Adam: Passing Not Running Up Bills

I’ve been in Norway for over a month! Or rather, I haven’t had Starbucks in over a month… Instead of talking about joining or not joining the European Union, Norwegian government needs to address the issue of not having my number one addiction anywhere in sight. I’m not saying they have to be on every corner, but one wouldn’t hurt.

Monday we visited the Norwegian Parliament for class. Since I geek out for anything that has to do with government, this was the best field seminar yet. We got a tour of both chambers of parliament and even got to sit in the chairs. Again, probably not that thrilling to the other ladies, but the photos taken of me show just how excited I was.

Also, we learned though the media Tuesday that we arrived at parliament right after a bit of a showdown between the leaders of three political parties. Honestly, we talked about it at the beginning of class, so I wasn’t really paying attention, but I guess a lady named Erna Solberg was peeved by something these two other bros did, and something, something, something…. This story sounded so much more interesting in my head, but that’s probably because I imagined it as a true rumble. I suggest you do the same.

Living in Sogn continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. Well, except for doing laundry. The washing machines are confusing and the dryers seem to do everything else, but dry your clothes. German friend Lisa and myself make dinner a lot, and by dinner I mean a lot of pasta with cream sauce. Obviously, this is a complete disaster and I need to start eating healthy Norwegian things, like veggies and fish. So that’s what I’m going to do. Tomorrow. Or the next day, I swear.

Time is flying by real fast and planning/anticipating various trips only seems to speed it up. In addition to Dublin, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, plans for Bergen and, as previously mentioned, Tromø are on the table. Traveling around Europe is obviously worth it, but the key is to find everything on the cheap. Ryan Air is a great go to for flights (it’s what Erika and I are taking to Ireland), although since they are so cheap, I’m picturing  tiny, shaky, explosion-prone planes.

I finally feel as though I’m figuring out how to stretch a buck here. What’s my secret? Being frugal. There’s a little convenience store that’s really close to class and has the most amazing warm, filling bread-thing filled with tuna and peppers for a mere 20kr. A steal, as the kids say. Although, and this goes back to eating like a garbage disposal, they’re probably not the healthiest thing in the world and it didn’t feel great when the worker who I see everyday knew what I wanted when I walked in the door.

Things feel familiar and comfortable and usually include eating and enjoying everything Oslo has to offer. I can’t complain.