Breaking news: I got an A

I know you're probably thinking, "what's the big deal? Doesn't Kathleen always get A's?" Well, I used to, but lately they've been a little harder to come by. Shall we recap my academic history:


I had a 4.0 starting in middle school (possibly before) and going all the way through high school. That's six years of straight A's. I was accustomed to getting A's. They were normal, expected, and honestly, not that difficult for me to achieve.

What I probably looked like during high school

Then at Whitworth I got my first A-, then B+, etc etc,. It was a shock to the system, but not getting A's was a much needed experience for me. The pressure of maintaining perfection was gone and I became more concerned with learning. So I went on my merry way with A's and B's in college. Physics 2 was a mighty foe but I managed to stave off a C, squeaking by with a B-.

What I probably looked like during college

Then I came to Norway. They do things a little differently here. You see, most classes have no homework, papers, or projects, or even a midterm. Grades here are usually based on your score on a single exam at the end of the semester. You get one shot, on one day, to show what you know about the entire curriculum. C's are normal and expected, and B's are greatly admired. But to get an A, you basically have to be perfect and nail everything, plus give a little something extra special. 

What I no doubt look like in grad school

Needless to say, in my experience, it's harder, or at least very different, to get an A here than in the U.S. So, how did I get one?


Well, firstly, I should say that this A was probably made possible because it was not one of my science courses. The class was called Experts in Teamwork. It's a special sort of class, designed to teach students how to work on a project in an interdisciplinary team and mandatory class for all Master's students at NTNU. It was an all-day course for three weeks in January and I was in a group of six people working on a single project while constantly evaluating and discussing our actions and effectiveness as a team. Silly? Kind of. But it turned out to be a much better experience than any of us anticipated, and we all agreed we've become friends. Someone tell me that doesn't deserve an A!


In the end, we delivered two reports, one about our project and the other about our "group process," these being the only two things our collective grade would be based on. No one in our group cared too much about the grade in this class, because it is kind of silly, but we were actually the only group in our class to get an A. By the way, an A here might as well be an A++ in the States, and a B is basically considered an A, a C is a B, and so on. I just have to hope that the U.S. knows that Europe is a little more stingy with their highest grades. Also, they don't give plusses or minuses, but they do have an E between D and F. I guess that's only natural but I'm still not sure what it means.


Last night my Experts in Teamwork group got together to share a meal and celebrate our victory. Meet the A-team:

Tes (neuroscience), Camilla (med student), and Elise (neuroscience)

Me (molecular medicine), Ida (psychology), and Hans (psychology, and I promise he likes us more than he lets on:)

We had a great time hanging out, and we enjoyed not having to document our every conversation or reflect on our teamwork. We worked really hard on both our project and process during the course, so it feels really good to have succeeded together. Like I said earlier, school is not the main reason I'm here, but I'm reveling in the joy of a hard won A for the first time in a long time.

Oh hey, Middle of February, when did you get here?

Today my brother kindly reminded me that I've failed at my resolution to blog more (I knew I shouldn't have put that on the list). In fact, I've blogged less than ever since I wrote that resolution. It's no secret, we all know it, but someone had to give me a kick in the pants so that I would actually do something about it. As we are seeing, I'm just not a natural blogger. To be honest, I've always found the whole concept of blogs odd and I don't fully understand why people might be interested in what I have to say. And recently, I just haven't noticed a lot of things and thought, "Oh, I need to blog about THAT." Guess I've been in Norway long enough that the weirdness is wearing off and I'm actually starting to live a normal life. OK, that's only half true...


Sure there's lots of stuff going on with me but lately I don't know exactly what to say or I haven't felt like writing about it. It just feels forced, or the stuff I write gets a little too personal to post. I've been uninspired and unmotivated. Plus, I'm a perfectionist, so if I don't think I can write it really well, it's probably not going to be written at all, or it's going to take forever (even this post has taken way longer to write than it should have).


