A day without luggage, almost

August 19, 2008

The first stop today was back at the school. I got my invoice for my school fees (roughly $150 for the semester) and asked a bunch of questions I hadn't asked the day before. Then, I headed up the hill to Rauland Sentrum. Blink and you'd miss it, if you were driving. I did find a place with specialty coffee; we'll have to see how special it is since it cost a small fortune. I also found the grocery store and the ATM.

I took the bus back to Åmot to check in with the police department. The officer I need to talk with is out until possibly Monday, they'll leave a message at the school if and when I need to come back down. I bought a cell phone :D It should start working in a day or two. When I came out of the store, It was just after two o'clock. I had just missed the bus up the hill.

With the extra four hours I had in Åmot, I checked out the two grocery stores. I tried to pay the semester fees, but without enough cash or a Norwegian bank account, I was out of luck. I spent the remaining three hours waiting at the bus stop. At least I got a cup of coffee and some french fries while I waited!

On the bus ride back, I felt relaxed enough to look around at the scenery. Even in the drizzle increasing to downpour, the vistas around every corner are amazing. The road between Åmot and Rauland is not straight. It curves and curls and twists and turns in a northeast fashion for roughly 18 kilometers. Sometimes there are houses on the sides of the road, sometimes itæs just forest and rocks and lakes and rivers. All of it is beautiful.

There were four people on the bus on the way back. All of us were students, but only three of us were students here. The boy got off before we got to the school. The other girl was from Germany and had a fair amount of luggage. I offered to wait with her to make sure she made it to her room. The main doors were locked to the school, so we walked up to the studentheim where the vaktmester's phone number is posted on the wall. She knew her room number and we found one of the Norwegian students to help her call. It turned out that another student had the master key, so everything worked out just fine. Now, I think I'll practice for a while to settle my nerves.

First Night

August 18, 2008

Birgit and I will be sharing a kitchen. We are the only ones who will be sharing our luxurious kitchen with an awesome view and a dishwasher. That's right, a dishwasher. Of course, I think we've already had half the school (at least most of the building) here as her guests, so I don't think we'll be wanting for a social life.

Birgit made dinner (thank goodness), sweet and sour chicken, and shared her wine. She went for a walk and I did the dishes and took a nap. When I woke up, there was a small crowd in her room. I think the total headcount was at one point eleven people. Possibly twelve. It was a nice way to start meeting people.