...was great! We had perfect weather the entire (!) time and it was just a wonderful little trip. So glad I went.
It's late, I didn't sleep much on the bus last night and I brought home a little cold, so I'll have to update you with more details later. For now, just pictures
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Halbzeit
Half of the summer school is practically over and therefore we are given 2 days of "vacation" for a long weekend. I will use my long weekend to go see Stockholm - a city about which I have heard many good things. I am quite excited to see Stockholm as it has been on my list of places to go for a while. I am taking the night bus in about one hour. It leaves at 11 pm and should get to Stockholm at 6 am...so it'll be a long night, but hopefully it'll be worth it. Wish me luck for the trip (I've got chocolate, so at least I won't go hungry :))...
School itself has been fine. It still is a lot of work, but, as always, you learn to manage and to take it step by step. Other than that, there really isn't anything new at the moment. I will report again from Stockholm if I can find a computer (I am not taking my laptop for a change...).
School itself has been fine. It still is a lot of work, but, as always, you learn to manage and to take it step by step. Other than that, there really isn't anything new at the moment. I will report again from Stockholm if I can find a computer (I am not taking my laptop for a change...).
Saturday, July 04, 2009
More pictures
So, Maria (my Russian friend) and I went out again to explore another part of Oslo. I can only repeat myself and say that I REALLY like Oslo - what a cool place! In many parts it even reminds me of Berlin - actually like a mix of Berlin and Wellington in New Zealand (Scandinavia and New Zealand don't seem all too different to me, when I think about it... the same kind of beauty, feeling of safety, friendliness of the people, etc.).
Before I go on and on though, I'll just share some more pictures with you (below)!
Oh, and to the Americans among you: Happy 4th of July!
Before I go on and on though, I'll just share some more pictures with you (below)!
Oh, and to the Americans among you: Happy 4th of July!
Norwegian landscape
more Norwegian landscape
The Peace Research group 2009, on the deck of our cabin
The lake we swam in
...and again
downtown Oslo
Maria and I
Karl Johans Gate - the main downtown boulevard
the National Theater
downtown Oslo
Oslo's oldest building
A typical Oslo scene, it seems to me: Locals enjoying the long summer nights out in one of Oslo's many parks
One of my new favorite areas of Oslo, only a 10 min walk from campus. Reminds me of Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin...no?
Downtown Oslo, right by the harbor, where you can buy fresh shrimp from a boat or just hang out and enjoy the sun with a coffee or an ice cream
The Grand Cafe - one of Ibsen's "hangouts"
Enjoying a cup of tea in a cafe
Back from the cabin, back to work
I've been back from the cabin for about 24 hours now. The trip was fine - we hiked and stayed at a cabin in the woods north of Oslo (Oslo is surrounded by so many lakes and woods that long hikes into the wilderness are a mere subway trip away). As part of this peacebuilding workshop we played a lot of games and discussed a lot of scenarios for which there are no right or wrong answers - so, the whole thing was clearly geared towards all of us getting to know each other (better). The less formal atmosphere of a cabin made that easier than in the classroom, no doubt, though 2 days still didn't seem quite long enough for a group of 26 people... When we were not discussing, we had some time to hang out or go swimming in one of many lakes that you just sumble upon when walking through the woods. Given that Oslo is currently (for the past two weeks or so) going through an unusual heat wave (we're actually talking 90 °F or 30°C here!... Fingers crossed it stays that way, rumor has it that the temperature may drop to the 60s/ 15°C in the next few days...yikes!!!), jumping into a mountain lake was actually quite nice. And, given that it's Norway and not South Africa or Australia or something, the most dangerous thing here were probably sharp rocks (on which I cut my heel a bit because I slipped when getting in the water).