I'm in a blogging slump, and I need out. Suggestions are welcome. And thanks for checking in even though there hasn't been any incentive to do so lately. My promises about future blogging always seem to have the opposite of their intended effect, so instead I leave you with this brief glimpse into my life: 


Today I paid 135 NOK or about 25 USD for eight chicken breasts. Yes, you read right, 25 bucks for eight breasts of chicken. Were they especially special chicken breasts? No. Well, maybe, if you think Norwegian chicken breasts are special, but no, not really. The kicker? They were on sale. WAY on sale. That's the best price I've seen and I double checked with a Norwegian to make sure. Normally they are twice as much and I don't buy them, but I couldn't pass on these. So it was scrimping and splurging all in one purchase. And I'm not sure how to feel about it. But I am looking forward to eating chicken.

Resolutions, Norwegian Style

I've made a list of new year's resolutions that I really want to keep. They might be like most resolutions you hear people talk about, but mine are also a little different. They are based on positive things that I've noticed about the Norwegian culture that I want to apply to my own life. With that in mind, this year I want to:

Eat like a Norwegian
No, I'm not going to start eating lutefisk regularly. There are other Norwegian habits that make more sense. Here's what I mean:

Norwegians are fairly adamant about enjoying unhealthy food only on the weekends. I learned this after one of the first lunches I took to school in the fall included potato chips. I am used to having potato chips with my sandwiches in the States so I thought nothing of it to bring them in my matpakke (Norwegian lunchbox). But when I produced the chips from my backpack at school, the response from my new Norwegian friends was nothing short of, "What the heck are you doing?" and "Are you crazy? Potato chips are Friday night food!" I ate the potato chips in defiance that day, but their reactions stuck with me. While I have eliminated potato chips from my matpakke, I still tend to eat junk food whenever I want. I'd like to change this and limit my treat-eating to weekends and special occasions, an un-American as that is.

Eating like a Norwegian will also mean eating more fish, which will mean buying fish and learning how to prepare it. And to round out my blossoming Nordic diet, I will be eating more fruit, vegetables, eggs, and whole grains instead of other bad stuff. That was my obligatory diet-related resolution. Now, some others:

Practice hospitality
Norwegians are a welcoming and generous bunch. They love to have people over for a delicious dinner, or just sit and chat over a cup of coffee. I've been blessed by the hospitality of countless Norwegians since I've been here, and it's made me realize I need to be more hospitable. I want to take the initiative and invite more people over.

Speak Norwegian

My Norwegian comprehension is good, but my conversational skills are lacking. I can have simple conversations and I am nearly professional at following conversations in Norwegian (depending on speed and the dialects being spoken). But I struggle to keep up quickly enough so that I can contribute, and I don't always know the words I should use. The next step is learning more so I can actively participate and rely less on English. I've found that being able to speak someone else's language lets you connect with them in a whole new way, and it helps you get to know some people you otherwise wouldn't.

Each day I've been teaching myself a few new Norwegian words to improve my vocabulary and it is already paying off. I need to keep it up and make the effort to speak more in everyday life. Since my Norwegian is far from perfect, I often shy away from asking things in stores or other public places unless I know exactly how to say it. I need to be more courageous and willing to make mistakes if I'm going to improve. Still, when I speak, people are usually surprised and impressed that I've lived in Norway for less than six months. That means I've come a long way since I got here and is a big encouragement to keep going. A huge thanks to all the Norwegians who have helped me learn the language so far!

Gå på tur (Go for a walk)
I want to get more exercise, but I don't want to join a gym. Instead, I'd like to walk more. I find that walking is a great (and free!) way to get to know your city and get moving after sitting most of the day. I walk to the store often and home from school once in a while, but I want to do it more often and explore new areas in Trondheim. How is walking Norwegian? I can't explain it right now, but trust me, it is.


Blog more
of course!

