Well, spring has sprung! Even in Norway, there is promise of green grass, warm spring evenings and buds on the trees....the question remains if these things will arrive before I depart come May. Though the potential is there, the snow is too~maybe that will change soon?! Let's hope so!
Thought it was about time for another update:
Since last week, I have been busy busy busy~wait, what?! This sounds more like life in Cobberville, not life in Lillehammer. But you heard (read) me correctly: the pace is pickin' up, folks, and the race to the end is on. Suddenly, life here is a flurry of homework, extra class sessions, travel planning, thinking about and planning for summer at Camp Hiawatha, budgeting, socializing, and trying to slow down enough to soak in every single moment here in Norway. Whew!
This weekend was centered around spring break: planning, mapping out the logistics of getting from one place to another, calling the train companies, booking flights, calling Mom & Dad for advice (you are the best...seriously, I'm the luckiest girl ever to have you two! MWAH!) and pondering the balance between sanity and frugality. It was kind of stressful; actually, if I'm being fully honest, I think that's the most stress I've felt since leaving America, so the whole process hit me hard and I realized just how much I miss my family and friends. Hmm. Tough thing to realize while in the midst of planning a dream of a spring break excursion huh? But it got me thinking, and it made me recognize just how important it is to be fully here and rest in the knowledge that even with an ocean and a few thousand miles between us, I still have a Dad who is willing to map out a route for me that makes sense to my crazy brain; a Mom who knows just what to say to make me smile; and countless friends and loved ones who have filled my inbox and FB wall with love and support from home. You all have been and continue to give me permission to live into these days and experiences fully and completely~so thank you!
And after a few tears of stress and frustration, I got to go and babysit for some darling Norwegian children. We had a fantastic evening together, laughing, playing games, bridging the language barrier: apparently I'm only a little bit difficult to understand...and my Norwegian is passable (that is, if you want to hear where I come from, how old I am, who my family is and that I don't really speak any Norwegian at all!). It was such a great night: These are great kids and it made me so happy to play board games, eat bon bons and sing silly songs together: simple joys. So great!