After taking a long, long shower (we had one (!) outhouse and one (!) shower for all 28 people present at the cabin for three days), my friend Maria and I walked into Oslo again yesterday and it was SOOO nice. You can tell that the Norwegians (much like the Germans) just soak up every bit of sun when it's out. Everyone is out and about, walking around barely dressed, sitting outside enjoying a juice or tea, reading or playing in the parks and fountains, or just taking a stroll. The city was so lively again, it was just a joy to walk around and be part of that. Maria and I did a bit of (window) shopping (H&M to Norway is like Starbuck's to the US...you can't walk 100 yards without running into another one), had an ice cream and some cherries and actually walked all the way into the city center (new territory for me). It was really such a pleasant end to the first week here and got our minds off the massive workload we both struggle with (she is taking Norwegian classes here).
Soeaking of which - ever since classes started the active going-out-and-exploring hustle-and-bustle has somewhat stopped and whenever you ask someone what they are doing or if they would like to go out to x, you get the oh-so-familiar "I wish I could, but I have so much work to do" response (sound familiar, fellow grad students?). Bummer! As determined as I am not to turn into a workaholic here, because I came here to do and see things I can't do and see at home, it is a challenge to find a balance between work and fun. (Though there is room for that, too...we had our first party last night with discounted half-liter-beers... no further comments...) This Monday we have an outline for a group research paper due, plus 60 pages of reading every day. It's hard not to feel catapulted back into semester-stress-mode. The nice thing, of course is, that I can remind myself that I have the freedom to get out of this what I put in and that I really won't be held accountable for this by anyone at home, other than myself. Also, it is doubtlessly nice to not have any other obligations (besides having fun and seeing Oslo a bit) like teaching or even cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc..
In two weeks we have a long weekend (midterm break or something) and I am really contemplating going to Stockholm. I've been to Sweden, but never Stockholm and I hear it is absolutely gorgeous. If it'snot too too expensive, maybe a few of us will go (if we can find the time to arrange for it ;-)). We shall see...
That much for now. I didn't get much sleep last night (thanks to the party, people coming home at 5 am, and the sun shining brightly by the same time), so I might just allow myself to fall asleep over my readings.
I will upload more pictures soon. Promise.
After taking a long, long shower (we had one (!) outhouse and one (!) shower for all 28 people present at the cabin for three days), my friend Maria and I walked into Oslo again yesterday and it was SOOO nice. You can tell that the Norwegians (much like the Germans) just soak up every bit of sun when it's out. Everyone is out and about, walking around barely dressed, sitting outside enjoying a juice or tea, reading or playing in the parks and fountains, or just taking a stroll. The city was so lively again, it was just a joy to walk around and be part of that. Maria and I did a bit of (window) shopping (H&M to Norway is like Starbuck's to the US...you can't walk 100 yards without running into another one), had an ice cream and some cherries and actually walked all the way into the city center (new territory for me). It was really such a pleasant end to the first week here and got our minds off the massive workload we both struggle with (she is taking Norwegian classes here).
Soeaking of which - ever since classes started the active going-out-and-exploring hustle-and-bustle has somewhat stopped and whenever you ask someone what they are doing or if they would like to go out to x, you get the oh-so-familiar "I wish I could, but I have so much work to do" response (sound familiar, fellow grad students?). Bummer! As determined as I am not to turn into a workaholic here, because I came here to do and see things I can't do and see at home, it is a challenge to find a balance between work and fun. (Though there is room for that, too...we had our first party last night with discounted half-liter-beers... no further comments...) This Monday we have an outline for a group research paper due, plus 60 pages of reading every day. It's hard not to feel catapulted back into semester-stress-mode. The nice thing, of course is, that I can remind myself that I have the freedom to get out of this what I put in and that I really won't be held accountable for this by anyone at home, other than myself. Also, it is doubtlessly nice to not have any other obligations (besides having fun and seeing Oslo a bit) like teaching or even cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc..
In two weeks we have a long weekend (midterm break or something) and I am really contemplating going to Stockholm. I've been to Sweden, but never Stockholm and I hear it is absolutely gorgeous. If it'snot too too expensive, maybe a few of us will go (if we can find the time to arrange for it ;-)). We shall see...
That much for now. I didn't get much sleep last night (thanks to the party, people coming home at 5 am, and the sun shining brightly by the same time), so I might just allow myself to fall asleep over my readings.
I will upload more pictures soon. Promise.
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