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime

When I initially planned to write a blog post every day for 12 days, a small part of me actually thought I could do it. I mean, how hard could it be to write a sentence or two to document my Christmas break, if not a few long posts about things past? I thought that with all my free time I'd be able to write like never before. But now this idea seems terribly foolish. I neglected to realize that I wouldn't want to spend a ton of time writing. It is a bit of a chore for me, so when given a choice between it and almost anything else, writing loses.  I had an exciting and exhausting fall semester, and afterwards I needed a break from focused work. Instead of writing my brains out, I've been enjoying time with people and time alone with God. 

Right now I'm in Stavanger, in southeast Norway. I've been hanging out with my friend Julie and her family for the past few days and it's been a wonderful time of rest and relaxation. Normally, I'd be really excited to see the sights in a new place, but the weather has been stormy so we've stayed inside most of the time and just hung out. And that's the great part about this break. I haven't felt pressure to get a bunch of stuff done or check things off my to-do list. I've been living more in the moment and enjoying the little things each day brings. Good, meaningful conversations. Laughs about cultural differences. I'm thankful for the chance to get to know people better and to rest my mind.


So that's why I haven't blogged as frequently as I would like. I would rather experience life and maybe have time to write about it later than miss out on life but have everything perfectly documented. I will still be blogging as much as I can, but my life is not a blog, and yours isn't either. We are real, live people with limited time time on this earth. My life is a gift, and in the past five months in Norway, I've learned to appreciate this gift more.


The point is, I've had not only an amazing Christmas break, but an amazing time in Norway so far. The joys and challenges are equally good, and I'm growing in faith in Jesus like never before. I'm grateful to be here, and to have even more time here. Tomorrow I head back to Trondheim where I have a few days to get ready for school to start again. I hope all of you have had a restful and joyful Christmas season as I have, and that it extends into 2012.


Pictures from Stavanger:

Julie and her sister

Side note: We are eating at Peppe's Pizza,

only the second time I've eaten at a restaurant since I've been in Norway.

Julie's parents and my temporary parents :)

Happy New Year!

Lest you think I hate Poland

I wrote a while back about the joyless Polish city of Warsaw, and meant to follow that up with how great Krakow is, but am finally getting to it just now. Before I got to Norway this past summer, I took a trip by myself to England to Poland. I knew people in England and had been there before, but Poland was totally new to me. After England I had about 10 days and chose to spend them in Krakow, Poland because it seemed to me to be one of the cheapest and most interesting cities in Europe. Thankfully, this turned out to be true, and I really enjoyed my time in Krakow. Here's a long overdue recap:


I found a hostel with a good location and free breakfast, internet, and laundry for $20/night.

My hostel room and home for 10 days 

The view from my room. You get what you pay for!

I walked all over Krakow. It is a really easy city to navigate and you can reach most things in half an hour or less. It rained most of the time, so I went to several museums and art galleries, and churches.

St. Peter and St. Paul's Church,

Saw a classical music concert in here

St. Florian's Gate

Part of the old city wall

 Nuns hanging out

 St. Mary's Basilica

In the big medieval town square

But there were a few really gorgeous days, too. On one walk I stumbled upon a beautiful cemetery. The fanciest and most intricate tombs I've ever seen. I think the people buried here were very rich.

One of the more unusual things I saw was the Kosciuszki Mound, built in honor of a Polish war hero.  After a climbing a long hill just outside of the city, you come to this:

You climb up the spiral path on the outside of the mound and reach the 360 degree views at the top. This was a great and unique way to see all of Krakow and the surrounding country.

There was a wedding reception at the property.

I had fun watching the bride and groom for a few minutes.

I was really excited about visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the world's largest and longest running salt mines. It has tons of rock salt carvings and even an underground chapel carved out of salt. Those were neat, but the mine turned out to be a giant, literal tourist trap. We were herded through long, dark passages and I don't think anyone could hear our tour guide. Halfway through the tour we were left in the underground gift shop for way too long. The only way back up to ground level is one very small elevator, which you must wait for in a LONG line. Unlike most other things I did in Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine was a big disappointment. The highlight was meeting a small group of older Norwegians in my tour group. There are worse people to be stuck underground with! But we all agreed we should have saved our money.


