a very quiet, easygoing one to begin with, and I woke to the loud ringing of my phone. It was my mom, who had been trying to reach me since that special 9:03 time, the exact time I was born, and she finally reached me at 9:18am. It's the thought that counts, and I thinks it's so incredibly cool that she remembers every year, and even to call on the time of birth. Nice. We talked for a while, and I went back to sleep (hey, waking up before noon on a Saturday? Not likely). My dad called around 12, and after talking to him I got out of bed and spent the afternoon having lunch (I actually cooked myself a fantastic Mexican tomato soup from Guerrero with chili, jalapeno, and paprika), eating a whole bag of my favorite nuts in this entire world, Norwegian chili nuts, discovering that Norway was winning the Olympics by a lot of points combined, feeling the national pride make me happy, and having a 20-minute nap.
The 'party' (hullabaloo/shindig/clambake/gathering/shabang)
itself was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., and all the guests had shown up promptly then at
T.G.I. Friday's, but even with reservations we had to wait for 25 minutes. That was fine, I was having fun talking to everyone and being sociable, so time went by quickly. The dinner itself for me and most of the other 11 people, consisted of 3 courses, and I had 'Cheese covered potato skins', a fantastic 12 ounce "New York Strip' steak, and a cheese cake to go. We had a great time, I think, and it was a lot of fun. Marianne gave me some interesting gifts, including a Swiss army knife and a night light, but it was all good.
So, the embarrassing part of birthdays. Towards the middle of the dinner Denise had the brilliant idea to tell the waiter it was my birthday. The inevitable snowball. "Happy birthday" wishes from him turned in to something much bigger as soon as I had started relaxing again and thinking that would be it. Suddenly another waiter pops up behind me, and immediately tells me that my chair was broken (original!) and that I would have to stand up. Oh, great. My initial response was "Ha, I'm not falling for that," but when he kept insisting I decided to play along. Up I stood, and immediately he started shouting to the whole restaurant. "Attention, everybody, we have an emergency in the restaurant; This young guy has a birthday today, and that's why I want absolutely everybody to join me in singing Happy Birthday". Uhm, splendid. "Even you guys in the back, sing along! His name is Christian! Come on, sing!
Happy birthday to you..."
I was standing there all the time, not blushing according to my friends, listening to the birthday tribute. Even for the "how old is he?" from somewhere in the restaurant, and then I could sit down again. Pheeew. The remaining time all the passing waiters brought a balloon that they tied to my wrist, of course, and wishing me a happy birthday. We left around 10-ish, so I'd deem the evening a rewarding, fun celebration, despite the embarrassing moments inbetween.
That night, around 12, Markus decided to let me drive his car around town, before ending up at the 24/7 coffee shop
Sonkofa. I never knew driving was so much fun! I did well, stopping at the correct times, going the correct speeds, overall doing a good job. I recently go my instruction permit, which is a 10-minute driving test away from a driver's license. Some practice, now, and I'll have it. For the great price of $2... Imagine what I save from the $2000-$3000 in Norway..
Anyhow, that was my b-day, I had a blast and got a couple of neat gift cards (one for
HuHot, great place, and another for calling minutes to Norway). A good day, and now (the gray Monday) I have more homework than at all desirable. But fine, I can surely tackle 2 essays, 2 book readings and 2 pages of chem chapter problems. I hope. (Taking deep breath.)
Pics can be found further down in this post.
Labels: Episode Accounts, Pictures, Special Events
Location: Changed
[WISH LIST FOR CHRISTIAN'S BIRTHDAY: CLICK HERE!]I moved. Finally. I moved to my friend Landon's former room, and I love it. It might be just across the hall from where I temporarily lived the past 12 days (remember: "my penthouse"), but it feels like it's in a totally different building. The room's actually square, the ceiling's barely slanting, and it's of course bigger. But that's not the only thing on my mind these days, I have occasional periods where I can't stop thinking about my cat, H.M. King Farouk I, so I thought I'd post the first picture of him in the history of the blog, right now, while I keep thinking about and missing him.
Here are my new keys, which obviously go together with my new room.
Just thought that'd be symbolic in a way.
Behold, it's... new.
This is the left side of the room, featuring my desk and the picture display.
Same side of the room as the last one, but featuring my bookcase and microwave.
The right side of my room, featuring my fridge, bed, Smallville poster and a flag. Now, I'm not exactly an American patriot, so don't worry - the flag's just decoration.
My bed, Smallville and Superman posters, and the end table (hard to see) with the alarm clock (important), phone and answering machine.
My fantastic walk-in closet, with my fascinating array of hats, and of course (almost) all my clothes.
The East Hall TV room, or my new living room, seeing as I don't have a TV, and this room has a DVD player and a VCR as well.
The pool room in East, somewhat old but fully useable. And we do.
My Japanese friend, Kei, who's a devoted tennis player.
That concludes this week's picture exclusive, straight from the prairie land of South Dakota.
Labels: College Stuff, Medical, Minor Updates, News, Pictures