There are also bike paths around and outside the city. One day I rented a bike and rode several miles to an old Benedictine Abbey. It didn't take long before I was out of the city and in the wide open Polish countryside.

Where is the dang monastery?

Excavation at the monastery

 A very cool thing was finding a church in Krakow with English translation during its services. I met some great people and was able to hang out with them a few times. One them owns a bakery, so I visited a few times and got to taste lots of delicious Polish goodies. I hope I can keep in touch and visit them again.

New friends at the bakery

So there's a little bit of my days in Krakow, but I experienced way too much for one blog entry, so look for Part 2 next!

god jul

I've already failed at my attempt of 12 posts in 12 days, but I think we all saw that coming. I have to squeeze in a Christmas greeting before I go to bed tonight. This was my first Christmas away from home, and as different as it was, it felt like Christmas should. The joy of Christmas, of being together with family and celebrating Jesus' birth, is what's important.


This Christmas I saw things in new ways and got to be a part of a normal, yet special, Norwegian celebration. I ate risengrøt and hoped to get the almond and win the prize. I heard a spirited concert in an old church and learned some new songs. I watched and very much enjoyed a 1973 Czech cinderella movie that's been dubbed into Norwegian by a single man and become a Christmas staple. There were several familiar things too, like a delicious dinner followed by a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit. Though, I found the game to be slightly more difficult in Norwegian with a focus on Norwegian culture, history, and geography. More difficult, but fun and memorable, nonetheless. My team did not win, but we were close... sorry about that, Knut ;)


Though the people, food, music, and other traditions may change, Christmas is Christmas no matter where you are. It is still the time to remember, accept, and share God's love. He loves us so much that, rather than see us die and be separated from him, he became a man so he could save us through his own blood. That is something to celebrate no matter who or where you are. I've been reminded of that this year Christmas; it has definitely been special and I'm so glad to have experienced it. I'm sure I will always remember my first jul in Norway, and I wish you all a memorable and meaningful one, too.


Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Our Swedish Shopping Spree

As you may know, Norway is one of the most expensive places to live in the whole world. In order to save a little money, some Norwegians go shopping in Sweden, especially for meat, alcohol, and tobacco. Early in the semester, my roommate and I heard about a bus that drives students to a grocery store at the Swedish border, free of charge.

There are buses that take paying customers from Trondheim to Sweden daily, but there is only one bus that takes students for free. Every Thursday it picks up the first 50 lucky passengers to whisk them away to magical land where meat is only double the price as in the U.S., not quadruple.

Untold adventure awaits us!

We had a pleasant ride through the Norwegian countryside:

 Norway is beautiful

Once we crossed the border into Sweden, the excitement was palpable:

Eager shoppers

Sweden is… less beautiful

Our destination, the Coop Extra store in Storlien, Sweden:

Inside was crazy. The grocery store was small and their selection was not great. The fruit and vegetables were well picked-over when we arrived, but they had more than enough of my main target, frozen chicken breasts. We only had about half an hour to shop before the store closed and the bus headed back to Norway. It was a scramble to find all the things on my shopping list in time. A busload of students all looking for a lot of cheap food in a tiny grocery store was just a little hectic. Needing to translate the Swedish to English or Norwegian and convert the prices in my head added to the craziness.

In the excitement, I grabbed some things that seemed like good deals at the time, but turned out to be the same price in Norway. Most of the stuff I bought was cheaper than in Norway, but not by much. If you drive further into Sweden the prices get lower, but stores near the border have inflated prices.

On the way back home we sat behind some Norwegians (the only ones on the bus) and asked what they had bought. They had bought wine, snus, and sandwich supplies for dinner on the ride home. For them, it was not worth it to buy a bunch of stuff that was only a little cheaper than at home. They laughed at how much we bought and how excited we were about the whole process. So, the deals weren't as great as expected, but I saved a little money on groceries and got to go to Sweden. Not a bad afternoon!

Our Swedish loot at home

“I went to Sweden and all I got was this lousy cucumber”